Biblical Ideas and American Democracy

Catalog description

The purpose of the seminar is to bring classic Jewish philosophical, theological and halakhic texts about government into conversation with the foundational philosophical works of American political thought. In so doing, we will consider the following questions: How did Jewish political philosophy, and its concept of covenant impact the eventual structure and nature of the United States? How did the Bible figure in the philosophical debates about democracy and monarchy that took place in Britain and the colonies during the century before America's founding? What role might Hebraic ideas have played in influencing philosophers and thinkers such as Locke, Milton, Paine and Burke? What tensions exist between the notion of religious authority and the modern conception of personal autonomy, and how do we see this dialectic play out in the Enlightenment philosophers' debates about identity and human nature? In what way is the United States different from European democracies, and what is the role of religion in American public life? (For Poli Sci majors, toward Political Theory or American Politics.) Open only to juniors and seniors. Course is offered through Straus Center Graduate Certificate in Jewish Political and Social Thought.