In addition to the traditionalist-conservative view covered last time, the other anti-Enlightenment school the course explores is contemporary communitarianism. While Burke and Devlin appealed to tradition as the basis for our values, communitarians appeal to the community-accepted values as the basis for what should guide us. Communitarian Richard Rorty criticizes the Enlightenment endeavor of justifying philosophy from the ground up from indubitable premises as a fool's errand and a dangerous mug's game. The main focus of this lecture is the communitarianism of Alasdair MacIntyre. Professor Shapiro introduces this school by exploring the symptoms of the problem wrought by the Enlightenment. One is the rise of emotivism and complete moral subjectivism--that is, the abandonment of the instruments for making moral judgments as a consequence of trying to justify philosophy from the ground up. The second symptom is the triumph of instrumentalism and the rejection of teleology, which is actually a coping mechanism for society's deep pluralism of values. Professor Shapiro discusses MacIntyre's two symptoms, as well as introduces his conceptions of practices and virtues.

Reading assignment:
MacIntyre, After Virtue, chapters 1-5
MacIntyre, After Virtue, chapters 6-8 [optional]

1. Information and Housekeeping
2. Introductory Lecture
3. Natural Law Roots of the Social Contract Tradition
4. Origins of Classical Utilitarianism
5. Classical Utilitarianism and Distributive Justice
6. From Classical to Neoclassical Utilitarianism
7. The Neoclassical Synthesis of Rights and Utility
8. Limits of the Neoclassical Synthesis
9. The Marxian Challenge
10. Marx's Theory of Capitalism
11. Marxian Exploitation and Distributive Justice
12. The Marxian Failure and Legacy
13. Appropriating Locke Today
14. Rights as Side Constraints and the Minimal State
15. Compensation versus Redistribution
16. The Rawlsian Social Contract
17. Distributive Justice and the Welfare State
18. The "Political-not-Metaphysical" Legacy
19. The Burkean Outlook
20. Contemporary Communitarianism (I)
21. Contemporary Communitarianism (II)
22. Democracy and Majority Rule (I)
23. Democracy and Majority Rule (II)
24. Democratic Justice: Theory
25. Democratic Justice: Applications

This course explores main answers to the question, "When do governments deserve our allegiance?" It starts with a survey of major political theories of the Enlightenment—Utilitarianism, Marxism, and the social contract tradition—through classical formulations, historical context, and contemporary debates relating to politics today. It then turns to the rejection of Enlightenment political thinking. Lastly, it deals with the nature of, and justifications for, democratic politics, and their relations to Enlightenment and Anti-Enlightenment political thinking. Practical implications of these arguments are covered through discussion of a variety of concrete problems.

Course Structure:
This Yale College course, taught on campus twice per week for 50 minutes, was recorded for Open Yale Courses in Spring 2010.