PHH 605 Ancient and Medieval Philosophy Summer 2016

Transcription

1 PHH 605 Ancient and Medieval Philosophy Summer 2016 John Finley, Ph.D. 1. COURSE DESCRIPTION This course covers some of the most important figures and themes of Ancient and Medieval philosophy, including Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, the nature of man, education, the ultimate end of human activity, the meaning of life, God, Providence, and faith and reason. 2. ENVISIONED LEARNING OUTCOMES Students will be able to demonstrate familiarity with significant thinkers, texts, and themes in Ancient and Medieval philosophy. Students will be able to show how knowledge of philosophy can lead to a richer grasp of Catholic theology. 3. COURSE SCHEDULE The first half of this course will focus on Ancient philosophy; the second half, on Medieval. Ancient philosophy is the birth and foundation of the entire Western philosophic tradition, lasting for a thousand years. The questions that the Ancient thinkers pondered are the fundamental questions of human existence: Who and what are we? What is the best way to live? What are the causes of reality? Is there a God? First, then, this course will introduce us to important texts, themes, and thinkers of Ancient philosophy. Second, it will introduce us to philosophy itself as practiced by some of its first and most committed disciples. We will focus on Plato and Aristotle, the two great figures of Ancient philosophy, and two of the greatest philosophers in history. Their insights are so profound that Christian thought has benefitted immeasurably from Platonic and Aristotelian contributions. How to evaluate Greek philosophy in light of the Christian tradition? This will be one focus of the next section of the course: Medieval philosophy. The story of medieval philosophy is to a large extent the story of the intellectual growth of Christianity. Philosophy, which for the Ancient thinkers was the highest form of human life, has for the Medievals become subordinate to a higher way of life: the Christian. In the Person of Christ, God Incarnate, philosophy at long last finds what was always its goal: knowledge of the Cause of all reality, knowledge of the Good and Beautiful, in short, the mind s encounter with God. At the same time, philosophy is the Ancient force to be reckoned with by the Christian thinker. It is crucial for him that philosophy become an ally, a handmaiden, in the sense of the one who 1

2 supports Revelation, translates it, makes it accessible, and makes it rational, firm, and appealing to the natural reason of believer and non-believer alike. The story of medieval philosophy, then, is largely the story of extraordinary Christians who are extraordinary thinkers. Their intellectual work is akin to creation, for they make of philosophy something new, richer, and better; though unlike creation they presuppose and rely on the philosophy of the Ancients that in the plan of Providence was already there. We will spend time on a few of these Medieval thinkers, but most of all on Thomas Aquinas, whom the Church respects as philosopher and theologian extraordinaire. Students should use the lectures to help understand the readings and to prepare for reflections. Week 1: Introduction; Plato s Meno What is virtue? Lectures: Read/Listen to Lecture #1. (The lectures throughout this course will be about 40 minutes each, and will explicate key themes from the week s readings. Often they will indicate some important implications, raise questions concerning the themes, and consider various significant objections.) Readings: Meno 1. Introduce yourselves on the Populi Bulletin Board! 2. Post 300-word reflection in response to the discussion prompt; due by the end of Friday. In Week 2: Plato s Euthyphro What is piety (holiness)? Lectures: Read/Listen to lecture #2 Readings: Euthyphro Week 3: Plato s Apology Why devote oneself to philosophy? Lectures: Read/Listen to lecture #3 Readings: Apology Week 4: Aristotle s Ethics--Virtue Lectures: Read/Listen to lecture #4 Readings: Nicomachean Ethics, Bk. 1, Chs. 1-7; Bk. 2 2

