Byzantine Studies
Greek Philosophy from Plato to the Church Fathers
GREA PHPC 342

This is a course in post-classical philosophies. There are no prerequisites. The period that we will be studying begins with the death of Aristotle in 322 BCE up to the closing of Plato’s Academy in 529 CE, a period spanning nearly 900 years. The new experiences of this period found coherence and meaning through the medium of the philosophies that were inherited from classical Greece. In many ways the Hellenistic and Roman Ages were very much like our own. Global political and cultural transformations were rapid and they were marked with divisive religious conflicts. The desire to comprehend the world increasingly gave way to dogma and a yearning for salvation from the world. The course will start with two of Plato’s works, the Timaeus and the Phaedrus, since these were to have a great influence on Hellenistic thought. We will next turn to selections from the following Schools: Stoicism - Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, Cicero, Seneca, and Stoic fragments Epicureanism - The letters, Principal Doctrines and the poetry of Lucretius Skepticism - Sextus Empiricus and fragments Cynicism - Diogenes and Antisthenes Neoplatonism - Philo Judaeus of Alexandria, Plotinus, Porphyry, the theurgy of Iamblichus, and the late Academy writings of Proclus, and Damascius Mystic writings that enter the world of philosophy (Chaldean Oracles, Hermetica, and others) Church Fathers, Apostates and Heretics The aim of this course is to give the student a handle on the theoretical transformations of Greek philosophy up to the emergence of Christianity. As modern research has shown, it was the above philosophies, more than the classical philosophies of Plato and Aristotle, that had the most immediate influence on shaping the modern world. One can find these influences in fields as diverse as psychology, ethics, law, rhetoric, art, politics, religion, and even theories of environmental protection. Tracing the origins of these influences will appeal to students of philosophy, political science and history, religion, and art.

Instructor:

Kostas Kalimtzis