Instructor: Dr. Steve Naragon, Office: Ad Bldg., #231c (Phone —  office: 982-5041; home: 982-6033)
Online Syllabus (more detailed): http://users.manchester.edu/Facstaff/SSNaragon/Online/316-F09/Welcome.html
Required Texts
(1) Robert Solomon and Kathleen Higgins, A Short History of Philosophy (Oxford, 1996). [0-19-510196-0]
(2) Cohen, Curd, and Reeve, eds., Readings in Ancient Greek Philosophy: From Thales to Aristotle, 2nd ed. (Hackett, 2000). [0-87220-538-X] (NB: The 1st edition is actually preferable — better paper — if you can find a copy.)
(3) Epictetus, Handbook, translated by Nicholas White (Hackett, 1983). [0-915145-69-3]
(4) Thomas Aquinas, Summa Contra Gentiles, Book One: God, transl. by  Anton Pegis (Univ. of Notre Dame Press, 1975). [0-268-01678-X]
(5) Many brief selections, provided as handouts, from the works of Epicurus, Sextus Empiricus, Plotinus, Augustine, Anselm, Abelard, Ibn-Sina, Ibn-Rushd, William of Ockham, Meister Eckhart, and Pico della Mirandola, as well as some current secondary literature.
Recommended Texts
• Antony Flew (editor), A Dictionary of Philosophy, rev. 2nd edition (St. Martin’s, 1979).
Course Objectives
	We will read philosophers from the very beginnings of the philosophical enterprise in the west, and then work our way through Plato, Aristotle, and the Hellenists, and end with various medieval thinkers (Jewish, Christian, and Muslim), with a special focus on certain doctrines of Augustine and Aquinas.  These texts are quite challenging for most undergraduates — they certainly challenge me at times! — but they will reward your sustained intellectual effort.  The readings are multi-layered and well worth your best effort.  If you do not try to understand them, of course, then they will strike you as obscure and pointless.
		By the end of the course you should have: (1) become acquainted with the nature and early history of Western philosophy; (2) developed your skills for critically evaluating arguments and beliefs; (3) developed a sense of the historiography of philosophy; (4) found the source of a great many of our current beliefs; (5) had ample opportunity to reflect on certain questions confronting us all: How can I know something to be true?  What is the good life and how is it attained?  What is it to be human?

Some virtues to bring with you into the philosophy classroom: humility when comparing your beliefs with those of others; patience for listening closely to views that seem foolish or misguided to you; courage to advance in the face of adversity what seems to be the correct view; endurance for following arguments to their conclusion; humor for those moments when you feel the utter futility of your efforts.
Requirements and Grading
Readings.  Read the assignments closely prior to class, and always bring the text.  Class discussions and your success in this class depend upon this.  If you are not willing to commit yourself to this, then it would be best to withdraw from the course.
Attendance and Participation. A course on philosophy is by its nature aimed at self-examination and discussion; consequently, taking the class requires being there.  Arriving at class having worked through the readings for the day, and ready to profitably discuss the readings with others, will be part of your course grade.  Each class period will be graded following a 6 pt. rubric (see below).
Daily Essays.  Nearly every day, at the beginning of class, a one to two page essay on the day’s reading will be due.  You will need to complete twenty of these for full credit.  This choice allows you to better fit the requirements of this class to your particular interests and to your overall workload for the semester.  These essays will be graded following a 4 pt. rubric (below).  See the online syllabus for more information.
Exams.  There will be three in-class short-essay exams.
Grading.  The three exams are worth 15% each of the course grade (3 x 15% = 45%), the set of essays will be worth a total of 45%.  Participation will be 10%.

Plagiarism.  Avoid this or perish!  Plagiarism consists of submitting the statements, ideas, opinions, or findings of another as if they were your own.  It is not plagiarism to copy from or paraphrase a source as long as this is acknowledged and the source is properly cited.  See the college Catalog for a fuller discussion.
Cell Phones.  Please do not bring these to class.  If you do bring a cell phone, it needs to be turned off and put away, preferably at the bottom of a very deep pocket or book bag.  If you are unable to part company with your cell phone, or are unable to keep it turned off and stowed, then please do not come to class.  Thank you.

Participation Rubric (6 points total)
	Strong work (2)	Needs development (1)	Unsatisfactory (0)	
Listening	Comments indicated a careful attention to the comments of others. 	Comments indicated some attentiveness to others.	Comments unrelated to what others said.	
Quality of contributions
	Comments were relevant and reflected an understanding of the text(s) and previous remarks of other students. 	Comments betrayed a lack of preparation or lack of attention to the remarks of others.	Comments reflected little understanding of either the assignment or previous remarks.	
Frequency of participation	Actively participated at appropriate times. 	Sometimes participated but at other times “tuned out.” 	Seldom participated and was generally disengaged. 	
Daily Essay Rubric (4 points total)
	Strong work (2)	Needs development (1)	Unsatisfactory (0)	
Discussion	Clear grasp of the text/ideas and focused discussion of the topic.	Some unclarity and/or lack of focus.	Serious misunderstanding of the text or unfocused discussion.	
Mechanics
	Good use of topic sentences; no errors of spelling, punctuation, or grammar.	Two or more errors.	A close study of Hacker is in order.	

