Sam McChesney

This course examines how theorists of politics as far back as ancient Greece attempted to make sense of the relationship between truth and politics. How does ¿truth¿ make itself felt in politics? Who is authorized to tell truths in political life, and what does this truth-telling look like? And what should we make of truth¿s various absences, including silence, error, distortion, lying, and bullshit? In the first part of this course, we will study ancient Greek political thought and its modern reception, focusing on three different types of truth-tellers: the frank speaker, the philosopher, and the prophet. In the second part, we will look at the relationship between truth, political institutions, and public life, with a particular emphasis on ideology and lying. In the final part of the course, we will study how radical political theorists, particularly feminist theorists, have drawn attention to questions of credibility, willful ignorance, and the relation between truth and collective action.