Chevron Left
Back to Moral Foundations of Politics

Learner Reviews & Feedback for Moral Foundations of Politics by Yale University

4.9
stars
5,588 ratings

About the Course

When do governments deserve our allegiance, and when should they be denied it? This course explores the main answers that have been given to this question in the modern West. We start with a survey of the major political theories of the Enlightenment: Utilitarianism, Marxism, and the social contract tradition. In each case, we begin with a look at classical formulations, locating them in historical context, but then shift to the contemporary debates as they relate to politics today. Next, we turn to the rejection of Enlightenment political thinking, again exploring both classical and contemporary formulations. The last part of the course deals with the nature of, and justifications for, democratic politics, and their relations to Enlightenment and Anti-Enlightenment political thinking. In addition to exploring theoretical differences among the various authors discussed, considerable attention is devoted to the practical implications of their competing arguments. To this end, we discuss a variety of concrete problems, including debates about economic inequality, affirmative action and the distribution of health care, the limits of state power in the regulation of speech and religion, and difficulties raised by the emerging threat of global environmental decay....

Top reviews

MS

Sep 16, 2015

excellant work dont by Dr Ian Shapiro and staff on putting such a mind turning,thought provoking MOOC on a complex and ever controversial subject known as POLITICS!..I hope to see more from them soon

SS

Jul 1, 2020

The lectures are easy to understand, the reading materials informative. I thoroughly enjoyed this course and any beginner will be able to grasp the technicalities of Moral Politics after this Course.

Filter by:

301 - 325 of 1,049 Reviews for Moral Foundations of Politics

By Gianluca P

•

May 17, 2020

great course..it refreshed me a lot of knowledge i've gathered during my master degree on international relations.. professor Shapiro is simply amazing

By Anita D

•

Apr 13, 2020

A must learn! Prof. Shapiro really explained the materials comprehensively in an organized way with examples. Interesting and thought-provoking topics!

By Carlos E R B

•

Jul 10, 2017

great course. It opened my mind and interests about politic theories and democracy. Great professor too, I don´t have any doubt left about the lessons.

By Khairunnisaa' B S

•

Sep 29, 2021

The way the course was conducted could be differentiated. I appreciated the discussion between students but at times, it made the lecture too lengthy.

By Thomas O

•

Mar 16, 2021

Very interesting and engaging lectures. Useful reading and materials. An all-round excellent introduction to politics and associated moral philosophy.

By Toh P Q

•

Aug 18, 2020

Interesting and exciting course that challenge points of view and explores major theorists of morality politics and economics over the past centuries.

By valorie h

•

Aug 28, 2016

This is a thinking man/woman course. Extremely interesting and enlightening. Professor Shapiro explains everything very concisely. I learned a lot!

By Lucivânia N d S F

•

Jan 14, 2024

This course is wonderful! The Professor Shapiro is one of the best Professors on the Coursera, perhaps the best. I am very grateful for the classes.

By Dylan J Q

•

Jun 8, 2022

One of my favorite courses ever on coursera. It is so fascinating to dig deep into this history and theory. Great presentation and great instructor.

By Mykola S

•

Feb 1, 2021

A very informative course that will be useful to anyone who is working in the public sphere. It is a great pleasure to learn from Professor Shapiro.

By Emilia V

•

Apr 20, 2020

I feel in love with the history and the culture politics have. I wasn't sure if I would like these amazing topics but they turned to be interesting.

By Ga-Eun K

•

Aug 9, 2020

It well structured that you can understand the basic thoughts of political arguments and thoughts even you have not learnt about this topic before.

By Ricardo G C

•

May 25, 2020

Excelente curso, es comprensible completamente, aunque no se dicte en mi lengua materna. El profesor Shapiro muy claro en sus conceptos y ejemplos.

By Gethro O

•

Apr 28, 2020

Awesome. Great instructor, and the intimate setting of the instructor and the two students makes me feel like I'm learning with them by their side

By Deleted A

•

Oct 1, 2019

Very interisting course to understand the roadmap of politics. This course can be taken by any person, even if you are not interested in politics.

By Konstantinos Z

•

Dec 11, 2017

I have studied dozens of courses from engineering and physical sciences to economics and finance. This was one of the most interesting and insig

By Marllon S

•

Oct 18, 2015

Excellent course provided by Yale University. It helped me to better understand the foundations of our modern society. I definitely recommend it.

By Thayná R d O

•

Jun 28, 2022

Um dos melhores cursos que ja fiz, simplesmente sensacional. A plataforma ajuda muito, alem das legendas e leituras que disponibilizam para nós.

By Шарлай Я С

•

Mar 24, 2022

Excellent course. My knowledge in the field of politics and philosophy in the context of activity has greatly increased. Thanks for the course.

By Helen S

•

Dec 30, 2020

Excellent course; professor adds to the material with insights that are making me reassess some long held prejudices. Thank you, Prof Shapiro.

By Sylvestre N

•

Jan 18, 2020

This program frankly is great. It will allow me to understand how moral foundation of Politics works and will strengthen my politics knowledge.

By Karolina M d O

•

Nov 9, 2020

um curso muito bom para quem tem interesse em política, saber a teoria e os clássicos é essencial para adentrar no ambiente de estudo político

By Poka C

•

Aug 9, 2017

has lots of interesting views and argument. He provided discussion and examples to demonstrate the intangible theory to be easily understood.

By Joanna G

•

May 28, 2023

Excellent content and engaging conversations. I didn't know I was into political philosophy, but apparently I am! Thank you Professor Shapiro

By Kuei-Yun J

•

Mar 15, 2023

An Informational, engaging, and enlightening course for those who would like to know more about knowledgeable evolution of political ideas.