Macquarie University

Thinking Politically - WPOL107

We often think politically without being aware of it. When we say that some people in our society have not been treated justly or when we condemn violence and injustice in other societies, we are making political judgments and using political concepts. How does our sense of fairness or our compassion in cases such as these relate to our political judgments? This unit explores key political concepts such as justice, equality, democracy and the rule of the law as well as the role of morality in political judgment. We also consider the concept of ideology and examine particular ideologies including: liberalism, nationalism, conservatism and fundamentalism. Among the selected readings for this unit are the classics of political thought such as Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli and Hobbes.