Political Philosophy by Fr. Schall: 11. Simon on Authority in the Polis

This course was recorded in 2015 in an informal setting by Fr. Schall himself.

The second consideration of A General Theory of Authority will review the arguments for the necessity of authority in practical matters. They are called the argument from unity of action and the argument from the material willing of the common good. The purpose of this book is to explain why man is by nature a political animal, as Aristotle said. That is, we want to understand the reason why this makes sense.

"Authority in intellectual matters is something that can enable us to come to books, ideas, truths sooner and easier than if we were left by ourselves."

For over 35 years, Fr. James Schall taught Political Philosophy at Georgetown University, where he was legendary among generations of students.  If you want an experience of what those students enjoyed, this course is the place to begin.  Fr. Schall starts with Aristotle’s Ethics and Politics and then, with wisdom and wit, guides his listeners through the thought of the great Roman statesman Cicero, the French Catholic philosopher Yves Simon, the Old and New Testaments, the political thought of St. Augustine, Thomas Aquinas on Law, Machiavelli, politics in the plays of Shakespeare, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Nietzsche, and finally, Plato’s masterwork, the Republic.  It is a historical and intellectual tour de force in 60 lectures.  What generations of students had to pay thousands of dollars in tuition to hear, you can now have in recorded lectures to listen to over and over again.  In preserving the lectures of Fr. Schall, we at the Catholic International University feel that we are fulfilling the mission set by our founder Ralph McInerny:  to make the best Catholic lectures available as widely as possible to the public. Please don’t miss this opportunity to engage in one of the greatest intellectual journeys you’ll ever take with one of this generation’s wisest guides.

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