Seminar in Political Theory: Political Theory and Social Change

Debates in political theory typically revolve around questions relating to ends, such as "What does a perfectly just society look like?" But very few societies have fully achieved the ends set out by political theorists and much real-world political practice is about enacting means in pursuit of a given end. This course is about social change and the means deployed to achieve it. We will examine the philosophical questions surrounding means such as violence, disobedience, strikes, boycotts, and nudging. Examining these means will involve engaging with some of the most important and enduring problems in political theory.