POLb1011 Big Issues of Contemporary Political Philosophy

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2024
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. et Mgr. Jiří Baroš, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Bc. Tereza Křepelová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Ján Tomaštík (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. et Mgr. Jiří Baroš, Ph.D.
Department of Political Science – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Mgr. Lucie Pospíšilová
Supplier department: Department of Political Science – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Thu 12:00–13:40 P51 Posluchárna V. Čermáka
  • Timetable of Seminar Groups:
POLb1011/01: Wed 3. 4. 8:00–9:40 P21a, Wed 15. 5. 8:00–9:40 P21a, J. Baroš, J. Tomaštík
POLb1011/02: Thu 4. 4. 8:00–9:40 P21b, Thu 16. 5. 8:00–9:40 P21b, J. Baroš, J. Tomaštík
POLb1011/03: Thu 4. 4. 16:00–17:40 P24b, Thu 16. 5. 16:00–17:40 P24b, J. Baroš, J. Tomaštík
Prerequisites
! POL142 20th Century Pol. Philosophy && !NOW( POL142 20th Century Pol. Philosophy ) && ( POL103 History of Political Ideas || POLb1008 History of Political Ideas )
A willingness to think about philosophical problems, intellectual curiosity and openness to the various traditions of thought that shape the character of Western societies
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 29 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The course aims to introduce students to major topics of political philosophy in the 20th and 21st centuries. At the end of the course students will have acquired knowledge of the most significant issues informing both currect and recent scholarly debates, as well as of key contributors to these debates. Course participants will become familiar with core problems and debates pertaining to contemporary normative theoretical reflection of society. Also, they will be able to explain mutual interaction between political theory and political practice. They will thus acquire the ability to critically assess and compare pivotal contributions to contemporary political philosophy and apply them to important phenomena within present-day societies.
Learning outcomes
Upon completing the course, students will:
have acquired knowledge of key problems that structure recent debates in the discipline as wellm as the most important political philosophers of the 20th and 21st Centuries
understand the most significant issues and debates pertaining to contemporary normative theoretical reflection of society
be able to explain mutual interaction between political theory and political practice
acquire the ability to critically assess and compare pivotal contributions to contemporary political philosophy and
be able to apply them to important phenomena within present-day societies
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction: mission and organization of the course. The nature and role of political philosophy 2. Critical theory of the Frankfurt School: rationality, democracy, recognition 3. Carl Schmitt's realism: the concept of the political and states of exception 4. Liberalism under threat: Isaiah Berlin. The question of freedom and value pluralism 5. Republican freedom as non-domination: Hannah Arendt and Philip Pettit 6. John Rawls' theory of justice. On the nature of normative political theory 7. Natural and positive law: H. L. A. Hart and Ronald Dworkin. The egalitarianism of Ronald Dworkin 8. Natural law libertarianism: individualism, property, metautopia 9. Classical liberalism and social evolutionism: spontaneous order, social morality, normative non-conformity 10. Communitarian critique of liberalism: has liberalism failed? 11. A week for self-study 12. Radical and participatory theories: redistribution, recognition, empowerment 13. Deliberative democracy, constitutional patriotism and the constitutionalization of international law according to Jürgen Habermas
Literature
    required literature
  • Gray, John. Dvě tváře liberalismu. Praha: Mladá fronta, 2004, 51-91
  • Hayek, Friedrich A., Principy liberálního společenského řádu. In Tomáš Ježek (ed.). Liberální ekonomie. Praha, Prostor, 1993, s. 53–76
  • Hart, H. L. A. Pojem práva. Praha, Prostor, s. 185–209
  • Nozick, Robert. Distribuční spravedlnost. In Kis, János (ed.) Současná politická filosofie. Praha, 1997, s. 205–237
  • Nozick, Robert. Distribuční spravedlnost. In Kis, János (ed.) Současná politická filosofie. Praha, 1997, s. 205–237
