Olga Lizzini Vrije Universiteit 2013 - 2014 Periode I

Presentation of the Introductory Course on Ancient and Patristic Philosophy The course on Ancient and Patristic Philosophy is intended as an introduction to the philosophical tradition of Ancient Greece and Rome and its elaboration in Early Christian thought. Since philosophy as a discipline (i.e. with its own technical vocabulary and its own specific questions) originated in Greece (which corresponds not only to contemporary Greece but to the entire Mediterranean area, which includes Asia Minor, Graecia and Magna Graecia), this course is actually also an introduction to philosophy itself.

The period of time under consideration is huge: theoretically it runs from the 7th century B.C. to the 8th century A.D., i.e. from the era of the formation of philosophical thought, as opposed to a mythical explanation of the world, to the rational elaborations of Christian thought. Obviously it is impossible to follow the historical development of all philosophical thought in a course of this nature. Therefore we shall take the general topic of metaphysics as our representative field of inquiry, analyzing such questions as: what is metaphysics ? what is meant by an absolute foundation of truth? when did metaphysics as such first appear ? The most important philosophers and philosophical subjects connected with this topic will be the focus of our classes. Particular attention will also be devoted to introducing philosophical terms: almost every one of them is derived from Ancient Greek.

The aim of the course is not only to give the students an understanding of the historical development of philosophy produced in the Greek- (and to a lesser extent Latin- or Syriac-) speaking world, but also to make them aware of its enormous influence on the history of ideas. The foundations of philosophy lie in the philosophy of Ancient Greece. In almost every session we shall combine a lecture with discussions devoted to a close reading of a text (in English

translation). The general aim is to acquaint the students with the founding questions of philosophy and therefore with the names and views of the most important ancient philosophers and to present accounts and explanations of those views. The ability to see texts and philosophical ideas analytically is also a goal of the course. Concretely, students who complete the course should have acquired an understanding of the main issues of Ancient and Patristic philosophy.

Units Units 1 - 4. Pre-Socratic Philosophy Unit 1. Monday, the 9th of September 13.30 - 16.15 Pre-Socratic philosophy: what is philosophy ? Thales, Anaximander, Anaximenes. Unit 2. Wednesday, the 11th of September 13.30 - 16.15 Pre-Socratic philosophy: what is philosophy? Pythagoras, Xenophanes, Heraclitus (metaphysics, gnoseology and language) Unit 3. Thursday, the 12th of September 13.30 - 15.15 Pre-Socratic philosophy: what is philosophy? Parmenides (Melissus, Zeno): metaphysics, gnoseology and language Unit 4. Monday, the 16th of September 13.30-16.15 Parmenides (discussion); Empedocles, Anaxagoras, atomism Units 5 - 8. Socrates and Plato Unit 5. Wednesday, the 18th of September 13.30 -16.15 Socratic Philosophy: What is philosophy? What is wisdom? Socrates and the Sophists Unit 6. Thursday, the 20th of September 13.30 - 15.15 Against the Sophists: Knowledge is possible. Plato. Ideas, the question of truth, Menos paradox and the theory of recollection Unit 7. Monday, the 23rd of September 13.30 - 16.15 Plato: Myths, metaphors and dialogues Unit 8. Wednesday, the 25th of September 13.30 -16.15 Plato: Myths, metaphors and dialogues Units 9 - 12. Aristotle Unit 9. Thursday, the 26th of September 13.30 - 15.15 Aristotle: Logic and Metaphysics Unit 10. Monday, the 30th of September 13.30. - 16.15 Aristotle: Logic and Metaphysics Unit 11. Wednesday day, the 2nd of October 13.30 - 16.15 Aristotle: Form and matter Unit 12. Thursday, the 4th of October 13.30 - 15.15 Aristotle: Soul and Ethics Unit 13. Monday, the 7th of October 13.30 - 16. 15 Hellenistic Schools : Metaphysics or Anthropology? Units 14 - 17. Neoplatonism (Aristotelianism and patristic thought) Unit 14. Wednesday, the 9th of October 13.30 - 16.15 Neoplatonism: Plotinus and Porphyry Unit 15. Thursday, the 11th of October 13.30 - 15. 15 Neoplatonism: Proclus Units 16-17. Monday, the 14th of October 13.30 - 16.15 Aristotelianism, Neoplatonism and patristic thought: Augustine of Hippo, (pseudo-Dionysius), Boethius Unit 18 Wednesday, the 16th of October 13.30 - 16.15 Summary, evaluations, questions

Terms: philosophy (philosophia), wisdom (sophia), nature (physis), metaphysics (ta meta ta physika), principle (arche), cause (aitia), soul (psych), body (soma), form (eidos, morf), matter (hule), reason-word-logic (logos, ratio), intellect, mind (nous) etc. The complete list of the relevant terms will be published in the onomastikon (!"#$%&'()") through B.B. Texts (reading assignments) Mary Louise GILL and Pierre PELLEGRIN, A Companion to Ancient Philosophy (Blackwell Companions to Philosophy), Blackwell, Oxford 2006 (Part I, 1, 3, 5; Part II, 6, 8, 11, 12; Part III, 14, 15, 17, 18; Part IV, 21, 22; Part V, 30). D. SEDLEY, The Cambridge Companion to Greek and Roman Philosophy, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2003. Texts on BB. In fact other texts will include (see BB) parts of: J. ANNAS, Voices of Ancient Philosophy: An Introductory Reader, Oxford University Press, OxfordNew York 2001. J. L. ACKRILL, ed. A New Aristotle Reader, Princeton University Press, Princeton 2010. P. CURD, ed. A Presocratics Reader, Hackett, Indianapolis/ Cambridge 2011. Further reading*: J. ANNAS, Ancient Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2000. A.H. ARMSTRONG, An Introduction to Ancient Philosophy, Adams Quality Paperback, Rowman and Littlefield, Lanhame-New York 1981. T. IRWIN, Classical Thought, A History of Western Philosophy 1, Oxford University Press, Oxford 1989. P. HADOT, What is Ancient Philosophy?, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA 2002. See also the texts listed in Mary Louise Gill and Pierre Pellegrin, A Companion to Ancient Philosophy (Blackwell Companions to Philosophy) and in Patricia Curd, A Presocratics reader The expression Reading assignments indicates the literature (both primary and secondary) that is obligatory for the exam. The study of this primary and secondary literature (as indicated during the lessons and on BB) is strongly recommended, that is to say obligatory. The expression further reading indicates texts which are NOT obligatory.