Course Description

As new understandings of self and individualism evolved through the Renaissance, a heightened appreciation for individual liberties also emerged. This course will track this emergence through authors who were pessimistic about individual liberties, those who were adamant defenders of them, and those who believed that the focus on individualism came at the cost of valuable social relations. We will also consider the relationship between individual liberties and rights, as well as the tenuous balance between individual liberty and equality well-known in debates about distributive justice.