John Scott’s primary research is in the history of political philosophy, with a specialization in early modern political thought. Most of his work in this area has focused on the thought of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, although he has also published studies of Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Montesquieu, and Hume. He has a secondary research interest in experimental approaches to distributive justice, and related areas such as perceptions of legitimacy of Supreme Court decisions.
Recent Research in Political Philosophy
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Major Political Writings. Trans. and ed. John T. Scott. University of Chicago Press. Forthcoming 2012
"Rousseau's Unease with Locke's Uneasiness," in The Challenge of Rousseau, ed. Christopher Kelly and Eve Grace, Cambridge University Press, forthcoming 2012
"Emile et les principes du droit politique: Le précis partiel du Contrat social et la double visée de la théorie politique de Rousseau," in 'Vivant ou mort il les inquiétera toujours': Etudes pour le tricenternaire de Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-2012), ed. Michael O'Dea, Studies on Voltaire and the Eighteenth Century (SVEC);2012:1
"Sin City: Augustine and Machiavelli's Reordering of Rome," Journal of Politics 73 (July 2011):857-71 (with John M. Warner)
"Another Dangerous Supplement: Diderot's Dialogue with Rousseau in the Supplément au Voyage de Bougainville," in Rousseau et les philosophes, ed. Michael O'Dea, Studies on Voltaire and the Eighteenth Century (SVEC); 2012:1;pp.175-91
The Philosophers' Quarrel: Rousseau, Hume, and the Limits of Human Understanding. Yale University Press, 2009 (with Robert Zaretsky)
Rousseau and l'Infâme: Religion, Toleration, and Fanaticism in the Age of Enlightenment (ed., with Ourida Mostefai). Rodopi, 2009
"Pride and Providence: Religion in Rousseau's Letter to Voltaire," in Rousseau and l'Infâme, ed. Ourida Mostefai and John T. Scott. Rodopi, 2009
"The Fortune of Machiavelli's Unarmed Prophet"
Recent Research in Distributive Justice and Related Topics
"Courting the Public: The Influence of Decision Attributes on Individuals' Views of Court Opinions," Journal of Politics 71 (July 2009) (with James F. Spriggs II and James R. Zink)
"What's Fair in Foul Weather and Fair? Distribution Principles across Different Allocation Contexts and Goods," Journal of Politics (July 2009) (with Brian H. Bornstein)
"The Cold War on Ice: Constructivism and Identity in Olympic Figure Skating Judging," Perspectives on Politics 5 (March 2007) (with Brian R. Sala and James F. Spriggs II)
