PHILOSOPHY 361/HUMANITIES 370: Topics in Social and Political Philosophy

Slavery, Religion, and the Philosophy of Freedom

Tuesdays & Thursdays 12:30-1:50pm in Fisk 114
Fall 2017

Professor: Mark Alznauer

m-alznauer@northwestern.edu
Office: Kresge 3-417
Office Hours: Mondays 12:30-2:30pm

Class Description: This course examines the historical development of the idea of freedom in
the context of slave-holding societies. It is centrally concerned with the question of why slavery
was regarded as legitimate, necessary, or permissible in many societies throughout most of
human history, and how it eventually came to be regarded as the very paradigm of injustice.
The course will examine both the role that slavery played in various places and times and the
religious and philosophic justifications were provided for slavery during those periods. Four
general periods receive focus: antiquity, the medieval period, early modernity, and the
nineteenth century. The course readings will focus on key themes that include: the role of
slavery and freedom in religious traditions; Hegel's conception of freedom and slavery; the
Haitian Revolution; slavery and abolition; the causal relation between slavery and freedom.

Class Requirements: Careful reading will be required, and much discussion. In this class, an
usually strong emphasis will be placed on close reading. There will also be six weekly
assignments and a final paper.

Teaching Method: Seminar, twice a week.

Required Texts (available in the bookstore):

1. David Brion Davis, The Problem of Slavery in Western Culture, Cornell University Press,
1966. ISBN: 978-0801401015
2. Orlando Patterson, Freedom, Vol 1: Freedom in the Making of Western Culture, Basic
Books, 1991. ISBN: 0465025323
3. C. L. R. James, The Black Jacobins: Toussaint L’Overture and the San Domingo Revolution,
Vintage, 1989. ISBN: 978-0679724674

Optional Texts:

1. Moses I. Finley, Ancient Slavery and Modern Ideology

2. Orlando Patterson, Slavery and Social Death

Evaluation Method:
 i.) Participation & Attendance (20%): You are allowed up to 3 excused absences without
penalty. For an absence to be excused, you must contact the me in advance of the class
missed. If you miss a class without an excuse, this will justify the loss of a full
percentage point from your final grade. Frequent lateness, lack of participation, etc.,
are also grounds for a grade reduction under this category. Note: you are always
expected to bring the book or essay being discussed to class.

ii.) Weekly Assignment (30%): From Weeks 2 through 7, you are expected to write a
short comment on canvas prior to midnight on Wednesday. Each comment should
attempt to look at a problem or to define one of the key terms in the reading of that
week. On average, comments should be around 250 words excluding quotations (or 1
page double spaced).

iii.) Final Paper (50%): The greatest part of your grade for this course will be based on
your final paper (which should be 2500-3000 words long). A one-page summary of your
topic and strategy for treating it will be due on November 9th (10%). The final paper is
due on December 4th at 3pm (40%). Final papers will also need to be submitted to
canvas on the same day. More detailed information about what is expected will be
provided in class.

Reading Schedule

Week 1: Preliminaries I
Tue: Introduction; OPTIONAL: David Brion Davis, “Slavery and the Post-World War II
Historians”; M. I. Finley, “Ancient Slavery and Modern Ideology” and “Slavery and the
Historians” in Ancient Slavery and Modern Ideology.
Thu: David Brion Davis, The Problem of Slavery, Chapter 2, p. 29-61.

Week 2: Preliminaries II
Tue: Orlando Patterson, Freedom, Preface (ix-xviii), Introduction (1-5); M. I. Finley, “Between
Slavery and Freedom” (canvas); OPTIONAL: M. I. Finley, “The Emergence of a Slave Society”;
Patterson, “The Constituent Elements of Slavery” and “The Idiom of Power” in Slavery and
Social Death.
Thu: No class

Week 3: The Greeks

Tue: Patterson, Freedom, Chapters 1 & 2 (pp. 9-44)
Thu: Patterson, Freedom, Chapters 3 & 4 (pp. 47-81)

Week 4: Ancient Philosophy and Theology

Tue: Aristotle, Politics, Book I (canvas); OPTIONAL: Patterson, Freedom, pp. 161-64.
Thu: St. Paul, Romans 6 & 7; I Corinthians 15; Galatians (canvas); Patterson, Freedom, Chapter
19, pp. 325-44; OPTIONAL: Patterson, Freedom, Chapters 17 & 18, pp. 304-24.
Week 5: Christianity
Tue: Davis, The Problem of Slavery, Chapter 3, pp. 62-90.
Thu: Sylvester Johnson, “The Bible, Slavery, and the Problem of Authority” (canvas); Davis, The
Problem of Slavery, “Epilogue: John Wollman’s Prophecy,” pp. 483-93.

Week 6: The Middle Ages

Tue: Patterson, Freedom, Chapter 20-21, pp. 345-75.
Thu: Davis, The Problem of Slavery, Chapter 4, pp. 91-121.

Week 7: Modern Philosophy

Tue: John Locke, Second Treatise of Government, Chapters 3-5, & 16 and “The Fundamental
Constitutions of Carolina” (canvas)
Thu: G. W. F. Hegel (selections); Pinkard, “Rethinking Purpose in History” (canvas)

Week 8: The Haitian Revolution

Tue: C. L. R. James, The Black Jacobins, Chapters 2 & 3, pp. 27-84.
Thu: C. L. R. James, The Black Jacobins, Chapters 4 & 5, pp. 85-144. Topics due (Nov. 9).

Week 9: Contemporary Reflections I

Tue: Bernard Williams, “Necessary Identities” in Shame and Necessity (canvas)
Thu: Susan Buck-Morss, “Hegel and Haiti”
(https://www.jstor.org/stable/1344332?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents)

Week 10: Contemporary Reflections II

Tue: Hans Joas, “Violence and Human Rights” in The Sacredness of the Person: A New
Genealogy of Human Rights (canvas); Kwame Anthony Appiah, “Suppressing Atlantic Slavery” in
The Honor Code: How Moral Revolutions Happen (canvas).

Final paper due Monday December 4th at 3pm.