PHIL 375 - Ancient Greek Philosophy

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

Date

Topic

Reading (Note: AGRP = Readings in Ancient Greek and Roman Philosophy edited by Reeve and Miller. Annas = Ancient Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction by Julia Annas

Writing assignments due

Jan. 13

Introductory Session

Plato's Euthyphro, in class (in AGP)

Jan. 20

Pre-Socratic theories about the nature of things. What makes somebody a 'philosopher'?

AGRP,through page 22 (read the "General Introduction" by Lloyd Gerson and pages 1-22)
Annas, Introduction (no page numbers) and Chapter 6 (pp.98-117)

Response paper

Jan. 27

Later Pre-Socratic thinkers. How should we think about these thinkers?

AGRP pp.22-45; Annas, pp. 37-41

~~Cherniss, "The Characteristics and Effects of Presocratic Philosophy" (online here: https://www-jstor-org.mtrproxy.mnpals.net/stable/2707750 login to library with star ID)~~

Response paper

Feb. 3

Socrates: The man and his method

Apology, Crito in AGRP; Meno in AGRP, just the first part pp.91-97; last two pages of the Phaedo (142-143)

Response paper

Feb. 10

From Socrates to Plato

Meno (2nd part); Phaedo in AGRP

Response paper

Feb. 17

Plato on justice

selections from Republic Bks I, II, III, and IV in AGRP

Response paper

Feb. 24

Plato on knowledge and the Forms

Republic Bks V, VI, and VII, Symposium 210a-212c); Aristotle, Metaphysics 987a28-987b13,); review Phaedo 74a-76e

Response paper;

March 3

Aristotle: four causes and unmoved movers

selections from Physics, AGRP

Response paper;

March 10

Spring Break

No Class

First position paper due on Monday, March 8

March 17

Aristotle: mind, body and will

selections from De Anima (pp.281-291) and Nichomachean Ethics Bks 3 (pp.322-328)and 7 (pp.335-338), in AGRP

Response paper

March 24

Aristotle: virtue and happiness

selections from Nichomachean Ethics, Books 1 and 2 (pp. 310-321), Book 6 (pp330-335) and Book 10 (pp.338-344), in AGRP

Response paper

March 31

Plato, Aristotle and Politics

Republic Bks VIII and IX; selections from Aristotle's Politics (handouts),

Response paper

April 7

Ancient Philosophy and White Supremacy

The article that set off a recent debate on ‘whiteness’ and the classics: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/02/magazine/classics-greece-rome-whiteness.html
A brief response from another classics scholar: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/dont-yield-ancient-history-and-literature-to-the-alt-right/2021/02/03/3632ad7a-6635-11eb-886d-5264d4ceb46d_story.html
(Optional) a longer, somewhat ranty, response from gay conservative Andrew Sullivan, who is among those who have recently tried to turn ‘critical race theory’ into a term of abuse: https://andrewsullivan.substack.com/p/the-unbearable-whiteness-of-the-classics-d60

Some discussion on a reddit classics group; provides a variety of perspectives of varying quality: https://www.reddit.com/r/classics/comments/lbwcgf/he_wants_to_save_classics_from_whiteness_can_the/?sort=old
An earlier lecture by Kwame Appiah that seems to me to be relevant somehow (plus, useful historical background): https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/09/western-civilisation-appiah-reith-lecture

Response paper

April 14

Epicureans

Selections from Epicurus (AGRP pp. 357-370) and whtever you have time for in Lucretius (AGRP pp. 395-424)

Response paper

April 21

Skeptics

Selections from Pyrrho of Elis (AGRP pp. 380-383 and Sextus Empiricus (AGRP pp.464-479)

Response paper

April 28

Stoics

Selections from Zeno, Cleanthes, and Chrysippus (AGRP pp. 370-380);
Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius (AGRP pp. 443-464);
If you have time, the selections from Cicero and Seneca might also be useful, especially the second excerpt from Cicero's "On Fate" (AGRP pp. 388-390 and Seneca's "On the Happy Life" (AGRP pp. 424-429)

Response paper;