Ancient and Medieval Philosophy

This course will be an introduction to some of the major figures in ancient Greek philosophy: Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, the Stoics, and the Pyrrhonian skeptics. We will also look at how the Medieval philosophers Augustine and Aquinas try to appropriate the doctrines of pagan philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle and use them within the context of Christian belief.

Class format

The exams will consist mainly of essay questions I will give you before the exam, plus a few short answers. The final paper will be a position paper--that is, a paper in which you advance arguments of your own in support of a thesis related to the topics we've been studying over the course of the semester.

In each class we'll have a member of the class contribute a short reading response paper. I will rotate the schedule of reading response papers, so that every class period two or so students will submit a paper. These papers will typically involve setting out and evaluating one of the arguments in the reading for that class day. You will post this paper to the class bulletin board. Please post your paper the night before the class. Everybody will be responsible for reading the reading response papers before the class meeting and posting a reply to one of the papers, or a reply to one of the replies, even.

You can post several types of replies:

1. Clarification request. You claim p, but I don't know what you mean by saying p. Please clarify. Do you mean by this p', p''...?
2. Argument request. You claim p. I think I know what you mean by p. But why do you claim p? I don't see any argument for p, and I think you need to give an argument for it.
3. Objection. You claim p (and maybe you argue for it). However, I think that p, (or your argument for p), is problematic. Here's my objection to p (or to your argument for p): q. What do you say in response to q?
4. Assistance. You claim p. I agree with you that p, but I think the following additional reason (which you do not mention) can be given in support of p: q.
5. Competing interpretation. You say that the reading claims that p. However, I don't think that this is exactly what it says. Instead, I think it says p' (and here's why I think this).
6. Suggestion of parallels. You claim p. P (or your argument for p) reminds me of so-and-so's claim that q (or his argument for q). Are the two really similar? Does comparing p to q help illuminate p, or is it just misleading?

Typically, I will explain the material in the first part of the class, and the latter part of the class will be devoted to discussing the material, using the reading response papers and replies as a way to start the discussion. But this division is not meant to be hard and fast: discussions and evaluation will often break out during the first part of the class, and during the course of discussing the material in the second part, sometimes I may go back to clarify some points in the material.

The bulletin board also has a forum for posting questions about the material. If anything in the reading is unclear to you, or you have any other questions about the material, please post them in this forum. I will look over it before class.

The bulletin board, announcements, copies of this syllabus, regularly updated reading assignments, and a trove of other information is available from the course web site, http://www2.gsu.edu/~phltso/ancientS08.html.

Texts:

• Plato. The Trial And Death Of Socrates Third Edition. Translated by G. M. A. Grube. 2000. Hackett Publishing Co. ISBN 0-87220-554-1.
• Plato. The Republic Translated by C.D.C Reeve. 2004. Hackett Publishing Co. ISBN 0-87220-736-6
• Aristotle. Introductory Readings. Translated and Edited by Terence Irwin and Gail Fine. 1996. Hackett Publishing Co. ISBN 0-87220-339-5.
• Hellenistic Philosophy: Introductory Readings. Second Edition. Edited and translated by Brad Inwood and Lloyd P. Gerson. 1998. Hackett Publishing Co. ISBN 0-87220-378-6.
• Lucretius. On the Nature of Things Translated by Martin Ferguson Smith. 2001. Hackett Publishing CoISBN .0-87220-587-8
• Augustine. Against the Academicians and the Teacher. Translation and Introduction by Peter King. Hackett Pub Co. 1995. ISBN 0872202127.

February 14: First exam
March 27:Second Exam
April 15: Final paper due
Tuesday, April 29, 12:30 p.m.: Final Exam
May 2, 4 p.m.: Optional final paper rewrite due

If you will be unable to turn in a paper when it's due or make it to an exam at its scheduled time, please let me know beforehand and let me know why you'll be unable to complete the assignment on time. We can arrange for an extension (although your grade may be reduced). I'm usually much more understanding of people who come to me before an assignment is due and say they'll have difficulty completing it on time than I am of those who tell me afterwards that they were unable to do it. However, if you miss the deadline for an assignment, please contact me as soon as possible to arrange to make it up. Unless there is some compelling excuse (e.g., you had to be rushed to the hospital the night before a paper was due), there will be a penalty for tardiness, and there is no guarantee that you will be allowed to make up the assignment.

You're also responsible for attending class regularly. If you know beforehand that you'll be unable to attend a class, let me know so that we can arrange for you to receive notes, discuss the material, or do anything else necessary so that you do not fall behind. If you miss a class without notification, you will still be responsible for knowing course content discussed in the class that day, learning about any announcements made in class, etc.