Book Reviews by Antonio Sosa
Perspectives on Political Science, 2020
Interpretation, 2020
I n t e r p r e t a t i o n Volume 46 / Issue 2 I n t e r p r e t a t i o n Volume 46 / Issue 2
The decline of democracy as the predominant and most prevalent form of government on earth is the... more The decline of democracy as the predominant and most prevalent form of government on earth is the question at issue in this succinct collection edited by Larry Diamond and Marc F. Plattner.
Teaching Documents by Antonio Sosa
The course will consist in a close reading of the two volumes of Tocqueville's Democracy in Ameri... more The course will consist in a close reading of the two volumes of Tocqueville's Democracy in America. The purpose of the course is to introduce students to Tocqueville's moderate defense of liberal democracy, the political order founded on the synthesis of liberty and equality. In contrast to the extreme views held in his day-the radical aristocratic view seeing democracy as inherently tyrannical and the radical democratic view seeing democracy as inherently just and well-ordered-Tocqueville's study of America was a qualified vindication of democracy as a political order in which liberty and equality, enlightenment and religion, self-interest and the common good, regard for human greatness and respect for the little guy, could be substantially harmonized, given the right laws and political institutions and, most importantly, the right mores.
This course is a study of civic virtue through the close reading of three Platonic dialogues that... more This course is a study of civic virtue through the close reading of three Platonic dialogues that center on the question of justice. It will focus on the following questions: What is justice and why should we be just? What does the citizen, especially a very ambitious and talented young citizen, owe his country? Is his highest loyalty to the laws of his country or to a higher law? Is there a tension, in other words, between civic virtue and virtue simply, between the perfection of man as citizen and the perfection of man as man? The dialogues we will read will each address a dimension of the question of civic virtue.
Description "History of Liberal Arts Education" is a survey seminar course in which students take... more Description "History of Liberal Arts Education" is a survey seminar course in which students take up and discuss short selections of texts about liberal arts education from antiquity to the present. Co-lead by Professors Peterson & Sosa, each two-hour class session will consist of a short introduction to the reading selections by one or both professors, identifying questions which he or they propose for discussion for the rest of the class. They will then enter into conversation, inviting students to participate. As this summer's iteration of the course will be online, students must have a viable Internet connection and a computer with a webcam and microphone. This is a very reading-heavy courseabout 40 pages per classthat relies on student preparation and participation. Because of the condensed summer schedule, preparation before the course and over the weekends is essential. Students should come prepared to each class with some thoughts and questions about the readings. Questions of the Course What is the model for liberal arts education-philosophy, the highest art of which is dialectic-or rhetoric? What is the difference between these? What makes arts "liberal"? What is the "orator" and what is his relation to society? What is the role of faith, culture, and tradition in education? How has liberal arts education changed, and what were the reasons for those changes? Has Christianity changed our understanding of the liberal arts, and if so, how? What is the proper course of study? Does that curriculum change based on regime or circumstance? What has Renaissance humanism meant for our understanding of the liberal arts? How have the liberal arts come to be understood today? What challenges has liberal arts education faced throughout history? What are the perennial obstacles to liberal arts education? What is the relation between the liberal arts and civic education, character education, and advanced study?
This course will be an inquiry into the character of the American republic, on both a political a... more This course will be an inquiry into the character of the American republic, on both a political and social level. In the first part of the course our readings will focus on the theme of political philosophy and statesmanship. In the second part our readings will focus on American society and mores.
As the title of this survey course suggests, we will study the trajectory of modern Western histo... more As the title of this survey course suggests, we will study the trajectory of modern Western history. A succinct description of that trajectory may aptly serve as the unofficial subtitle of the course: "The slow death of feudal Christendom followed by the difficult birth of the liberal-democratic nation-state." This radical shift in the theological and political orientation of the West was partly the cause and partly the product of a radical shift in our understanding of what man is and what man's relation to God and society is. The individual, understood as capable of attaining salvation without the aid of ecclesiastical intermediaries standing between himself and God, was a theological discovery or invention of modernity. Similarly the individual, understood as being by nature free from political authority and as being by nature equal to all other individuals with respect to his right to rule, was a political discovery or invention of modernity.
