PHIL 789.002: TOPICS IN PHILOSOPHY-ARISTOTLE & HIS COMMENTATORS
[ revised 5/1/06 ]
Steve Strange
http://userwww.service.emory.edu/~philsks/

Description: We will study principal works of Aristotle both directly and as they were seen through the eyes of his ancient (and even some medieval) commentators, in order to get a grasp of the traditional reading of Aristotle and a deeper appreciation of the philosophical difficulties of Aristotle's texts. We will largely follow the lead of Richard Sorabji's new three-volume sourcebook, The Philosophy of the Commentators (London: Duckworth).

Requirements: a seminar paper, seminar reports on weekly reading (required of all grad student registrants), seminar participation, including online discussion: after the first meeting, everyone (save the following week's presenter) will be expected to post a query or discussion point on the next week's reading in our Blackboard forum before the following Sunday evening.

Required Texts
Complete Works of Aristotle, ed. J. Barnes (available full text online through EUCLID; also on reserve)

Reserve Texts
Sorabji, ed., The Philosophy of the Commentators, 3 vols
Porphyry, Introduction (Isagogê) ed. J. Barnes
Aristotle, Categories and De Interpretatione, ed. Ackrill
other items to be placed on reserve

Topics for the Seminar:

1. Methodology and Logic (23 January-6 February): Categories, De Interpretatione, Prior Analytics i.1-4, Posterior Analytics i.1-4 & ii.1-4,19, Topics i, Sophistical Refutations 34, Porphyry Isagogê

Week 1 (23 January): Isagogê, Categories, Topics I, Sorabji v.3, sects. 1-2

Week 2 (30 January): De Interpretatione, Sorabji v.3, sects. 3-4,10-11; v.2, sect. 5 (McAndrew)

Week 3 (6 February) Analytics, Sophistical Refutations, Sorabji v.3, sects. 5-9 (Edelman)

2. Physics (13-27 February) Physics, On Generation & Corruption, On the Heavens I-II

Week 4 (13 February): begin at 1:30PM (Randle) Physics I-II, On Generation & Corruption, Sorabji v.2 sects. 1, 6-7, 18-21

Week 5 (20 February) (Rothstein) Physics III-VI, Sorabji v.2 sects. 2, 10-17

Week 6 (27 February) (Arenson) Physics VII-VIII, On the Heavens I-II, Sorabji v.2 sects. 3-4, 8-9, 22-24

[3-5 March: Ancient Song Conference]

3. De Anima (6-27 March)

Week 7 (6 March) : De Anima I-II.1; Sorabji v.1 sects. 6-11

[13-18 March: Spring Break]

[Saturday 18 March: Georgia Philosophical Society Meeting at Emory]

Week 8 (20 March) : De Anima II.2-end, De Sensu, De Motu Animalium, Sorabji v.1 sects. 1, 4, 13 (Morelli)

[Thursday 23 March: D. Sedley colloquium, "Equal Sticks and Stones at Phaedo 74-75" ]

Week 9 (27 March) : De Anima III, De Memoria, Generation of Animals II.1-3, Plotinus Ennead I.1, Sorabji v.1 sects. 2-3, 5, 12 (Cooper)

[Thursday 30 March - Sunday 2 April: Loemker Leibniz Conference]

4. Metaphysics (3-17 April) - semester paper topic to be chosen by April 1st

Week 10 (Jim Dunson): Metaphysics I-V, Sorabji v.3, sects 12-15

Week 11 (Mark DelCogliano): Metaphysics VI-IX, Sorabji v.3, sects. 16-18

Week 12 (Ahmed Abdel Meguid): Metaphysics X-XIV, Plotinus Ennead V.4

[Friday - Saturday 21-22 April: 29th Annual Workshop in Ancient Philosophy at Emory ]

[Thursday 27 April: J. Cooper colloquium at Georgia State]

5. Ethics (24 April-1 May)

Week 13: Nicomachean Ethics I-III.5, Eudemian Ethics I-II, Sorabji v.1 sects 14-18

Week 14: Nicomachean Ethics V, VI, VII.1-3, X

Seminar essays due Wednesday, May 10th online: use Send File (NOT Add File) in Digital DropBox on Blackboard.