Why do we obey? The politics of obedience

City Lit

Course

In London

£ 89 VAT inc.

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Description

  • Type

    Course

  • Location

    London

  • Start date

    Different dates available

We groan against the bosses, berate politicians, demonstrate against most aspects of the social system, and then humbly take our orders from above. Is obedience imprinted in our genes? How submissive must people be for society to function? In this short course we will discuss the politics of obedience – drawing on psychology, anthropology, history, and on political philosophy.

Facilities

Location

Start date

London
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Keeley Street, Covent Garden, WC2B 4BA

Start date

Different dates availableEnrolment now open

About this course

By the end of the course, students should have an overview of some anarchist literature of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Based on what has been covered, students will question how liberating are the works of major thinkers, like Richard Nozick, Murray Bookchin and Noam Chomsky.
Students will also consider and ask the radical question about political systems – should there be one? And then decide for ourselves which one, if any, we want to support.

No additional costs. It is recommended that you bring a pen and paper, in case you want to take any notes during presentations or discussions.

Tutor presentation/lecture, small group and class discussions. Discussion of small sections of works of texts,
images of the period, as relevant.

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Subjects

  • Drawing
  • Philosophy
  • Political Philosophy
  • Psychology
  • Politics

Course programme

In this short course we will discuss the politics of obedience
- drawing on psychology, with practitioners like Erich Fromm and Stanley Milgram;
- on anthropology, with Pierre Clastres, who studied stateless and classless societies;
- on history, reflecting on how the Icelandic nation lasted centuries without a state;
- on political philosophy, starting with Etienne de La Boétie’s dazzling Discourse on Voluntary Servitude, written when he was 19, before he became Montaigne’s closest friend.

Additional information

Further information can be found on the City Lit website, General information and advice on courses at City Lit is available from the Student Centre and Library on Monday to Friday from 12:00 – 19:00. See the course guide for term dates and further details

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Why do we obey? The politics of obedience

£ 89 VAT inc.

The best Politics courses

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See all