In this module, I will take you on a tour of some of the most important philosophical movements in the Greco-Roman world. After an introductory class (where we will talk about our approach and where I will give an overview of our module), the first few lessons will be based on the so-called pre-Socratic philosophers (6th to early 5th century BCE), with a special focus on Heraclitus.

These archaic/early Greek philosophers did not necessarily establish coherent systems of philosophy and often focused only on fysis (physics), trying to understand if there was a unifying principle to our physical world and if everything is composed of many parts or is ‘one’ (among other topics). Apart from physics, they also provide us with some of the earliest discussions of logic (especially, Parmenides), although they are far more creative than later philosophers in their use of different kinds of reasoning (for example, metaphorical reasoning). Subsequently, we will move to the two greatest philosophers of the classical period: Plato and Aristotle. Each of these two demands an entire course devoted to discussing their philosophy, and I have instead selected sub-topics within which they have been greatly influential in the Western philosophical tradition: for Plato, we will discuss his political philosophy, namely, his conception of an idea state. for Aristotle, we will discuss the principles he establishes for ‘good artwork’, specifically, tragedy. In the final three lessons, we will turn to three important post-Socratic or Hellenistic schools of philosophy (mid-fourth century BCE to late antiquity in some cases): Cynicism, Stoicism, and Epicureanism.

Our focus here will primarily be on ethics (on the proper virtues which each school recommends); at the same time, the ethical assumptions of each of these schools need to be understood within their particular view of the physical world. Throughout the lessons, I will provide students with close readings, key passages which we will analyze, composed of important fragments from the selected philosophers. These readings will serve as discussion points after my brief introductions to the given writer/philosophical movement.

Course Outline:

Week One
• Introduction to Ancient Philosophy: Overview and Methods
• The Pre-Socratic Philosophers: Pythagoras, Parmenides, Democritus, and Empedocles
Week Two
• Heraclitus: Movement, Harmony, and Oppositions in nature
• Plato and Utopianism: A Close Reading of the Critias and Republic
Week Three
• Aristotle and Aesthetics: The Principles of Writing Tragedy
• The Virtues of Cynicism: Self-Independence, Free Speech, and Endurance
Week Four
• The Virtues of Stoicism: Practical Reason, Justice, Temperance, and Courage
• Epicureanism: A Close Reading of Epicurus’ Letter to Menoeceus