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6AANA014 Hellenistic Philosophy Syllabus – Academic Year 2011/2

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6AANA014 Hellenistic Philosophy Syllabus – Academic Year 2011/2 School of Arts & Humanities Department of Philosophy 6AANA014 Hellenistic Philosophy Syllabus – Academic year 2011/2 Basic information Credits: 15 Module Tutor: Joachim Aufderheide Office: room 706 Philosophy Building Consultation time: TBA Semester: 2 Lecture time and venue*: Tuesdays 4-6; Room 605 Philosophy Building *Please note that tutorial times and venues will be organised independently with your teaching tutor Module description (plus teaching arrangements, aims and objectives) Everybody wants to be happy. But how to achieve happiness? Among those who have grappled hardest with this question are the Hellenistic Schools: the Epicureans, the Stoics and the Sceptics. In this course, we will study their accounts of happiness in detail, with emphasis on critical analysis of their arguments and positions, as well as an assessment of the philosophical merits and coherence of their theories. Since ethics is at the heart of each School, this course is not only an introduction to Hellenistic Ethics, but to Hellenistic Philosophy in general. The module is taught in Semester II with 1 hour weekly lectures and 1 hour weekly seminars. Assessment methods and deadlines Formative assessment: 2 essays X 1000 to 1500 words each (Please note that formative assessment must be completed to pass the module) Summative assessment: 2 essays X 2500 words each 1 Outline of lecture topics (plus readings) Week One 17 Jan, Introduction to Hellenistic Ethics Reading: primary (p): Epicurus, „Letter to Menoeceus‟; The Handbook of Epictetus (trans. N.P. White); secondary (s): G. Striker, „Greek Ethics and Moral Theory; G. Striker, „Ataraxia: Happiness as Tranquility‟ (both in G. Striker, Essays on Hellenistic Epistemology and Ethics); further (f): --- Week Two 24 Jan, The Epicureans: pleasure as the good (overview) Reading: (p): B. Inwood and L. Gerson (tr.), Hellenistic Philosophy: Introductory Readings [IG], 5-44; (s): T. Irwin, The Development of Ethics §§143-60; (f): F. Feldman, Pleasure and the Good Life, pp. 91-108; J. Annas, „Epicurus on Pleasure and Happiness‟, Philosophical Topics (15). Week Three 31 Jan, The Nature and Role of Pleasure Reading: (p): A. Long and D. Sedley, The Hellenistic Philosophers [LS] 112-25; (s): G. Striker, „Epicurean Hedonism‟ (in G. Striker, Essays on Hellenistic Epistemology and Ethics); R. Woolf, „Pleasure and Desire‟ (in J. Warren (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Epicurus) (f): J. Cooper, „Pleasure and Desire in Epicurus‟ (in J. Cooper, Reason and Emotion); R. Woolf, „What Kind of Hedonist was Epicurus?‟ Phronesis (49). Week Four 7 Feb, Problems for Epicureanism (and possible solutions) Reading: (p): LS 125-39; (s): E. Brown, „Politics and Society‟ (in J. Warren (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Epicurus); (f): M. Evans, „Can Epicureans be Friends?‟, Ancient Philosophy (24); J. Armstrong, „Epicurean justice‟, Phronesis (42). Week Five 14 Feb, The Stoics: virtue as the good (overview) Reading: (p): IG 191-232; (s): T. Irwin, The Development of Ethics §§161-75; M Schofield, „Stoic Ethics‟ (in J. Warren (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Epicurus); (f): M. Frede. „On the Stoic Conception of the Good‟ (in Ierodiakonou (ed.), Topics in Stoic Philosophy). READING WEEK – NB FIRST FORMATIVE ESSAY DUE – FEBRUARY 27 Page 2 Outline of lecture topics (plus readings) Week Six 28 Feb: The Nature and Role of Virtue Reading: (p): LS 377-86; 394-401; (s): T. Irwin, The Development of Ethics §§176-81; J. Cooper, „The Unity of Virtue‟ (in J. Cooper, Reason and Emotion); G. Striker, „The Role of oikeiôsis in Stoic Ethics‟ (in G. Striker, Essays on Hellenistic Epistemology and Ethics); (f): G. Striker „Following Nature‟ (in G. Striker, Essays on