DETAILED COURSE SYLLABUS
(under revision)
Shortcut Link to Course Webpages
AGP5: Readings in Ancient Greek Philosophy, S. Mark Cohen, Patricia Curd, C.D.C. Reeve, eds. 5th ed. Hackett Pulblishing: Indianapolis, 2016.
SEP: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, online at
http://plato.stanford.edu/
Also Peter Adamson’s podcasts on the History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps at https://historyofphilosophy.net/all-episodes
Reminder: After the first class, each student must bring 2 questions based on the readings to each class meeting.
1: 17Jan TU Introduction to the course and its objectives.
(i) Information Sheet; (ii) Goals of the Course; (iii) Details of the Syllabus; (iv) Introduction to Ancient Greek thought.
2: 19Jan TH Presocratics 1: Thales to Heraclitus
AGP5, 1-25; SEP, P. Curd, “Presocratic Philosophy”
Podcasts at https://historyofphilosophy.net/all-episodes
particularly ## 1, 5, 6
3: 24Jan TU Presocratics 2: Parmenides; Anaxagoras & Empodocles; Zeno.
AGP5, 26-50 & SEP: J. Palmer, “Parmenides”
Podcasts at https://historyofphilosophy.net/all-episodes
particularly ## 7, 8, 10
Recommended: SEP: P. Curd, “Anaxagoras”; R. Parry, “Empedocles”;
Palmer, “Zeno”
4: 26Jan TH Presocratics 3: Leucippus & Democritus; Melissus; Philolaus.
AGP5, 51-62; SEP, S. Berryman, “Ancient Atomism”.
Podcasts at https://historyofphilosophy.net/all-episodes
particularly ## 9, 11, 12
Recommended: SEP, S. Berryman, “Leucippus” & “Democritus”
5: 31Jan TU Presocratics 4: The Sophists: Protagoras and Gorgias.
AGP5, 63-73. Also, Gorgias, On Nature (provided by instructor)
Podcasts at https://historyofphilosophy.net/all-episodes
particularly 13 & 14
6: 02 Feb TU Plato & Socrates; reading Platonic dialogues; Platonic arguments.
Euthyphro and Apology.
AGP5, 80-106.
SEP: D. Nails, “Socrates” and R. Kraut, “Plato”.
Recommended: SEP: P. Woodruff, “Plato’s Shorter Ethical Works”.
Podcasts at https://historyofphilosophy.net/all-episodes particularly ## 15, 16,
17, 18.
6: 07 Feb TH Platonic dialectical elenchus in action: “Meno”(complete) & “Gorgias” (selection)“Meno”(complete). SEP: R. Barney, “Callicles and Thrasymachus.”
7: 09 Feb TU Reading Plato’s dialogues and arguments: “Phaedo”
AGP5: 131-165;
Recommended: Read the entire dialogue “Gorgias”; SEP, D. Frede,
“Plato’s Ethics: An Overview”.
Podcasts at https://historyofphilosophy.net/all-episodes
particularly ## 20, 21
8: 14 Feb TU Exam 1 on Presocratics* (Administered by Paul Quesnel)
16 Feb: MU Snow Day
9: 21 Feb TU Complete your study of Plato’s Phaedo* (Taught by Paul Quesnel)
10: 23 Feb TH : Begin reading Plato’s Republic. Read Republic 1 for fun. Then take Plato seriously starting with Republic books 2-4: Justice in the soul.
AGP5 254-311. SEP: R. Barney, “Callicles and Thrasymachus.”
Recommended: SEP, E. Brown, “Plato’s Ethics and Politics in The
Republic”; SEP, R. Barney, “Callicles and Thrasymachus” Podcasts at https://historyofphilosophy.net/all-episodes
particularly # 25 & 26
11: 28 Feb TU Platonic metaphysics and epistemology. Plato’s Republic books 5-6
AGP5, 311-351; & SEP Silverman, “Plato’s Middle Period Metaphysics and Epistemology”
Recommended: Podcasts at https://historyofphilosophy.net/all-episodes
particularly # 26.
12: 2 Mar TH Political society. Plato’s Republic books 7-8 and the concluding argument for justice Republic books 9-10.
AGP5, 352-385 ; SEP: C. Griswald, “Plato on Rhetoric and Poetry”
Recommended: SEP C. Partenie, “Plato’s Myths”; SEP Kraut,“Plato”;
N. Pappas, “Plato’s Aesthetics”.
Podcasts at https://historyofphilosophy.net/all-episodes
particularly # 33
14: 7 Mar TU Plato in critique of the theory of forms. Plato’s Parmenides (selection)
AGP5, 419-424; SEP, S. Rickless, “Plato’s Parmenides”.
Podcasts at https://historyofphilosophy.net/all-episodes
particularly # 27, and
We will do a deep dive into the Platonic Theory of Forms. We will read together closely the selection in the book from the dialogue, “Parmenides.” We will also discuss the solution the critique of the Forms (Aristotle called that critique the Third Man theory) provided by Proclus, the great Neoplatonist who headed the Platonic Academy (437-485).
I’ll also make some remarks about the dialogues “Timaeus” and “Sophist.”
15: 9 Mar 75 min. Exam 2 on Plato. 20% of course grade.
