printer friendly pagePHIL 208: Aristotle's Metaphysics Book Alpha (PHIL 108)
An introduction both to Aristotle's own metaphysics and to his treatment of his predecessors on causality, included the early Ionian cosmologists, atomism, Pythagoreans, Heraclitus, Parmenides, Empedocles, Anaxagoras and Plato. Prerequisite: one course in ancient Greek philosophy.
Last offered: Autumn 2013
| Repeatable
for credit
PHIL 208A: Aristotelian Logic (PHIL 108A)
A careful examination of Aristotle's syllogistic, with special emphasis on the interpretation of his modal syllogistic. This course will serve both as an introduction to ancient term logic and to the difference between sentential modal operators and modal modifiers to the copula. Topics will include the analysis of syllogisms into figures and moods, the reduction of 2nd and 3rd figure syllogisms to the first, the consistency of the modal syllogistic, models for the syllogistic, and de re versus de dicto modalities. For students with at least some introductory background in logic.
Last offered: Winter 2014
PHIL 208B: Aristotle's Physics Book One (PHIL 108B)
A chapter by chapter analysis of Aristotle's introductory discussions of physical theory. Topics to be considered include Aristotle's treatment of Eleatic monism, the role of opposites in pre-Socratic physics, the role of matter in physics, and an analysis of the elements of changing objects into form, privation and a subject.
Last offered: Spring 2014
PHIL 209: Topics in Ancient Philosophy: Plato and Aristotle on Art and Rhetoric (PHIL 109)
Plato's and Aristotle's views on the nature of art and rhetoric and their connections with the emotions, reason and the good life. Readings include Plato's Gorgias, Ion and parts of the Republic and the Laws and Aristotle's Poetics and Rhetoric.
Last offered: Autumn 2011
| Repeatable
3 times
(up to 12 units total)
PHIL 209A: Special Topics in Ancient Philosophy: Aristotle's Metaphysics Zeta (PHIL 109A)
Last offered: Autumn 2015
| Repeatable
3 times
(up to 12 units total)
PHIL 209B: Greek philosophers read their ancestors: Intro to the ancient reception of Presocratic philosophy (PHIL 109B)
The first Greek philosophers are known to us only through fragments of their original works, generally few in number and transmitted by later authors, as well as through a set of testimonies covering a thousand years and more. Thus it is crucial, in order to understand archaic thought, to get a sense of how they were read by those to whom we owe their transmission. What was their aim, their method, their presuppositions or prejudices?nn The course will employ this perspective to examine authors such as Plato, Aristotle, Theophrastus, Diogenes Laertius, Simplicius ¿ among others. We shall also reflect, on the basis of the paradigmatic case of the Presocratics, on some of the more general problems raised by literary and philosophical approaches to the notion of reception.
Last offered: Spring 2014
PHIL 209C: Aristotle's cosmology and theology (PHIL 109C)
PHIL 109C/209C now meets in Raubitschek Room, Green Library Room 351. Undergrads please sign up for 109C; grads sign up for 209C.
Last offered: Spring 2015
PHIL 210: Plato's Republic (PHIL 110)
The Republic is one most famous and influential texts in the history of Western philosophy. We shall read in its entirety closely (along with some other related Platonic texts) focusing on its epistemology, ethics, metaphysics, philosophy of art, and political philosophy.
Last offered: Winter 2016
PHIL 210C: The Stoics on Freedom and Determinism (PHIL 110C)
We will investigate ancient Stoic conceptions of causality and freedom, their arguments for causal determinism, and ancient attaches on and defenses of compatibilism.
Last offered: Winter 2015
PHIL 211: Aristotle's Logic (PHIL 111)
Last offered: Winter 2016
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