Professor William James Clark SMITH

Freedom is widely held to be a primary political value. But what is freedom? Why is it valuable? And what kinds of institutions are required to protect it? These are the questions addressed in this course. It will be divided into four parts. The first part examines the concept of freedom and its history. The second part considers the value of freedom and its justification. The third part investigates the relationship between freedom and other political values. The last part examines the role of freedom in different political theories.