Human beings have always pursued justice as the deepest and most unquestionable good, calling forth and demanding the greatest sacrifices of themselves and their peoples, and yet, perhaps even in their finest moments, they have been shaken to the core by doubts about its goodness.
Join us as we study the most famous book on Justice and the foundation of all philosophy in order to explain and unlock this mystery: Plato's Republic.
Seminar Details
The dinner seminar will meet for six sessions starting July 6th, 2021. All sessions meet from 5:00 - 6:15 PM on Tuesday evenings. A syllabus is available here.
The seminar will be free to participants, and includes a copy of Plato’s Republic along with dinner at each of the sessions.
Students can expect an environment open to rigorous debate and clashing perspectives, examining the fundamental and permanent human questions.
WHo should apply?
The course is open to undergraduate students and will be capped at a seminar size of six participants.
How can I apply?
All interested individuals can apply with the link at the bottom of the page. The applications consists of a few short questions.
Applications are due on June 11th, 2021.
Team taught by Harvard alumni specializing in Western political thought:
Manuel Lopez
Manuel Lopez has taught political philosophy at Harvard and at the University of Chicago, after receiving his undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard. His J.D. thesis, as an NSF graduate fellow in political science, was on Alfarabi's analysis of the principles of the religious opinions underlying all societies. He has written on the effects of the democratic bias in justice on American social and legal institutions for several academic and law journals. He is currently working on a dissertation on Plato's view of eros and its ultimate end, and the light that casts on the rise of the new atheism and the theological premises of modern science. He is also an entrepreneur in the futures industry, having served as principal and adviser of trading funds in Boston and Chicago.
Danilo Petranovich
Dr. Petranovich is the Director of the Abigail Adams Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Institute provides supplementary humanistic education to the Harvard intellectual community by exploring questions of deep human concern that cut across the boundaries of academic disciplines.
Previously, Dr. Petranovich taught political science at Duke University and Yale University. His scholarly expertise is in nineteenth century European and American political and social thought. He is currently writing a book, contracted with Yale University Press, on nationalism and the North in antebellum America.
He is frequently seen in Harvard’s Kirkland House, where he is a dedicated member of the Senior Common Room.