PHIL224 - Ancient Greek Philosophy

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

PHIL100 Philosophy: the Big Questions or PHIL102 Theories of Human Nature or PHIL104 Introduction to Ethics or PHIL107 Philosophy of World Religions or PHCC102 Being Human or PHCC104 Ethics and the Good Life

Teaching organisation

Unit rationale, description and aim

This unit explores the origins of western thought through an investigation of the key figures, themes and debates in ancient Greek philosophy. In doing so, it examines some major philosophical questions that occupied philosophers from the pre-Socratics to Aristotle, drawing from issues in metaphysics, epistemology, philosophical psychology, ancient science and cosmology, ethics and politics. The unit aims to assist students to develop an understanding of key concepts and theories developed in ancient Greek philosophy, and to apply these perspectives to contemporary philosophical debates. It also looks to enhance students' skills in the analysis of arguments, and the formulation and communication of coherent positions of their own.

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1 - identify and accurately explain some of the central problems and major contributions of ancient Greek philosophical thought (GA5);

LO2 - critically analyse selected themes and debates in ancient Greek philosophy, and develop coherent and consistent positions on the contribution of particular figures or Schools of thought to the early development of western philosophy (GA4; GA8);

LO3 - demonstrate appropriate skills in philosophical research, and clear use of philosophically effective English expression (GA5; GA9).  

Graduate attributes

GA4 - think critically and reflectively 

GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession 

GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information 

GA9 - demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and visual media 

Content

Topics will include:

• the possibility and character of the rational knowledge of nature and of ultimate reality;
• the principles of change, movement and causation in the natural world;
• key themes in metaphysics such as the relationship between matter and form, being and becoming, unit and plurality, potency and actuality, etc;
• the nature and structure of the human soul;
• the grounds of ethics and politics, and the conditions of human flourishing;

The following may also be included:

• the relationship between the gods and human life;
• developments in Greek philosophy after Aristotle.

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This unit involves 150 hours of focused learning, or the equivalent of 10 hours per week for 15 weeks. The total includes formally structured learning activities such as lectures, tutorials and online learning. The remaining hours typically involve reading, research, and the preparation of tasks for assessment. The unit has been designed as a blend of a blend of collaborative learning and project-based learning approaches, combined with direct instruction to introduce and draw out new and unfamiliar concepts and theories. The collaborative context of the unit is focused especially on the weekly tutorial, during which the emphasis is on small group discussion of the weekly readings. The project-based aspect relates to the research project on which students work throughout the second half of the unit, culminating in their research essay.

Assessment strategy and rationale

The assessment strategy for this unit is designed to facilitate broad engagement across the topics covered, while also requiring deeper engagement with one of the unit topics in particular. The tutorial oral and accompanying short written task requires students to demonstrate skills in attentive and accurate reading of a key text, and to explicate it in clear and concise oral and written formats. The short, written task that follows requires students to explicate and analyse another text at greater length. Finally, the research essay task provides students with the opportunity to undertake sustained philosophical reading and research, culminating in an extended piece of formal writing that examines their capacity to develop a coherent argument in response to an important philosophical question.

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

Aristotle (1995). Aristotle: The Complete Works. 2 volumes. Ed. Jonathon Barnes. Princeton University Press.

Blackson, T. (2012). Ancient Greek Philosophy: From the Presocratics to the Hellenistic Philosophers. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. 

Barnes, J. (ed) (1995). Cambridge Companion to Aristotle. Cambridge UK: Cambridge University Press. 

Curd, P. (2011). A Presocratics Reader. 2nd Ed. Indianapolis: Hackett. 

Kraut, R. (ed) (1999). Cambridge Companion to Plato. Cambridge UK: Cambridge University Press 

Plato (1997). Plato: Complete Works. Eds. John Cooper & D.S. Hutchinson. Indianapolis: Hackett. 

Roochnik, D. (2004). Retrieving the Ancients: An Introduction to Greek Philosophy. Oxford: Blackwell. 

Rudebusch, G. (2009). Socrates. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell. 

Sassi, M. (2018). The Beginnings of Philosophy in Greece. Transl. M. Asuni. Princeton: Princeton University Press.  

Wright, M, R. (2009). Introducing Greek Philosophy. Durham: Acumen.