Fall 2013 ◊ University of Virginia Description

Phil 2110 “History of Philosophy: Ancient and Medieval”

Fall 2013 ◊ University of Virginia

Description:

Survey of the history of philosophy from the Presocratic period through the Middle Ages.

Required Texts:

1. Cohen, S. Marc, Partricia Curd, and C. D. C. Reeve, eds. Readings in Ancient Greek Philosophy: From Thales to Aristotle. 4^th ed. Cambridge, MA: Hackett, 2011.

2. Hyman, Arthur, James J. Walsh, and Thomas Williams, eds. Philosophy in the Middle Ages: The Christian, Islamic, and Jewish Traditions. 3^rd ed. Cambridge, MA: Hackett, 2010.

3. Some additional readings will be posted on the course website.

Instructor:

Name: Dr. James W. Scow

Email: TBA (Use [e-mail] for now.)

Room: 109 Cocke Hall

Phone: [phone]

Hours: Monday and Wednesday, 2-3 pm or by appointment

Further Requirements:

1. Participation and preparedness (15%)

You are expected to participate in all classes prepared with the assigned readings. There will be some opportunities to make up for missed participation and lack of preparedness. Details to be given in class.

2. Quizzes (15%)

There will be weekly, untimed, open text, true/false quizzes posted on the course website. These quizzes test preparedness and reading comprehension. See schedule below for tentative quiz dates.

3. Paper on the Presocratic philosophy (20%)

You will write a short 2-3 page essay based on recent scholarship on the Presocratics. Your paper should be based on at least two scholarly sources from the discipline of philosophy. See the schedule below for a tentative due date. More details will be given in class.

4. Midterm exam (15%)

The midterm exam will consist of short answer essay questions that ask you to compare philosophers. Just like the quizzes, the midterm is open notes and text, untimed, and completed on the course website. See schedule below for tentative exam dates.

5. Paper on medieval philosophy (20%)

You will write a short 2-3 page essay based on the influence of medieval philosophy on modern or contemporary philosophy. Your paper should be based on at least two scholarly sources from the discipline of philosophy. See the schedule below for a tentative due date. More details will be given in class.

6. Final exam (15%)

The final exam is comprehensive but otherwise has the same format as the midterm. See schedule below for tentative exam dates.

Audios

Here is a link to the audios of my lectures. Look for the audio files beginning with “2110”:
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B9FOSB0j8jEtRHBlNWlYZlU5NkE&usp=sharing

Tentative Schedule

The Presocratics

1. Wed., Aug. 28: The Milesians (Thales, Anaximander, Anaximenes)

Read from Cohen Readings in Ancient Greek Philosophy: §§1, 2.1-2.3 (in table of contents)

Aug. 31 – Sept 3: Quizzes on the Milesians

2. Mon., Sept. 2: From Pythagoras to Empedocles

§§3-8

3. Wed., Sept. 4: The Pluralists (Empedocles, Anaxagoras, Leucippus, Democritus, Melissus, Philolaus)

§§9-13

Sept. 7 – 10: Quizzes on Pythagoras et al and the Pluralists

4. Mon., Sept. 9: The Sophists (Protagoras, Gorgias, Prodicus, Hippias, Antiphon)

§14

Plato

5. Wed., Sept. 11: Early (Socratic) Dialogues

Read from Cohen Readings in Ancient Greek Philosophy: Plato, Euthyphro, Apology

Sept. 14-17: Quizzes on the Sophists and Plato

6. Mon., Sept 16: Middle Dialogues

Plato, Selections from: Meno 80a1 (Stephanus pagination)-end, Phaedo (omit Death Scene)

7. Wed., Sept. 18: Middle Dialogues, continued

Plato, Selections from Republic, read only Books I, II, IV, V (474c-480a), VI, VII (to 517c4)

Sept. 21-24: Quizzes on Plato’s Middle Dialogues

8. Mon., Sept. 23: Late Dialogues

Plato, Parmenides

Sept. 23: Presocratic philosophy paper due

Aristotle

9. Wed., Sept 25: The Organon (Logical Works)

Read from Cohen, Readings in Ancient Greek Philosophy: Introduction; Aristotle, Selections from: Categories, De Interpretatione (read 7, 9 only), Topics, Posterior Analytics (read only Bk I.1-3; Bk II.19)