  • Rawls, John. Teorie spravedlnosti. Praha:Victoria Publishing, 1995, s. 17–32, 38–42, 92–105
  • Honneth, Axel. Sociální patologie rozumu: k intelektuálnímu dědictví Kritické teorie. Patologie rozumu: dějiny a současnost kritické teorie. Praha: Filosofia, 2011, 33–64
  • Znoj, Milan. Republikanismus mezi negativním liberalismem a demokratickým populismem, in: Machiavelli mezi republikanismem a demokracií. Ed. Milan Znoj, Jan Bíba. Praha: Filosofia, s. 41–76
  • Sandel, Michael. Procedurální republika a nezakotvené jáství. Filosofický časopis č. 2, 1995, s. 249–265
  • Uhde, Zuzana. 2010. Kritická teorie Iris M. Young: analýza strukturálních nespravedlností a genderu. In: Iris M. Young, Proti útlaku a nadvládě: Transnacionální výzvy politické a feministické filosofii. Praha: Filosofia, s. 9–40
  • Velek, Josef. Jürgen Habermas a utopie věčného míru, Filosofický časopis 52(2), 2004, 231–252
  • Berlin, Isaiah. Dva pojmy svobody. In Kis, János (ed.) Současná politická filosofie. Praha, 1997, s. 47–62, 94–99
  • Deneen, Patrick. Proč selhal liberalismus. Praha: Karolinum, 2019, s. 33-46, 141-153
  • Dworkin, Ronald. Svoboda, rovnost a společenství. In Kis, János (ed.) Současná politická filosofie. Praha, 1997, s. 273–299
  • Bíba, Jan. 2014. Doslov, in: Ernesto Laclau a Chantal Mouffe. Hegemonie a socialistická strategie: za radikálně demokratickou politiku. Praha: Karolinum, 219–225
  • Pateman, Carole. 2012. Participatory Democracy Revisited. Perspectives on Politics 10(1): 7–19
  • Mouffe, Chantal. The Return of the Political. London: Verso, 1993, s. 102-116
  • Marcuse, Herbert. Jednorozměrný člověk: studie o ideologii rozvinuté industriální společnosti. Praha: Naše vojsko, 1991, s. 32–66
  • Habermas, Jürgen. K ustavení Evropy. Praha: Filosofia, 2013, s. 43–52
  • Vávra, David. Politické myšlení Hannah Arendtové. Politologická revue 1/2007, s. 3–18
  • Pateman, Carole. Participation and Democratic Theory. In: Robert Dahl, Ian Shapiro, José A. Cheibub (eds.), The Democracy Sourcebook. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, s. 40–47
  • Šťastný, Dan. Liberalismus: Posedlost trhem? In: David Boaz, Liberalismus v teorii a politice. Praha: Liberální institut, s. 393–408
  • SCHMITT, Carl. Pojem politična : text z r. 1932 s předmluvou a se třemi korolárii. Translated by Otakar Vochoč. Druhé vydání. Praha: Oikoymenh, 2013, 124 stran. ISBN 9788072984916. info
  • ARENDT, Hannah. O násilí. 2. vyd. Praha: Oikoymenh, 2004, 78 s. ISBN 8072981285. info
  • SHAPIRO, Ian and Jürgen HABERMAS. Teorie demokracie dnes. Edited by Milan Znoj. Vyd. 1. Praha: Filosofia, 2002, 95 s. ISBN 8070071567. info
    recommended literature
  • BLACKWELL, Basil. Blackwellova encyklopedie politického myšlení. Edited by Janet Colemanová - William E. Connolly - Alan Ryan - David Miller, Tr. Brno: Jota, 1995, xiii, 580. ISBN 80-85617-47-1. info
Teaching methods
There are two pedagogical methods of the course:
The first are lectures on each topic, which put the required readings into intellectual-historical context, and also focus on several selected problems and issues. Students are required to read the assigned readings before each lecture, so that they are ready to answer the teacher's in-class questions adequately.
The second method are seminar classes in smaller groups (ca. 15–20 students). Each seminar consists in (1) clarification of issues related to compulsory readings; and (2) student presentation of a selected text and subsequent in-class discussion
Assessment methods
The course is evaluated throughout the term (composite evaluation); students are expected to read approximately 600 pages of scholarly literature. There are several requirements to fulfil, in order to finish the course:
(1) Attendance at three seminars during the term. Evaluated activities include: Group presentation, position papers, activity in discussions (3) Final written test in the exam period. The test comprises both lectures and assigned readings
The overall assessment (A through F) represents the total point score from these three parts.
Language of instruction
Czech
Follow-Up Courses
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
Teacher's information
For additional and detailed information see the course syllabus, which is available in the Study Materials section within the Information System
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2020, Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2025.
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