Philosophy 6

What is justice?  Where do the mandates of justice come from and why do they have authority over us?  How do we know what is just?  When and how should wrongdoers be punished?  Is it better to be just than unjust?  A long line of philosophers have asked these questions.  Though they often disagree wildly, their exploration of the questions tends to take a similar form.  An author articulates a view, presents objections to that view, then defends the view.  Fiction, poetry, autobiography work differently.  In this course, we will consider classic works of Western literature, both fiction and non-fiction.  We will consider how these texts explore questions about justice, the answers that they offer us (if any), and how all of this relates to philosophical debates about justice.  As we go along, we will contrast texts from Ancient Greece, early and medieval Christianity, the Enlightenment, and more contemporary times.