Schedule:
Spring 2021 Semester Schedule
- Jan. 17, 19
- Tues: Introduction to Plato and this course via Hippias
Minor. If you don't have the text yet,
here's a PDF of it from our text.
- For Tuesday, read all of the Hippias Minor: in
particular look for Socrates' argument, his claims,
logical moves, they way that he argues, and his conclusions.
Also, ask yourself about Hippias: what kind of person is he,
how does he argue, etc. And why does Socrates seem to take
literature seriously? And then, ask yourself where is
Plato and Plato's opinion in all of this?
- Recommended: if you have never read it, read Plato's Apology
and Critias around now.
- Does anyone want to volunteer to do the article summary and
presentation assignment early:
- Jan. 24, 26
- Jan. 31, Feb. 2
- Read Gorgias
- Due Tues. Argument Analysis of Euthyphro
10d-11b. Bring 3 copies of your analysis to
class, clearly marked "draft."
- Scroll down below for a description of what an "argument
analysis" is.
- If you want to work with someone in particular from the
class on your article presentation, please let me know by
email now.
- DUE Thurs.: Final version of Argument Analysis of
Euthyphro passage from Tues. please hand this in
on blackboard
- Bailly notes on Gorgias (what he'll present/talk
about in class: feel free to read ahead of time)
- Recommended: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy article
'Callicles and Thrasymachus' by Rachel Barney (online: search
for it)
- Feb. 7, 9
- Weekly Reading: Republic
Book I and II, start Book V, VI, and beginning of VII.
- We will concentrate on Book II this week.
- DUE Tues. argument analysis: find
and analyze the argument in the Gorgias that it is
better to be wronged than to do wrong (474b, I think). Bring
three copies to class.
- Assignment of article presentations will be made this
week. You can horse-trade for something that suits you better
during this week.
- DUE Thursday: Final version of Gorgias
argument analysis from Tues.
- Bailly notes on Republic 1 and the
immoralist challenge to justice
- Feb. 14, 16
- READING: finish R. V, VI, and
beginning of VII (up to 522)
- DUE TUES.: Argument analysis of the argument for the
conclusion that the soul has three parts in Republic 436b-441c.
3 copies
- DUE THURS: final version of Argument Analysis
of Republic 436b-441c.
- Article For Presentation:
- Notes on Plato's Theory of Forms: the
standard account (based on Malcolm Schofield's chapter)
- Feb. 21, 23
- Weekly Reading:
- Phaedo
- Also read Meno 80e-86b (this is a long passage:
concentrate on what "recollection" is and Socrates' claims
and arguments about it rather than the long geometric
problem discussed as an example in this passage). Read the
rest of Meno if you like it.
- DUE TUES: First draft, Argument analysis of Republic
475d to the end of Book V. (your analysis of this should be
heavily informed by the presentation of Gail Fine's article
last week, which you may want to consult yourself: it is
available on the Gail Fine channel of our class Team: click on
files). Bring 3 copies to class.
- DUE THURS: Final draft of argument analysis of Republic
475d to end of book V.
- Articles for Presentations:
- Irwin, Chapter 10 of Plato's
Ethics, OUP (on Forms: Phaedo + bits of R. + Meno, Cratylus, etc.: also
known as 'Plato's Theory of Forms' in Fine Plato 1)
- Dominic Scott, 'Platonic Recollection,' in Fine's Plato
1, excerpted from Recollection
and Experience: Plato's Theory of Learning and its
Successors (Cambridge, 1995), 3-80 (mostly about Phaedo, Phaedrus, Meno, 80-85 are about R. and Tht.)
- You will want at some point in your life to read the rest of
the Republic: there is no time like the present.
- And once you have done that, you will really appreciate Karl
Popper's The Open Society and its Enemies: vol. 1 Plato.
A seriously compelling philosophical work, a page-turner: but
it only makes sense after reading the Republic.
Also, it's not absolutely clear that Popper is fair to Plato.
- Notes:
- Feb. 28, March 2
- Weekly reading: Symposium
- DUE THURS: First draft, Argument analysis of Phaedo 74a-76e.3 copies
- Articles:
- Hendrik Lorenz, 'Plato on the Soul' in The Oxford Handbook to Plato,
p. 243 ff.
- Alexander Nehamas, 'Plato on the Imperfection of the
Sensible World,' American
Philosophical Quarterly 12, 1975, 105-117 (also in
Fine Plato 1)
(mostly about Phaedo
72-78)
- Gregory Vlastos, 'The Individual as an Object of Love in
Plato,' Platonic Studies,
Princeton Univ. Press, 1973), 3-34, also in Gail Fine Plato 2.
- MARCH 7 TOWN MEETING DAY RECESS
- March 9
- DUE: Final Draft Argument Analysis on Phaedo 74a-76e.
- Continue Presentations
- MARCH 13-17 SPRING BREAK
- March 21, 23
- START READING: Theaetetus
- DUE NEXT WEEK: 3 page (750 words) philosophical dialogue
branching off from a specific point specified with
Stephanus page, letter, and line number: this point is of
your choosing in one of the dialogues we have read so far, but
your dialogue must continue from that point with the same
characters and same topics.
- It must contain philosophical argument and must be
continuous and consistent with the dialogue before the point
where it starts.
- You are encouraged, however, to go out on a limb, to
challenge Socrates, etc.
