PHIL 301: History of Western Philosophy: Ancient ⁽¹⁾

Sections 001 and 002

Fall 2012

Prof. Cherubin

This is a picture of the Temple of Athena at Priene, just up the road from Miletus, in Ionia (the west coast of modern Turkey). Note that each column is built out of several stone cylinders - someone from Miletus was very interested in that building technique, as we'll see. This terrific image and many more are available for browsing on the Perseus web site.

Syllabus for Section 002 (T R  1:30 - 2:45)


Notes on Plato's Phaedo 70a-77e, .doc format

Schedule of course readings - includes readings in the course texts, e-reserve materials, other electronic materials, print reserve materials, and lists of materials to be found in Fenwick Library. Some of these are required reading and some are optional.

Link to your primary Aristotle reading: W.D. Ross’ classic translation of Book I (also known as Book A) of Aristotle’s Metaphysics. (Click on this link, then click on Book I.)

Notes on Aristotle's Metaphysics A1-2 (Book I, Ch. 1-2) (prepared by Prof. Cherubin)

Aristotle's Approximately Four Causes (notes on Metaphysics Book I, Ch. 3, prepared by Prof. Cherubin)

Writing Guide for Philosophy, by Philosophy Writing Fellows in collaboration with Prof. Cherubin, with contributions by additional members of the Philosophy Department, and with support from the Writing Across the Curriculum Program.

Criteria for good writing in philosophy: recommended reading. This is a list of general features that all philosophy papers should have, things philosophy professors look for in grading. The list was compiled by the Philosophy Department and the Writing Center.

Examples of Plagiarism vs. Examples of Legitimate Use of Material Written by Others  

A nicely detailed and well-explained page on plagiarism from Indiana University 

Effective Argumentation: Identifying and Avoiding Fallacies (PowerPoint presentation by Prof. Cherubin)

Tips for writing effective arguments (.doc form; by Prof. Cherubin)

More on argumentation: "Statements, Arguments, Validity, Soundness, and Informal Fallacies" (compiled by Prof. Roger Paden, Philosophy Department, GMU)

Prof. Cherubin's main web page
 
 

---

Note

1. As noted in class, a better term for what we will be studying is "ancient Mediterranean philosophy." Ancient Mediterranean philosophy does form part of the history of Western philosophy, but it also forms part of the history of some non-Western philosophy: Islamic philosophy, for example, draws upon and further develops Greek philosophy. Also, there was plenty of interaction between the Greeks, the Romans, and the Egyptians and East Africans. In addition, there are some conceptual similarities between Greek and Sanskrit thought. So, what you learn in this course will be of use in other courses on e.g. the Middle East, the Near East, North Africa, East Africa, sometimes South Asia, etc.

It is also helpful to remember that the Greeks and Romans did not see themselves as part of a "Western" culture or civilization; the notion of a "Western" culture or civilization did not exist. Moreover, geographically speaking, the Greeks and Romans saw themselves as at or close to the middle: there was some disagreement among ancient geographers, but they tended to put the center of the earth's surface either at the Nile Delta or at Delphi (in Greece). (back)