Phil 375 – Ancient GreekPhilosophy -- Spring 2017

Metropolitan Sate University

 

Syllabus (Note: this is the syllabus handed out on the first night of class. Check the schedule below for updates and corrections)

 

Writing assignments ((Note: These assignments are carried over from the last time I taught this course. They probably won't change much, but check back for updated versions befire you write your papers.)

 

First Position Paper assignment (updated for Spring 2017)

 

Second Position Paper Assignment (updated for Spring 2017)

 

Third Position Paper Assignment (updated for Spring 2017)

 

 

Resources:

Marc Cohen's Lecture Notes on Ancient Philosophy

The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy

 

Paper writing guides: 

          from Williams College

         from Jim Pryor of NYU

 

 

Tentative schedule of Assignments

 

Date
Topic
Reading (Note: DR = The Dream of Reason by Anthony Gottlieb; AGP = Readings in Ancient Greek Philosophy edited by Cohen, Curd and Reeve.
Writing assignments due
Jan. 11
Introductory Session
Plato's Euthyphro, in class (in AGP)
Jan. 18
Pre-Socratic theories about the nature of things
DR, Intro and Chapters 1-8 (skip a few, if you are pressed for time); AGP, pp.1-107 (read the introduction and then whatever looks interesting to you - just to get a flavor of the kind of fragmentary texts we have left to us)
Response paper
Jan. 25
Socrates: The man and his method
Apology, Crito in AGP pp.153-191; Meno in AGP, just the first part pp.241-249; last few pages of the Phaedo; DR, Chapters 9 and 10 to page 150.
Response paper
Feb. 1
From Socrates to Plato
DR pp.150-167 (skip the last section of Chapter 10), 176-188 (first sections of Chapter 11); Meno (2nd part) AGP pp.249-254; Phaedo in AGP pp. 267-319
Response paper
Feb. 8
Plato on justice
DR pp.188-193; Republic Bks II, III, and IV (AGP pp. 398-482)
Response paper
Feb. 15
Plato on knowledge and the Forms
DR pp.193- 200; Republic Bks V, VI, and VII (AGP pp.515-566) [minimally read 473b-480a (AGP pp.507-514), 504d-518d (AGP pp.534-546)]; Symposium 210a-212c (AGP pp.355-357); Aristotle, Metaphysics 987a29-987b13 (AGP p.805); review Phaedo 74a-76e (AGP pp.282-285)
Response paper
Feb. 22
Aristotle: four causes and unmoved movers
DR pp 229-261; selections from Physics (AGP pp. 732-764) [minimally, read Bk II, Chs 3-8 and Bk VIII, Ch. 6 (AGP pp.745-756 and763-764)
Response paper; 1st position paper due
1-Mar
Aristotle: mind, body and will
DR pp.240-241; selections from De Anima Bks II and III (AGP pp.851-869) and Nichomachean Ethics Bks III and VII (AGP pp.890-901, 913-919)
Response paper; First position paper due
8-Mar
Spring Break
No class
15-Mar
Aristotle: virtue and happiness
DR pp.273-284; selections from Nichomachean Ethics (AGP pp. 870-890 and 919-929)
Response paper
22-Mar
Plato, Aristotle and Politics
DR pp.200-212; Republic Bks VIII and IX (AGP pp. 567-615); selections from Aristotle's Politics (handout), plus AGP pp. 933-937
Response paper
Mar. 29
Therapeutic Arguments
Nussbaum, The Therapy of Desire, Chapter 1
Response paper
5-Apr
Aristotelian Therapy
Nussbaum, The Therapy of Desire, Chapters 2 and 3
Response paper; 2nd position paper due
12-Apr
Epicurean Therapy
Nussbaum, The Therapy of Desire, Chapters 4 and 5
Response paper
19-Apr
Skeptic Therapy
Nussbaum, The Therapy of Desire, Chapter 8
Response paper
26-Apr

Stoic Therapy

Nussbaum, The Therapy of Desire, Chapters 9 and 10
Response paper;