Syllabus – keep handy for reference
Dr. Aeon J. Skoble
341 Tillinghast, x2460
Email: askoble@bridgew.edu Web: http://webhost.bridgew.edu/askoble
Office hours: M 10-11, TR 1:45-2:45, or by appointment
Texts:
Plato, Complete Works, ed. by John
Cooper (Hackett Publishing)
Aristotle, Selections, ed. by Irwin
and Fine (Hackett Publishing)
Overview and objectives:
Some trendy but superficial critics of philosophy have noted the prevalence of dead white males in the canon. In this class we will devote ourselves to the study of the deadest of them all, the ancient Greek philosophers Plato (427-347 BCE) and Aristotle (384-322 BCE). One objective of the course will be to see why we continue to bother doing this. One reason might be “there’s enduring wisdom therein”; another might be “their influence shaped the development of western philosophy and is still felt today” – we shall see whether or to what extent these are true claims. More specifically, the main objective of this course is to give the intermediate or advanced philosophy student a firm command of the basic ideas and arguments of Plato and Aristotle, and where possible, Socrates (470-399 BCE), who wrote nothing, but of whom we have many first-hand reports and who was very influential on the development of Plato’s thought and, in ways we will see, all subsequent philosophy through 529 CE.
We will devote almost exactly half the semester to Plato and half to Aristotle. In the first half, we will begin with Plato’s relationship to Socrates, and read some dialogues concerned with the very nature of philosophy and its relation to religion, literature, custom, and so on. We will then look very closely at the Republic, which is a comprehensive work dealing with justice, epistemology, ontology, psychology, and art. We will then read some of Plato’s writings on love, sex, and friendship. We will also consider some excerpts from dialogues concerning truth, relativism, knowledge, reasoning, and cosmology. In the second half of the semester, we will begin with some of Aristotle’s writings on the nature of thought and reason, and consider ways in which his methodology differs from that of Plato. We will examine his theories on motion, change, causality, ontology, teleology, psychology, and cosmology. Then we will read his Nicomachean Ethics, which deals with happiness, virtue and vice, and friendship. We will supplement that with his observations about social living, and we will conclude with a look at his theory of art if time allows.
Where time permits, I will draw your attention to either Pre-Socratic antecedents or Hellenistic follow-ups to the material we are covering. I may post additional readings to the course web page from time to time, or distribute a handout.
Requirements:
The 100-point-scaled grade
will be comprised of 2 papers, each 7-8 pages in length (45 points each), plus
active participation in class (10 points).
Fair warning: Plagiarism of any form on written assignments is not
tolerated. You will receive an F in the
course, and I will recommend to the Dean that you be expelled.
“Active
participation” implies that regular attendance is itself also a requirement of
the class. This is a reflection of the
fact that the primary vehicle for learning the material is the class itself, of
which you should see yourself as a part.
Obviously there is such a thing as a good reason to miss class, but
please be sure you limit your absences to such occasions. Absences in excess of three will result in
reduction of your grade. Excessive
lateness will count as absence. You are
expected to have done the readings and be prepared to comment on them in class. If you do have to miss class, it is your
responsibility to get the notes, and any announcements or additional
assignments, from a classmate. (On the
other hand, if I am late, it almost certainly means I am ill – call the
department office at x1258 to find out.)
Adjustments
to your grade will be made for both constructive participation in discussions
and disruptive behavior, as well a
Outline:
The basic (tentative) outline for the course will be as follows, subject to change as necessary.
Sept. 4 Introduction
– why study this material?
Socrates-Plato-Aristotle: bios, context
Sept. 9-11 Plato: Apology/Euthyphro/Crito/Phaedo (nature of philosophy, religion, custom, law, etc.)
Sept. 16-18 Republic
– justice (and lots more)
Sept. 23-25 Republic (w/ excerpts from Meno)
Sept. 30-Oct. 2 Republic
(w/ excerpts from Statesman)
Oct. 7-9 Finish Rep.,
begin Symposium/Phaedrus/Lysis
(love, friendship, sex)
Oct. 14-16
continuing from prev. week.
Oct. 21-23 Gorgias;Protagoras – reasoning and relativism (might begin
Aristotle 10/23)
Oct. 28-30 Aristotle: Categories, Topics (how to think, part 1)
1st
paper due 10/28 9am
Nov. 4-6 Physics,
Metaphysics (motion, causation, change, the actual and the potential)
Nov. 12-13* Physics, Metaphysics (realism and nominalism; how to think, part 2)
Nov. 18-20 De
Anima (the nature of the human soul or psyche; teleology)
Nov. 25 (11/27=Thanksgiving) Begin Nicomachean Ethics (happiness and virtue)
Dec. 2-4 continuing Nic. Ethics (happiness, virtue and vice)
Dec. 9 continuing Nic. Ethics w/ excerpts from Politics (friendship, society)
Dec. 15: 2nd paper
due 10:00 am