Philosophy 25A

An introduction to ancient philosophy primarily through major works of Plato and Aristotle. Plato and Aristotle set the agenda for many of the questions still thought fundamental to philosophic inquiry, but approached them in a spirit different from that typical of modern philosophy. They thought of philosophy as a way of life; indeed, the best way. The main topics to be covered are ethical virtue and its relation to happiness, the soul and its relation to the body, and the objects and nature of knowledge. We will also consider the writing of Plato and Aristotle in the light of early Greek philosophers before Plato, as well as later developments by Epicureans, Stoics and Skeptics. Readings from Plato will include Apology, Crito, Euthyphro, Protagoras Meno, Phaedo, and Republic; those from Aristotle will include selections from Categories, Posterior Analytics, Physics, Parts of Animals, Metaphysics, De Anima, Politics and Nicomachean Ethics.
Requirements: two four-page papers; final exam. All readings will be taken from: (1) Readings in Ancient Greek Philosophy: From Thales to Aristotle (2nd edition), edited by S. Marc Cohen, P. Curd and C.D.C. Reeve. (2) Hellenistic Philosophy: Introductory Readings (2nd edition), edited and translated by Brad Inwood and Lloyd P. Gerson