Status
Active
Email Address
Major
Political Theory
Supervisor(s)
Xia, Erfan
Dissertation:
Montaigne and Hobbes: Two Political Philosophies of Mere Life
Biography
Erfan Xia is a Ph.D. student in Political Theory. He is interested in the history of political thought with a focus on ancient and early modern thinkers. His dissertation explores how Montaigne and Hobbes tackle the problems of conflict and cruelty in political life, which were pressing ones in the early modern context of the corruption and instability of both the political and religious orders. He pays particular attention to the common foundation of their respective humane political visions: a new understanding of human life as “mere life” in contrast to various versions of “good life” in Greek, Roman, and Christian traditions and the Machiavellian life of glory.
Research Interests
Ancient and Early Modern Political Philosophy
Previous Degrees
2015 B.A. in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, Peking University; 2016 M.A. in Political Theory, University of Toronto
Teaching Experience
TA for POL200 Political Theory: Visions of the Just/ Good Society in 2017-18, 2020-21