University of South Florida Professor
J. P. Anton
Department
of Philosophy Phone:
974-3670
Spring
Semester 2005 Office:
FAO 215
PHILOSOPHY 6015.001 ARISTOTLE
Seminar: Tuesday,
Office
hours Tuesday.
and by appointment
ARISTOTLE
I. Course Description:
This seminar is designed as an intensive introduction to
Aristotle's philosophy. The opening
discussion will often focus on the philosophical heritage with which he worked
and the critical handling of the traditions and movements he sought to
understand and refine, viz. the Presocratics and Plato, especially the Theory
of Forms. The major emphasis will fall on the examination of the salient and
basic Aristotelian doctrines on the nature of human nature, world, language,
principles of logic, scientific reason, the norms of ethical and political
conduct and the nature of art and creativity. The texts selected for discussion
are from the Categories, De Interpretatione, Posterior Analytics, De
Anima, Nicomachean Ethics, Metaphysics,
Politics, and Poetics.
II. Texts and Sources:
(required)
Required:
Richard McKeon, ed. The Basic Works of Aristotle.
Random House, N.Y. 1941, repr.
Aristotle, The
Categories and De Interpretatione, tr. J.L Ackrill.
J. P. Anton, Categories and Experience, Essays on
Aristotelian Themes. Dowling College
Press, 1996 paperback. ISBN 1-883058-02-3
.
Recommended:
Essays in Ancient Greek Philosophy, vol. IV:
Aristotle’s Ethics, edited by J.P.
Anton and A. Preus.
W.K.C. Guthrie, A History of Greek Philosophy. Vol. Six: Aristotle:
An Encounter.
There are many useful
introductions to Aristotle's philosophy as well as translations of Aristotle’s
works. The student is advised to build
his/her own bibliographical list of books and articles as an aid to research on
special topics. All references to Aristotle's works must conform to the
established convention of the I. Bekker edition of
the
III. Course Requirements:
Students are encouraged to
participate in classroom discussions. Graduate students will be assigned papers
for presentation at seminar meetings and a research term paper about 15-20
pages (not including the title page, the page listing the table of contents and
the bibliography page). For others (undergrad.) there will be
written assignments instead of mid-term exam. and
a final examination).
The term paper must
conform to the following: (i) Title page with full information; (ii) Table of contents
page; (iii) Main exposition according to the Table of Contents, consisting
statement of the theme, argument analysis and commentary with critical
response, and conclusion. Footnotes (no endnotes) must be numbered
consecutively. When referring in your
paper to Aristotle's text cite the Bekker edition of
the page number in parentheses. Papers
are due on the date of the last regular class meeting. No extensions.
IV. Meetings and Assignments:
(Tuesdays)
Week 1. 1/8: Aristotle's place in Greek Philosophy; The Platonic Background. Anton,
C&E, ch. 1, Introduction.
Week 2. 1/15: The
Categories, chs. 1-5; Anton,
C&E, ch. 6.
Week 3. 1/22: The
Categories, chs. 6-10; Anton, C&E, ch.
7.
Week 4. 1/29: De
Interpretatione (entire);
Week 5. 2/5: De
Anima, I, chs. 1-2; II, chs. 1-5, the Theory of Life.
Week 6. 2/12: De Anima, III, the Faculties of Soul,
Reason .and the Passions.
Week 7. 2/19: Nicomachean
Ethics, I and II. Human Nature, the Quest for the Best
Life; Anton, C&E, ch. 13.
MID-TERM
Week 8. 2/26: Nicomachean
Ethics, VI, VIII-IX. Aristotle's theory of Virtues.
Practical
and Theoretical Virtues. The Meaning of
Friendship.
Week 9. 3/5:
Aristotle’s Criticism of His Predecessors. Met. A.
Week 10 SPRING BREAK
Week 11. 3/19: Metaphysics,
I (A). The Science of Wisdom, the Quest for First
Principles and the
Doctrine of Causes.
Week 12. 3/26: Metaphysics
VI. The Principles of Logic. Anton
C&E ch. 2. Anton, C&A, ch. 2.
Week 13. 4/2: Metaphysics,
XII. The Intelligible Universe
Week 14. 4/9: Poetics
(entire). Art as
Productive Knowledge and the Theory of Tragedy.
Week 15. 4/16: Politics
I. The common good.
Week 16. 4/23: Politics III. Polis and Citizens: the
Art and Science of Politics. Anton C&E chs. 11 and 14.
Papers are due on the class meeting.
FINAL EXAMINATION
(Consult Schedule)
Grading
system (cumulative): grades for
mid-term, final, and paper.