PHL202 H5S   Ancient Philosophy

An Introduction to the Philosophy of Plato and Aristotle

 

 Course Information ¨ Course Description and Objectives ¨ Required Texts  ¨ Requirements and Grading

¨ Tentative Schedule ¨ Useful Links ¨ Marta Jimenez Home

 
Proceso alternativo:

Course Description and Objectives

 

This course is an introduction to ancient philosophy through the works of Plato and Aristotle. We will critically examine the theories, philosophical problems and arguments discussed by these philosophers. We will start with some general reflections about Socrates and the ancient conception of philosophy as a way of life, and we will set as our central task to develop an account of the kind of wisdom that ancient philosophers were seeking to attain and its relationship with the good life. To this end, we will discuss Platonic and Aristotelian views on metaphysics, theory of knowledge, psychology  and ethics.

 

The aims of the course are (1) to cultivate the skills of reading and interpreting texts of ancient philosophy, learning to look at the philosophical problems in their original context,  (2) to develop an understanding of the central concepts, theses, and arguments discussed in the works of Plato and Aristotle and (3) to achieve a good appreciation of the importance of the philosophical views and theories of these authors to the later history of philosophy, understanding not only what the problems are, and why they arose, but also why many of them persist. In addition, this course will help you (4) to improve your writing and critical thinking skills.
Proceso alternativo: Plato and Socrates Aristotle Proceso alternativo: Handouts and Announcements There are no handouts or announcements for the moment. Proceso alternativo: Required Texts Complete Works of Plato, ed. John Cooper & D. S. Hutchinson (Hackett Publishing Co., 1997). [We will read Apology, Alcibiades, Meno, Phaedo, Protagoras (selec.), Gorgias (selec.), Republic.] Aristotle: Introductory Readings, ed. T. Irwin & G. Fine (Hackett Publishing Co., October 1996). Proceso alternativo: ** These links are to translations that differ from the ones used in class and should be employed with caution. Sometimes it is good to compare how different translators render a passage, since it can help us to understand it better. For your papers, however, you should use the translations that figure in the syllabus and only refer to a different translation if you think that it captures something that the assigned one is missing. Proceso alternativo: Requirements and Grading Class Attendance & Participation: 10% Mid-Term Examination: 25% (Week 6) Course Paper: 30% (Due Week 11) Final Examination: 35% (Date TBA) Class participation includes five 10-minute in-class written comments on a topic discussed during that class. Each comment is worth 2%. The exams will include short-answer and essay questions. Students will be expected to know the basic ideas of the authors studied and to demonstrate an understanding of the central concepts, distinctions, theses, and arguments discussed in class. Students will also be expected to identify and explain relevant passages from the weekly assigned texts. The course paper will be a 6-7 page paper. Students will have a choice among several assigned topics.

 

 

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Tentative Schedule

(Click here to expand, or click on each unit independently)

Introduction

Week 1        1. Introduction. Ancient conceptions of philosophy and modern approaches to ancient philosophy .

Useful links

A. Texts** (from Perseus Digital Library [PDL] and Internet Classics Archive [ICA]).

 

 

*Warning: This page does not correspond to any actual course. I've only built it as a proposal for my instructorship application.

 

 

*Warning: This page does not correspond to any actual course. I've only built it as a proposal for my instructorship application.

 

 

Warning: This page does not correspond to any actual course. I've only built it as a proposal for my instructorship application.

Navigation

Home

CV

Research

Teaching

 

2. The Examined Life. First approach to the question about the good life: How should I live? (Apology)

Week 2

3. Know Thyself. Second approach to the question about the good life: What am I? (Apology, Alcibiades)

 

4. Love of Wisdom. Third approach to the question about the good life: How do I become good? (Meno)

Week 3

5. Is Wisdom Attainable? Paradox of inquiry and doctrine of recollection. Introduction to the theory of Forms. Participation. (Meno, Phaedo)

 

6. Is Self-Knowledge Possible? The self as the soul and the body as obstacle. Immortality of the soul. (Phaedo)

Week 4

7. Love of Wisdom (II). Competing views about wisdom. The art of measurement. (Protagoras)

 

8. Is Wisdom so Desirable? Callicles’ challenge against wisdom and defense of the political life. (Gorgias)

Week 5

9. Challenge against Justice. Why be just? City-soul analogy. (Republic 1-3)

 

10. Moral Psychology and the Virtues. Parts of soul. Akrasia. (Republic 4)

Week 6

11. Philosopher Kings. The ideal education of the rulers. The Form of the Good. (Republic 5-7)

 

12. Mid-term exam, in class. (Click here to get the review questions)

Week 7

13. Aristotle on Wisdom. Aristotle’s own history of philosophy. Criticism of previous thinkers, including Socrates and Plato. Theory of the causes. Teleology. (Metaph. 1-3, 6, Physics 2.1-9)

 

14. Arguments against Plato’s Forms. Against Plato on the human good: criticism of the Form of the Good. (Metaph. 1.9, NE 1.6)

Week 8

15. Substance, Matter and Form. What is being? Study of substance. Subject, matter and form. Essence. (Metaph. 7.1-4,7-9)

 

16. Potentiality and Actuality. (Metaph. 9.1-2, 5-7)

Week 9

17. On the soul (I). The nature of the soul. Perception. (De Anima 1.1, 2.1-6, 11-12)

 

18. On the soul (II). Imagination. Thought. Movement. (De Anima3.3-5, 10-11)

Week 10

19. Aristotle on the acquisition of knowledge. (Post An. 1.1-4, 2.8-10, 19)

 

20. Aristotle on the human good. The good, virtue and the human function. (NE 1.1-5, 7)

Week 11

21. Virtues of character.  On habituation. Relation between aretê and phronêsis. (NE 2.1-7, 6.13)

 

22. Voluntariness. Issues about intention and motive. Praise and blame. Responsibility. (NE 3.1-5)

Week 12

23. Practical vs. theoretical wisdom. Aristotle on the best life. (NE 6, 10.6-8)

 

24. Final considerations.

 

 

Final exam (Review questions)

Plato:

Apology (PDL), Alcibiades I (PDL), Meno (PDL), Phaedo (PDL), Protagoras (PDL), Gorgias (PDL),

Republic (PDL).

Aristotle:

Metaph. (trans. Ross, ICA) / Metaph. (trans. Tredennick, PDL), Physics (trans. Hardie-Gaye, ICA),            

De Anima (trans. Smith, ICA), Post An. (trans. Mure, ICA), NE (trans. Ross, ICA) / NE (trans. Rhakman, PDL)

Course Information

Course Number: PHL202 H5S

Class meets: -

Course Website: www.individual.utoronto.ca/mjimenez/AncientPhil.htm* (proposal)

Printable syllabus: www.individual.utoronto.ca/mjimenez/AncientPhilSyllabus.pdf* (proposal)

 

B.

Writing in Philosophy.

 

 

Intro to Philosophical Methods: Reading Philosophy,  Writing a Philosophy Paper (by Jim Prior, NYU)

Advice on Writing in Philosophy (Dep. of Philosophy, UfT)

Writing a Philosophical Essay (by Ronald de Sousa, UfT)

Writing a Philosophy Paper (by Jennifer Nagel, UfT)

How Not to Plagiarize (by Margaret Procter, UfT Writing Support)

University of Toronto Code of Behavior on Academic Matters (from Rules and Regulations, UfT A&S)

Academics Skill Centre at UTM: Writing Tips and Studying Skills

 

C.

Other resources.

 

 

A Greek-English Lexicon (LSJ)

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

How to Cite and Refer to Aristotle (by Monte Johnson)

UfT Library: e-resources