History of Ancient Philosophy

This course is an introduction to philosopy in the ancient world. While today, philosophy is considered a branch of academic inquiry, many of the ancient Greeks and Romans, however, held a radically different conception of the discipline. For them, philosophy was nothing less than an entire way of life--not just a set of doctrines or arguments, but an orientation and set of lived practices, a conscious and continual reforming of the self in light of some principle or principles. In this course, we will examine the major movements and figures of ancient philosophy. Major figures will include Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics, the Epicureans, and the Skeptics.