Democracy and Justice

Catalog description

What is democracy? Originally it meant ?rule of the people', but who are the people and what does it mean to rule? Through an engagement with philosophers writing and thinking from a variety of perspectives, this course considers concepts of democracy and justice, how they may be threatened, and in what senses they may be worth defending. Some of the questions it asks include: Are ?the people' individuals or a community? Do equality and freedom complement or oppose each other? May a majority do whatever it decides is best or must it respect individual rights? In what sense may rights or obligations follow from concepts of justice, and what are political rights or obligations in the first place? In what sense do social exclusion and oppression (racism, sexism, religious persecution, etc.) impact democracy? Is democracy itself just or does justice demand something more? The course will not provide answers to this set of questions, but will introduce students to a series of conceptual approaches to thinking through the world we inhabit together.