- Aristotle
on Socrates/Plato
- Plato, Platonists, and Platonism
- NOTE WELL: I will grade the
Phaedo argument analysis: you are free to revise yours UNTIL
I grade it. What does that mean? You have at least until
Thursday, the 23rd, of this week to revise. After that, if
I've graded yours, it's too late to revise.
- Articles:
- McCabe "Plato's Way of Writing" in Oxford Handbook to
Plato.
- Santas 'The Form of the Good in Plato's Republic,' in
Gail Fine, Plato 1.
- March 28, 30
- Reading 1: Pre-socratic interlude that will become relevant
as we proceed:
- READ: Parmenides: the fragments of
the historic man, Parmenides, the philosopher
- NOTE: this link has a lot of Greek in it: ignore
all that Greek and all that is surrounded by the thin-lined
rectangles: that is about the Greek and is not going to be
relevant to our class, although we may take a peek at it for
fun.
- So, your task is to read the 'translation,' which is the
English between the rectangles.
- Bailly
Notes on Parmenides
- Bailly
Notes on Zeno (Parmenides' follower)
- Reading 2: keep reading Theaetetus s(get through
1/2 of it)
- 'The Theaetetus' in OHP by Mi-Kyoung Lee:
an introduction and whirlwind tour of the dialogue
- DUE THURS: 3 page philosophical dialogue branching off from
a specific point specified with Stephanus page,
letter, and line number: this point is of your choosing
in one of the dialogues we have read so far, but your dialogue
must continue from that point with the same characters and
same topics.
- It must contain philosophical argument in a Platonic vein
and must be continuous and consistent with the dialogue
before the point where it starts.
- You are encouraged, however, to go out on a limb, to
challenge Socrates, etc.
- April 4, 6
- Weekly reading: Theaetetus (read the rest of it)
- Due TUES: Draft Argument Analysis of Theaetetus 187e-189b. 3
copies
- Due THURS.: Argument Analysis of Theaetetus 187e-189b.
- Articles for Presentations:
- M.F. Burnyeat, 'Knowledge is Perception: Theaetetus 151D-184A,'
from The Theaetetus of Plato, (Hackett,
1990), 7-31 (also in Fine Plato
1) (Theaetetus)
- Michael Frede, 'Observations on Perception in Plato's
Later Dialogues,' in Essays
in Ancient Philosophy, 1987 (Clarendon Press) (also
in Fine Plato 1) (Theaetetus)
- John McDowell, 'Identity Mistakes: Plato and the Logical
Atomists,' Proceeding of
the Aristotelian Society, 70, (1969-70), 181-196
(also in Fine Plato 1)
(Theaetetus)
- John M. Cooper, 'Plato on Sense Perception and Knowledge (Theaetetus 184-186),' Phronesis 15 (1970),
123-146 (also in Fine Plato
1) (Theaetetus)
- April 11, 13
- April 18, 20
- Weekly reading: Parmenides
(at some point, your eyes may glaze over: don't worry
about it, everyone's do)
- DUE TUES: Draft Argument Analysis of Parmenides 137c-138b. 3 copies.
- DUE THURS: Argument Analysis of Parmenides 137c-138b.
- Introduction to the Sophist,
our next reading
- Articles:
- G.E.L. Owen, 'Notes on Ryle's Plato,' in Logic, Science, and Dialectic:
Collected Papers in Greek Philosophy, ed. M.
Nussbaum (Cornell Univ. Press, 1986), 85-103 (also in Fine Plato 1) (Parmenides)
- S. Marc Cohen, 'The Logic of the Third Man,' Philosophical Review,
80 (1971), 448-75 (also in Fine Plato 1) (Parmenides 132a-b)
- ARISTOPHANES
- FROGS
- PLEASE COME
- April 25, 27
- Weekly Reading: Sophist
- Due TUES: draft Argument Analysis: Sophist 248a-249b.
3 copies
- Due THURS: Argument Analysis: Sophist 248a-249b.
- Being
in the Sophist
- Articles:
- 'Plato's Philosophy of Language' in OHP, by Crivelli.
- G. E. L. Owen, 'Plato on Not-Being,' from Plato, i: Metaphysics and
Epistemology, Vlastos, ed., 1970 (Doubleday Anchor)
(also in Fine, Plato 1)
(Sophist)
- Lesley Brown, 'Being in the Sophist: a Syntactical Enquiry,' Oxford Studies in Ancient
Philosophy, 4 (1986), 49-70 (also in Fine Plato 1) (Sophist)
- Sophist
254ff., a walk-through
- Sophist 247-249, just the text
- Charles
Brittain on Platonism after Plato
- May 2, 4
- Weekly reading: Timaeus.
- Due THURS: draft Argument Analysis
due: Timaeus 28a-30a.
- Due TUES: Argument Analysis due:
Timaeus 28a-30a.
- Articles for Presentation:
- Thomas Johansen's 'The Timaeus'
in OHP
- Steven K. Strange, 'The Double Explanation in the Timaeus,' Ancient Philosophy 5
(1985), 25-39 (also in Fine, Plato 1) (Timaeus and Phaedo)
- David Sedley, 'The Ideal of Godlikeness,' in Plato 2, Gail fine (ed.), OUP,
1999, 309-328.
- Final: May 11: 10:30-1:15
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