14 & 16 March: Spring Break
16: 21 Mar TU Exams returned; Introductory Overview of the Thought of Aristotle; First Discussion of Course Paper
(i) Categories, ch. 1-5. AGP5 446-456; SEP, C. Shields, “Aristotle”; SEP, P. Studtmann, “Aristotle’s Categories”
(ii) First discussion of course paper
Recommended: Podcasts at https://historyofphilosophy.net/all-episodes particularly ## 34, 35
Course Paper Dates
4 April: Required written submission of the proposed paper topic described in one page.
13 April: Required written submission of DETAILED outline of course paper in 1-2 pages.
14 April Friday 8-10 am, 1-6 pm and also Thursday evening 8-10 pm 13 April : Individual meetings with students to discuss paper outlines.
9 May 2016 at 12 noon: Deadline for submission of papers to www. turnitin.com.
(Class ID: 37215142. Password: provided at class.
17: 23 Mar TH Dialectic, logic and science.
Aristotle, Posterior Analytics 1.1-4 and 2.19.
Recommended: SEP, R. Smith, “Aristotle’s Logic”; C. Rapp, “Aristotle’s
Rhetoric”; Podcasts at https://historyofphilosophy.net/all-episodes
particularly # 37
19: 28 Mar TU Principles of natural science. Aristotle’s Physics, 2.1-9
Guest lecturer Jeremiah Noonan.
AGP5: Aristotle’s Physics, 2.1-9; SEP, I. Bodnar, “Aristotle’s Natural Philosophy”;
SEP, A. Falcon, “Aristotle on Causality”
Recommended: browse SEP
Podcasts at https://historyofphilosophy.net/all-episodes
particularly # 39, 40
Reminder of Course Paper
4 April or before: Required written submission of the proposed paper topic described in one page.
20: 30 Mar TH Principles of natural science. Aristotle’s Physics, 2.1-9
Guest lecturer Jeremiah Noonan.
AGP5: Aristotle’s Physics, 2.1-9; SEP, I. Bodnar, “Aristotle’s Natural Philosophy”;
SEP, A. Falcon, “Aristotle on Causality”
Recommended: browse SEP
Podcasts at https://historyofphilosophy.net/all-episodes
particularly # 39, 40
21: 04 Apr TU Principles & methods of natural science, continued.
AGP5: Aristotle, Physics; 3.1-3; 8.6; Parts of Animals, 1.1 & 1.5.
Recommended: SEP, J. Lennox, “Aristotle’s Biology”
Podcasts at https://historyofphilosophy.net/all-episodes
particularly # 41, 43
4 April: Required written submission of the proposed paper topic described in one page.
April 6-10 Easter Break
22: 11 Apr TU Aristotle on psychology. Aristotle’s De Anima
AGP5: selections pp. 512-523 (DA 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 2.1-6, 2.12); SEP: C. Shields, “Aristotle’s Psychology”.
Recommended: Podcasts at https://historyofphilosophy.net/all-episodes
particularly # 36, 42
Reminder of Course Paper Dates
4 April: Required written submission of the proposed paper topic described in one page.
13 April: Required written submission of DETAILED outline of course paper in 1-2 pages.
14 April (Friday): Individual meetings with students to discuss paper outlines.
9 May 2016 at 12 noon: Deadline for submission of papers to www. turnitin.com.
(Class ID: 37215142. Password: provided at class.)
23: 13 Apr TH Intellect. Aristotle’s De Anima 3.4-5
AGP5: selections pp. 523-529 (3.3-7, 3.10-11). We will also look at De Anima 3.8 together in class.
Recommended:
Podcasts at https://historyofphilosophy.net/all-episodes
particularly # 47
14 April (Friday): Individual meetings with students to discuss paper outlines.
24: 17 Apr TU The science of wisdom.
AGP5: Metaphysics selections: 1.1-2 and the first paragraph of 1.3; 1.6 & 1.9; SEP, S. M. Cohen, “Aristotle’s Metaphysics.”
25: 20 Apr TH The nature of this science and its subject matter. Metaphysics selections
from books 4, 6, 7. More precisely, we will focus on 4.1-4; 6.1; and 7.1-4, 7.13, 7.17.
Recommended: SEP, S. M. Cohen, “Aristotle’s Metaphysics”.
Podcasts at https://historyofphilosophy.net/all-episodes
particularly # 38
26: 25 Apr TU: Metaphysics. The science of being and the eternal divine movers.
AGP5: Metaphysics, continued discussion of 7; also 12.6-9.
Podcasts at https://historyofphilosophy.net/all-episodes
particularly # 47
27: 27 Apr TH Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics
Bks 1.1&13; Bks 2-3; Bk 5.1-2 as available in AGP5;
Also watch these three video lectures:
NE 1: Link
NE 2-3.5: Link
NE 5: Link
SEP, R. Kraut, “Aristotle’s Ethics”Recommended: Podcasts at https://historyofphilosophy.net/all-episodesparticularly # 44
28: 2 May TH Nicomachean Ethics
Bk 6.1-2; Bk 7.1-3; Bk 10.6-9 as available in AGP5.
Also watch this video on Books 7 and 10: Link Recommended: SEP, F. Miller, “Aristotle’s Political Theory”Podcasts at https://historyofphilosophy.net/all-episodesparticularly # 45, 46
29: 04 May TH A Mixed Bag and a Wrap Up
(i) The Course Paper: review of requirements. (ii) The final exam ination for the course; (iii) Stoicism; Ancient Skepticism; Alexander of Aphrodisias on abstraction, God & providence; Neoplatonism; later Medieval Philosophy in the Abrahamic Traditions of Islam, Christianity and Judaism.