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 Scholarly Work in Political Philosophy
The Philosophers’ Quarrel: Rousseau, Hume, and the Limits of Human Understanding. Yale University Press, 2009 (with Robert Zaretsky)
“Boswell’s Enlightenment,” Southwest Review 95 (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: Religion, Toleration, and Fanaticism in the Age of Enlightenment, ed. Ourida Mostefai and John T. Scott. Rodopi, 2009; pp. 115-36
“Philosophy Leads to Sorrow: An Evening at the Theater with Jean-Jacques Rousseau and David Hume,” Southwest Review 91 (Winter 2006): 36-55 (with Robert Zaretsky)
Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Critical Assessments (ed.) 4 vols. Routledge, 2006
“The Politic Argument of Rousseau’s Discourse on the Sciences and the Arts,” American Journal of Political Science 49 (October 2005): 819-29 (with Sally H. Campbell)
“Rousseau’s Anti-Agenda-Setting Agenda and Contemporary Democratic Theory,” American Political Science Review 99 (February 2005): 137-44
“Another Dangerous Supplement: Diderot’s Dialogue with Rousseau in the Supplément au Voyage de Bougainville”
“The Paradoxical Perfection of Rousseau’s Perfectibiltité&ldquo
“Sin City: Augustine and Machiavelli’s Reordering of Rome” (with John M. Warner)
“The Fortune of Machiavelli’s Unarmed Prophet”
Recent Work in Distributive Justice and Related Research
“Courting the Public: Judicial Behavior and Individuals’ Views of Court Decisions,” Journal of Politics, forthcoming 2009 (with James F. Spriggs II and James R. Zink)
“What’s Fair in Fair Weather and Foul? Distribution Principles across Different Allocation Contexts and Goods,” Journal of Politics, forthcoming 2009 (with Brian H. Bornstein)
“The Cold War on Ice: Constructivism and Identity in Olympic Figure Skating Judging,” Perspectives on Politics 5 (March 2007): 17-29 (with Brian R. Sala and James F. Spriggs II)
