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- Level Foundation
- Duration 33 hours
- Course by National University of Singapore
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Offered by
About
In this course we study the ancient, Socratic art of blowing up your beliefs as you go, to make sure they're built to last. We spend six weeks studying three Platonic dialogues - "Euthyphro", "Meno", "Republic" Book I - then two weeks pondering a pair of footnotes to Plato: contemporary moral theory and moral psychology. Platonic? Socratic? Socrates was the teacher, but he said he never did. Plato was the student who put words in his teacher's mouth. You'll get a feel for it. We have a book: the new 4th edition of "Reason and Persuasion", by the instructor (and his wife, Belle Waring, the translator.) It contains the Plato you need, plus introductory material and in-depth, chapter-length commentaries. (Don't worry! John Holbo knows better than to read his book to the camera. The videos cover the same material, but the presentation is different.) The book is offered free in PDF form - the whole thing, and individual chapter slices. It is also available in print and other e-editions. See the course content for links and information. The course is suitable for beginning students of Plato and philosophy, but is intended to offer something to more advanced students as well. We seek new, odd angles on old, basic angles. Tricky! The strategy is to make a wide-ranging, interdisciplinary approach. Lots of contemporary connections, to make the weird bits intuitive; plus plenty of ancient color, still bright after all these years. So: arguments and ideas, new possibilities, old stories, fun facts. Plus cartoons. The results can get elaborate (some book chapters and some lesson videos run long.) But each video comes with a brief summary of its contents. The lessons progress. I put them in this order for reasons. But there's no reason you can't skip over and around to find whatever seems most interesting. There are any number of self-contained mini-courses contained in this 8-week course. You are welcome to them. Plato has meant different things to different people. He's got his own ideas, no doubt. (Also, his own Ideas.) But these have, over the centuries, been worn into crossing paths for other feet; been built up into new platforms for projecting other voices. (Plato did it to Socrates, so fair is fair.) So your learning outcome should be: arrival somewhere interesting, in your head, where you haven't been before. I wouldn't presume to dictate more exactly.Modules
Lesson 1 - Overview: Characters, Readings, Quizzes (for this lesson and the rest)
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2
Readings
2
Readings
- Lesson 1 - Readings, and Let's Meet Our Players!
- About The Quizzes (for Lesson 1 and the rest of the Plato weeks)
Lesson 1 - Videos
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7
Videos
7
Videos
- Lesson 1 Part 1: Euthyphro and the Bad Dad
- Lesson 1 Part 2: What's it all about?
- Lesson 1 Part 3: Plato, Socrates, Dialogues, Masks
- Lesson 1 Part 4: Symposium, Socrates, Satyr
- Lesson 1 Part 5: Contradiction
- Lesson 1 Part 6: Let's Have An Argument
- Lesson 1 Part 7: What's Socrates LIke?
Lesson 1 - Brief Summaries of the Videos
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7
Readings
7
Readings
- 1.1 Euthyphro and the Bad Dad
- 1.2 What's It All About?
- 1.3 Plato, Socrates, Dialogues, Masks
- 1.4 Symposium, Socrates, Satyr
- 1.5 Contradiction
- 1.6 Let's Have An Argument!
- 1.7 What's Socrates Like?
Quizzes
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2
Assignment
2
Assignment
- Euthyphro Quiz 1
- Euthyphro Quiz 2
Lesson 2 - Readings
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1
Readings
1
Readings
- Lesson 2 Readings - and More Thoughts About Personalities
Lesson 2 - Videos
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8
Videos
8
Videos
- Lesson 2 Part 1: Agony Aunts
- Lesson 2 Part 2: Mystery Machines
- Lesson 2 Part 3: Meeting Euthyphro
- Lesson 2 Part 4: Thinking Straight, Thinking in Circles
- Lesson 2 Part 5: Mantis & Mess
- Lesson 2 Part 6: What Is Holiness?
- Lesson 2 Part 7: What Is Holiness? Continued?
