PHIL 205: ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY

David L. Rouse

Office: Z216
email:dlr9g@mail.uvawise.edu
376-4577

TEXTS: All readings are on the World Wide Web site http://people.uvawise.edu/philosophy/, and are linked to this syllabus.

PURPOSE OF THE COURSE: The purpose of the course is to introduce the student to the Western philosophical heritage from its beginnings in classical Greek culture through the Middle Ages. Special focus will be given both to philosophy's contribution to the development of the Western cultural heritage and the way that heritage is reflected in philosophical literature.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING: Students are expected to attend class and do the assigned readings before each class session. The course grade will be based on three exams during the course and a comprehensive final. The final will constitute 40% of the course grade, the other three exams 15% each. The remaining 15% will be based on class participation.

Grades are assigned as follows.

92-100 A
90-91.9 A-
88-89.9 B+
82-87.9 B
80-81.9 B-
78-79.9 C+
72-78.9 C
70-71.9 C-
68-69.9 D+
62-68.9 D
60-61.9 D-
0-59.9 F

Students are expected to know and abide by the rules of The University of Virginia's College at Wise, including the Honor Code.

Schedule

 

Date

Topic/Assignment

21 Aug

Introduction to the course. 

26

Background to ancient philosophy. 

28

The Milesians 

2 Sept

Permanence and Change. Monism and Pluralism. 

 

Pythagoras and Pythagoreans

 

Heraclitus 

4

The Eleatics 

 

Parmenides

 

Zeno

9

Empedocles 

 

Anaxagoras 

 

The Atomists

11

The Two Great Wars of Classical Greece

16

The Sophists 

 

Pericles

18

Review Study Guide

23

Exam 1

25

Socrates and Plato

 

Plato, The Apology, The Phaedo or The Death of Socrates 

 

Lecture; Plato, The Meno

30

Lecture; Plato on Beauty, The Symposium

02 Oct

Plato: Construction and Self-criticism 

 

Lecture; Plato, The Republic 

14

Lecture; Plato, The Parmenides 

16

Lecture; Aristotle: Logic and Physics 

 

Lecture; Aristotle: The Categories

 

Aristotle: Prior Analytics

 21

Lecture; Aristotle: The Physics

 

Lecture; Aristotle: Metaphysics and the Soul 

 

Aristotle: On The Soul

 

Aristotle: Metaphysics

23

Review Study Guide

28

Exam 2

30

Lecture; Hellenistic and Roman Philosophy

 

Cynics

 

Epicureans

 

Epicurus 

04 Nov

Stoics 

06

 Epictetus 

 

Skeptics 

 

Sextus Empiricus

11

The Impact of Monotheism 

 

 Neo-Platonism and Christianity 

 

Lecture; Justin Martyr 

 

Lecture; Tertullian

 

Lecture; Plotinus 

13

Review Study Guide

 18

Exam 3

 20

Lecture; Pseudo-Dionysius

 

Lecture; John Scotus Eriugena

 

Lecture; Anselm 

 

Lecture; Abelard On Universals

25

Lecture; Islamic and Jewish Philosophy 

 

Avicenna

 

Averroes

 

Maimonides

 

Lecture; Bonaventure

 

Lecture; Thomas Aquinas on the Existence of God

 2 Dec

Study Guide

 4 Dec