课程介绍：这门课概述近代开始直到20世纪20年代社会思想史的发展及重要著作，讲授社会和思想环境、概念框架和方法论以及对当代社会分析的贡献。谈到的作者包罗霍布斯、洛克、卢梭、孟德斯鸠、亚当·斯密、马克思、韦伯和杜克海姆。

第二讲概览：

An examination of Hobbes’s lifetime reveals that the uncertainty of the British monarchy （君主政体）during his life (1588-1679) inspires Hobbes’s social and political thought, especially regarding the role of the sovereign to provide for the security of his subjects. We consider the major elements of Hobbes’s political and social thought including the state of nature, equality of men, the social contract, the strong sovereign, and legitimate rule. Hobbes’s work privileges security of individuals through a strong sovereign but also asserts the right of subjects to transfer their allegiance to a new sovereign if the ruler does not provide for their security; this element of his work in particular and others made him a controversial thinker who was forced into exile for a time. His work has been rediscovered in recent years by economists and other social scientists who see him as the first rational choice theorist.

第二讲课前阅读任务：

Hobbes, Leviathan

- Chapter 6-7, pp. 118-134

- Chapter 11, pp. 160-168

- Chapter 13-14, pp. 183-201

- Chapter 17, pp. 223-228

- Chapter 30, pp. 376-394

第三讲概览：

John Locke, a liberal thinker and near-contemporary of the conservative Hobbes, disputes Hobbes’s thinking in some keys ways and builds on it in others. Locke starts his political theory with a notion of individuals in the state of nature being free, equal and reasonable; the state of nature is not synonymous with the state of war for Locke as it is for Hobbes. Locke argues that states should protect the property of individuals and must govern with the consent of subjects. Unlike Hobbes’s strong, unitary sovereign, Locke envisions a separation of the powers of the state into executive, legislative, and federative powers. We examine how Locke’s political and social thought assumes an abundance of resources while Hobbes’s thought is predicated on an assumption of scarcity.

第三讲课前阅读任务：

Locke,Second Treatise of Government

- Chapter 1-5, pp. 267-302

- Chapter 7-13, pp. 318-374