PHIL 457DMarx

Catalog

In this course, we will grapple with questions concerning the origin and justifiability of social inequalities, that is, inequalities in power or the capacity to have oneself obeyed by others, prestige and, most importantly perhaps, wealth: Where do these inequalities come from? Do they track natural inequalities (for example, in intelligence or strength)? Or does the origin of social inequalities lie elsewhere? And why are these inequalities so pervasive and stubborn? When are inequalities in wealth or power justified? And how might we go about redressing those inequalities that are not justified? We will attempt to answer these questions with the help of readings by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, John Rawls, Robert Nozick, G. A. Cohen, Elizabeth Anderson, and Thomas Piketty, amongst others. (It is highly recommended for students to have taken at least one prior course in social and political philosophy.)