Hellenistic Epistemology and Ethics). Week Seven 6 Mar, Problems for Stoicism (and possible solutions) Reading: (p): LS 401-10; 368-77; 354-59; (s): T. Irwin, The Development of Ethics §§182-201; T. Brennan, The Stoic Life, 119-68; (f): R. Barney, „A Puzzle in Stoic Ethics‟, Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy (24). Week Eight 13 Mar, The Sceptical Tradition: Early Pyrrhonism and Overview Reading: (p): IG 285-301; (s): LS 13-24; T. Irwin, The Development of Ethics §§130-42; (f): D. Sedley, „The Protagonists‟ (in M. Schofield, M. Burnyeat, and J. Barnes (eds.), Doubt and Dogmatism). Week Nine 20 Mar, Academic Scepticism Reading: (p): IG 261-284; (s): LS 438-467; G. Striker, „Sceptical Strategies‟ (in M. Schofield, M. Burnyeat, and J. Barnes (eds.), Doubt and Dogmatism); (f): J. Cooper, „Arcesilaus: Socratic and Skeptic‟ (in J. Cooper, Nature, Knowledge, and the Good). Week Ten 27 Mar, Late Pyrrhonism: happiness and scepticism Reading: (p): IG 302-40; 387-397; (s): LS 468-88; M. Burnyeat, „Can the Sceptic Live his Scepticism?‟; M. Frede, „The Skeptic‟s Beliefs‟(both in M. Burnyeat, M. Frede (eds.), The Original Sceptics). (f): J. Barnes, „The beliefs of a Pyrrhonist (in M. Burnyeat, M. Frede (eds.), The Original Sceptics). NB SECOND FORMATIVE ESSAY DUE – APRIL 6 Page 3 Essay questions First formative essay: write an essay of 1000 to 1500 words on either 1a) or 1b). 1a) Why is it important for Epicurus to distinguish between kinetic and katastematic pleasures? Is this a useful distinction? 1b) Most people agree that friendship, justice and virtue are good in themselves. Can the Epicureans agree, while holding that pleasure is the good? Discuss with respect to one of these goods. Second formative essay: write an essay of 1000 to 1500 words on either 2a), 2b), 3a), or 3b). 2a) The Stoics say i) that virtue is the good and ii) that the goal is to live in accordance with nature. Critically explain the relation between the two. 2b) The Stoics hold that only virtue is good. Why do they posit “preferred indifferents?” Can the Stoics give a plausible explanation why something should be preferred even though it is not valuable? 3a) Sextus maintains that the Sceptic lives an everyday life. Can he? Critically discuss. 3b) What is the role of virtue in the Sceptic conception of the best life? Discuss whether virtue should play a more (or less) pronounced role. Summative assessment: write two essays of 2500 words each. You may expand on your formative essay, or choose a different topic from the topics given for the formative assessment. Please write your essays on two different schools (i.e. your essay topics should not have the same number at the beginning). Page 4 Suggested additional readings There are Cambridge Companions to each of the Hellenistic Schools: B. Inwood, The Cambridge Companion to the Stoics; J. Warren, The Cambridge Companion to Epicureanism; R. Bett, The Cambridge Companion to Ancient Scepticism. All of them are very good starting places for further research (which is not to say that the pieces in the Companions are not important contributions; many of them are). There is also the monumental multi-volume which contains in-depth studies of many topics pertaining to Hellenistic Philosophy: K. Algra, J. Barnes, J. Mansfeld, M. Schofield (edd.), The Cambridge History of Hellenistic Philosophy, As for collections of research articles, apart and G. Striker's Essays on Hellenistic Epistemology and Ethic, one can recommend M. Frede, Essays in Ancient Philosophy (although most of the essays touch on ethics only in passing, they are worth reading). To recommend a good monograph or two on each school: P. Mitsis, Epicurus' Ethical Theory: The Pleasures of Invulnerability B. Inwood, Ethics and Human Action in Early Stoicism J. Barnes, The Toils of Scepticism For a book on Hellenistic Ethics that discusses all Schools together, see J. Annas, The Morality of Happiness Page 5 .
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