John Locke's Epistemology and Political Philosophy [2497]

General Information

• Credits: 6 ECTS
• Prerequisites: baccalaureate level or equivalent; proficiency in French
• Learning format: asynchronous distance learning – 100% e-learning
• Language of instruction: French
• Course access: available at any time of year
• Disability liaison officer: Cécile Boucherle

Course Overview

This course offers a rigorous and engaging exploration of John Locke’s philosophy by closely integrating his political thought and epistemology through the study of his major works, particularly Two Treatises of Government and An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. It enables students to understand how Locke laid the foundations of modern liberalism by arguing that human beings are naturally free and equal, endowed with fundamental rights—life, liberty, and property—and that political authority is legitimate only when it rests upon the consent of the governed. The course examines in depth the state of nature, natural law, the social contract, the separation of powers, and the crucial question of religious toleration. At the same time, it highlights Locke’s intellectual revolution in the theory of knowledge through his rejection of innate ideas, his emphasis on experience as the source of knowledge, his analysis of the limits of human understanding, and his reflections on our knowledge of the external world.

Learning Outcomes

This course enables you to:

• Be familiar with John Locke’s life and major political and epistemological writings;
• Understand the main questions in respect to John Locke’s epistemology and political philosophy;
• Have a better sense of the different themes and issues within John Locke’s epistemology and political philosophy;
• Understand and be able to express some of John Locke’s philosophical arguments, taking a position over the issues mentioned in this course; 
• Identify and place some of John Locke’s arguments and theories within the broader philosophical project, with particular
• reference to contemporary political and epistemological debates.

Course Competencies

This course is linked to the following competency:

• Analyse the systems of modern philosophy, from rationalism to Kantian criticism

Course Outline

Section 1: Introduction to John Locke

Section 2: Locke’s Political Philosophy I

Section 3: Locke’s Political Philosophy II

Section 4: Locke’s Epistemology

Section 5: Knowledge of the External World

Assessment Methods 

Course assessment is based on:

• tracking and completion of the course and of all learning activities. These activities, designed as essential practice and learning exercises, may be completed multiple times and are not factored into the final grade,
• the final assessment quiz, which constitutes the graded evaluation.

Learning Format

The course is taught entirely online via the MyDomuni platform, accessible 24/7.
Learning resources include:

• written course materials;
• supplementary documents and, depending on the content, video resources;
• interactive learning activities (quizzes, exercises);
• a discussion forum with the course instructor and fellow participants.

Prerequisites

This course is open to anyone with a general level of education equivalent to the baccalaureate, or with personal or academic experience related to the topics covered.

A good command of written French is recommended to facilitate understanding of the content and participation in the activities offered. 

Accessibility

The course is accessible at any time, from any internet-connected device, via the MyDomuni platform.
For students with disabilities, specific support can be arranged upon request to ensure equitable access to course content and activities.

Disability liaison officer: cecile.boucherle@domuni.eu. 

Selective Bibliography

• Richard Aaron, John Locke, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1937.
• Hans Aarsleff, From Locke to Saussure: Essays on the Study of Language and Intellectual History, Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press, 1982.
• Peter Adams (ed.), John Locke: Two Tracts of Government, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1967.
• Peter Alexander, Ideas, Qualities and Corpuscles: Locke and Boyle on the External World, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1985. 
• William Alston et Jonathan Bennett, “Locke on People and Substances”, The Philosophical Review, vol. 97, no. 1, 1988, pp. 25-46.