CLA196H1

Tyranny

Tyranny and the figure of the tyrant loomed large in Greco-Roman thought. The problem of the tyrant attracted political philosophers, moralists, historians, and dramatists. Students were taught how to speak by asking them to deliver imaginary speeches about tyrants. Letter writers would tell their friends, “We have slipped into tyranny”. And revolutionaries would justify their violence by appealing to the justice and necessity of killing tyrants. We will look make a survey of some of these texts. We will explore the ways in which the tyrant exerts a morbid fascination for so many thinkers. Tyranny is always looming, and the specter of the tyrant is constantly mobilized to explore questions of who we are, what we believe in, and what we are willing to fight for. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.