FJ0B028 Political philosophy of the Enlightenment

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
1/1. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
Mgr. et Mgr. Jan Rutsch (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. Petr Dytrt, Ph.D.
Department of Romance Languages and Literatures – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: doc. PhDr. Petr Dytrt, Ph.D.
Supplier department: Department of Romance Languages and Literatures – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Wed 12:00–13:40 N43, except Mon 21. 4. to Sun 27. 4.
Prerequisites
FJ1A001 Practical French I
B2 level knowledge of French
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is offered to students of any study field.
The capacity limit for the course is 15 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 15/15, only registered: 0/15, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/15
Course objectives
The objective of the course is to introduce the political philosophy of the French Enlightenment, which in many ways forms the basis of our current (not only) legal systems. Across the key concepts of political philosophy, students will also be introduced to key figures of the Enlightenment, always with an emphasis on showing the interconnectedness of theoretical and literary works.
Learning outcomes
After completing the course, the student will be able to:
- orient in the basic concepts and figures of 18th century political philosophy;
- recognize the ideas of political philosophy within literary texts;
- be conscious of the influence of the political philosophy of the Enlightenment on today's society.
Syllabus
  • 1. What is the Enlightenment? What is political philosophy? What is literature during the Enlightenment?
  • 2. The main figures of the political philosophy of the Enlightenment - Montesquieu, Voltaire, Diderot, Rousseau
  • 3. Enlightenment legal theories and their representatives
  • 4. Natural law
  • 5. Slavery
  • 6. Form of government
  • 7. Geographical and demographic determinism
  • 8. Freedom
  • 9. Equality
  • 10. Religion
  • 11. Reception of the political philosophy of the Enlightenment during the French Revolution
  • 12. The legacy of the Enlightenment for today's society in France and the Czech Republic
Literature
    recommended literature
  • ROUSSEAU, Jean-Jacques. Discours sur les sciences et les arts ; Discours sur l'origine de l'inégalité ; Rêveries du promeneur solitaire. Paris: Ernest Flammarion, 309 s. info
  • ROUSSEAU, Jean-Jacques. Les confessions. Edited by Georges Lecomte. Paris: Firmin-Didot et Cie, 622 s. info
  • ROUSSEAU, Jean-Jacques. Du contrat social. Edited by Bruno Bernardi. Edition revue et mise. Paris: Flammarion, 2012, 255 stran. ISBN 9782081275232. info
  • DIDEROT, Denis. La religieuse. Paris: Maxi-Livres, 2002, 252 s. ISBN 2-7434-3207-1. info
  • MONTESQUIEU, Charles Louis de Seconda. De l'esprit des lois. Edited by Voltaire. Nouv. éd. entièrement refo. Paris: Garnier Frères, 1941, 391 s. info
  • VOLTAIRE. Candide. Paris: R. Simon, 1935. info
  • MONTESQUIEU, Charles Louis de Seconda. Lettres persanes. Edited by Henri Barckhausen. Éd. rev. et annotée. Paris: Hachette et Cie, 1913, 337 s. info
  • SIEYÈS, Emmanuel-Joseph. Qu'est-ce que le tiers état? Edited by Edme Champion. éd. critique. Paris: Au Siége de lasociété, 1888, xv, 93. info
Teaching methods
Combination of lectures on particular topics with discussion of selected texts
Assessment methods
The assessment includes active preparation for the class (reading the assigned texts), a seminar paper dealing with any topic in the field of political philosophy of the Enlightenment and a subsequent oral discussion about the seminar paper.
Náhradní absolvování
No
Language of instruction
French
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2026.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2025/FJ0B028