ETHICSOC 378B: Unequal Relationships (PHIL 378B, POLISCI 338B)

Course Description

Over the past three decades, a relational egalitarian conception of equality has emerged in political philosophy. Proponents of the view argue that the point of equality is to establish communities whose members are able to stand and relate as equals. This entails building societies free from a variety of modes of relating that are thought to be detrimental to our status as moral equals. The list of those inegalitarian relationships is long: oppression, domination, exploitation, marginalization, objectification, demonization, infantilization, stigmatization, etc. The graduate seminar will introduce students to the rich literature on equality in contemporary political philosophy, with a special focus on identifying and scrutinizing unequal relationships. Each week will be centered on a specific unequal relationship, trying to understand how it operates, what social function it serves, and what makes it specifically harmful or wrongful to groups and individuals. Advanced undergraduate students will be considered and should email the PI to communicate their interest. 2 unit option only for Phil PhDs beyond the second year.