Adv Greek: Philosophy

PREREQUISITE: CLASS-UA 10 OR FOUR YEARS IF SECONDARY SCHOOL GREEK.

The purpose of this course is simply to help students improve their Greek through a close reading of Plato’s Alcibiades (First Alcibiades, Alcibiades Major, Alcibiades I). Consisting of a debate between Socrates and the famous Athenian bad boy from whom it derives its title, the Alcibiades addresses the question of the relationship between political engagement and justice. The authenticity of this work’s attribution to Plato has been debated in the modern period, although it was deemed a significant part of the Platonic corpus in antiquity, even meriting the attention of several ancient commentators. In addition to Greek syntax and style topics discussed in the course will include Plato, his corpus, the historical Alcibiades, the arguments of the Alcibiades, the debate concerning the authenticity of the text, and its reception in antiquity and later.

Readings from the dialogues of Plato and the major philosophical works of Aristotle.