Plato and Aristotle

01:730:302 Fall 2012

Instructor: Pavel Davydov pdavydov@philosophy.rutgers.edu

Course Description:

Plato and his student Aristotle are generally regarded as two of the greatest philosophers of all time. This reputation is based on a several factors. First, more than anyone else they can be said to have laid foundations for the discipline of philosophy (as well as political science, psychology, physics, biology, economics, and several other disciplines). Second, their works themselves have had enormous impact on the work of thinkers over the last 2400 years, helping define all the major religious, scientific, and philosophical currents in the West (and many beyond). Third, their works remain a useful source of methods, ideas and arguments for contemporary philosophers. In short, familiarity with the works of Plato and Aristotle is a key component of philosophical (and not only philosophical) education.

In the first half of this course we will examine some of the major themes in Plato. We will discuss his views on reality and its representation (mimesis), the nature and immortality of the soul, the theory of Forms, the nature of love, and justice. In the second half, we will turn to Artistotle’s criticisms of Plato’s views and his own alternative proposals.

Learning Goals:

By the end of the course, the students will have been introduced to some of the key works and ideas of Plato and Aristotle. The students will have the opportunity to practice interpretation of difficult texts, as well as critical reasoning and expressing themselves with rigor and precision, both in writing and orally.

Readings:

From Plato: Ion, Meno, Phaedo, Phaedrus, Symposium, and selections from the Republic.

From Aristotle: selections from several works, including Politics, Nicomachean Ethics , Poetics, Physics, De Anima (On the Soul), and Metaphysics.

Textbooks:

1. Cooper and Hutcheson, Plato: Complete Works. Hackett. 2. Irwin and Fine, Aristotle: Selections. Hackett.

The textbooks will be available at the Rutgers Bookstore.

Evaluation:

1. Daily Quizzes: 20%

2. Midterm: 20%

3. Term Paper (8-10 pages): 20%

4. Take-Home Final Exam: 20%

5. Attendance and Participation: 20%

Course Outline:

Part One: Plato

Introduction to the Socratic method, the problem of truth in poetry, and the role of philosophy in the pursuit of truth. Readings: Ion, selections from the Republic.

The nature of the soul and the origin of knowledge. Readings: Phaedo, Meno, Phaedrus.

Love and its relation to the divine. Readings: Phaedrus, Symposium, selections from the Republic.

The Theory of Forms and its consequences for representation and knowledge of reality. Readings: Phaedo, selections from the Republic.

Part Two: Aristotle

Virtue and the good life. Readings: selections from the Nichomachean Ethics and Politics.

The study of nature and the theory of the “four causes”. Readings: selections from Physics and Metaphysics.

Aristotle’s critique of Plato. Readings: selections from De Anima, Poetics and Metaphysics.

God, the highest good, and the nature of poetic art. Readings: selections from several works of Aristotle.