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Political Philosophy (todo)

Filed with Books & Courses (MOC) · Related: Philosophy — Unified Curriculum & Checklist · Learning

Recommendations

ilide.info-graduate-generals-theory-reading-list-as-revised-for-circulation-october-2010-pr_7d22f9d6c7f25e63843e777fa11229b4.pdf (file not included in this release)

My Political Philosophy bibliography gave good introductory texts. I’ll thow in some recommendations.

Ancient and Medieval:

  • Plato’s Republic

  • Aristotle’s Politics

  • Ockham’s On the Tyrannical Government of the Pope

  • Aquinas and Augustine, but I don’t know work names.

Modern:

  • Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes (chaptrers from 13 to 30).
  • Discourse on the Origin of Inequality Amongst Men and The Social Contract, Jean Jacques Rosseau.
  • The Prince, Niccolo Machiavelli.
  • Discourse on Voluntary Servitude, Etienne de la Boetie.
  • Locke’s Second Tratise on Civil Government.

Contemporary:

(analytic)

  • Nozick’s Anarchy State and Utopia
  • Rawls A Theory of Justice

(continental)

  • Benjamin’s Theses on the Concept of History
  • Agamben’s State of Exception (probably also Homo Sacer)
  • Schmitt’s The Concept of the Political
  • Laclau’s The Populist Reason
  • Arendt’s almost anything (Eichman in Jerusalem, On Revolution and The Origins of Totalitarianism are the keys)
  • Adorno and Horkheimers Dialectic of Enlightenment.

Are there any specific classics that SHOULD be read regardless of one’s beliefs?

Plato, Republic

Aristotle, Politics

Locke, Second Treatise

Rousseau, On the Social Contract, Discourse on Inequality.

Mary Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman

Kant, Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Sketch

I agree that

At some point, despite your personal views, you should look into Marx.

And I agree: stay away from the Manifesto. Read Capital and The German Ideology. If you’re going to dive into Capital, I would recommend reading it along with David Harvey’s YouTube Course on it.

Martin Luther King’s Letter From a Birmingham Jail

Other works I’d recommend as important, but not as important as those above

Hobbes, Leviathan

Adam Smith, Theory of Moral Sentiments

The Federalist Papers

Frederick Douglass, What to a Slave is the Fourth of July?

Hegel, Philosophy of Right

Nietzsche, Genealogy of Morality

Isaiah Berlin, Two Concepts of Liberty

Specifically Conservative Thinkers

Edmund Burke

Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America

The suggestion of the Austrian School thinkers is probably good.

Leo Strauss (though I really dislike him).

Allan Bloom, The Closing of the American Mind

For historical reasons I agree William Buckley and Russell Kirk should be included.

Some of my favorites, and some that I find really interesting, in no particular order

Henry David Thoreau, A Plea for Captain John Brown

Marx, The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte

Spinoza, Theological-Politcal Treatise

Robert Pippin, Hollywood Westerns and American Myth: The Importance of Howard Hawks and John Ford for Political Philosophy

Walter Benjamin, “The Work of Art in the Age of its Technological Reproducibility”

Adorno and Horkheimer, Dialectic of Enlightenment

Adorno, “Commitment,” in Notes to Literature, vol. II

Also, this Open Yale Course is a pretty good overview of a substantial amount of modern (Enlightenment-forward) social and political theory. The prof is pretty entertaining, too.

As a last thought: It’s good that you know where you stand. If you find yourself standing in the same place, in the same way, at the end of all of these books––go read them again, more carefully and sympathetically. I do not mean by this that reading these books well will make you not a conservative (though maybe, who knows?). I mean that if you find the way you think about politics completely unchanged, you probably didn’t get what the books were saying. It took me a very long time to realize this in my own education. I mean these as words of encouragement that will hopefully save you some time and effort, not as some pedantic warning.

Study Plan (ChatGPT)

Here’s a structured study plan to learn political philosophy integrating books, lectures, and online courses:

📚 Foundational Reading (Core Texts)

  1. Plato – Republic

  2. Aristotle – Politics

  3. Machiavelli – The Prince

  4. Hobbes – Leviathan

  5. Locke – Second Treatise of Government

  6. Rousseau – Political Writings

  7. Tocqueville – Democracy in America

  8. Jonathan Wolff – An Introduction to Political Philosophy

    • A highly recommended, accessible secondary text surveying Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Rawls, Nozick, Marx, anarchism, and more (Reddit).

