Sample Syllabus

Sample Syllabus

QUEENS COLLEGE

Department of Philosophy

Philosophy 140: Ancient Greek Philosophy

Philosophy 140 consists of an intensive textual analysis of the fragments of the Presocratics, a select number of Plato’s and Aristotle’s works, and some texts from the Post-Aristotelian schools, especially Epicureanism and Stoicism. Of course, some time will be spent on Plato’s works about Socrates. With respect to the Presocratics the topics to be covered are the difference between myth and theory, appearance and reality, and reason and sense-perception. Socrates and the Sophists introduce into philosophy a distinctly ethical dimension. Thus, the topic will shift from a discussion about the nature of the universe to a defense of the rational, ethical life. We shall, then, delve into Plato’s works that deal with his psychological theory, his epistemology, his theory of Forms, and his views on the nature of reality in general. Aristotle not only works out many of Plato’s ideas within his own system, but also gives a new direction to philosophy towards formalization; therefore, we shall begin with his logical works, then go into his physics and metaphysics, and, lastly, into his psychology. We shall end the course with a brief look at Cynicism, Cyrenaicism, Epicureanism, and Stoicism.
Given the above course description, it is clear that Philosophy 140 satisfies many of the College’s PLAS criteria. First, it examines methods of critical inquiry that were developed by the ancient Greek philosophers and which later became models in Western Civilization and the European Tradition (ET) for intellectual cultivation and discovery. In doing this, the course specifically addresses the PLAS criterion of how, in philosophy (and in other disciplines), “data and evidence are constructed and knowledge acquired.” Second, since so much of ancient Greek philosophy is concerned with questions of ethics and with the rational justification of moral conduct (both for the individual as well as for the state), the Philosophy 140 course meets the PLAS criterion under the heading of “Culture and Values.” Finally, Philosophy 140 introduces students to a civilization which, though highly developed, is still a pre-industrial civilization; and therefore, it meets the PLAS criterion under the heading of “Pre-Industrial Society.”

REQUIRED TEXT: Classics Of Western Philosophy, Edited by Steven M. Cahn,

Hackett, Indianapolis, FIFTH EDITION.

XEROXED MATERIAL

REQUIRED READINGS:
1. (Intro) "Thales," "Anaximander," Anaximenes"

2. "Xenophanes," "Heraclitus"

3. "Parmenides"

4. "Anaxagoras and Empedocles"

5. " " "

6. "Zeno of Elea"

7. "Leucippus and Democritus," "Melissus"

8. "The Sophists"

9. "Plato's Apology"

10. "Plato's Crito"

11. "Plato's Phaedo"

12. " "

13. " "

14. " "

15. " "

16. Plato's "Republic" (Book I)

17. Plato's "Republic" (Books IV- VII)

18. " " " "

19. Plato's "Parmenides" and "Timaeus"

20. Aristotle "De Anima"

21. " "

22 " "

23. Aristotle's "Metaphysics" (Books VIII and XII)

24. Aristotle's "Nicomachean Ethics" (Books I, II)

25. " " " (Books III, VI)

26. " " " (Books VII, X)

27. Epicurus

28. Epictetus
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

Two substantial papers of about ten type-written pages: one on Plato and one on Aristotle.

Students may choose a topic from a list of topics provided by the instructor. Or if there is a topic they would really like to write about, they will have to consult the instructor for approval. Hence, the topic of the paper is not restricted to the following list:

1. 
   Trace the development of Greek Philosophy from Thales to Plato in terms of any or some of the following categories: reason and nature, soul and body, laws of nature, philosophy and religion, freedom and the individual, knowledge and perception, universals and particulars, causality, change and motion, unity and plurality, the nature of man.
   
2. 
   Plato’s concept of the soul in the Phaedo. What does it tell us about the nature of knowledge, the nature of morality, and freedom, the idea that the soul is the principle of life, and the notion that the soul is a simple thing while the body is complex? Compare your findings with the more developed theory of the Republic.
   
3. 
   Discuss the relationship of the specific character of Socrates in the Apology, Crito and Phaedo as an individual as represented by Plato and the general philosophical question of the immortality of the Soul. How do the two converge ultimately?
   
4. 
   Aristotle claims that the practice of the virtues leads to happiness. Is he successful in showing this? Using concrete circumstances to illustrate how the virtues apply to situations in everyday life, try to spell out the difference between the moral and the intellectual virtues and discuss what the highest types of happiness is for Aristotle. Further compare his views with those of Plato with respect to the unity of the virtues.
   
5. 
   The journey from sense perception to knowledge according to Aristotle. Make sure you clarify the pertinent concepts, not only of perception and knowledge, but also of imagination, the passive and the active intellect.
   
6. 
   Scholars speak of Aristotle’s concept of “focal meaning.” Is “focal meaning” enough to account for taxonomy in the sciences? Does is resemble the theory of Forms too much as to make Aristotle into a Platonist? If it does, how do his views differ from those of Plato?