PHH 3100 Ancient
Greek Philosophy, Fall 2005
http://wise.fau.edu/~dwhite/courses/PHH3100f05.htm
Office Hours and
Syllabi: http://wise.fau.edu/~dwhite
Daniel White
In this course we will cover the foundations of Western philosophy in ancient Greek thinking about nature and humanity, including the ideas of the pre-Socratics, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. We will consider the basic philosophical issues raised by these thinkers, as well as the historical and cultural context in which their thought arises. We will give special consideration to the different interpretations of Greek texts made possible by different interpretive frameworks. So we are going to raise the fundamental questions of philosophy as they have been handed down from the Greeks. What “exists”? Is there a “soul”? How is “nature” constituted? Does it have “laws”? If so, what are they? Are the laws of nature different from those of “society” or “culture”? Is there “life” after “death”? What is the “best” life? What constitutes the best “state”? Does the human soul have “faculties”? If so, what is the most important one? What is “reason”? What is “art”? What are the best methods by which nature, society, and the individual may be “known”? The emphasis of class will be on the reading, discussion, and interpretation of texts. Thus your daily participation is essential to our success.
Course Requirements:
Gordon Rule Writing Requirement: At least 6000 words of writing are required of every student. Written assignments and their weights in the determination of the final grade appear below:
Students enrolled in
this course agree to abide by the Honors College Honor Code. Please review this important document: http://www.fau.edu/divdept/honcol/students/honorcode.html.
Required Texts:
Cohen, Marc et al. Readings in Ancient Greek Philosophy, 3rd edition (2005) (Hackett, 0-87220-769-2): a good contemporary undergraduate text of readings in ancient philosophy.
Matson, Wallace, A New History of Philosophy, vol. 1, 2nd edition (2000), (Harcourt College Publishers, 0-15-507848-8)—this book is pricy but provides a clear, accessible, and succinct account of Greek philosophy in the context of the history of European philosophy; especially recommended for those who have not previously taken a philosophy course.
Electronic Sources:
Some Guidelines for Writing Papers in Philosophy:
Selections from Greek Philosophy and Literature (Greek, English, French): http://philoctetes.free.fr/parmenides.htm
Williams College: "Paper Writing Strategies for Introductory Philosophy
Courses": http://www.williams.edu/acad-depts/philosophy/jcruz/writingtutor/
Watson, Ellen, University of Queensland : "A Guide for Writing Papers in
Philosophy": http://www.uq.oz.au/~pdgdunn/watessay.htm
Pryor, James, Harvard University: "Guidelines on Writing a Philosophy
Paper": http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~jpryor/general/writing.html
Portmore, Douglas, College of Charleston: "Tips
on Writing a Philosophy Paper": http://www.cofc.edu/~portmord/tips.htm
"A Brief Guide for Writing Philosophy Papers": http://www.nwmissouri.edu/~rfield/guide.html
Franklin, R.L., University of New England: "On Writing Philosophy
Assignments": http://www.uq.edu.au/~pdgdunn/rlfessay.htm
Studying Philosophy on the Internet:
American Philosophical
Association: http://www.udel.edu/apa/
"Aristotle": Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/a/aristotl.htm
Biography of Aristotle: http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Aristotle.html
Biography of Plato: http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Plato.html
Exploring Plato’s Dialogues: http://plato.evansville.edu/
Greek Philosophy Archive: http://graduate.gradsch.uga.edu/archive/Greek.html
Internet Classics Archive: http://classics.mit.edu/index.html
Perseus Project: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/
Philosophy Resources on the Internet: http://www.epistemelinks.com/Main/MainPers.asp
Philosophy Text Collection: Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/philtext.htm
Pre-Socratic Philosophy: http://www.forthnet.gr/presocratics/indeng.htm
Pythagoras’ theory of Number: http://www.mathgym.com.au/history/pythagoras/pythnum.htm
Pythagoras & Pythagoreanism: http://www.abu.nb.ca/Courses/GrPhil/Pythagoras.htm
Pythagoras & the Music of the Spheres: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~matc/math5.geometry/unit3/unit3.html
Pythagorean Number & the Cosmos: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~matc/math5.geometry/unit3/unit3.html
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: http://plato.stanford.edu/
Sequence of Assignments:
Week of
1 Aug. 23-25
Course Introduction; Early Greek philosophy and cultural history; From
Mythology to Philosophy: Homer, Hesiod and the Presocratics, Cohen,
introduction, pp. 1-7; Matson, ch. 1.