  9. John Rawls – A Theory of Justice (1971)

    • A cornerstone of 20th‑century Anglo‑American political philosophy, introducing justice-as-fairness and the original position (Wikipedia).

  10. Sheldon Wolin – Politics and Vision (1960, expanded 2004)

    • A sweeping synthesis tracing Western political thought from Plato to modern theorists (Wikipedia).

🎥 Lecture Courses

1. Open Yale Courses – PLSC 114: Introduction to Political Philosophy

  • 24 full video lectures by Steven B. Smith (Fall 2006), structured around the classic texts listed above (Open Yale Courses).
  • Readings align with each session. A complete syllabus and lecture videos are available free.

2. Harvard’s “Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do?” by Michael Sandel

  • Free on edX and YouTube, this popular 12‑episode course applies political and moral philosophy to real-world dilemmas (Liberty University, Wikipedia).

3. Audio Lectures – John Rawls’ “Modern Political Philosophy”

  • A 23-lecture series (audio) by Rawls himself, recorded at Harvard (1984), available for free (Wikipedia).

🎓 Online Courses & MOOCs

  1. Harvard edX – Justice (Moral & Political Philosophy)

  2. Oxford Continuing Education – Political Philosophy: An Introduction

  3. Coursera – Yale’s “Moral Foundations of Politics” (Ian Shapiro)

    • Examines Enlightenment-era theories and contemporary political legitimacy. Over 170k learners (Wikipedia).

  4. Millerman School – Intensive seminars (e.g., The Roots of Political Philosophy, Plato’s Republic, Aristotle’s Politics, Leo Strauss, Dugin) (Michael Millerman).

  5. Peterson Academy – Free-standing lectures on political ideologies and thinkers by credible university instructors (e.g. Plato, Nietzsche, Political Ideologies) (Wikipedia).

📅 Suggested 12‑Month Study Plan

PhaseDurationActivities
1Months 1–2Read Plato’s Republic and Aristotle’s Politics; follow Open Yale lectures on them
2Months 3–4Study Machiavelli’s Prince & Hobbes’ Leviathan; watch corresponding Yale sessions
3Months 5–6Read Locke, Rousseau, Tocqueville; continue Open Yale course
4Months 7–8Engage with Rawls: A Theory of Justice, Sandel’s Justice course
5Months 9–10Delve into secondary texts: Wolff and Wolin
6Months 11–12Choose a MOOC (Oxford, Coursera); explore Millerman or Peterson Academy seminars

🛠️ Tips for Effective Study

  • Active engagement: Take notes, write responses to prompts, and discuss with peers (e.g., on Reddit r/askphilosophy).
  • Apply concepts: Use modern dilemmas (justice, democracy, liberty) in Sandel’s lectures to relate philosophical theories to real life.
  • Expand context: After core texts, read Wolin and Wolff to see broader thematic connections.
  • Deeper dives: If interested, explore Strauss or Dugin via Millerman’s specialized courses.

✅ Key Resources Recap

  • Books: Core primary texts (Plato to Tocqueville), Rawls, Wolff, Wolin
  • Lecture Series: Open Yale, Michael Sandel (Harvard), Rawls audio
  • MOOCs: Harvard edX, Oxford, Coursera, Millerman, Peterson Academy

This plan balances primary reading, guided lectures, and modern interpretations, giving you a robust foundation in political philosophy over the next year. Would you like detailed links or help picking a first course to start with?

Here are the lecture courses featured in the 12-month study plan, complete with course names and links:

📘 1. “PLSC 114: Introduction to Political Philosophy” — Yale University (Steven B. Smith)

  • Course page (Open Yale Courses): Introduction to Political Philosophy – Lecture series and full syllabus by Dr. Steven B. Smith (Open Yale Courses)
    Link: https://oyc.yale.edu/political-science/plsc-114
  • Key Lectures Include:
    • Lecture 1: Introduction: What Is Political Philosophy? (Open Yale Courses)
    • Lectures 2–7: Plato’s Apology, Crito, Republic
    • Lectures 7–9: Aristotle’s Politics
    • Lectures 10–11: Machiavelli’s The Prince
    • Lectures 12–14: Hobbes’s Leviathan
    • Lectures 15–17: Locke’s Second Treatise of Government
    • Lectures 18–20: Rousseau’s Discourse on Inequality, Social Contract
    • Lectures 21–23: Tocqueville’s Democracy in America
    • Lecture 24: In Defense of Politics (videolectures.net, Wikipedia, Open Yale Courses)
  • YouTube Playlist: Introduction to Political Philosophy with Steven B. Smith (24 lectures) (YouTube)

