POSC 387 - Reason and Relativism in Social and Political Thought

How can one understand human beings when they seem to have such a complicated variety of interests and motives? Not only does behavior vary dramatically across cultures and over time, but so do conceptions of truth, God, religion, morality, justice, and the good. Differences abound. The intent of this course is to look at the controversies that divide social and political theorists in their effort to understand human beings and the human condition. In the process students discover that beneath conflicting theories are recurring themes concerning subjectivity and objectivity, the nature of human beings, theories of self and other, as well as a debate over rationality, irrationality, truth, and knowledge. By better understanding these controversies students gain new insights into human nature, human knowledge, and the human condition.

Credits: 1.00
Corequisite: None
Prerequisites: None
Major/Minor Restrictions: None
Class Restriction: None
Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
Liberal Arts CORE: None

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