PHIL227 Morality and Politics: Hobbes to Hume

Overview

British moral and political philosophy from Hobbes to Hume. Does rightness consist in obedience to the sovereign or is it what an ideal observer would approve of?

What do moral judgements mean, and what (if anything) makes them true? What must people be like if they are to respond to the demands of morality? What must morality be like if people are to respond to its demands? 

Hobbes (1588-1679) thought that right and wrong reduce to the commands of the sovereign and that a rational and selfish person would obey the sovereign's commands for fear of lapsing into a war of all against all. 

Locke (1632-1704) thought that right and wrong reduce to God's commands, that the sovereign should be obeyed if he rules for the public good, but that, otherwise, there is a right of rebellion. 

Bernard Mandeville (1670-1733) argued, first, that private vices - such as greed and vanity - are public benefits since they lead to a flourishing commercial society and, second, that morality is a put-up job devised by cunning politicians to keep the populace in line. 

Hume (1711-1776) argued that reason is the slave of the passions, that an "ought" cannot be derived from an "is" and that virtue is to be defined in terms of the responses of an impartial spectator. We discuss these views and those of their contemporary critics. We also discuss the sexual politics of Hobbes and Hume and the relevance of social contract theory to international relations and the Treaty of Waitangi.

About this paper

Prerequisite

One PHIL paper or POLS 101 or 72 points

Restriction

PHIL 327

Schedule C

Arts and Music

Eligibility

This is a second-year paper targeted especially at students of Philosophy, students of Politics and students majoring in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE).

Contact

charles.pigden@otago.ac.nz

More information link

View more information on the Philosophy programme's website.

Teaching staff

Course co-ordinator and lecturer: Professor Charles Pigden

Paper Structure

Teaching: Two 2-hour lecture-seminars per week for thirteen weeks. Typically, we kick off with a student presentation, topics to be selected from the Essay and Presentation schedule in the Coursebook. I then give an impromptu lecture addressed to the student’s presentation. This broadens out via Q&A into a general discussion.

Teaching Arrangements

Two 2-hour lecture/seminars per week, with a short coffee break halfway through.

Textbooks

Coursebook: Charles R. Pigden, Hobbes Hume and their Critics (available from UniPrint or as pdf from Blackboard).

Either:
D.D. Raphael ed. (1991) The British Moralists 2 vols. Indianapolis, Hackett.
or both
Thomas Hobbes (1994) Leviathan, ed. E. Curley, Indianapolis, Hackett.
and
David Hume (2006) Moral Philosophy, edited, with Introduction, by Geoffrey Sayre-McCord Indianapolis, Hackett.

Graduate Attributes Emphasised

Interdisciplinary perspective, Scholarship, Communication, Critical thinking, Cultural understanding, Ethics, Self-motivation.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes.

Learning Outcomes

• A critical understanding of the of some of the classical texts of early modern moral and political theory and their relevance to contemporary issues in ethics and politics (including Te Tiriti).
• A background understanding of early modern history generally and its relevance to the contemporary world. (We are, living in the ruins of the British Empire and are heirs, for good or ill, to British constitutional developments. I also try to promote an understanding of the history of Aotearoa /New Zealand of which students are often surprisingly ignorant.)
• A set of intelligent and informed opinions about the issues covered in this course.
• Enhanced communication skills.
• Enhanced skills in logical and analytic thinking.

Assessment details

Assessment:

• In-class contributions: 5%
• Essay 1 (2000-2500 words): 22.5%
• Essay 2 (2000-2500 words): 22.5%
• Final Exam: 50%

Timetable