Presocratic Philosophy (PHIL 310.001)

In this course we will study the teachings of a group of thinkers who lived in ancient Greece before and during the time of Socrates. ‘The Presocratics’, as they are usually called, pioneered the study of nature and were the first to pose questions relating to the nature and existence of divine beings, the sources and limits of human knowledge, and the appropriate measures of human excellence. They have also been hailed as the first thinkers to develop their views through a process of critical debate and reasoned argument. Our aim will be to gain a detailed understanding of their teachings and a sense of their importance for later philosophy, science, and the arts. There will be a mid-term exam, a term paper, and the final exam.

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