Four Texts on Socrates, trans. T. and G. West (Cornell).
The Republic of Plato, trans. A. Bloom (Basic Books).
Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, trans. H. Apostle (Peripatetic).
Aristotle, The Politics, trans. C. Lord. (Chicago).
Augustine, Political Writings, trans. Tkacz and Kries (Hackett).
Saint Thomas Aquinas, On Law, Morality, and Politics, ed. Baumgarth and Regan.

The goal of this course is to understand as clearly as we can the thought of some of the greatest ancient and medieval political philosophers and the radical challenge that thought poses to modern and contemporary political thought. In this course, we will explore such fundamental and perennial questions as: 1) What is the best political society? Is democracy superior to aristocracy or monarchy (or tyranny)? Should political society be communistic or non-communistic? Should political societies be small or large, commercial or austere, tolerant or intolerant? 2) What is the best way of life? That of the statesman? or the pious person? or the poet? or the philosopher? or the tyrant? 3) What is the nature of human beings? Are we fundamentally equal or unequal? Political or apolitical? Rational or irrational? Mortal or immortal? 4) What is justice? Is a just political society possible? Is it better to be just or unjust? 5) What is the relation between philosophy and politics? Is philosophy dangerous to or beneficial to political society? 6) What is the relation between religion and politics? Is religion necessary for a decent and stable political society? Or does religion tend to undermine political life? 7) What is the relation between philosophy or reason and religion or faith? Is there a fundamental conflict or harmony between the two?

There will be one 4-5 page paper (worth 20%), two 5-7 page papers (worth 25% each), and a final (self-scheduled) exam (worth 25%). You must do all of the written work in order to pass the course. You will be docked a half of a grade (for example, from A to A-) on a paper which you hand in late unless you either have asked for (and received) my permission beforehand or have a very good excuse. Roughly 5% of your grade will be determined by class participation. You will be expected to read the assigned texts carefully before we discuss them in class. Regular attendance is expected.

January 13 Introduction.

January 15 Aristophanes, Clouds, lines 1-813.

January 17 Clouds, lines 814-end.

January 20 Clouds.

January 22 Plato, Republic I.

January 24 Republic I.

January 27 Republic I.

January 29 Republic I.

January 31 Republic II.

February 3 Republic II. FIRST PAPER DUE.

February 5 Republic III.

February 7 Republic III.

February 10 Republic IV.

February 12 Republic IV-V.

February 14 Republic V.

February 17 Republic V-VI (484a-502d)

February 19 Republic VII (514a-521c).

February 21 Republic VII (514a-521c, 539e-541b).

February 24 Republic VIII-IX, esp. 555a-561e, 587d-592b, and X, 608b-621d.

February 26 Aristotle, Ethics I

February 28 Ethics I

March 10 Ethics II 2ND PAPER DUE

March 12 Ethics III

March 14 Ethics III

March 17 Ethics IV

March 19 Ethics IV-V

March 21 Ethics V-VI

March 24 Ethics X

March 26 Ethics X

March 28 Aristotle, Politics I, chaps. 1-2

April 2 Politics I, chaps. 3-7

April 4 Politics II, chaps. 1-5, 7-8

April 7 Politics III, chaps. 6-13, 17-18

April 9 Politics IV, chaps. 8-12

April 11 Politics VII, chaps. 1-4, 10, 13-15

April 14 Augustine, Political Writings, pp. 30-31, 58- 67. THIRD PAPER DUE

April 16 Augustine, pp. 88-89, 92-114.

April 18 Augustine, pp. 133-136, 140-167.

April 21 Augustine, pp. 175-183, 195-201.

April 23 Aquinas, On Law, Politics, and Morality, pp. 220-230.

April 25 Aquinas, pp. 70-71, 231-248.

April 28 Aquinas, pp. 249-262.

April 30 Aquinas, pp. 263-271.

May 2 Overview