80-250 Ancient Philosophy

9 units, Carnegie Mellon University

This course will cover Ancient Greek philosophy from the pre-Socratics to the later Hellenistic writers. We will prepare the background for Socrates and Plato by studying major Presocratic philosophers such as the Milesians, Heraclitus, and Parmenides, and then dive in to a careful study of some of the central works of Plato and Aristotle. A key theme of the class will be the way in which Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle sought to define philosophy in opposition to sophistry, and how the lessons learned from their confrontation with sophistry informed their ethical and metaphysical thought. The final sections will discuss post-Aristotelian movements such as Epicureanism, Skepticism, and Stoicism.

Prerequisites: none listed

Offered: Spring 2027, Fall 2025

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