About This Course

In this course, we bring together scholarship from philosophy, politics and economics to study the philosophical underpinnings and social institutions of contemporary American society and the world in which it operates. Working across disciplinary boundaries, we examine scholarship that seeks to describe the liberties, freedoms and safeguards that promote human flourishing and that looks carefully at the roles played by market economies and political institutions in the construction of contemporary society.

One goal for the course is to prepare PPE majors to write their senior theses in the spring. Concrete work on the thesis is required at regular intervals throughout the term and the final project is a thesis prospectus. (Students from departments that do not require a thesis are invited to chat with us about a suitably modified assignment.) Another goal is to spend our sessions synthesizing work in the three disciplines of philosophy, politics, and economics. This year, our focus will be on inequality. We will ask what economists, philosophers, and political scientists have to say about inequality and how work in one area is related to that in the others.

The syllabus (PDF) has a schedule of topics for discussion, readings, and assignments; it also describes the standards for grades and other policies for the class. Registered students can find all other materials on Sakai.

Class picture

Class picture
Eleanor Brown, Michael Green, Keegan, Emily
Dylan E., Ryan, Lilly, Hutch
Roman, Daisy, Lola, Dylan B.
Brandon
Missing: Jordan, Evelyn, Agnes
Class picture

Class Notes

Tue, Aug 25
First Day
Thu, Aug 27
Sample Thesis and Prospectuses
Tue, Sep 1
Locke on Property
Thu, Sep 3
Gibbard on Locke
Tue, Sep 8
Piketty on Inequality
Thu, Sep 10
Piketty on Inheritance
Tue, Sep 15
Darity on Inequality
Thu, Sep 17
Darity on Reparations
Tue, Sep 22
Rawls’s Difference Principle
Thu, Sep 24
COVID-19 Day
Tue, Sep 29
The Capabilities Approach
Thu, Oct 1
The Capabilities Approach and Transgender People
Tue, Oct 6
Thesis Updates
Thu, Oct 8
Thesis Updates
Tue, Oct 13
Dworkin’s Auction
Thu, Oct 15
Dworkin and the Social Safety Net
Thu, Oct 22
Kidney Markets
Thu, Oct 22
Williams on Equality
Thu, Oct 29
Barry on Justice and Humanity
Tue, Nov 3
Election Day
Thu, Nov 5
Experienced Utility
Tue, Nov 10
Effective Altruism
Thu, Nov 12
Work Day
Tue, Nov 17
Presentations
Thu, Nov 19
Presentations
Tue, Nov 24
Presentations