PHILOSOPHY 1104:

INTRODUCTION TO ANCIENT GREEK PHILOSOPHY

DR. R. SCOTT STEWART

FALL TERM, 2014

Office and hours: CC273; Tuesdays, 10-Noon; Wednesdays, 9-Noon;

 by appointment, or drop by.

Communication: Phone: 563-1252; e-mail: scott_stewart@cbu.ca

Grading:  All assignments will be of equal value.

(1)   Test 1: Sept. October 2

(2): Test 2 or short essay:  November 4.

(3) Final exam, TBA in exam schedule

The tests and exam will question you in various ways. There will be some fill in the blanks and short essay questions (of a paragraph or two) as well as a longer essay question requiring an answer of four-five pages. I will give you study questions one week before your tests/exam. For your second assignment, you can choose to write a short essay of 3-4 typed pages. I will hand out more information on this essay later in the term but please be aware now that it will require some research on your part beyond texts covered in class. Also note that, from my experience, writing a research essay is a more difficult assignment that writing a test for the vast majority of students.

Text and Handouts: (1) SM Cohen, P Curd, & CDC Reeves, eds., Readings in Ancient Greek

                Philosophy 4’th edition. Hackett Publishing Company, 2011.

        (2) There is also material posted on the course web page.

Course web page: http://faculty.uccb.ns.ca/sstewart/

PLEASE NOTE:

(1) I expect you to attend class, and to be prepared for class by having read the assigned reading for the day.  Although there is no grade formally given for class participation, I reserve the right to give incremental increases to those students whose participation has been excellent. It should also be noted that past experience has shown a high correlation between class attendance, participation, preparation and good grades.

(2) Make-up tests will be given only under special circumstances and with my prior knowledge. If you are unable to write a test, you must at the very least leave me a voice or e-mail message and be prepared to provide a legitimate excuse (e.g., a doctor’s note) when requested.

(3) You will be graded on your writing skills as well as on other criteria.

(4) There is no supplementary exam for this course.

(5) Academic dishonesty is a serious offence: please consult the CBU calendar

for a description of these offences and their penalties.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is designed to introduce students to the beginnings of philosophy in the western world through an examination of historical texts. We will begin by examining some of the Sophists in order to understand the ways in which their relativism differed radically from the positions advanced by Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.  Approximately a month with be spent on each of these three philosophies investigating their theories of virtue or ethics, knowledge or epistemology, and reality or metaphysics/ontology.

(TENTATIVE) OUTLINE AND READINGS

Week                                                    Topic                                     Reading

1                  Background                       Pre-Socratics                        Intro Lecture

2                  Socrates                                                                         Intro, 127-134, Apology, 153-178 Apology Lecture

3                  Socrates                                                                          Euthyphro 135-154 Euthyphro Lecture

4                  Test 1                                                                                Test 1 Study Questions

5                  Plato                                                                                 Meno, 241-266 Meno Lecture

 6                 Plato                                                                                 Phaedo, 267-319 Phaedo Lecture

7&8             Plato                                                                                 Republic Bks V-VII, excerpt from X Republic VI & VII lecture

                                                                                                               pp. 536-546; 616-629  

9.                Test 2 or essay                                                                   Nov. 4

10                 Aristotle                                                                         Introduction, 683-693

                                                                                                           Physics, Bks 1 and 2 excerpts, 694-719. Physics Notes

11                 Aristotle                                                                         De Anima, Bks I and II excerpts, 809-825 De Anima Notes

12.                Aristotle                                                                          Nicomachean Ethics, Bks. I-III, 870-901. Nicomachean Ethics