3 Week 5: Aristotle s Ethics Courage, Pride (Magnanimity), Social Virtues Lectures: Read/Listen to lecture #5 Readings: Nicomachean Ethics, Bk. 3, Chs. (end of 5)-9; Bk. 4, Chs. 3, 6-8 Week 6: Aristotle s Ethics Friendship Lectures: Read/Listen to lecture #6 Readings: Nicomachean Ethics, Bk. 8, Chs. 1-8; Bk. 9, Chs. 4, 8, 9, 12 Week 7: Aristotle s Ethics Happiness Lectures: Read/Listen to lecture #7 Readings: Nicomachean Ethics, Bk. 10 Week 8: Introduction to Medieval Philosophy; Boethius Consolation of Philosophy Lectures: Read/Listen to lecture #8 Readings: Consolation of Philosophy, Bk. 1 Week 9: Boethius Consolation of Philosophy Fortune and the True Good Lectures: Read/Listen to lecture #9 Readings: Consolation of Philosophy, Bks. 2-3 Week 10: Boethius Consolation of Philosophy Free Will, Evil, Providence Lectures: Read/Listen to Lecture #10 Readings: Consolation of Philosophy, Bks

4 Week 11: Anselm s Proslogion the Divine Existence and Divine Attributes Lectures: Read/Listen to lecture #11 Readings: Proslogion; Pro Insipiente (On Behalf of the Fool) by Gaunilo; Reply to Gaunilo Week 12: Thomas Aquinas the Nature of Theology Lectures: Read/Listen to lecture #12 Readings: Summa Theologiae, Part 1, Question 1, Articles Post 300-word reflection in response to the discussion prompt; due by the end of Friday. In 2. Optional: Submit a draft of your term paper, for feedback, by the end of Tuesday. Week 13: Thomas Aquinas the Nature of Theology, cont. Lectures: Read/Listen to lecture #13 Readings: Summa Theologiae I, Q. 1, Aa Post 300-word reflection in response to the discussion prompt; due by the end of Friday. In 2. Continue research and writing for term paper. Week 14: Thomas Aquinas Knowing and Speaking about God Lectures: Read/Listen to lecture #14 Readings: Summa Theologiae I, Q. 13, Aa Post 300-word reflection in response to the discussion prompt; due by the end of Friday. In 2. Submit term paper by midnight of Friday. Week 15: Thomas Aquinas the Human Being Lectures: Read/Listen to lecture #15 4

5 Readings: Summa Theologiae I, Q. 75, Aa. 2, 4; Q. 76, Aa. 1, 3, 4, 5 1. Post 300-word reflection in response to the discussion prompt; due by the end of Friday. In 2. Review the semester; submit the final exam by midnight of Sunday. 4. COURSE REQUIREMENTS Weekly reflections & reader responses 60%. These reflections are responses to the discussion prompts that I will post each week. They are to be around 300 words, and are due by the end of Friday of each week. Of course you are encouraged to submit questions or thoughts each week, particularly in discussion with me and fellow classmates! N.B: One of these weeks is optional, so you have one week free of weekly reflections a week of your choice. The goal of these reflections is to show your thoughtfulness regarding the material, and your comprehension of it. You are also required to respond to another student s reflection, in at least 50 words. These responses are due by the end of Sunday of the current week. The idea here is to get discussion going between classmates. In these responses, do not simply state generalities, such as good job, using 50 words to do so! You should add something meaningful, raise a question, defend or object to something, and so on. Of course you are encouraged to submit questions or thoughts whenever you like, particularly in discussion with fellow classmates! Failure to submit the posts and responses on time results in an F for the assignment. (If for some good reason you need to request an extension, please me before the due date and we can work something out.) Term paper 20%. The term paper is on a topic of your choice, as long as it concerns a theme related to the material covered in class. The paper is argumentative; that is, you will be asserting a thesis and defending it. Although the paper should focus on the primary (original) texts, it should draw on a minimum of three secondary sources (scholarly, published books or articles). You may use as sources the required and suggested texts for this class, and are free to use other texts. The paper is to be 2500 words, typed in 12-point font, and doublespaced. Please be in touch with me if you need advice on a topic, argument, organization, sources, etc. The following is optional: If you wish me to look over a draft and give you feedback, me a complete draft by the end of Tuesday of Week 12. Whether you take advantage of this or not, the final draft is due by the end of Friday of Week 14. Failure to submit the paper on time results in an F for the assignment. (If for some good reason you need to request an extension, please me before the due date and we can work something out.) Final exam 20%. The exam will cover the entire semester and will include material addressed in the lectures, and possibly a more open-ended question related to the discussion posts. In preparing for the exam, then, the most important thing to do is to review the lecture notes. Then, review the discussions. If you have time, it never hurts to review the actual lectures and the readings but this wouldn t be necessary for passing. The exam will consist of 8-10 questions, which should each be answered in a short paragraph. It will be posted via Populi or on Friday of Week 15 and is to be completed (or ed back to me) by midnight of Sunday of Week 15. Failure to submit the exam on time results in an F for the 5