- Lesson 2 Part 8: Divine Service Industry
Lesson 2 - Brief Summaries of the Videos
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8
Readings
8
Readings
- 2.1 Agony Aunts
- 2.2 Mystery Machines
- 2.3 Meeting Euthyphro
- 2.4 Thinking Straight, Thinking In Circles
- 2.5 Mantis and Mess
- 2.6 What Is Holiness?
- 2.7 What is Holiness, Continued
- 2.8 Divine Service Industry
Lesson 2 - Quizzes
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2
Assignment
2
Assignment
- Euthyphro Quiz 3
- Euthyphro Quiz 4
Lesson 3 - Readings
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1
Readings
1
Readings
- Lesson 3 Readings; and Let's Meet Our Players!
Lesson 3 - Videos
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7
Videos
7
Videos
- Lesson 3 Part 1: Self-Help
- Lesson 3 Part 2: What's Wrong With Euthyphro?
- Lesson 3 Part 3: Virtue, Geometry, Virtue (Persephone, Pain & Gain)
- Lesson 3 Part 4: Does Anyone Know What Virtue Is?
- Lesson 3 Part 5: What Is Virtue?
- Lesson 3 Part 6: The Socratic Fallacy?
- Lesson 3 Part 7: Science? & Does Anyone Want What Is Bad?
Lesson 3 - Brief Summaries of the Videos
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7
Readings
7
Readings
- 3.1 Self-Help
- 3.2 What's Wrong with Euthyphro?
- 3.3 Virtue, Geometry, Virtue (Persephone, Pain & Gain)
- 3.4 Does Anyone Know What Virtue Is?
- 3.5 What Is Virtue?
- 3.6 The Socratic Fallacy?
- 3.7 Science? & Does Anyone Want What Is Bad?
Lesson 3 - Quizzes
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2
Assignment
2
Assignment
- Meno Quiz 1
- Meno Quiz 2
Lesson 4 - Readings
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1
Readings
1
Readings
- Lesson 4 Readings, and Further Thoughts On Personalities
Lesson 4 - Videos
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7
Videos
7
Videos
- Lesson 4 Part 1: Is Ethics LIke Math?
- Lesson 4 Part 2: Ethics, Math, Certainty & Surprise
- Lesson 4 Part 3: How Useful Is The Socratic Method?
- Lesson 4 Part 4: The Geometry Lesson
- Lesson 4 Part 5: How To Teach Math
- Lesson 4 Part 6: Virtue As Mindfulness?
- Lesson 4 Part 7: Formulas For Success?
Lesson 4 - Brief Summaries of the Videos
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7
Readings
7
Readings
- 4.1 Is Ethics Like Math?
- 4.2 Ethics, Math, Certainty and Surprise
- 4.3 How Useful Is The Socratic Method?
- 4.4 The Geometry Lesson
- 4.5 How To Teach Math
- 4.6 Virtue As Mindfulness?
- 4.7 Formulas For Success?
Lesson 4 - Quizzes
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2
Assignment
2
Assignment
- Meno Quiz 3
- Meno Quiz 4
Lesson 5 - Readings
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1
Readings
1
Readings
- Lesson 5 - Readings; and Let's Meet Our First Two Players!
Lesson 5 - Videos
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7
Videos
7
Videos
- Lesson 5 Part 1: Money, What Is It Good For?
- Lesson 5 Part 2: Plato's Republic
- Lesson 5 Part 3: Going Down To Piraeus
- Lesson 5 Part 4: Cephalus
- Lesson 5 Part 5: Polemarchus 1
- Lesson 5 Part 6: Polemarchus 2
- Lesson 5 Part 7: Putting the Pieces Together
Lesson 5 - Brief Summaries of the Videos
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7
Readings
7
Readings
- 5.1 Money, What Is It Good For?
- 5.2 Plato's Republic
- 5.3 Going Down to Piraeus
- 5.4 Cephalus
- 5.5 Polemarchus I
- 5.6 Polemarchus 2
- 5.7 Putting the Pieces Together
Lesson 5 - Quizzes
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2
Assignment
2
Assignment
- Republic Quiz 1
- Republic Quiz 2
Lesson 6 - Readings
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1
Readings
1
Readings
- Lesson 6 - Readings; and, Finally, We Get To The Main Event!
