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Introduction to Ancient & Medieval Philosophy. Summer 2012


Socrates teaching Plato and Aristotle
(from manuscript in Topkapi Palace)
  PHIL111.01
INTRO.TO ANCIENT & MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY

Boğaziçi Üniversitesi
Summer 2012

Instructor:
CHRISTOPHER COLVIN

Mon, Tue, Thur 11-12:50.

Office Hours: to be announced
Plato teaching Socrates
(from manuscript in Oxford)

Updated on 6 May 2012.

Description:
The course is an introductory survey of ancient philosophy in three parts: The Beginnings of Philosophy (Pre-Socratics, Sophistry, Socrates), Classical Philosophy (Plato and Aristotle), Hellenistic Philosophy (Stoics, Skeptics, Neo-Platonists). The course concludes with a brief indication of the place of philosophy in the age of of religious monotheism that followed (= medieval philosophy).


The course is intended to

    - be a lively introduction to philosophy,

    - a guided tour of some of the more enduring positions and styles in philosophy,

    - and a sampling of different philosophical topics, specifically truth, beauty, and politics.


Readings:
Most of the primary texts are available in the library, at bookstores, and on-line (information about this will be provided in class). A xerox packet of readings will be available at Durak Copy.  Supplementary readings will also be made available on-line.

Reading questions to help students understand the assignments will be provided throughout the term.


Evaluation:

As a survey course, the grade will be based on two tests and an exam, equally weighted; each more or less corresponding to the three phases of the course.

The Beginnings: What is the Question?

1. Introduction: Why philosophy and why ancient philosophy?
The earliest philosophy: Cosmology.  What is reality? Causes (aitiai)  and Principles (archai).
[The readings for topics 1-5 are in the xerox packet.]
Fragments from Thales, Anaximander, (Hippocrates, “On the Sacred Disease”).  RA, 17-24.

2. Heraclitus. Insight: Change and complexity.
DK B Fragments and discussion in xerox packet and RA 31-41.

3. Parmenides. Inference: Idealism.
DK B Fragments in xerox packet and RA 41-49.

5. Sophists: Society, Power, and Politics.
Protagoras 320d-328d "Great Speech," Herodotus Histories III, 80-83, Thucydides "Melian Dialogue."  These are all in the xerox packet.  Also RA, 66-80.

6. Sophists: Persuasion and Responsibility.
Antiphon, Third Tetralogy (Antiphon is in the xerox packet.); Socrates' Apology,17a-42a.  Crito 43a-54e.


Classical Philosophy: Intelligibility.

7. Plato's First Voyage: the Forms.
Laches 178a-201c, Meno 70a-100c; RA 80-101.

8. Plato’s Second Voyage: founding Philosophy.

Phaedo 73a-76a, 90d-105b, 115a-118a.  RA 91-101.

9. Plato’s Third Voyage: the foundation of systematic philosophy.

Republic 472c-480a, 504e-520d, Parmenides 126a-131c; 135a-138a.

10. Philosophical aspiration and the Object of Thought.

Symposium 197e--212e.


11. Aristotle: natural science and philosophy.

Physics I, 1, 2; II, 1-3, 7-8.  RA, 173-185.


12. Aristotle: ethics and aesthetics.
Nicomachean Ethics I, II, X, 7-9; Poetics 4-9. RA, 199-214.


Hellenistic Philosophy: Serenity and Reconciliation.

13.  Stoics: dogmatic epistemology and the serene life of duty.
Systematic Philosophy: Logic-Physics-Ethics.  Reading in the xerox packet 222-252 (226-234 optional).

14. Skepticism: sophisticated detachment.
Skeptical Modes (in xerox packet).

15. Roman Philosophy:
Epictetus "Encheiridion" (selections).  Cicero (selections from De Officiis)

16. Plotinus: Platonism restored.
Enneads, I, 1; V, 1; and V, 4.

17. Philosophy and monotheism.
Catch-up and concluding lecture.

18. Final Exam: August 2011.


Links:

Studies and Sources:
Perseus Project - has many ancient texts in English and in the original.  A very cumbersome site to use but useful for those who want to have an "exact text."
Philoctetes -  original Greek texts with French and English translations, all available in pdf files.
Burnet - a classic and still useful study of PreSocratic philosophy.
Hegel - Hegel's lectures on Greek philosophy (takes a bit of clicking and scrolling to find the table of contents for Greek Philosophers).
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy - a source for information about various philosophers and topics.  Often outdone by Wikipedia articles or Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

Texts:
Anaximander - This and the texts for Heraclitus and Parmenides, are from "Philoctetes."
Heraclitus - fragments
Parmenides - text and discussion.
Herodotus - dialogue on political regimes (just read sections 80-82).
Hippocrates - "On the Sacred Disease."
Thucydides - Melian Dialogue  and here is a video re-enactment.
Protagoras - "Great Speech" in Plato's dialogue, Protagoras 320d-328d.
Gorgias - On Non-Being, Encomium to Helen (section 8-14).
Antiphon - Third Tetralogy.
Plato texts - translations in the public domain.  Here you can find the Apology, Crito, and Phaedo in one book (with notes and Greek text).  A text of the Republic from a conservative website.
Aristotle texts - translations in the public domain.  Here are the links for the Physics, Nicomachean Ethics, and Poetics readings.
Cicero - a dual language (Latin and English) edition of De Officiis.
Epicurus - letter to Menoecus and Principles.
Epictetus - Encheiridion.
Marcus Aurelius - Meditations
Skeptics - readings are in the packet.
Plotinus - the complete Enneads.  Assigned readings: I,1 "The Animate and the Man" and  V,1 and V, 4 "The Three Initial Hypostases" and "How the Secondaries Arise."
Proclus - reference

Subpages (1): reading-questions