6 assignment. (If for some good reason you need to request an extension, please me before the due date and we can work something out.) 5. REQUIRED READINGS and RESOURCES: Plato. Meno. Euthyphro. Apology. In Plato: Five Dialogues. 2 nd Ed. Hackett, ISBN-10: $7.57. (These translations are also the ones in Plato: Complete Works. Ed. John Cooper. Hackett, ISBN-10: $ Great book if you want all of Plato s dialogues.) Aristotle. Selections from Nicomachean Ethics. In The Basic Works of Aristotle. Ed. Richard McKeon. Trans. W. D. Ross. Modern Library, ISBN-10: $ (Ross s translation is also online, at Boethius. Consolation of Philosophy. Trans. Joel Relihan. Hackett, ISBN-10: $ Anselm of Canterbury. Proslogion. On Behalf of the Fool, by Gaunilo. Reply to Gaunilo. In Anselm of Canterbury: The Major Works. Ed. Brian Davies. Trans. M. J. Charlesworth. Oxford Univ. Press, ISBN-10: X. $8.75. Thomas Aquinas. Selected works and passages SUGGESTED READINGS and RESOURCES: Burger, Ronna. Aristotle s Dialogue with Socrates: On the Nicomachean Ethics. Univ. of Chicago, Chesterton, G. K. St. Thomas Aquinas: The Dumb Ox. CreateSpace, Gilson, Etienne. God and Philosophy. Yale Univ., Reason and Revelation in the Middle Ages. Scribner, The Spirit of Mediaeval Philosophy. Univ. of Notre Dame, Hadot, Pierre. What is Ancient Philosophy? Harvard: Belknap Press, Copleston, Frederick. A History of Philosophy, Vol. 1: Greece and Rome. Image, A History of Philosophy, Vol. 2: Medieval Philosophy. Image, Klein, Jacob. A Commentary on Plato s Meno. Univ. of Chicago, Pieper, Josef. Guide to Thomas Aquinas. Ignatius Press, Strauss, Leo. The City and Man. Univ. of Chicago, EVALUATION GRADING SCALE: A ; A ; B ; B 84-86; B ; C ; C 74-76; C D 60-69; F 59 and below Weekly reflections/reader responses. 6

7 A: Around 300 words, on topic, well written and organized, and making a notable contribution to the communal learning. Reader response is at least 50 words and makes a contribution. B: Fulfills the requirements for A, but does not make a notable contribution to the communal learning. Or, reader response is well short of 50 words, or doesn t make a contribution. C: Around 300 words, on topic, but poorly written and organized, or fails to make a contribution of any helpful sort. Or, no reader response. D: Falls drastically short of 300 words, or is not on topic, and fails to make a contribution. F: See D, but also fails in some other respect, or is somehow offensive. [As well, any reflection submitted after the end of Friday of the current week will be given a failing grade.] [N.B. Of course I do not expect to see any offensive posts, but it might be helpful to remind ourselves that the anonymity involved in online interaction can enable us to say things that we wouldn t if we were in a normal classroom. Please always keep in mind that we re doing something noble studying great things in a spirit of fraternal charity and that we should never take advantage of distance to speak in a way that we otherwise would not.] Term Paper. A. Will include some originality, clear organization, strong thesis and argumentation, virtually no grammar or punctuation problems, an engaging style, and good use of sources. B. Will be well-organized with strong thesis and argumentation, few grammar and punctuation problems, and good use of sources. C. Will fall drastically short of 2500 words, or have a weak thesis and argumentation, or will be poor in organization and either grammar/punctuation or use of sources. D. Will fall drastically short of 2500 words and have weak thesis/argumentation or poor organization or poor grammar/punctuation; or will not have a thesis/argumentation, or will have weak thesis/argumentation along with poor organization or poor grammar/punctuation. F. Will do one of the options for D but with an additional poor category. 8. DISABILITIES ACCOMMODATIONS POLICY Holy Apostles College & Seminary is committed to the goal of achieving equal educational opportunities and full participation in higher education for persons with disabilities who qualify for admission to the College. Students enrolled in online courses who have documented disabilities requiring special accommodations should contact Bob Mish, the Director of Online Student Affairs, at rmish@holyapostles.edu or In all cases, reasonable accommodations will be made to ensure that all students with disabilities have access to course materials in a mode in which they can receive them. Students who have technological limitations (e.g., slow Internet connection speeds in convents) are asked to notify their instructors the first week of class for alternative means of delivery. 9. ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY Students at Holy Apostles College & Seminary are expected to practice academic honesty. Avoiding Plagiarism In its broadest sense, plagiarism is using someone else's work or ideas, presented or claimed as your own. At this stage in your academic career, you should be fully conscious of what it means to plagiarize. This is an inherently unethical activity because it entails the uncredited use of someone else's expression of ideas for 7

