Ancient and Medieval Western Philosophy (PHIL 316)
Welcome!
Welcome to these online materials for the Fall 2019 course on Ancient and Medieval Western Philosophy (PHIL 316, Manchester University).
This course meets three times weekly for 50 minutes, and is devoted to reading and discussing selections from the writings of ancient Greek, Roman, and medieval Christian, Muslim, and Jewish philosophers.
While these philosophers lived a long time ago, it is immediately apparent to anyone reading them that their concerns are often quite similar to our own –
• What does it mean to be human?
• What is our proper place in the universe?
• Does a reality exist separate from the appearances we experience?
• Can I gain knowledge of this reality?
• Can I know God?
• What is the nature of knowledge, and how does it differ from true beliefs?
• Is one form of social existence better than another?
• Do I have obligations to others?
– and on and on.
Humans have not changed that much in the past three-thousand years, although our way of thinking about and viewing the world and ourselves has often changed dramatically.
Much of the value of studying the ideas of past philosophers is the glimpse it gives us of another way of thinking, offering us a chance to reflect upon our own way of experiencing (and responding to) the world from the outside in, much as learning a second language provides a heightened sense of one’s first language.
Contacting Me
Click on my name (above) to reach my home page with contact information.
Please see my posted weekly schedule, which will tell you when I’m busy with class or committee work. Otherwise, I’m pretty much always either in my office (982-5041) or at home (982-6033), and am always happy to talk or meet with you. You can also send me an email. [Questionnaire]
Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies // Last updated: 1 Aug 2019