PH 230 Evil Philosophers: Controversial Books in Modern Philosophy

A number of books in the history of modern philosophy ignited fierce controversy and gained for their authors an infamous reputation. Among them are Machiavelli's The Prince (1532), Hobbes' Leviathan (1651), Spinoza's Theological-Political Treatise (1670), and Mandeville's Fable of the Bees (1714). While these books differ among themselves in many ways, their authors share in common a desire to set philosophy and politics on what they regard as a more solid foundation, by starting not (as the ancients did) from how men ought to be, but from how they are. These books were labeled immoral, irreligious, and offensive to the dignity of mankind, but this did not prevent them from having a profound influence on subsequent philosophers and modern politics. (For example, Hobbes made a major contribution to the modern doctrine of individual rights, Spinoza to that of free speech.) In this course we will undertake a close reading of selections from these books, or from others like them, with a view to understanding why they were so shocking to contemporary readers and how the issues they raise may still be relevant to our lives today.