Sept. 28 – Oct. 1: Quizzes Plato’s Late Dialogues and Aristotle’s Organon

10. Mon., Sept. 30: Nature and the Soul

Aristotle, Selections from Physics (only Bk I.1, 5, 7-9; II.1-3, 7; III.1; VIII.6), De Anima (only Bk II.1-2, 5, 12; Bk III.4)

11. Wed., Oct. 2: Metaphysics

Aristotle, Selections from Metaphysics: read only 1.1-4, 6, 9, 13; IV.1-3; VII.1-4; XII.6-9

Oct. 5-8: Quizzes on Aristotle’s Physics, De Anima, and Metaphysics

12. Mon., Oct. 7: Ethics

Aristotle, Selections from Nicomachean Ethics, read only Books I.1-5, 7-9, 13; II.1-6; VI.1-2, 5, 7, 12-13; XII.7-8

13. Wed., Oct. 9: Midterm exam review

Oct. 12-15: Midterm Exam

Early Medieval Christian Philosophy

14. Wed., Oct. 16: Augustine

Read from Hyman, Philosophy in the Middle Ages: Introduction; Augustine, Selections (to be announced) from The Teacher, On the Free Choice of the Will, Reconsiderations, On the Trinity, Confessions, and City of God

Oct. 19-22: Quizzes on Augustine

15. Mon., Oct. 21: Boethius, John Scotus Eriugena, and Anselm

Selections (to be announced) from Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy, Contra Eutychen, On the Trinity; John Scotus Eriugena, On the Division of Nature; Anselm, Monologion and Proslogion (leave out the Guanilo exchange)

16. Wed., Oct. 23: Abelard

Selections (to be announced) from: Abelard, Glosses on Porphyry; Ethics, or Know Thyself

Oct. 26-29: Quizzes on Boethius, John Scotus Eriugena, Anselm, and Abelard

Medieval Islamic Philosophy

17. Mon., Oct. 28: Ibn Sina

Read from Hyman, Philosophy in the Middle Ages: Ibn Sina, The Salvation, “Metaphysics”; The Cure, “Metaphysics”

18. Wed., Oct. 30: Al-Ghazali and Ibn Rushd

Al-Ghazali, The Incoherence of the Philosophers, On the Eternity of the World; Ibn Rushd, The Decisive Treatise; The Incoherence of “The Incoherence”

Nov. 2-5: Quizzes on Medieval Islamic Philosophy

Medieval Jewish Philosophy

19. Mon., Nov. 4: Maimonides

Read from Hyman, Philosophy in the Middle Ages: Selections (to be announced) from: Maimonides, The Guide of the Perplexed

20. Wed., Nov. 6: Gersonides and Crescas

Gersonides, The Wars of the Lord; Crescas, The Light of the Lord

Nov. 9-12: Quizzes on Medieval Jewish Philosophy

13^th Century Latin Philosophy

21. Mon., Nov. 11: Bonaventure and Siger of Brabant

Read from Hyman, Philosophy in the Middle Ages: Bonaventure, Conferences on the Hexaemeron, The Mind’s Journey into God; Siger of Brabant, Question on the Eternity of the World

Nov. 11: Medieval philosophy paper due

22. Wed., Nov. 13: Aquinas

Aquinas, On Being and Essence, The Summa Theologica (selections, to be announced); Etienne Tempier, Condemnation of 219 Propositions

Nov. 16-19: Quizzes on 13^th Century Latin Philosophy

14^th Century Latin Philosophy

23. Mon., Nov. 18: Duns Scotus

Read from Hyman, Philosophy in the Middle Ages: Duns Scotus, The Oxford Commentary on the Four Books of Sentences (selections, to be announced)

24. Wed., Nov. 20: Ockham

Ockham, Summa logicae (selections, to be announced)

Nov. 23-26: Quizzes on Duns Scotus and Ockham

25. Mon., Nov. 25: Nicholas of Autrecourt and Marsilius of Padua

Nicholas of Autrecourt, Letters to Bernard of Arezzo; Marsillus of Padua, The Defender of Peace

26. Mon., Dec. 2: Buridan

Selections (to be announced) from: Buridan, Certainty and Truth; Knowledge; Essence and Existence; Motion; Happiness

27. Wed., Dec. 4: Final exam review

Dec. 7-10: Final Exam