These lecture notes have been developed over many years and draw on material presented by Alan Code in his Introduction to Ancient Philosophy course given at UC-Berkeley in the 1980s when I served as his Teaching Assistant. Prof. Code has granted permission for use of the material which is, at this point, integrated throughout the notes.
LEC # | TOPICS | LECTURE NOTES |
---|---|---|
1 | Introduction | |
2 | Socrates and the Sophists | Characteristic Socratic Theses (PDF) |
3 | Socrates and the Law | Characteristic Socratic Theses (cont.) (PDF) |
4 | Socratic Method | Euthyphro and the Elenchus (PDF) |
5 | Knowledge and Learning | Meno on Knowledge and Inquiry (PDF) |
6 | Prudential Paradox | Meno on Knowledge and Inquiry (cont.) (PDF) |
7 | Immortality and the Soul | Immortality in the Phaedo (PDF) |
8 | Introduction of the Forms | Notes on Platonic Forms (PDF) |
9 | Why Be Moral? | Republic I-II (PDF) |
10 | Justice in the City | Social Justice and Psychic Justice in the Republic (PDF) |
11 | Justice in the Soul | Social Justice and Psychic Justice in the Republic (cont.) (PDF) |
12 | Theory of Forms | Plato’s Sun, Line, and Cave (PDF) |
13 | Happiness, Liberty, and Social Engineering | Plato on Happiness (PDF) |
14 | Aristotle on Plato |
Third Man Argument (PDF)
Aristotle’s Categories and Early Thoughts on Substance (PDF) |
15 | Matter and Form | Aristotle’s Categories II (PDF) |
16 | Essence, God | Aristotle’s Four Causes (PDF) |
17 | On the Soul | Aristotle on Science (PDF) |
18 | Perception, Understanding | Aristotle on Primary Substance (PDF) |
19 | Happiness | Aristotle on the Human Good (PDF) |
20 | Virtue | The Greek Conception of Virtue (PDF) |
21 | Weakness of Will | Socrates on Weakness of Will (Akrasia) (PDF) |
22 | Friendship | Aristotle: Voluntary/Involuntary (PDF) |
23 | Contemplation | Epicurean Empiricism (PDF) |
24 | Epicurean Atomism | Lucretius on Death (PDF) |
25 | Epicurean Morality | Lucretius on Death (cont.) (PDF) |
26 | Death | Lucretius on Death (cont.) (PDF) |