24. In Defense of Politics

Introduction to Political Philosophy (PLSC 114)

This final lecture of the course is given "in defense of politics." First, the idea and definition of "politics" and the "political" are discussed with reference to the ideas of Immanuel Kant and twentieth-century political scientists, novelists, and philosophers such as Bernard Crick, E. M. Forster, and Carl Schmitt. Patriotism, nationalism, and cosmopolitanism are also addressed as integral parts of political life. Finally, the role of educators--and "old books"--is discussed as essential to developing a proper understanding of the political.

00:00 - Chapter 1. Bernard Crick: "In Defense of Politics"
03:55 - Chapter 2. E. M. Forster: PatriotIsm and Loyalty
07:29 - Chapter 3. Carl Schmitt and Aristotle: Patriotism and Loyalty
12:24 - Chapter 4. Immanuel Kant: Transpolitical Cosmopolitanism
16:17 - Chapter 5. Schmitt vs. Kant: NationalIsm vs. Cosmopolitanism
25:45 - Chapter 6. Ethos of the American Regime
33:05 - Chapter 7. Where Should the Study of Political Science Be Today? Who Should Educate the Educators?

Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website: http://open.yale.edu/courses

This course was recorded in Fall 2006.