Lesson 6 - Videos
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9
Videos
9
Videos
- Lesson 6 Part 1: Practicing Justice
- Lesson 6 Part 2: Preaching Injustice
- Lesson 6 Part 3: Practicing Justice 2
- Lesson 6 Part 4: The Game of Wrong
- Lesson 6 Part 5: The Ring of Gyges
- Lesson 6 Part 6: Man and Beast
- Lesson 6 Part 7: Medical Improvement
- Lesson 6 Part 8: Justice, Inside & Out
- Lesson 6 Part 9: The Sociological Imagination
Lesson 6 - Brief Summaries of the Videos
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9
Readings
9
Readings
- 6.1 Practicing Justice
- 6.2 Preaching Injustice
- 6.3 Practicing Justice 2
- 6.4 The Game of Wrong
- 6.5 The Ring of Gyges
- 6.6 Man And Beast
- 6.7 Medical Improvement
- 6.8 Justice, Inside & Out
- 6.9 The Sociological Imagination
Lesson 6 - Quizzes
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2
Assignment
2
Assignment
- Republic Quiz 3
- Republic Quiz 4
Lesson 7 - Readings
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1
Readings
1
Readings
- Lesson 7 Readings
Lesson 7 - Videos
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8
Videos
8
Videos
- Lesson 7 Part 1: Why Read Ancient Philosophy?
- Lesson 7 Part 2: Emotional Dogs, Rational Tails
- Lesson 7 Part 3: Many Masters, One Slave?
- Lesson 7 Part 4: Can 'Ick' Imply Ought?
- Lesson 7 Part 5: Systems & Platforms
- Lesson 7 Part 6: Snakes On A Brain
- Lesson 7 Part 7: Tree Falls
- Lesson 7 Part 8: The Epimethean Script?
Lesson 7 - Brief Summaries of the Videos
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8
Readings
8
Readings
- 7.1 Why Read Ancient Philosophy?
- 7.2 Emotional Dogs, Rational Tails
- 7.3 Many Masters, One Slave?
- 7.4 Can 'Ick' Imply Ought?
- 7.5 Systems and Platforms
- 7.6 Snakes On A Brain!
- 7.7 Tree Falls
- 7.8 The Epimethean Script
Lesson 8 - Videos
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10
Videos
10
Videos
- Lesson 8 Part 1: How To Read Ancient Philosophy
- Lesson 8 Part 2: The Myth Of Glaucus
- Lesson 8 Part 3: It's...Complicated
- Lesson 8 Part 4: From Glaucus To Glaucon
- Lesson 8 Part 5: Being An Animal
- Lesson 8 Part 6: Moral Tribes 1, As Moral Hazards
- Lesson 8 Part 7: Moral Tribes 2, Currency Exchanges
- Lesson 8 Part 8: Explaining Away
- Lesson 8 Part 9: Truths & Trolleys
- Lesson 8 Part 10: Reforming Our Systems
Lesson 8 - Brief Summaries of Videos
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10
Readings
10
Readings
- 8.1 How to Read Ancient Philosophy
- 8.2 The Myth of Glaucus
- 8.3 It's ... Complicated!
- 8.4 Glaucus to Glaucon
- 8.5 Being An Animal
- 8.6 Moral Tribes 1, New Pastures As Moral Hazards
- 8.7 Moral Tribes 2, Common Currency
- 8.8 Explaining Away
- 8.9 Truths and Trolleys
- 8.10 Reforming Our Systems
Lesson 8 - Readings
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1
Readings
1
Readings
- Lesson 8 Readings
Auto Summary
Discover the ancient art of critical thinking with "Reason and Persuasion: Thinking Through Three Dialogues By Plato." This 8-week course, taught by John Holbo, delves into three Platonic dialogues and explores contemporary moral theory and psychology. Ideal for beginners and advanced students alike, the course offers a wide-ranging, interdisciplinary approach with engaging videos and a free PDF textbook. Available on Coursera, it provides flexible learning with Starter and Professional subscription options. Join to embark on a thought-provoking journey through philosophy!
Instructor
John Holbo, Associate Professor