This course is an introduction to the philosophical thought of the two most important philosophical figures of ancient Greece. By working through parts of their central texts and thoughts, we will gain an understanding of Plato and Aristotle's relevance in the past and today as well.
Aryeh Kosman is the John Whitehead Professor of Philosophy at Haverford College in Haverford, Pennsylvania. Professor Kosman began his studies at the University of California at Berkeley and completed his doctoral work at Harvard University, with study in between at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He joined the Haverford faculty in 1962 and has taught there since, except during visiting appointments at Princeton University, UCLA, UC Berkeley, the University of Washington, and the University of Pittsburgh. During his distinguished career, Professor Kosman has lectured and written extensively on ancient, medieval, and early modern philosophy. He has received several teaching awards and is a former fellow at Harvard’s Center for Hellenic Studies and at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C.
Lecture 1 Plato (with nods to Socrates)
Lecture 2 The Euthyphro: The Virtue of Holiness
Lecture 3 The Charmides: The Virtue of Quiet Self-Control
Lecture 4 The Republic: Justice and the Virtue of Justice
Lecture 5 The Republic: Justice and the Philosopher King
Lecture 6 The Symposium: Is the Philosopher Capable of Love?
Lecture 7 The Phaedo: Death and the Philosopher
Lecture 8 Aristotle: Patience with Complexity
Lecture 9 The Organon: Substance as the Primary Mode of Being
Lecture 10 The Metaphysics: What Is Philosophy?
Lecture 11 Biology and On the Soul: Life and Consciousness
Lecture 12 The Nicomachean Ethics: Ethics and the Good Life
Lecture 13 Plato and Aristotle: The Politics and the Poetics
Lecture 14 Plato and Aristotle: A Final Review and Summation