For the last century most economic systems around the world have called themselves capitalist or socialist, while most political systems have called themselves democratic. This course explores the philosophical and historical relationship between these systems. In the first half of the course, we will see how and why capitalism and socialism emerged in the nineteenth century and spread around the world in the twentieth. In the latter half, we will tackle the question of the proper relationship between capitalism and democracy and address the question of whether there is a future for socialism.
This course lays out the development of the idea of liberalism, meaning freedom, beginning with feudal Europe and moving through the Enlightenment and the flowering of political thinking in France, the UK, and Germany that followed. The focus is on the philosophical origins of limited state power and maximal state power, both in the name of freedom. Lectures, discussions, and readings will cross disciplinary lines, mixing cultural history, political theory, early economic though, and recent trends in democratization.
About Professor Field
Prof. Field studied at Nuffield College, Oxford, while in graduate school and at the University of Bonn in then-West Germany as an undergraduate. His current research interests explore the intersection of religion and politics.