Ancient Philosophy

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Level: 
Master's
Course Status: 
Mandatory
CEU credits: 
2
Academic year: 
2009/2010
Semester: 
Winter
Start and end dates: 
17 Feb 2010
Co-hosting Unit(s) [if applicable]: 
Department of Philosophy
Academic Program: 
Master of Arts in Philosophy
CEU Instructor(s): 
István Bodnár
Full description: 

Instructor: István Bodnár

Status:           Mandatory for first year MA students

Time: Wednesday 5:20-7:00 pm

Course goal:

The primary goal of the course is to help students to acquire the necessary skills to work with ancient philosophical texts. The course will provide guidance in the study tools, reference translations, bibliographies and online resources for the further study of ancient philosophical texts.

Learning outcomes:

By the end of the course students will be expected to possess the skills to work with ancient philosophical texts on their own at an intermediate level. They are expected to be able to analyse the argumentative structure of a text and identify the main concepts (also in their different current translations) used by the author of the text. They should know where to find further literature and linguistic and other tools for a deeper analysis.

 

Weekly schedule:

 

Date

Theme

Readings

13 Jan

Anaximander & Heraclitus: the cosmos and the soul

Fragments of Anaximander and Heraclitus from McKirahan

20 Jan

Parmenides & some Post-Parmenideans: ‘what-is’ and questions of monism

Fragments of Parmenides and Anaxagoras from McKirahan

27 Jan

Plato: Socratic quest, philosophy as a mission, ethical  knowledge

Selections from Apology; Gorgias

3 Feb

Plato: the Forms and the insufficiency of the physical world, the status of the soul

Selections from Phaedo; Republic

10 Feb

Plato: The knowledge of the physical world

Selections from Timaeus

 

17 Feb

Aristotle: Categories

Cat. 1-5

24 Feb

Aristotle: Nature and the four causes

Met.1.1; Phys. 2.1-3, 8-9.

3 March

Aristotle: soul and its functions

De An. 2.1-6; 11, 12; 3.45

10 March

Aristotle: Ontology beyond the categories

Met. 4.1, 7.1–6.

17 March

Aristotle: competing or complementary conceptions of the good life?

NE 1.1-10; 10.6-8

24 March

Epicurus: empiricism, atomism, and responsibility

Selections from Long&Sedley

31 March

Stoics: fatalism and responsibility

Selections from Long&Sedley

 

 Requirements:

• regular attendance

• regular preparation

• active participation in discussions

• 3 1-2-page informal position papers throughout the term

• for one-year MA students and for non-philosophy students: 2000-word term paper

 

Assessment:

• For two-year MA students: in-class written examination as part of the History of Philosophy Final Examination at the end of the first year

• For one-year MA students, and for non-philosophy students: 20% class participation; 20% position papers; 60% term paper