Reading the Ancients

The ancient philosophers are sometimes difficult to read, and there is a lot to read. A good strategy is first to read the relevant part of Ancient Greek Philosophy. If you are still having problems, which is likely, be sure to ask questions in lecture.

Presocratics. Some but not all of the Presocratics are available at the Hanover Historical Text Project. The writings of the Presocratics have survived in fragments only, so most print editions are scholarly. The quotations in Ancient Greek Philosophy are sufficient for the course, but it is worth while to read more generally. The fragments are fascinating. (For more complete sets of translations, consult the recommended supplemenary texts.)

Socrates and Plato: Euthyphro, Apology, Laches, Protagoras, Gorgias, Meno, Phaedo, Republic, Parmenides, and Timaeus. These dialogues are well worth reading from start to finish, but this is not easily done in the time available in a one-semester course. Focus your reading in terms of the passages mentioned or discussed in Ancient Greek Philosophy. Translations of Plato's dialogues are freely available in the Perseus Digital Library. (This is a wonderful site.) Scroll down to the section on Plato. Individual dialogues are divided into sections by Stephanus numbers. (For print editions, consult the recommended supplemenary texts.)

Aristotle: Posterior Analytics, Physics, On the Soul, Categories, Metaphysics, and Nicomachean Ethics. These works are well worth reading in their entirety, but, as with the reading from Plato, this is not easily done. Focus your reading in terms of the passages mentioned or discussed in Ancient Greek Philosophy. Some but not all of Aristotle's works available in the Perseus Digital Library. Some works are also available in the MIT Classics Library. The works in the Perseus Digital Library are divided into sections by Bekker numbers. (For print editions, consult the recommended supplemenary texts.)

The Hellenistic Philosophers. Some but not all of the sources for the Hellenistic Philosophers are available in Perseus Digital Library. The quotations in Ancient Greek Philosophy are sufficient for the course. (For more complete sets of translations, consult the recommended supplemenary texts.)



Lecture Schedule

This schedule is tentative and subject to change without notice. Consult this page frequently.

The second half of the course (consisting of Aristotle and the Hellenistic philosophers) is more difficult than the first. The texts are not as straightforward, and some of the ideas are less intuitive. Be sure to set aside enough time.


tenative schedule
Date Topic
8/23 Course Requirements
8/28 585 BC to 529 AD INTRODUCTION
8/30 PRESOCRATICS 1. THE MILESIAN REVOLUTION 1.1. The Milesians turn to nature
1.2. Parmenides
1.3. A Defense of the Inquiry into Nature
9/11 SOCRATES 2. THE GOOD LIFE 2.1. Definitions
2.2. The Love of Wisdom
2.3. Intellectualism
3. AGAINST THE SOPHISTS 3.1. The Sophists
3.2. The Sophists sell teachings for the soul
3.3. Rhetoric is Blind to the Good
PLATO 4. THREE PLATONIC THEORIES 4.1. Theory of Recollection
4.2. Theory of Forms
4.3. Tripartite Theory of the Soul
5. JUSTICE AND ITS REWARD 5.1 The Opening Conversation
5.2. Justice
5.3. The Just Life is Better
10/18 MIDTERM REVIEW REVIEW,
TA's Review (Power Point),
TA's Review (PDF)
10/23 MIDTERM EXAM
10/25 Return the Midterm
10/30 ARISTOTLE 6. SECOND PHILOSOPHY 6.1. Natural Bodies and their Specific Behaviors
6.2. Natures are Forms
6.3. Teleology in Nature
7. PSYCHOLOGY 7.1. The Soul is the Form of the Body
7.2. Induction
7.3. Becoming Like the Unmovable First Mover
8. FIRST PHILOSOPHY 8.1. The Science of Being
8.2. Forms in Matter are Substances
8.3. No Universal is a Substance
9. ETHICS 9.1. The Function Argument
9.2. Theoretical Wisdom
9.3. Practical Wisdom
11/29 HELLENISTIC
PHILOSOPHERS		 10. REACTION TO THE
CLASSICAL TRADITION		 10.1. Epicureanism
10.2. Stoicism
10.3. Skepticism
12/11 FINAL REVIEW REVIEW
FINAL EXAM ASU Final Exam Schedule