Libertarianism, 7,5 ECTS Fall 2013 October 28 - November 1, 2013
Lecturer: Marcus Agnafors
Course Summary Libertarianism is frequently accused of being a cold-hearted and egoistic theory, putting property rights and the absence of interference before solidarity and duties of assistance. Only a minority (9.9 %; see http://philpapers.org/surveys/results.pl) of philosophers are libertarians. Nevertheless, it has retained a strong intuitive appeal and continues to be a constant contender in the debates within moral and political philosophy. Recently, libertarianism has seen a considerable revival, both in politics and within political philosophy. In particular, the group of theories labelled as left-libertarianism have recently been given increasing attention within the scholarly debate. This branch of libertarianism is often associated with philosophers such as Hillel Steiner, Michael Otsuka, Peter Vallentyne, and Phillipe van Parijs. Left-libertarianism, depending on definition, typically include some “leftist” component, and is often contrasted with right-libertarian theories. Right-libertarianism, showing little interest in notions like solidarity and equality while placing great emphasis on individual rights and private property, have been expounded by numerous writers, among them Robert Nozick, Ayn Rand, Friedrich Hayek, Walter Block, Murray Rothbard, Jan Narveson, Eric Mack, and Tibor Machan. In real-world politics, in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, the interest in libertarianism, and in particular its right-wing versions focusing on economics, skyrocketed (as did the interest in Marxism). Several influential American politicians have recently confessed libertarian leanings (such as Ron Paul and Rand Paul). Recognising the philosophical and political significance of libertarianism as a theory, the aim of the course is to make the students familiar with the diverse political- philosophical family of theories known as libertarianism. This involves studying the historical roots of libertarianism as well as its modern versions. Libertarianism will be examined in both of its main versions; right- and left libertarianism. During the course, libertarianism’s relation to classical and contemporary liberalism will be discussed, as well as its relation to Marxism and communitarian theory. Moreover, a further aim of the course is that the students, after having completed the course, will be able to interpret current political events and policies through a libertarian perspective.
Lectures and Seminars The course is spread out over five days (Monday – Friday). Each day usually contains a lecture and a seminar. Each seminar will use one or several short texts as its starting point. Professor Peter Vallentyne, one of the most influential (left-)libertarians today, will be visiting the Department during the course week and will be giving a lecture on libertarianism.
Eligibility The course is suitable both for students already familiar with the field of political philosophy and for newcomers. Basic familiarity with the main theories in the field of political philosophy and/or ethics is preferable, but not required.
Course Requirements Each student, in order to get a passing grade, is required to fulfil the following requirements:
(1) Each student must, besides attending the lectures, have an active presence in the seminars. The student must take part in the discussion in an educated and intelligent way. (2) The student must hand in two short papers, approximately two pages each, in which two particular topics (to be announced later) are critically examined. (3) Each student must hand in an individual assignment at the end of the course. It will consist of a longer essay on a relevant topic (a list of possible topics will be provided later, although the student is encouraged to find a topic of his or her own).
Grades will be based on all three components above.
Literature To be announced later.
Detailed Schedule A detailed schedule – containing further instructions for the seminars, course essay and papers – will be provided later.
Contact and Registration For questions concerning registration and practicalities, please contact Ylva von Gerber: ylva(dot)von_gerber(at)fil(dot)lu(dot)se. If you have any questions regarding the content of the course, please contact Marcus Agnafors: Marcus(dot)agnafors(at)fil(dot)lu(dot)se.