About this course: What is philosophy? How does it differ from science, religion, and other modes of human discourse? This course traces the origins of philosophy in the Western tradition in the thinkers of Ancient Greece. We begin with the Presocratic natural philosophers who were active in Ionia in the 6th century BCE and are also credited with being the first scientists. Thales, Anaximander, and Anaximines made bold proposals about the ultimate constituents of reality, while Heraclitus insisted that there is an underlying order to the changing world. Parmenides of Elea formulated a powerful objection to all these proposals, while later Greek theorists (such as Anaxagoras and the atomist Democritus) attempted to answer that objection. In fifth-century Athens, Socrates insisted on the importance of the fundamental ethical question—“How shall I live?”—and his pupil, Plato, and Plato’s pupil, Aristotle, developed elaborate philosophical systems to explain the nature of reality, knowledge, and human happiness. After the death of Aristotle, in the Hellenistic period, Epicureans and Stoics developed and transformed that earlier tradition. We will study the major doctrines of all these thinkers. Part I will cover Plato and his predecessors. Part II will cover Aristotle and his successors.
Taught by: Susan Sauvé Meyer, Professor
Department of Philosophy
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
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A very comprehensive and interactive course which is not only informative but also ensures that you question what you learn and encourages one to muse over the course content. I am thoroughly enjoying the course. The course instructor makes the material concise,easy to understand and interesting.
Awesome course! Highly recommended.
Thoroughly enjoyable. Great course! Thank you.
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I enjoyed everything about this class. It was well organized, the instructor was easy to understand and explained things clearly, and the discussion questions helped nudge students to talk about some of the main ideas in each section. I would definitely take more classes with this instructor.