Fall/Winter Timetable
POL485H1F L5101
Topics in Political Thought II
Plato on Justice and Political Virtue
Themes
In this course, we will investigate how a prominent group of ancient intellectuals called ‘sophists’ conceived of political virtue and the nature of political society. Plato’s dialogues are important witnesses to lively debates about rival conceptions of justice among these intellectuals. How did they conceptualize political society and its ‘political science’? Is justice a capacity innate in all human beings, or a democratic ploy to constrain the truly able? Themes we will explore in the context of this investigation include the role of punishment, shame, greed, rhetoric and free speech. We will also reflect on the question of what role philosophy has to play in political society.
Texts
Plato, Protagoras and Gorgias.
Format and Requirements
One two-hour seminar per week. Participation (25%); Argumentative Essay (30%); Reading Reflection (10%); Final Paper (35%).
January 29, 2024
The winners of the 2022-2023 undergraduate awards were announced at the annual celebration, held this year on the evening of January 25. Presiding over the award ceremony were Undergraduate Director...
January 26, 2023
Congratulations to our 2021/22 undergraduate award & scholarship recipients! Following a two-year hiatus, the department was delighted to return to hosting our undergraduate awards in-person this year to celebrate our...
June 3, 2021
In a bid to motivate her students in what has been a very difficult academic year, Professor Rebecca Kingston decided to give those enrolled in the winter 2021 term of...
May 21, 2020
Congratulations to undergraduate student Cheryl Cheung who has received a University of Toronto Excellence Award (UTEA). Going into her third year majoring in political science, with minors in visual studies...
January 29, 2020
Congratulations to all our amazing undergraduate students who picked up one the department’s twenty-three awards and scholarships at our annual undergraduate awards ceremony. In attendance were Dean of Arts &...