Politics, Philosophy, and Education
We will explore the nature of these three activities and the relations among them. The course could be said to be an extended commentary on Socrates' claim that education is turning the soul toward being; Aristotle's distinction between theoretical and practical knowledge; and Marx's claim that philosophers have only interpreted the world, but the point is to change it. We will ask what is liberal education and what is its business with political things. We will read Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Nietzsche, and some twentieth-century writers, including Michael Oakeshott, Allan Bloom, and Leo Strauss. Seniors needing to fulfill a political science seminar requirement may arrange with the instructor to do so. 3 hrs. lect./disc.