John TomasiIntroduction to Political Thought Do laws made by other people have authority for me? Does the State exist by nature, or is it a mere artifice? How, if at all, can people come to own material things? Are political leaders my servants, or my masters? What is exploitation? Can capitalism be morally justified? How free should society be?

Prosperity: The Ethics and Economics of Wealth Creation What is prosperity? Whom does prosperity benefit? Which institutions and attitudes produce prosperity? What is the relation of prosperity to other values such as efficiency, happiness, equality, fairness, religious faith or personal freedom? This course explores the problem of prosperity from a variety of disciplinary perspectives: philosophical, economic, historical, religious, and literary.

Economic Freedom and Social Justice Can capitalists care about social justice? This course considers the proposition that capitalists can, and should. Readings include a variety of classical and contemporary sources about the idea of economic freedom and its relationship to social justice. Central to our discussions will be the consideration of a capitalistic alternative to social democracy that I call "market democracy."

Market Liberalism: Origins, Principles and Contemporary Applications What is liberalism? What are the differences between capitalist, democratic and socialist versions of liberalism? Is it true that liberal theory has undergone a form of moral evolution between its "classical" and its "modern" forms? Are there common moral values that all liberals-capitalist, democratic and socialist-affirm? If so, by what dimensions of value are these rival liberal traditions to be distinguished?