Teaching
The main focus of my teaching and research is political philosophy, a tradition of discourse about the best and worst ways to structure human communities that stretches back to Socrates and forward to the present, where it is increasingly becoming a comparative study of the many traditions of political thought. My interest in political thought developed during years of political activism that led to the conviction that philosophy can both illuminate and be illuminated by concrete political issues. My area of specialty is modern political theory (including Hobbes, Rousseau, Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche and Gandhi) and contemporary political philosophy (including theories of justice and democracy, feminism and contemporary social theory). I have taught a broad range of courses in modern and contemporary political theory, modern social theory, jurisprudence, and ethics at Sarah Lawrence, Harvard, Dartmouth and Deep Springs. My courses are largely of two types, either focused on a particular canon or tradition of political thought ('Modern Political Theory', 'Critical Social Theory', 'The Social Contract Tradition'), or organized around an issue of contemporary relevance ('Democracy and Diversity', 'Justice, Legitimacy and Power', 'Post-National Democracy?', 'The Politics and Ethics of a Market Society'. 'Public Policy and Political Ethics'). In my courses I try to balance a strong commitment to the integrity of the text as potentially disclosing a novel and illuminating perspective on politics against the need to make even ancient texts speak to the most pressing questions and issues we face today. I regard teaching as a vocation, a collaborative art that engages teacher and student alike in the cooperative exploration of ideas, testing both internal cogency and broader relevance. I insist on the importance of close engagement with texts, analytic and creative thinking, and respectful disagreement within the class, especially with the teacher.