Topics in Hellenistic Philosophy (U03455)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 10 ? Acronym : PPL-3-THP-PH

The course will introduce students to the main concepts and arguments of the Hellenistic philosophical schools, and examine the influence of those thinkers on modern philosophy. It will commence with a survey of the main topics in pre-Socratic and classical Athenian philosophy, which were further developed by Hellenistic schools. The main body of the course will be divided into three parts, in accordance with the most common Hellenistic school division of philosophy into logic, physics and ethics.

? Keywords : Hellenistic schools

Entry Requirements

? Pre-requisites : A pass in either Philosophy 2A or Philosophy 2B.

Variants

? This course has variants for part year visiting students, as follows

Topics in Hellenistic Philosophy (VS1) (Not being delivered)

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Philosophy, (School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, Schedule I)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : 3rd year

? Delivery Period : Not being delivered

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) per week for 11 weeks

All of the following classes

Type	Day	Start	End	Area
Lecture	Friday	14:00	15:50	Central

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

On completion of the course, students will be able to:
- grasp and analyse some of the central concepts in Stoics, Epicureans and Skeptics;
- state and discuss the main arguments of Hellenistic schools in the fields of epistemology, metaphysics and ethics;
- understand the nature and methods of ancient philosophical debates and their relevance to modern discussions of the same topics;
- situate the Hellenistic philosophies within their own intellectual context;
- read ancient philosophical texts in a more expert way, using analytic and critical tools (with respect to both doctrinal and textual problems).

Assessment Information

Assessment will be by 2-hour examination in the June diet. Senior Honours students may opt to write a long essay (approximately 5000 words) in lieu of the final exam.