History 4961 - Advanced Seminar: Self-Interest and Self-Development in the Liberal Tradition

Institution:

Washington University in St Louis

Subject:

Description:

Since the French Revolution, the European liberal tradition has tried to reconcile two different ideas about what the individual wants and needs and about the forms of society and government necessary to achieve them. One is the idea that the individual is importantly motivated by material self-interest. It gave rise to the idea of a liberalism based on individual rights to life, liberty and property, which saw the government as existing primarily to protect those rights. The other is the idea that individuals want and need the fullest possible development of all the faculties that make up their unique individuality. It demands that society and government create the conditions necessary for the flourishing of the whole personality.

Credits:

4.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.wustl.edu

Phone Number:

(314) 935-5000

Regional Accreditation:

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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