Are there Universal Political Values?

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Does one standard of goodness or rightness apply everywhere? Are political values local or relativistic? Are there different standards of justice and rightness, and so attempting to evaluate them all is simply hubris. Or might there be a spectrum with options somewhere between these two? Do such universal values exist and how to evaluate such values in the context of particular societies that change over time. We will read a number of texts on issues relating to liberalism, relativism, multiculturalism, and pluralism. Will focus on Montesquieu, whose insights raise fascinating questions as well as discuss contemporary issues.