04:30 PM to 07:10 PM W
East Building 134
Section Information for Spring 2018
Early Greek Philosophy in Context: Truth and Justice
The inquiries that developed into what Plato and Aristotle called 'philosophia' arose in dialogue with other forms of learning and other sources of understanding. Specifically, they arose in dialogue with forms that were better-established and that were considered more authoritative: Greek (and to some extent Egyptian and Persian) religious learning and prophecy; epic, lyric, and tragic poetry; craft and technological knowledge; and, toward the end of the period, rhetoric.
Early Greek poetry and religious tradition presented the values of aletheia and dike -- very roughly, truth and justice -- as connected to one another and as something to which only those selected by the gods had substantial access. This seminar will investigate how early philosophical inquirers took up, interrogated, and transformed the understanding of aletheia and dike, making them more inclusive (suggesting that anyone could pursue them through inquiry), and setting them up to be central to the philosophy to come. We will consider what aletheia and dike meant and implied, as well as the roles they played in pre-philosophical and philosophical ancient Greek understandings of what is and how we might learn about it.
Figures studied in this course will include Anaximander, Xenophanes, Heraclitus, Parmenides, Zeno, Gorgias, Homer, Hesiod, Pindar, Bacchylides, Aeschylus, and others as time may permit.
Credits: 3
Enrollment is limited to Graduate or Non-Degree level students.
Students in a Non-Degree Undergraduate degree may not enroll.
The University Catalog is the authoritative source for information on courses. The Schedule of Classes is the authoritative source for information on classes scheduled for this semester. See the Schedule for the most up-to-date information and see Patriot web to register for classes.