History of Western Philosophy I

PHI-2040 - Course Outlines

Dr. Tze-wan Kwan

   Philosophy Department, Chinese University of Hong Kong

  1. Greek religion and Greek drama before the daybreak of Greek philosophy
    1. Religious life of the Greeks
      1. The mythical tradition: myth or reality?
      2. The Greek notion of gods: religion or "irreligion"?
      3. Xenophanes' and Jakob Burkhardt's perception of Greek deities
      4. hybris (ubriV); nomizein (nomizein) vs. asebeia (asebeia)
    2. Greek tragedy
      1. Religious origin and historical development
      2. Examples of tragic themes:
        1. The legend of Niobe
        2. Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound
      3. Aristotle on tragedy
      4. Tragedy in relation to comedy
        - excursus: Umberto Eco's The Name of a Rose
    3. Transition into the age of intellectual understanding -
      1. Nietzsche on the birth and death of Greek tragedy
      2. Lucretius' dictum

  2. The Miletus (MilhsioV) School
    1. Thales (*640/625? BC Miletus, †548/545? BC)
      1. From cosmogony to cosmology
      2. The concept of arche (arch) and its manifold meaning
      3. Thales' cosmology
    2. Anaximander (*~611 BC Miletus, †~545 BC)
      1. The concept apeiron (apeiron)
      2. The threefoldness of the Anaximander fragment
      3. Critical assessment - Nietzsche and Heidegger
    3. Anaximenes (*~585 BC Miletus, †~525 BC) (flourished ~546 BC)
      1. The concept of aera (aera)
      2. Anaximenes' cosmology

  3. The Pythagorean tradition
    1. Some general remarks of the school: The Orphic religion
    2. Pythagoras' (*~580 BC Samos, †~500 BC) (flourished 532 BC - 529 BC) philosophical doctrines
      1. Cosmology
        1. 10 pairs of opposites
        2. air as primary stuff
        3. shape of the earth
      2. concept of catharsis (kaJarsiV)
      3. The doctrine of three lifes
      4. Doctrine of transmigration and reminiscence
      5. Concept of harmony (armonia)
      6. Mathematical doctrines
        1. Theory of numbers (ariJmoV)
        2. Tetraktys as principle of the universe
        3. "Pythagoras Theorem"
        4. Irrational numbers and Pythagoreanism facing challenges
    3. Pythagoras' impact on western civilization

  4. Heraclitus (*~544 BC Ephesos, †~483 BC)(flourished 504 BC - 501 BC)
    1. A brief sketch of Heraclitus' life - Heraclitus the Obscure (o skoteinoV)
    2. Philosophical doctrines
      1. The concept of change (kinhsiV)
      2. Doctrine of retribution
      3. harmonia (armonia) and strive (polemoV)
      4. Concept of cosmic play: transgression of personal gain and loss
      5. Concept of logos (LogoV) : "One is All" (en panta)
      6. Man's place in nature: concept of homologein (omologein)
      7. Heraclitus' cosmology
    3. The impact of Heraclitean philosophy

  5. The Eleatic tradition
    1. The Ionian vs the Eleatic tradition
    2. Parmenides (*540 BC Elea, †~480 BC)
      1. The doctrine of Being (to on, einai)
      2. The way of truth (alhJeia) and the way of opinion (doxa)
      3. Namegiving (onomazein) and the role of language
    3. Zeno of Elea (*~490 BC Elea, †~430 BC)
      1. Zeno as diciple of Parmenides
      2. Zeno's paradoxes
    4. The influence of eleatism on Western philosophy

  6. Empedocles and Anaxagoras:
    1. Further development of Ionian philosophy
    2. Empedocles (*483/482 BC Akragas, †424/423 BC Peloponnes)
      1. The concept of elements (stoiceia)
      2. