We begin by thinking about the state: whether it is justified, what it might sensibly do, and how the state's ambitions should be limited. This section of the course considers anarchism, public goods, conservatism, and political obligation. We then ask what it means for us to be free and autonomous, and we analyse the threats of coercion, force and manipulation. We consider whether freedom conflicts with economic redistribution. We ask whether our rights over our bodies extend past our deaths - should people’s organs be conscripted for transplantation once they are dead and no longer need them? And what if people are free but wrong? Should we let them go to hell in their own way? We analyse paternalism and rational decision-making, and apply it to addictive drugs and the state’s attempts to improve our lives.
This is a political theory course that draws on ethics, law, psychology, economics and public policy.