Philosophy 205 Ñ History of Philosophy
I: Ancient 9:00-10:00 MWF, MI 209
D. Vessey 363-2146
(Office) Office
Hours: 210 MI
368-9612
(Home) MW 10:00-11:00, 2:00-3:00
Th 1:00-3:00
and
by appointment
Required
Texts:
Curd, A Pre-Socratics Reader
Plato, Republic (Grube, tr.)
Aristotle, Introductory Readings (Irwin & Fine, trs.)
Saunders, Greek and Roman Philosophy after
Aristotle
Additional
Photocopied Readings
Course Content
PhilosophyÑone
of the defining intellectual practices of Western CivilizationÑhad its origins
in the 6th century BC on the outskirts of the Greek empire. This course focuses on the introduction
and development of the ideas of these first philosophers. The course could be thought of in four
sections: the Pre-Socratics and Sophists; the great philosophers of Athens:
Plato and Aristotle; the Post-Aristotelian Hellenistic schools: Stoicism,
Epicureanism, and Skepticism; and the beginnings of philosophical theology. We will cover 950 years: from 625BC (the
estimated birth of Thales) to 325 AD (the Council of Nicea and the construction
of Nova Roma (Constantinople/Istanbul)).
Course Method
This
course has one central focus: understanding the philosophical views of ancient
Western philosophy. Since reading
and interpreting the texts will be the central focus of the course, the
assignments will focus on facilitating an understanding of the reading. There are only three assignments:
Motivated Questions, an Outline, and a fairly short (4 page) paper. Every night before class by 9:00PM everyone must post a
motivated question based on the reading on the phil205 listserv
(phil205-l). Either the night
before or the morning of the class everyone must read everyone elseÕs motivated
questions. The class will use
these question as a starting point for the discussion. The motivated questions
can range from questions of interpretation to criticism but either way they
must be more than mere questions (e.g. ÒWhat does Plato mean by ÒformÓ?). Instead they must show a knowledge of
the context and importance of the question. (e.g. At line 431b Plato uses the term ÒformÓ for both
people and objects. But what in
what sense could these the same thing?
ShouldnÕt he distinguish stronger between the kinds of things humans are
(beings with ÒformÓ in the sense of ÒsoulsÓ) and the kinds of things objects
are (beings with ÒformÓ in the sense of ÒshapeÓ)?) In addition to the daily questions, everyone must sign up
for one day of either PlatoÕs Republic (except the first day) or of Aristotle and outline the
reading for that day. That person
is responsible for making copies of his/her outline for everyone in the
class. At the end of the semester,
then, everyone in class will have a full outline of PlatoÕs Republic and of the Aristotle readings. Third, there will be a four page paper
due at the time of the final exam covering some issues of Post-Aristotelian
Greek and Roman philosophy.
The typo policy (lose one grade for every four typos) applies to the
outline and the paper. There will
be no exams.
Motivated
Questions
and
Class Participation: 60%
Outline: 20%
Paper: 20%
1.
Tue, Aug 26 Introduction
2.
Wed, Aug. 27 IoniansÑMilesians
Reading:
Curd pp. 1-17
3.
Fri, Aug. 29 IoniansÑPythagorus, Xenophanes, Heraclitus
Reading:
Curd pp. 17-41
4.
Mon, Sept. 1 ItaliansÑ Parmenides
Reading:
Curd pp. 43-53
5.
Wed, Sept. 3 ItaliansÑZeno & Melissus
Reading:
Curd, pp. 73-92
6.
Fri, Sept. 5 Pluralists
& AtomistsÑAnaxagorus
& Empedocles; Leucippus
& Democritus
Reading:
Curd, pp. 53-72
7.
Mon, Sept. 8 SophistsÑProtagoras, Gorgias, Antiphon, &
Critias
Reading:
Curd, pp. 97-107
8.
Wed, Sept. 10 Socrates/PlatoÑIntroduction to PlatoÕs writings
Reading:
Republic , Preface
and Introduction
9.
Fri, Sept. 12 PlatoÑThe Questions of Justice
Reading:
Republic 327-367e, pp. 1-42
10.
Mon, Sept. 15 PlatoÑThe Ideal Polis
Reading:
Republic 368a-412b,
pp. 43-88
11.
Wed, Sept. 17 PlatoÑThe Virtues of the Polis and the Psyche
Reading:
Republic 412-445b,
pp. 88-121
12.
