Required Readings
Cohen, S. Marc, Patricia Curd, and C. D. C. Reeve., eds. Readings in Ancient Greek Philosophy from Thales to Aristotle. Indianapolis, IN: Hackett, 1995. ISBN: 0872203131. [RAGP]
Carus, Titus Lucretius. On the Nature of the Universe. Translated by Ronald Latham. New York, NY: Penguin Books, 1951. [ONU]
Recommended Readings
Shields, Christopher., ed. The Blackwell Guide to Ancient Philosophy. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing, 2003. ISBN: 0631222146.
The Lucretius is available on the web. If you’d prefer to have a hard copy, you may order them yourself on the web or by contacting the instructor. Additional texts will be handed out in class or available on the server, as needed. The course will be focused on primary sources. Secondary sources will be assigned in class when appropriate.
In many cases, complete versions of the texts can be found through Project Gutenberg, although these translations may differ from those used in the course.
| LEC # | TOPICS | READINGS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction | |
| 2 | Socrates and the Sophists |
Introduction to RAGP
Apology |
| 3 | Socrates and the Law | Crito |
| 4 | Socratic Method | Euthyphro |
| 5 | Knowledge and Learning | Meno |
| 6 | Prudential Paradox | Meno |
| 7 | Immortality and the Soul | Phaedo |
| 8 | Introduction of the Forms |
Phaedo
Symposium (201d-212c) |
| 9 | Why Be Moral? | Republic I-IV, especially II, III: 412c-417b |
| 10 | Justice in the City | Republic IV: 427d-445e |
| 11 | Justice in the Soul | Republic V-VII, especially V: 449a-468, 471c-480a |
| 12 | Theory of Forms |
Republic VI: 502d-511
Republic VII: 514a-525 |
| 13 | Happiness, Liberty, and Social Engineering | Republic X |
| 14 | Aristotle on Plato |
RAGP, pp. 473-482
Categories 1-5 |
| 15 | Matter and Form |
Physics I: 7-9, II
Parts of Animals I: 1, 5 |
| 16 | Essence, God | Metaphysics VII: 1-4; VIII: 1-2; XII: 6-9 |
| 17 | On the Soul | De Anima II: 1-3 |
| 18 | Perception, Understanding |
De Anima II: 5, 12; III: 4-5
Posterior Analytics I-III |
| 19 | Happiness | Nichomachean Ethics I-II |
| 20 | Virtue | Nichomachean Ethics III |
| 21 | Weakness of Will | Nichomachean Ethics VII |
| 22 | Friendship | Nichomachean Ethics VIII |
| 23 | Contemplation | Nichomachean Ethics X |
| 24 | Epicurean Atomism |
Selections from Epicurus TBA
Lucretius, ONU, Chapter 1-2 |
| 25 | Epicurean Morality |
Selections from Epicurus TBA
Lucretius, ONU, Chapter 3 (pp. 96-121) |
| 26 | Death | Lucretius, ONU, Chapter 3 (pp. 121-29) |