8 another's personal advancement; that is, it entails the use of a person merely as a means to another person s ends. Students, where applicable: Should identify the title, author, page number/webpage address, and publication date of works when directly quoting small portions of texts, articles, interviews, or websites. Students should not copy more than two paragraphs from any source as a major component of papers or projects. Should appropriately identify the source of information when paraphrasing (restating) ideas from texts, interviews, articles, or websites. Should follow the Holy Apostles College & Seminary Stylesheet (available on the Online Writing Lab s website at Consequences of Academic Dishonesty: Because of the nature of this class, academic dishonesty is taken very seriously. Students participating in academic dishonesty may be removed from the course and from the program. 10. ATTENDANCE POLICY Even though you are not required to be logged in at any precise time or day, you are expected to login several times during each week. Because this class is being taught entirely in a technology-mediated forum, it is important to actively participate each week in the course. In a traditional classroom setting for a 3-credit course, students would be required to be in class 3 hours a week and prepare for class discussions 4.5 hours a week. Expect to devote at least 7 quality hours a week to this course. A failure on the student s part to actively participate in the life of the course may result in a reduction of the final grade. 11. INCOMPLETE POLICY An Incomplete is a temporary grade assigned at the discretion of the faculty member. It is typically allowed in situations in which the student has satisfactorily completed major components of the course and has the ability to finish the remaining work without re-enrolling, but has encountered extenuating circumstances, such as illness, that prevent his or her doing so prior to the last day of class. To request an incomplete, distance-learning students must first download a copy of the Incomplete Request Form. This document is located within the Shared folder of the Files tab in Populi. Secondly, students must fill in any necessary information directly within the PDF document. Lastly, students must send their form to their professor via for approval. Approval should be understood as the professor responding to the student s in favor of granting the Incomplete status of the student. Students receiving an Incomplete must submit the missing course work by the end of the sixth week following the semester in which they were enrolled. An incomplete grade (I) automatically turns into the grade of F if the course work is not completed. Students who have completed little or no work are ineligible for an incomplete. Students who feel they are in danger of failing the course due to an inability to complete course assignments should withdraw from the course. A W (Withdrawal) will appear on the student s permanent record for any course dropped after the end of the first week of a semester to the end of the third week. A WF (Withdrawal/Fail) will appear on the student s permanent record for any course dropped after the end of the third week of a semester and on or before the Friday before the last week of the semester. 8

9 12. ABOUT YOUR PROFESSOR Hello! My name is John Finley. I live in St. Louis with my wife and two young sons where I am associate professor of philosophy at Kenrick-Glennon seminary for the St. Louis archdiocese. Before that I taught for six years in the interdisciplinary Great Books program at Thomas Aquinas College in California. My doctorate in philosophy is from the University of Dallas, which features an interdisciplinary PhD sequence comprising texts from the traditions of Western philosophy, literature, political philosophy, and theology. My main area of focus is philosophical anthropology the philosophy of human nature. I also focus on metaphysics, Ancient and Medieval philosophy, philosophy of nature, and phenomenology. I look forward to sharing this class with you. 9