Fri, Sept. 19 PlatoÑThe Role of Women and the Possibility
of the Ideal Polis
Reading:
Republic V, pp.
122-156
13. Mon, Sept. 22 PlatoÑ Philosophy, the Good and the Line
Reading:
Republic VI, pp.
157-185
14.
Wed, Sept. 24 PlatoÑThe Cave and the Education of the Rulers
Reading: Republic VII, pp. 186-212
15.
Fri, Sept. 26 PlatoÑThe Republic Video
16.
Mon, Sept. 29 PlatoÑFive Types of Cities and Souls
Reading:
Republic VIII, pp.
213-240
17.
Wed, Oct. 1 PlatoÑThe Questions of Justice Answered
Reading:
Republic IX, pp.
241-263
18.
Fri, Oct. 3 PlatoÑPoetry and Myth in Light of the Forms
Reading:
Republic X, pp.
264-292
19.
Mon, Oct. 6 PlatoÑ Physics of Creation
Reading:
Timeaus 17a-48(Handout)
20.
Wed, Oct. 8
PlatoÑ Metaphysics of
Creation
Reading:
Timeaus
49-68(Handout)
21.
Fri, Oct. 10 Plato/AristotleÑConclusion & Introduction
********BREAK*********BREAK*********BREAK**********BREAK
22.
Mon, Oct. 20 Aristotle
Ñ The Best Human
Life
Reading:
Nicomachean Ethics, Bk. I
Irwin,
pp. 196-216
23.
Wed, Oct. 22 Aristotle
Ñ The Nature of Virtues
and Justice
Reading:
Nicomachean Ethics Bk. II, V
Irwin,
pp. 216-228; 241-247
24.
Fri, Oct. 24 Aristotle
ÑPleasure, Happiness and the State
Reading:
Nicomachean Ethics, Bk. X
Irwin,
pp. 275-291 & Handout
25.
Mon, Oct. 27 Aristotle
Ñ Souls
Reading:
De Anima Bk.I, II
Irwin,
pp. 76-95 & Handout
26.
Wed, Oct. 29 Aristotle
Ñ Active and Passive
Intellect
Reading:
De Anima Bk. III
Irwin,
pp. 96-103 & Handout
27.
Fri, Oct. 31 Aristotle
Ñ Ontology
Reading:
Categories Chps. 1-9
Irwin,
pp. 1-8 & Handout
28.
Mon, Nov. 3 Aristotle
Ñ Cause, Change and
Knowledge,
Reading:
Metaphysics Bk. I, IV
Irwin,
pp. 115-146
29.
Wed, Nov. 5 Aristotle
Ñ Substance
Reading:
Metaphysics Bk. VII, VIII
Irwin,
pp. 150-179
30.
Fri, Nov. 7 Aristotle
Ñ
Potentiality/Actuality, Divine Intellect
Reading:
Metaphysics Bk. IX, XII, XIII
Irwin,
180-196
31.
Mon, Nov. 10 Lucretius Epicurean Physics
Reading:
Saunders, pp. 15-46
32.
Wed, Nov. 12 EpicurusÑEthics
Reading: Saunders, pp. 47-58 & Handout
33.
Fri, Nov. 14 StoicsÑLogic
Reading:
Saunders, pp. 60-80
34.
Mon, Nov. 17 StoicsÑPhysics
Reading:
Saunders, pp. 80-110
35.
Wed, Nov. 19 StoicsÑEthics
Reading:
Saunders, pp. 111-150
36.
Fri, Nov. 21 SkepticsÑPyrrhonism
Reading:
Saunders, pp. 152-182
37.
Mon, Nov. 24 Early
ApologeticsÑPhilo
Reading:
Saunders, pp. 200-228
38.
Wed, Nov. 26 2nd
Century Christianity
Reading:
TBA
*******THANKSGIVING
BREAK********THANKSGIVING BREAK*******
39.
Mon, Dec. 1 2nd
Century Christianity
Reading:
TBA
40.
Wed, Dec. 3 Plotinus
Reading:
Saunders, pp. 230-248
41.
Fri, Dec. 5 Plotinus
Reading:
Saunders, pp. 249-286
42.
Mon, Dec. 8 313-325: ConstantineÕs Conversion, the Origin of Monasticism,
The Council at Nicea and the limits
of Christian Neo-Platonism
43.
Wed, Dec. 10 Conclusions
and Evaluations
FINAL
EXAM Paper
on Hellenistic/Roman Philosophy Due