🏛️ 2. “Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do?” — Harvard University (Michael J. Sandel)

  • edX Course: Justice by Michael Sandel — a free, 12-week course on moral and political philosophy including topics like affirmative action, market ethics, rights, and equality (edX)
    Link: https://www.edx.org/learn/justice/harvard-university-justice
  • YouTube Videos (original series):
    • Justice Episode 01: The Moral Side of Murder (edX, Open Yale Courses, YouTube)
    • Justice Episode 04: This Land Is My Land (YouTube)
    • Justice Episode 10: The Good Citizen (Aristotle) (YouTube)
    • Justice Episode 06: Mind Your Motive (YouTube)
  • The course is also available via Harvard’s professional learning portal (Vanity Fair).

📚 Summary Table

CourseProviderFormatAccess Link
Introduction to Political Philosophy (PLSC 114)Yale / Steven B. Smith24 lectures, reading-alignedoyc.yale.edu/political-science/plsc-114
Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do?Harvard / Michael Sandel12‑episode video series + edX courseedx.org/learn/justice/harvard-university-justice

These two comprehensive lecture series are the backbone of your 12-month plan:

  • Yale’s series covers classical thinkers (Plato to Tocqueville)—highly suited for Months 1–6 and again in Months 9–10.
  • Harvard’s series on Justice is perfect for Months 7–8, exploring contemporary moral–political debates as you tackle Rawls and Sandel’s ideas.

Let me know if you’d like direct links to specific lecture videos or additional course suggestions!

Books I’m Missing

Yes — your list is already very strong, spanning classical foundations, American founding thought, ideological traditions, and modern critiques. However, to make it more comprehensive, balanced, and globally aware, here are some highly valuable additions you might want to include:

I. Classical and Religious Foundations (Pre-Modern)

These deepen understanding of political theology and the roots of Western and global traditions.

  1. Augustine – City of God
    A foundational Christian critique of earthly politics and its relation to divine order.
  2. Thomas Aquinas – Summa Theologica (Political Sections)
    Synthesizes Aristotelian thought with Christian theology, influential on natural law theory.
  3. Al-Farabi or Averroes (Ibn Rushd)
    For Islamic political philosophy – especially their commentaries on Plato and Aristotle.
  4. Confucius – Analects
    Core of East Asian political ethics — virtue-based governance and social order.

II. Canonical Modern Works Missing from Your List

  1. Edmund Burke – Reflections on the Revolution in France
    Essential to understanding conservatism and critique of radical political change.
  2. J.S. Mill – On Liberty
    A defining liberal text on individual freedom and state limits.
  3. Karl Marx – The Communist Manifesto and Critique of the Gotha Program
    Even if critical of Marxism, familiarity is essential for understanding Leftist critiques of liberalism and capitalism.
  4. Max Weber – Politics as a Vocation
    Crucial for understanding political authority, legitimacy, and the modern state.

III. 20th and 21st Century Thinkers

These address key ideological, cultural, and political developments post–World War II.

  1. Michael Oakeshott – Rationalism in Politics
    Important in conservative skepticism of utopian schemes and centralized planning.
  2. Antonio Gramsci – Selections from the Prison Notebooks
    Marxist thinker on cultural hegemony—helpful for understanding modern progressive movements.
  3. Isaiah Berlin – Two Concepts of Liberty
    Clear distinctions between positive and negative liberty, influential in Cold War liberalism.
  4. Carl Schmitt – The Concept of the Political
    Controversial but foundational in political realism and discussions of friend/enemy distinctions.

IV. Modern Political Theory and Cultural Commentary

To round out your view of today’s ideological landscape:

  1. Francis Fukuyama – The End of History and the Last Man
    Post-Cold War liberal optimism and its philosophical underpinnings.
  2. Patrick Deneen – Why Liberalism Failed
    A modern critique of liberalism from a communitarian/traditionalist lens.
  3. Yuval Levin – The Great Debate: Edmund Burke, Thomas Paine, and the Birth of Right and Left
    Explains the foundational philosophical split between conservatism and progressivism.
  4. Eric Voegelin – The New Science of Politics
    Philosophical critique of ideology and totalitarianism.

Would you like a revised reading order that integrates these additions into your current list? I can also break it down into themes (e.g., liberty, authority, justice, ideology).