2 Aug.
30-Sept. 1
Milesians: Posting the question: "What one thing
accounts for all other things?": Thales, Anixamander
Anaximenes. Music, Mathematics and the Order of Things: Pythagoras and
Pythagoreanism, Philolaus; in Cohen; The origins of the European sciences:
Matson, ch. 2., Ch. 3, pp.
30-33; Glen Most, “Philosophy and Religion,” Sedley ch. 11. Animated
Proof of the Pythagorean Theorem , More Proofs of the Pythagorean
Theorem , Proof
by Drag-and-Drop , Pythagoras
in the History of Mathematics , Pythagorean
Number and the Cosmos .Response 1.
3 Sept. 6-8 (Monday, Labor Day
Poetry and Philosophy: Xenophanes; all things in flux: Heraclitus; The Logic of
Being: Parmenides in Cohen; Matson, ch. 2., pp.
33-35; ch. 4; Response 2.
4 Sept. 13
The Eleatics, in Cohen;
Matson, ch. 5; Response 3.
5 Sept. 20-22
The reconciliation of changeless being with changeful
phenomena: Pluralism: Empedocles, Anaxagoras; Atomism: Leucippus and
Democritus, in Cohen; Matson, chs. 6-8
6 Sept. 27-29
The Sophists: Rhetoric; Protagoras, Gorgias, Antiphon, and Critias, in Cohen;
Matson, ch. 9; Socrates’ new form of
questioning: What is piety? Euthyphro, in Cohen.
ESSAY I DUE .
7 Oct. 4-6
Rethinking the Greek Intellectual Tradition: Socrates and Plato: Cohen, pp.
83-90;. Socrates’ self-defense: Apology
and Crito, in Cohen; Matson, ch. 10. Response 4. Presentations.
8 Oct. 11-13
Virtue and Recollection: the Meno, an illustration from geometry: Halving a Square .
The death of Socrates: arguments for the immortality of the soul. Knowledge,
recollection, virtue and immortality: the Phaedo. Response 5. Presentations.
9 Oct. 1820
A Reminiscence: Socrates and his friends in the Symposium, Cohen, part 2; Matson, ch. 11;
Response 6. Presentations.
10 Oct. 25-27
Plato on Power, Justice and the
11 Nov. 1-3
Knowledge, Belief, Appearance and Reality: Plato’s Republic, Books
V-VII in Cohen, Matson, ch.
14. Response 8. Presentations.
12 Nov. 8-10
Philosophy, Art and Politics: Republic,
Book 10, in Cohen. Plato revisits an old problem and his own theory, from
Parmenides, in Cohen. Presentations.
13 Nov. 15-17
Aristotle’s methodology of knowledge: Categories and De Interpretione (On Interpretation). Aristotle’s
analysis of Change: a new look at an old problem: from Physics and On Generation and
Corruption. Matson, ch.
17; Response 9. Presentations.
14 Nov. 22-24 (Nov. 24, Thanksgiving
Aristotle on natural reality, selections
from Metaphysics; on the soul,
selections from De Anima (On the Soul),
in Cohen, Matson, ch. 16; Response 10. Presentations.
15 Nov. 29- Last Day of Class
Last Day of Class: Aristotle and the
Greek philosophical tradition, Matson, chs. 18-19; Presentations. .
Reading Day, December 1st
16 Dec. 3-9
FINAL ESSAY
Due by 4:00 PM, Tuesday, December 6th.