PHI 362 - Advanced Topics: Philosophy & Slavery (1)

Slavery not only persists as a practical problem, but also calls for philosophical reflection on many questions. What is enslavement? What is slavishness? What is mastery? What is freedom? What is liberation? Is slavery always unjust? Does the fulfillment of some require the oppression of others? Is everyone capable of true freedom? How are the identities and aspirations of participants in profoundly unequal power relations affected by those relations? How do systems of enslavement intersect with questions of race, ethnicity, gender, age, and physical and mental ability? These are among the problems raised by the ancient and modern texts we will read, including two written by former slaves and one by a slave owner. In this course you will learn to discuss such questions from various philosophical perspectives, using concepts from our readings, and bring these perspectives into dialogue with each other. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing
(Humanities)