PHIL 210 Ancient Greek Philosophy: Spring 2019 Lesher

PHIL 210 is a three-credit course with no pre-requisites. The instructor is Professor James Lesher
(jlesher@email.unc.edu and http://philosophy.unc.edu/people/faculty/james-lesher). His office is located in
Caldwell Hall, room 108A (phone: 919-962-4570).

Course Description: In PHIL 210 we will explore the development of Greek philosophy from its beginnings in
the 6th century BC down to the end of the classical period. The major figures studied will be the Presocratic
philosophers, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. We will explore such questions as “What factors sparked the onset
of Western philosophy and science?”, “What were the most important contributions made by the Presocratic
thinkers and Socrates?”, “What were the main doctrines in Plato's philosophy?”, and “What were Aristotle's
chief contributions to Western philosophy and science?” The course is intended to serve as an introduction to
ancient Greek philosophy, to identify points of continuity between ancient and modern thought, and to provide
experience in formulating and discussing philosophical arguments.

Required Text: Cohen, Curd, and Reeve, Readings in Ancient Greek Philosophy, 5th edition. (Earlier editions
have different contents and should not be purchased.)

Date Topics and Readings

Jan 10 The First Philosophers (Readings, pages 7-11)
Jan 15 The Origins of Greek Science and Philosophy (handout 2)
Jan 17-22 Xenophanes of Colophon (15-19)
Jan 24 Pythagoras of Samos (12-15 and handouts 3 and 4)
Jan 29-31 Heraclitus of Ephesus (19-25 and handouts 5 and 6)
Feb 5-7 Parmenides of Elea (26-30 and handouts 7 and 8)
Feb 12 Empedocles, Anaxagoras, and Democritus (33-47, 48-50, 51-59)
Feb 14 Some Images Relating to the Presocratics
Feb 19 Test on the Presocratics (see handout 9)
Feb 21 Plato’s Apology: The Trial of Socrates (90-106 and handout 10)
Feb 26 Plato’s Crito: Socrates on Civil Obedience (106-114 and handout 11)
Feb 28 Plato’s Euthyphro: ‘The Euthyphro Problem’ (80-90)
Mar 3 Plato’s Meno: The Search for Essential Definitions (145-166 and handout 12)
Mar 5 Plato’s Republic: Does Justice Pay? (254-261, 303-311, 414-418, and handout 13)
Mar 3-17 Spring Break
Mar 19 Plato’s Meno and Republic: Plato’s Theory of Knowledge (152-157, 348-356, 361-362)
Mar 21 Plato’s Republic: Plato’s Forms (190-193, 363-364, 419-24 and handout 14)
Mar 26 Plato’s Symposium: Plato’s Theory of Love (202-234 and handout 15)
Mar 28 Some Images Relating to Socrates and Plato
Apr 2 Aristotle’s Science (535, 536-540, 465-467, 474-475) Term papers due
Apr 4 Aristotle on the Supreme Human Good/ the Ergon Argument (578-582)
Apr 9 Aristotle’s Ethical Theory: Pros and Cons (582-593 and handouts 16 and 17)
Apr 11 Aristotle’s God (573-577 and handout 18)
Apr 16-18-23: Presentation and discussion of selected term papers (see handout 19)
Apr 25: No class (instructor out of town)

The final exam is scheduled for Friday, May 3rd, from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. (see handout 20)
Grading Policy: There will be an exam on the Presocratic philosophers, one 8-page paper (on a topic you will
select), and the final exam. (Review questions will be handed out in advance of each exam.) Your grade on each
of these items will count for roughly one-third of your semester grade. In the event your average falls on or near
a borderline, consideration will be given to the faithfulness of your class attendance and the extent of your
participation in class discussion.

Reading Reflection: At some point in the semester you will be asked to write a ‘reading reflection.’ This
writing assignment will be a maximum of two pages in length and ungraded. The purpose of this assignment is
to provide you with an opportunity to reflect on some aspect of ancient Greek philosophy and to gain
experience in expressing your ideas. Although I will not assign a letter grade to your essay, I will read it and
provide written comments as appropriate.

Excused Absences: If you have special needs, or plan to be absent from class on a particular date, please
send me an e-mail in advance to explain your situation. Otherwise I expect you to attend each and every
class and take the exams as scheduled.

Website: There is a website for this course on Sakai. It contains the syllabus, course handouts, and a few
links to other resources relating to the study of ancient philosophy.

Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursdays 11:00 to noon, and by appointment. I would be happy to meet with
you at any mutually convenient time. Just e-mail me at jlesher@email.unc.edu and we will find a day
and time to meet.

Honor Code: Your work in this course must comply with the provisions of the UNC Honor Code. If you
have any questions about the Code, consult the guidelines at http://honor.unc.edu. It is a violation of the
Honor Code to submit written work originally done in connection with a different course.

Note: The instructor reserves the right to make changes to the syllabus, including paper due dates and test
dates, when unforeseen circumstances occur. These changes will be announced as early as possible so that
you can adjust your schedule.