Phil
30301: Ancient and Medieval
Philosophy
Freddoso
304 Malloy
E-mail: afreddos@gmail.com
Home page: http://www.nd.edu/~afreddos
Description of Course:
An introductory
survey of western
philosophy
from the 6th-century B.C. Presocratics to the 16th-century Scholastics.
The lectures will focus primarily on Plato, Aristotle, St. Augustine,
and
St. Thomas Aquinas, using the twin themes of nature and human nature as
an occasion for (i) formulating with some precision the main
metaphysical
and ethical problematics that emerge from the works of Plato and
Aristotle,
(ii) investigating the influence of Plato and Aristotle on the Catholic
intellectual tradition, and (iii) exploring in some depth the relation
between faith and reason.
Because the lectures will not
try to
cover all the important figures (though there will be ample references
to them, as well as to key early modern philosophers), the students
will
be expected to read all of the
assigned secondary
source,
viz., James Jordan's Western Philosophy: From Antiquity to
the
Middle
Ages, as well as the primary sources assigned for the
lectures. In
addition, the requirements include (a) two 7-page papers on
(so
rumor
has it) rather challenging assigned topics, and (b) two, shall we say,
character-building exams.
This course is
meant primarily to
introduce
philosophy majors to important figures and issues in the history of
philosophy,
and so the course will be taught at a higher level of sophistication
than
ordinary second courses in philosophy. As long as they
understand
this, however, non-philosophy majors, as well as the undecided, are
welcome.
Texts
(other translations are
acceptable): Plato, Republic (Oxford) (ISBN: 978-0192833709)
Plato, Five Dialogues (Hackett) (ISBN: 978-0872206335)
Aristotle, New Aristotle Reader (Princeton) (ISBN : 978-0691020433)
James Jordan, Western Philosophy from Antiquity to Middle Ages (Pearson) (ISBN : 978-0023614507)
St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Contra Gentiles, Book One: God (Notre Dame) (ISBN: 978-0268016784)
John Paul II, Fides et Ratio (Pauline) (ISBN : 978-0819826695)
Augustine, Confessions (Oxford) (ISBN : 978-0192833723)
Requirements:
1. Class attendance and a careful perusal of all reading
assignments.
2. Two 7-page papers on assigned topics. These papers
will
constitute
50% of your final grade for the course. Papers will be due on 9/17 and
11/24.
3. Two exams, Midterm on 10/15 and Final on day to be determined by Registrar; each
exam constitutes 25% of your final grade for the course.
Tentative
syllabus:
I. ANCIENT GREEK PHILOSOPHY
(In addition to
the readings
specified below, you are responsible for Jordan, 173-272)
- 8/27: The Pre-Parmenideans: Thales, Anaximander,
Anaximenes,
Heraclitus,
Xenophanes, Pythagoras. Reading: Jordan, 3-25
- 9/1-9/3: The Eleatics: Parmenides, Zeno, Melissus.
Reading:
Jordan,
25-33
- 9/8: The Response to Parmenides: Empedocles,
Anaxagoras,
the Atomists
(Democritus
and Leucippus). Reading: Jordan, 34-50
- 9/10: The Good for Human Beings: The Problem.
Reading: Republic,
327A-367E
- 9/15: Moral Rectitude in the State and the
Individual:
The Parts of the
Soul. Reading: Republic, 376D-448E &
588B-592B
- 9/17: The Philosopher as the Paradigm of Human
Flourishing. Readings: Republic,
471C-502C); Apology, all; Phaedo,
in Five Dialogues,
57A-69E (paper due)
- 9/24: The Theory of Forms (or Ideas) and the Ascent
to
the Good.
Readings: Meno, 70A-86C; Phaedo,
70A-95E; Republic,
502D-521B
- 9/29: Cosmology and Extrinsic Teleology. Reading: Phaedo,
95E-118A
- C. Aristotle
(Background reading: Jordan, 128-152)
- 10/1: Substance and Accident. Readings:
Categories,
chaps. 1-5; Topics
I, chaps. 5-9
- 10/6: The Analysis of Change: Form, Matter, and
Privation. Readings: Physics
I, chaps. 1-2 & 5-9; On
Generation and Corruption I, chaps. 3-4; Metaphysics
XII,
chaps. 1-5
- 10/8: Nature, the Four Causes, and Intrinsic
Teleology. Readings: Physics II, chaps. 1-3
& 7-9; Physics
III, chaps. 1-3; Metaphysics V, chap. 4
- 10/13: The Soul. Readings: On the Soul
I, chaps.
1 & 4; On
the Soul II, chaps. 1-5; On the Soul III,
chaps.
4-5
II. MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY (In
addition to the
readings specified
below, you are responsible for Jordan, 318-375 & 419-442)
- 10/27-10/29: The Nature of Faith. Readings:
Aquinas, De
Veritate,
ques. 14, art. 1 (handout page); Aquinas, Summa Contra
Gentiles
I, chaps. 3-6; Augustine, Confessions VI, chaps. 1-5
- 11/3-11/5: Faith and Philosophy: The Specters of
Anti-Secularism and
Accommodationism.
Readings: Aristotle, Metaphysics I, chaps. 1-2;
Aquinas, Summa
Contra Gentiles I, chaps. 1-2
& 7-9; Augustine, Confessions III, chaps.
1-7; Augustine, Confessions V, chaps. 1-5; Pope
John Paul II
the Great, Fides et Ratio, nos. 36-48
- 11/10: Augustine and Classical Philosophy. Readings:
Augustine, Confessions
IV, chap. 16; Augustine, Confessions V, chaps.
10-14;
Augustine, Confessions VI, chap. 11; Augustine, Confessions
VII, chaps. 9-21
- 11/12-11/17-11/19: Natural Theology: The Existence
and
Nature of God.
Readings:
Aquinas, Summa Contra Gentiles I, chaps. 13-18
& 28-36;
Aquinas, Summa Contra Gentiles II, chaps. 52-54
(handout page)
- 11/24-12/1: The Emanation of Creatures from God:
Creation,
Conservation,
and Concurrence. Readings: Aquinas, Summa Contra Gentiles
II,
chaps.
15-21 (handout page); Aquinas, Summa Contra Gentiles
III,
chaps. 65-70 (handout page); Aquinas, Summa Theologiae
I-II,
ques. 93, arts. 1-5 (handout page) (paper due 11/24)
- 12/3-12/8: The Good for Human Beings: Greek vs.
Christian
Perspectives.
Readings: Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics I-II (all);
Aristotle, Nicomachean
Ethics X, chaps. 6-9; Augustine, Confessions
I, chaps. 1-5; Augustine, Confessions II, chaps.
1-10;
Aquinas, Summa Theologiae I-II, qq. 1-5 (handout
page)
- 12/10: The Good and the Obligatory: Intrinsic and
Extrinsic
Teleology in
Morals. Readings: Aquinas, Summa Theologiae I-II,
ques. 90-94
(all)
(handout page); Suarez, De Legibus II, chap. 6
(handout page)
- 12/16 Final Exam 4:15-6:15
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