Tutor information
Edward Hadas
Edward Hadas is a Research Fellow at Blackfriars Hall, Oxford University. He also teaches philosophy, economics, and social theory to visiting American undergraduates. He is the author of Money, Finance, Reality, Morality (2022) and Counsels of Imperfection: Thinking through Catholic Social Teaching (2020).
Courses
This course is for people who are curious about how modern economies really work. Each week we will look at a new word, from markets to bureaucracy to globalisation. We'll discuss what economists and other experts say - and students' own experiences.
Is capitalism better than socialism? How do we decide? Can democracy thrive under either, or both? How do bureaucracy and technocracy fit in? We will try to answer these questions by looking at the political economy of several countries.
How modern people have looked at the modern world - why they are right to be very gloomy about it, and why they are right to be very optimistic. Is a synthesis possible?
Why do neo-liberals like small governments and American liberals like big ones? What freedoms should liberals cherish? What does conservativism mean in today's world ? We'll look at these and other important questions, helped by lively class discussion.
War is always terrible and sometimes glorious. Is it necessary? Should it be just? Can it be? Does combat build character? Or destroy it? Why do we fight? We will discuss all these issues, relying on texts ranging from Homer to Hannah Arendt.