PHI/CLS 231: History of Ancient Philosophy

W. J. Cummins

Fall 2004

Steiner 308, x3160

TTh 2:15-3:30

cummins@grinnell.edu

ARH 131

ofc. hrs.: 3:30-5:00 most days

Texts:

Waterfield, Robin, ed.  The First Philosophers.  New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.

Allen, Reginald E., ed.  Greek Philosophy: Thales to Aristotle.  3rd ed.  New York: Free Press, 1985.

Xenophon.  Conversations of Socrates.  Trans. Hugh Tredennick and Robin Waterfield.  London: Penguin Books, 1990.

Saunders, Jason L., ed.  Greek and Roman Philosophy after Aristotle.  New York: Free Press, 1966.

Lucretius.  On the Nature of the Universe.  Trans. Ronald Latham.  London: Penguin Books, 1951.

Th 8/26

 Introduction

Historical and cultural setting

Archaeology of ideas

Tu 8/31

Nature of the evidence: handout and pp. xli-xlvi (in Waterfield)

Map of birthplaces of philosophers (handout)

Thales, pp. 11-13

Anaximander, pp. 13-17

Anaximenes, pp. 17-20

Th 9/2

Solon's poem addressed to the Muses (handout)

Xenophanes, pp. 26-30 and handout

Pythagoras and Pythagoreans, pp. 95-114

Pythagorean system of planets (handout)

Cicero on Pythagoras and Leon (handout)

Tu 9/7

Heraclitus, pp. 37-46

Th 9/9

Parmenides, pp. 56-66

Zeno, pp. 74-80

Melissus, pp. 84-86

Tu 9/14

Empedocles, pp. 140-62

Anaxagoras, pp. 122-30

Diogenes of Apollonia, pp. 196-202

Archelaus (handout)

Th 9/16

Leucippus and Democritus, pp. 171-92

Medical texts

Alcmaeon (handout)

Hippocratic texts (handouts)

Tu 9/21

Sophists:

Protagoras, pp. 211-20

Gorgias, pp. 225-40

Prodicus, pp. 243-50

Hippias, pp. 252-57

Beginning of Plato's longer Hippias (handout)

Critias, pp. 305-06

Excerpt from Diodorus of Sicily, pp. 313-14

Th 9/23

Sophists:

Antiphon, pp. 261-68

Thrasymachus, pp. 271-76

Ring of Gyges, from Plato's Republic (handout)

Callicles, pp. 303-05

Anonymous Iamblichi, pp. 306-11

Pseudo-Demosthenes, pp. 311-12

Euthydemus and Dionysodorus, pp. 278-84

Double Arguments, pp. 287-98

Tu 9/28

Socrates:

Xenophon's Memorabilia 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 2.1, 4.3, 4.7-8 (pp. 68-85, 89-93, 100-105, 190-95, 211-16 in Penguin)

Xenophon's Apology  (pp. 41-49 in Penguin)

Plato:

Euthyphro (pp. 57-73 in Allen)

Th 9/30

Double Argument 6 (pp. 296-97 in Waterfield)

Plato:

Meno (pp. 110-41 in Allen)

Tu 10/5

Plato:

Phaedo 57-76, 91-107 (pp. 155-93 in Allen)

Phaedo 107a-115a (handout)

Phaedo 115-118 (pp. 193-96 in Allen)

Th 10/7

Xenophon:

Memorabilia 1.5, 4.5 (pp. 93-95, 202-05 in Penguin)

Plato:

Republic (in part), pp. 197-245 in Allen

Diagram of Plato's divided line (handout)

Drawing of Plato's cave (handout)

Plato:

Republic 10: myth of Er (handout)

Tu 10/12

Eros:

Handout on symposium and on homo-eroticism

Xenophon:

Memorabilia 1.3.5-15 (pp. 87-89 in Penguin)

Xenophon:

Symposium 1, 5, 8 (pp. 227-28, 252-54, 257-65 in Penguin)

Plato:

Phaedrus (in part), pp. 246-56 in Allen

Plato:

Symposium (in part), pp. 142-54

Th 10/14

Plato:

Parmenides (in part), pp. 257-69

Plato:

Timaeus (in part), pp. 270-81

Tu 10/26

Mid-term examination

Th 10/28

Aristotle:

Life (handout)

Metaphysics I, pp. 307-11 in Allen

Physics II, pp. 413-21, 427-32

Tu 11/2

Aristotle:

Metaphysics I, pp. 311-320

Metaphysics IV, pp. 323-40

Th 11/4

Aristotle:

Metaphysics VII, pp. 345-46

Categories, pp. 285-91

Metaphysics IX, pp. 357-69

Tu 11/9

Aristotle:

Metaphysics XII, pp. 369-83

On the Soul III, pp. 292-306

Th 11/11

Aristotle:

Nicomachean Ethics I, pp. 384-96

Herodotus on Solon and Croesus (handout)

Tu 11/16

Aristotle:

Nicomachean Ethics II, pp. 396-408

Politics I: 409-12

Aristotelian fragment from the Bodleian (handout)

Th 11/18

Cynics, Cyrenaics

Dio of Prusa on Diogenes (handout)

Diogenes Laertius on Hipparchia (handout)

Passage from Isocrates' Helen (handout)

Stoics (pages in Saunders)

pp. 63-66 (SVF II, 53, 56, 54a; SVF I 60)

pp. 68-69 (SVF I, 66; II, 90)

pp. 76-78 (SVF II 166, 186, 198, 201a, 202)

pp. 80-81 (SVF II, 300, 85c, 86, 87a, 299)

p. 83 (SVF I, 90)

pp. 84-85 (SVF II, 413a, 413b, 418, 421, 423)

p. 90 (SVF II, 524a)

p. 92 (SVF I, 98; II, 593)

p. 94 (SVF I, 110, 112, 114b; II, 637, 641)

p. 98 (SVF II, 774; I, 136; II, 809)

pp. 101-110, 133-48

Cleanthes’ Hymn to Zeus (handout)

Tu 11/25

Epicurus, pp. 47-57 (in Saunders)

Lucretius, 1.1 - 2.293, 2.582-1174 (in Penguin Lucretius)

(N.b.: these are line-numbers, not page-numbers.)

Tu 11/30

Lucretius, 3.1-230, 417-1094; 4.1-175, 1037-1287; 5.1-234, 772-837, 925-1240, 1448-57; 6.1-95 (in Penguin)

Th 12/2

Sceptics, pp. 152-82, 72-73 (SVF II, 118, 121)

Tu 12/7

Genesis 1:1 - 2:9 (handout)

Philo, pp. 199-227

Plotinus, pp. 249-75, 230-39

Th 12/9

Early Christian writers, pp. 290-96, 305-11, (311-27 optional), 343-57

Minucius Felix, pp. 297-304

Lucian, pp. 183-97

We 12/15

Essay examination, 2:00–4:00 P.M.

Grading:

Preparation for class

25%

Three short papers

  5% each

One longer paper

20%

Two examinations, in writing or viva voce

20% each