WEEK 1
The Presocratic Thinkers: Revolutionary thinkers who beginning in the Sixth Century BCE proposed bold ideas about how to make sense of the world and the place of humans in it.
Day 1: The intellectual world of the Presocratics
Day 2: The Milesians: Thales, Anaximander, and Anaximenes
Day 3: The Milesians: Thales, Anaximander, and Anaximenes
Day 4: Xenophanes
WEEK 2
The Presocratic Thinkers, continued:
Day 5: Heraclitus
Day 6: Parmenides
Day 7: Zeno
Day 8: Wrapping up & Activities
WEEK 3
Plato and the Presocratics:
Day 9: Empedocles
Day 10: Anaxagoras
Day 11: Leucippus and Democritus: Fifth-Century Atomism
Day 12: Fifth-Century Atomism, continued
WEEK 4
Socrates & Plato:
Day 13: The Sophists
Day 14: Plato’s Apology (Socratic dialogue)
Day 15: Plato’s Euthyphro (Socratic dialogue)
Day 16: Euthyphro, continued
WEEK 5
Aristotle:
Day 17: Plato's Republic (excerpts)
Day 18: Plato's Republic (excerpts)
Day 19: Plato’s Timaeus
Day 20: Wrapping up
OVERVIEW OF SOME BIBLIOGRAPHIC WORKS FOR THE COURSE
I. Background to the Pre-Socratic Thinkers
Hesiod. Theogony/Works and Days. Translated by M. L. West. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988.
Homer. The Iliad. Translated by Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin Books, 1990.
McKirahan, Richard. “Hesiod and the Beginnings of Greek Philosophy and Science.” In Philosophy Before Socrates, by Richard McKirahan, 7-17. Indianapolis, IN: Hackett Publishing Company, 2011.
McKirahan, Richard.“Miletus in the Sixth Century: The Cultural Settings for the Beginnings of Philosophy.”In Philosophy Before Socrates, by Richard McKirahan, 18-20. Indianapolis, IN: Hackett Publishing Company, 2011.
II. Thales
“Thales of Miletus.” In Philosophy Before Socrates, by Richard McKirahan,27-31. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, 2011.
“Thales.” In Early Greek Philosophy, by Jonathan Barnes, 9-17. London: Penguin Books, 2001.
“The Springs of Reason.” In The Presocratic Philosophers, by Jonathan Barnes, 2-13. London: Routledge, 1982.
III. Anaximander
“Anaximander of Miletus.” In Philosophy Before Socrates, by Richard McKirahan,32-47. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, 2011.
“Anaximander on Nature.” In The Presocratic Philosophers, by Jonathan Barnes, 14-28. London: Routledge, 1982.
IV. Anaximenes
“Anaximenes of Miletus.” In Philosophy Before Socrates, by Richard McKirahan,48-57. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, 2011.
“Anaximenes.” In Early Greek Philosophy, by Jonathan Barnes, 24-27. London: Penguin Books, 2001.
V. Xenophanes
“Xenophanes of Colophon.” In Philosophy Before Socrates, by Richard McKirahan,58-69. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, 2011.
“The Divine Philosophy of Xenophane.” In The Presocratic Philosophers, by Jonathan Barnes, 63-76. London: Routledge, 1982.
“The Moral Law.” In The Presocratic Philosophers, by Jonathan Barnes, 95-106. London: Routledge, 1982.
“Xenophanes.” In Early Greek Philosophy, by Jonathan Barnes, 40-47. London: Penguin Books, 2001.
James Lesher. “Xenophanes.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Winter 2019 Edition. <https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/xenophanes/>
VI. Parmenides
“Parmenides of Elea.” In Philosophy Before Socrates, by Richard McKirahan,145-173. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, 2011.
“Parmenides and the Objects of Inquiry.” In The Presocratic Philosophers, by Jonathan Barnes, 122-138. London: Routledge, 1982.
“Being and Becoming.” In The Presocratic Philosophers, by Jonathan Barnes, 139-157. London: Routledge, 1982.
“Parmenides.” In Early Greek Philosophy, by Jonathan Barnes, 77-91. London: Penguin Books, 2001.
John Palmer. “Parmenides.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Winter 2016 Edition. <https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2016/entries/parmenides/>
VII. Zeno
“Zeno of Elea.” In Philosophy Before Socrates, by Richard McKirahan,174-192. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, 2011.
“Zeno: Paradox and Plurality.” In The Presocratic Philosophers, by Jonathan Barnes, 182-204. London: Routledge, 1982.
“Zeno: Paradox and Progression.” In The Presocratic Philosophers, by Jonathan Barnes, 205-232. London: Routledge, 1982.
“Zeno.” In Early Greek Philosophy, by Jonathan Barnes, 99-110. London: Penguin Books, 2001.
John Palmer. “Zeno of Elea.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Spring 2017 Edition. <https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/zeno-elea/>
Nick Huggett. “Zeno's Paradoxes.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Winter 2019 Edition. <https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2019/entries/paradox-zeno/>
VIII. Anaxagoras
“Anaxagoras of Clazomenae.” In Philosophy Before Socrates, by Richard McKirahan,193-231. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, 2011.
“Anaxagoras and the Nature of Stuffs.” In The Presocratic Philosophers, by Jonathan Barnes, 249-267. London: Routledge, 1982.
“Anaxagoras.” In Early Greek Philosophy, by Jonathan Barnes, 185-197 London: Penguin Books, 2001.
Patricia Curd. "Anaxagoras." The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Winter 2019 Edition.<https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2019/entries/anaxagoras/>.
IX. Empedocles
“Empedocles of Acragas.” In Philosophy Before Socrates, by Richard McKirahan,230-292. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, 2011.
“Empedocles.” In Early Greek Philosophy, by Jonathan Barnes, 110-161. London: Penguin Books, 2001.
K. Scarlett Kingsley and Richard Parry. "Empedocles." The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Summer 2020 Edition. <https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2020/entries/empedocles/>.
X. Socrates/Plato
Five Dialogues: Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Meno, Phaedo. Translated by G. M. A. Grube, rev. ed. by John M. Cooper. Indianapolis, IN: Hackett Publishing Company, 2002.
Paul Woodruff.“Plato’s Shorter Ethical Works.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Winter 2018 Edition. https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2018/entries/plato-ethics-shorter/
Plato. The Republic. Translated by G. M. A. Grube, rev. ed. by C. D. C. Reeve. Indianapolis, IN: Hackett Publishing Company, 1992.
Plato. Timaeus. Translated by Peter Kalkavage. Newburyport, MA: Focus Publishing, 2001.