John Danford, Loyola University Chicago
Professor Danford will argue that teachers of political theory ignore the thinkers of the Scottish Enlightenment because what they offer is philosophy for the vulgar. Through a discussion of what Hume has to say about leisure, commerce, and the political class, with reference to Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, among other works, Professor Danford aims to challenge the current boundaries of political science.
Professor Danford’s teaching and research interests include political theory (ancient, modern, and contemporary) and philosophy of science and social science. He is the author of Wittgenstein and Political Philosophy, David Hume and the Problem of Reason, and Roots of Freedom: A Primer on Modern Liberty. He has published articles in American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Politics, and Political Research Quarterly.