As the title of this course implies, we will be exploring the relation between philosophy and eth... more As the title of this course implies, we will be exploring the relation between philosophy and ethics or, more precisely, the relation between the search for the truth and the right way to live. To this end, we will be looking at three seminal thinkers who, despite their many important similarities, approach this relation in significantly different ways. Plato will introduce us to his teacher, Socrates, for whom the question of justice, that part of ethics that most concerns how we should treat others, leads to the question of the best kind of political community and, subsequently, to the question of the philosopher as the key to understanding the character of that community. Plato's Socrates will therefore lead us to reflect on questions such as: What is philosophy and who is the philosopher? What is the relation between philosophy and justice? What is the relation between philosophy and politics? With Aristotle, the emphasis will be on ethical virtue and its parts, and on the relation between ethical virtue and happiness. In lieu of the philosopher, we will mostly be studying who the decent or serious human being is, how he acts, and what motivates him to live the way he does. The theme of philosophy and its relation to justice or the ethical life, however, will remain present in Aristotle in the form of intellectual virtue and its relation to ethical virtue. The theme of prudence, and its relation to ethical virtue, will also occupy an important role in Aristotle. In turning to Thomas, we will study the relation between philosophy and ethics by examining his conception of law and the moral order entailed by that conception. This order includes the eternal law, the natural law, human law, and the divine law. By looking at each of these forms of law and their relation to each other, we will try to pinpoint to what degree and in what ways Thomas' Christian understanding of philosophy and ethics is different from Plato and Aristotle's.
Papers by Antonio Sosa
Palgrave Macmillan, 2023
Despite making clear in Democracy in America that the instruction of democracy is “the first duty... more Despite making clear in Democracy in America that the instruction of democracy is “the first duty imposed on those who direct society in our day,” Tocqueville says very little in his work about education in the ordinary sense of the word. This essay seeks to make up for this reticence by providing a coherent account of Tocqueville’s understanding of education and its function in democratic times. To that end, I look at Tocqueville’s account of (1) the study of Greek and Latin literature, (2) the ideals of literature in democratic times, (3) Plato’s teaching on the human soul, (4) Plato’s teaching on politics as he presents it in the Laws, and (4) the moral virtues depicted in aristocratic literature. I aim to show why Tocqueville regarded aristocratic literature as a critical source of knowledge for statesmen and men of letters seeking to contribute to the instruction of which he speaks.
This an essay by Roger Scruton that I translated into Spanish for the journal Cuadernos de Pensam... more This an essay by Roger Scruton that I translated into Spanish for the journal Cuadernos de Pensamiento Político
Is it really possible for us to study the humanities if we reject the idea that the humanities ca... more Is it really possible for us to study the humanities if we reject the idea that the humanities can teach us the truth about the human condition?
An essay-length review of Robert Kagan's book, The World America Made, in which he explores the d... more An essay-length review of Robert Kagan's book, The World America Made, in which he explores the decisive role played by the United States in the establishment and continued viability of the international liberal order.
Liberal institutions require traditional foundations.
Books by Antonio Sosa
Michel Houellebecq, the Cassandra of Freedom: Submission and Decline , 2021
Houellebecq's novels address the consequences of fundamental societal changes: the end of traditi... more Houellebecq's novels address the consequences of fundamental societal changes: the end of traditional family values, the development of biotechnology, and the growing presence of Islam in Western countries. The narrative is, then, normally placed at the intersection of these civilizational changes on the one hand, and the life of a main character who suffers their consequences on the other. By exploring the relationships between individuals and historic changes in Houellebecq's fiction (and with the help of his nonfictional texts), the chapter attempts to clarify how the author's position has changed concerning the possibilities of overcoming Comte's Metaphysical Stage, and whether he condemns, accepts or is morally indifferent toward the emerging social order.
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Book Reviews by Antonio Sosa
Teaching Documents by Antonio Sosa
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Books by Antonio Sosa