Week 2: History of the Global I: Renaissance, Enlightenment

Readings:

• Kant, “Ideas for a Universal History from a Cosmopolitan Point of View” http://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/ethics/kant/universal-history.htm
• Hegel, "IV. The Course of World History", from the Introduction to Philosophy of History http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/hegel/works/hi/introduction.htm

Comprehension

1. Both papers are about history. What does history have to do with globalization?

2. Are there terms that the writers use that might be related?

3. What is the essential argument for each? Are the arguments the same?

4. Do either of these authors advocate a particular type of political organization?

Evaluation

5. What do you think about the argument or position that each writer advocates? Is it plausible?

6. How would the writers themselves critique each other?

7. Are there assumptions that the writers make, about (for instance) human nature, social development, or politics, that could be questioned?

8. Both writers are German. Do you think that they might write differently if they were writing from a different cultural context?

Application

9. Do you think that either of the writers are relevant to today's world?

10. What do either of these papers have to do with globalization? Neither of them mentions the term (and indeed, the term didn't even exist at the time). Are they describing a form of globalization, or something else?

11. If you think they are describing some sort of globalization, is it the same kind as today? If not, how does it differ?