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Ancient World: Greek Philosophy

Module description

The module will make students acquainted with the beginnings of philosophy, from the Presocratics to Aristotle. Participants will read some of the masterpieces of Western thought and become familiar with a number of crucial notions – such as explanation, principle, nature, convention, wellbeing and happiness – that are still of considerable importance in contemporary philosophical debates and in ordinary life. The module is intended for beginners and presupposes no previous acquaintance with philosophy, nor any knowledge of Greek and Latin. It is particularly suitable for interdisciplinary pathways as students will be introduced to notions that cut across philosophy, history, and literary studies.

Module aims - intentions of the module

• To explore key issues of ancient Greek philosophy, including the nature and origins of philosophy and the fundamental values of a human life.
• To analyse, evaluate and use ancient Greek philosophical texts by the Presocratics, Plato, and Aristotle – as well as modern scholarly discussions – as sources for understanding Greek philosophy.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Demonstrate a broad and detailed knowledge of key features of Greek philosophy
• 2. Demonstrate a nuanced understanding of some important Platonic and Aristotelian discussions of ethical ideas
• 3. Use the sources to examine and engage critically with a set of key issues and debates in Greek philosophy

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 4. Demonstrate a nuanced understanding of both the historical and the philosophical issues raised by ancient philosophical texts
• 5. Develop advanced academic and library skills specific to Classics and Ancient History as well as a critical ability in assessing selected texts on Greek philosophy

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 6. Demonstrate advanced independent study skills in research and presentation of findings
• 7. Select and organise relevant material and present a strong argument in coherent written form

Syllabus plan

Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following topics:

• The start of Western philosophy, the Presocratics.
• Socrates, philosophical method, thought on the community and its values.
• Plato: his thought on human desires and aspiration, body and soul, humanity and immortality.
• Aristotle: on ethics, friendship, virtue, and happiness

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Core Set Texts:

• Plato, The Last Days of Socrates (Penguin Classics).
• Plato, Symposium (Penguin Classics) Aristotle, Ethics (Penguin Classics).
• R. Waterfield, The First Philosophers: The Presocratics and the Sophists, translated with introduction and notes (Oxford World's Classics, 2000).

Other Recommended Reading:

• J. Annas, Ancient Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2000).
• C. Gill, Greek Thought. Greece and Rome New Surveys in the Classics (Oxford University Press, 1995).
• M.L.Gill, P.Pellegrni (eds.), A Companion to Ancient Philosophy (Wiley-Blackwell, 2009).
• D. Sedley, Cambridge Companion to Greek and Roman Philosophy (Cambridge University Press, 2003).
• R. Wardy, Doing Greek Philosophy (Routledge, 2005).

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE – https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=11794 

Key words search

Classics, Greek, Philosophy, ethics