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Ancient Philosophy: Plato & His Predecessors
  • Level Foundation
  • المدة 13 ساعات hours
  • الطبع بواسطة University of Pennsylvania
  • Offered by

عن

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.

الوحدات

Introduction

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Introduction to Ancient Philosophy

The Milesians

    • 5 Videos
    • 1 Readings
    • 1 Discussion
    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Milesians

1 Discussions

  • Discussion Questions: Milesians

5 Videos

  • How We Study the Pre-Socratics
  • Fragments and Sources
  • Philosophers or scientists?
  • The Material Principle
  • God in Nature?

1 Readings

  • Milesians Readings

Heraclitus

    • 2 Videos
    • 1 Readings
    • 1 Discussion
    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Heraclitus

1 Discussions

  • Discussion Questions: Heraclitus

2 Videos

  • Heraclitus on the LOGOS
  • Heraclitus on Change

1 Readings

  • Heraclitus Readings

Parmenides & His Legacy

    • 4 Videos
    • 1 Readings
    • 1 Discussion
    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Parmenides and His Legacy

1 Discussions

  • Discussion Questions: Parmenides & his legacy

4 Videos

  • Parmenides' Prohibition
  • Parmenides Against Change
  • Responses to Parmenides
  • Naturalism after Parmenides

1 Readings

  • Parmenides

Plato’s Apology & Euthyphro

    • 4 Videos
    • 2 Readings
    • 1 Discussion
    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Plato’s Apology and Euthyphro

1 Discussions

  • Discussion Questions: Plato's Apology and Euthyphro

4 Videos

  • Plato and Socrates
  • Socrates in the Apology
  • Piety in the Euthyphro
  • Morality and Religion

2 Readings

  • Plato's Apology
  • Plato's Euthyphro

Plato’s Meno

    • 6 Videos
    • 1 Readings
    • 1 Discussion
    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Plato's Meno

1 Discussions

  • Discussion Question: Plato's Meno

6 Videos

  • Virtue in the Meno
  • Teachers of Virtue?
  • Theory of Recollection
  • Was Socrates Teaching?
  • Meno's Paradox
  • Knowledge vs. True Belief

1 Readings

  • Plato's Meno

Plato’s Republic (books 1-4)

    • 4 Videos
    • 3 Readings
    • 1 Discussion
    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Plato's Republic

1 Discussions

  • Discussion Questions: Plato's Republic 1-4

4 Videos

  • Is Justice a Virtue?
  • The Just City
  • The Just Soul
  • Rational Injustice?

3 Readings

  • Republic Book 1
  • Republic Book 2
  • Republic Book 4

Plato’s Republic (books 5-7)

    • 2 Videos
    • 2 Readings
    • 1 Discussion
    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Republic Books 5-7

1 Discussions

  • Discussion Question: Plato's Republic 5-7

2 Videos

  • Plato's Theory of Forms
  • The Real and the Good

2 Readings

  • Republic Book 5
  • Republic Books 6-7

Plato’s Timaeus

    • 4 Videos
    • 2 Readings
    • 1 Discussion
    • 1 PeerReview
    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Plato's Timaeus

1 Peer Review

  • Plato & His Predecessors Final Project

1 Discussions

  • Discussion Question: Timaeus

4 Videos

  • The Creation of the World
  • The World Soul
  • Plato's Mathematical Physics
  • Conclusion to Part 1

2 Readings

  • Plato's Timaeus
  • Credits

Auto Summary

Explore the foundations of Western philosophy with "Ancient Philosophy: Plato & His Predecessors." This foundational course, taught by experts from Coursera, delves into the origins of philosophical thought in Ancient Greece. Over 780 minutes, you'll study key figures like Thales, Heraclitus, Socrates, and Plato, examining their contributions to reality, knowledge, and ethics. Ideal for beginners, this course offers a subscription-based learning experience in the domain of Health & Fitness. Join now to understand the profound questions that shaped human thought.

Susan Sauvé Meyer
Instructor

Susan Sauvé Meyer