This course steps back from polls and punditry to reflect on broader historical developments. It considers women in politics, divisions between rich and poor, and ethnic minorities becoming the new majority. To deepen our analyses, we will consider writings on politics and ethics, including some that shaped the founding of the republic as well as recent research on political cognition and moral imagination. That research has brought us back to Hume’s view that “reason is a slave of the passions,” something abundantly apparent in the current campaign. Stepping back from the attack ads, we will reflect on the rhetorical dynamics of American politics, including ongoing shifts in the principal parties, the role of debates as tests of character, the evolution of media and advertising, and other factors that shape how we feel about politics.
