POLS 286-01, Might and Right Among Nations, Fall 2008

Abstract

This course will focus on what was once referred to by great statesmen and political thinkers as Great Politics, meaning especially relations among nations and the politics of war and peace. International relations and war raise some of the greatest and most difficult questions posed by political life, particularly concerning the nature and role of justice in politics. Apart from the laws and conventions of domestic political life, and the mechanisms to enforce those laws and conventions, what role do (or should) considerations of legality and morality play in political life? Does justice play a role in relations between nations? Or are such relations governed strictly by considerations of political necessity? What is (or should be) the role of religion, morality, economics, and power in international relations? What are the prospects for a just international order? In this course, we will consider what light political philosophy has to shed on these and other questions concerning great politics and justice among nations. We will study and consider the ideas of some of the greatest minds ever to grapple with these questions, carefully reading and discussing together works that are both philosophically profound and practically useful��not to mention simply delightful and interesting to read, ponder, and discuss.