PHIL690 FA26
Seminar in Special Topics (PHIL690)
Topic: Problems in Democracy
Dr. Amanda Parris
Wednesdays · 5:00pm–7:45pm · LA1–302
There is currently a lot of handwringing about the end of democracy. In this seminar, we will problematize the concept and value of democracy. What is democracy? Whatever it is, is it the best form of political community? What is the relationship between the power of the people and the institutions and techniques of government? Does the state express the will of the people through the constitution, the vote, and abiding by public opinion? What is the relation of the state to the economy in democracy? Is democracy best conceived as a force that challenges all state and economic institutions? Is it a national, global, or social concept? In addressing these and other philosophical questions about democracy, students will better understand debates in democratic theory and use them to formulate and examine problems in existing states that call themselves ‘democratic’.
We will read a wide range of philosophical texts for and against democracy—from Ancient Athens to current-day social movements—and these texts will pose many different concepts of democracy. Representative authors include Plato, Aristotle, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, John Stuart Mill, Jürgen Habermas, John Rawls, Iris Marion Young, Achille Mbembe, Sheldon Wolin, Michael Hardt & Antonio Negri, Angela Davis, and Jacques Rancière, among others.