What is the course about?
This two-day course will introduce participants to some of the key ideas that shaped classical thought, and their ongoing relevance today.
This is a live online course. You will need:
- Internet connection. The classes work best with Chrome.
- A computer with microphone and camera is best (e.g. a PC/laptop/iMac/MacBook), or a tablet/iPad/smart phone/iPhone if you don't have a computer.
- Earphones/headphones/speakers.
We will contact you with joining instructions before your course starts.
What will we cover?
First Saturday:
- The Presocratics and the ‘enquiry into nature’
- The sophists and the all-powerful science of rhetoric
Second Saturday:
- Plato, Socrates, and the invention of philosophy
- Aristotle: the great systematiser.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Have a grasp of the key themes in the thinkers studied.
- Have a grasp of how the idea of ‘philosophy’ originated
- Understand the way the tradition of Greek thought developed in the fifth and fourth centuries BC
- Appreciate the importance of the philosophers studied for later Western culture and thought.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
Introductory: no previous subject knowledge necessary. Fluency in English is necessary.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
You will be taught by seminars. Participants should be ready to take part in the class debate! There will be some reading assigned between the first and second sessions. Class material will be distributed on Google Classroom.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
You will need to bring note-taking materials. Texts will be provided on Google Classroom.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
Other courses on classical philosophy, history and literature. See website for details.