Reading Schedule

(AGP = Ancient Greek Philosophy) (SH= Short History of Philosophy)
Wed, Sep 2
Introduction to the class
Fri, Sep 4 — No Class
Read: SH, 1-25
Presocratics & Plato
Mon, Sep 7
Miletians
Read: SH, 25-32; AGP (selections from/about the Miletians).
Wed, Sep 9
Heraclitus and Xenophanes
Read: SH, 33; AGP (selections).
Fri, Sep 11
Pythagoras
Read: SH, 32-33; AGP (selections).
Mon, Sep 14
Parmenides and Zeno
Read: SH, 34-36; AGP (selections).
Wed, Sep 16
Pluralists and Atomists
Read: SH, 36-39; AGP (selections from Anaxagoras, Empedocles, Leucippus, and Democritus).
Fri, Sep 18
Sophists
Read: SH, 39-43; (editor intro + selections from Protagoras and Gorgias).
Mon, Sep 21
Plato’s Apology
Read: SH, 43-49; AGP (editor introduction + dialogue).
— Camp Mack Day —
Fri, Sep 25
Plato’s Euthyphro
Read: AGP (dialogue)
Mon, Sep 28
Plato’s Meno
Read: AGP (dialogue)
Wed, Sep 30
Plato’s Republic, Bk. I
Read: SH, 49-56; AGP (Republic, Bk. 1).
Fri, Oct 2
Plato’s Republic, Bk. I
Read: (see Sep 30)
Mon, Oct 5
Plato’s Republic, Bk. II-IV
Read: AGP (Republic, 357a-362c, 368c-376e, 412b-417b, 427d-445e).
Wed, Oct 7
Plato’s Republic, Bk. VI-VII
Read: AGP (Republic, Bks. 6-7).
Fri, Oct 9	Exam #1
Mon, Oct 12 —— Fall Break ——
Aristotle & Hellenism
Wed, Oct 14
Aristotle’s Categories and De Interpretatione
Read: SH, 56-63; AGP (Categories, chs. 1-5; On Interpretation, chs. 1-4, 7, 9).
Fri, Oct 17
Aristotle’s Topics and Posterior Analytics
Read: AGP (Topics, Bk. 1, chs. 1-2; Posterior Analytics, Bk. 1, chs. 1, 3; Bk. 2, ch. 19).
Mon, Oct 19
Aristotle’s Physic
Read: AGP (Physics, Bk. 1, chs. 1, 5-9; Bk. 2, chs. 1-3, 7-8).
Wed, Oct 21
Aristotle’s Generation and Corruption
Read: (Generation and Corruption, Bk. 1, chs. 1, 4).
Fri, Oct 23
Aristotle’s Metaphysics
Read: AGP (Metaphysics, Bk. 1; Bk. 4, ch. 1).
Mon, Oct 26
Aristotle’s De Anima
Read: AGP (On the Soul, Bk. 2; Bk. 3, chs. 4, 5, 10).
Wed, Oct 28
Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics
Read: SH, 64-68; AGP (Nicomachean Ethics, Bks. 1-2).
Fri, Oct 30
Epicureanism
Read: SH, 68-71; Epicurus, “Letter to Herodotus” (online) and “Letter to Menoeceus” (online).
Mon, Nov 2
Stoicism
Read: SH, 71-72; Epictetus, Handbook.
Wed, Nov 4
Skepticism
Read: SH, 72-74; Sextus Empiricus, selection from Outline of Pyrrhonism (online)
Fri, Nov 6	Exam #2
The Middle Ages
Mon, Nov 9
Neo-Platonism
Read: SH, 100-22; Gerson, “Plotinus” (SEP) (online); Plotinus, “On Beauty” (a selection from the Enneads) (online).
Wed, Nov 11
Augustine
Read: SH, 122-29.
Fri, Nov 13
Augustine
Read: Augustine, Confessions, Bk. 11 (online).
Mon, Nov 16
Ibn-Sina (Avicenna)
Read: SH, 129-37; Ibn-Sina, Concerning the Soul (selection) (online).
Wed, Nov 18
Ibn-Rushd (Averroes)
Read: SH, 138; Ibn-Rushd, The Decisive Treatise (online).
Fri, Nov 20
Moses Maimonides
Read: SH, 139-42; Moses Maimonides, A Guide for the Perplexed (selection) (online).
Mon, Nov 23
Anselm
Read: SH, 142-43; Anselm, “Proslogion” (online).
Wed, Nov 25
Peter Abelard
Read:SH, 143-45; Peter Abelard, On Universals (selection) (online).
— Thanksgiving —
Mon, Nov 30
Aquinas
Read: SH, 145-47; Aquinas, Summa Contra Gentiles, Bk. I, chs. 1-9.
Wed, Dec 2
Aquinas
Read: Aquinas, Summa Contra Gentiles, Bk. I, chs. 10-13.
Fri, Dec 4 — Class does not meet
Mon, Dec 7
William of Ockham
Read: SH, 147-49; R. J. Snell, “Overcoming Omnipotence” (online).
Wed, Dec 9
Meister Eckhart
Read: SH, 133-34; Meister Eckhart, “Sermon #1” (online); Burkhard Mojsisch, “Meister Eckhart” (SEP) (online).
Fri, Dec 11
Pico della Mirandola
Read: “Giovanni Pico della Mirandola,” in the Catholic Encyclopedia (online); Pico, “Oration on Man (selection)” (online).

Finals Week	Exam #3