PHL2130

Greek philosophy

Dirk Baltzly

8 points
* 3 hours per week
* Second semester
* Clayton
* Prerequisites: A first-year sequence in philosophy

Objectives Students who successfully complete the subject ought to be able to explain central themes from the works of Plato and Aristotle in the light of scholarship on the subject and be able to offer, in modern terms, good reasons for or against the claim that the ancients were right. You should also be able to incorporate into your own written work the interpretive principles (such as charity and consistency) which are used by historians of philosophy.

Synopsis The subject will be given in two parts. The first part is on the philosophy of Socrates and Plato. Topics include the nature and character of Socratic questions, the theory of Forms, the immortality of the soul, the defence of justice in the Republic and Plato's cosmology. The second part is on Aristotle, and will deal with his views on infinity and time, his attempt to resolve Zeno's paradoxes of motion, and his way of dealing with fatalism.

Assessment Two essays (2500 words each): 40% each
* One 1-hour examination: 20%

Prescribed texts

Plato The last days of Socrates Penguin
Plato Republic Penguin
A selection of further readings from Plato and Aristotle, availablefrom the department