Jonathan Wolff is Alfred Landecker Professor of Values and Public Policy at the University of Oxford. He works in numerous areas of political philosophy. Some topics he has researched include equality and poverty, and he has worked in applied areas like Covid policy and gambling. In this episode, Jonathan and Robinson begin with a discussion of the nature of political philosophy before turning to some modern historical perspectives on the state, starting with Hobbes and traveling up through Marx and Rawls. They then turn to his current work in partnership with Avner de-Shalit on cities and equality. Some of Jonathan’s books include Disadvantage (Oxford, 2007), An Introduction to Political Philosophy (Oxford, 1996, and soon to be in its fourth edition), and Why Read Marx Today? (Oxford, 2002). 

Jonathan’s Website: https://jonathanwolff.wordpress.com

OUTLINE:

00:00 In This Episode…

00:35 Introduction

04:17 Jonathan’s Start in Political Philosophy

08:46 What is Political Philosophy?

18:24 Methodology in Political Science and Political Philosophy

22:42 Hobbes and the State of Nature

45:34 Rousseau on Government

51:12 John Stuart Mill on Liberty

1:01:25 Covid Policy and Moral Philosophy

1:08:49 Marx and the State

1:19:07 Rawls and Justice

1:33:07 Political Philosophy and the City

Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com

Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University. Join him in conversations with philosophers, scientists, weightlifters, artists, and everyone in-between.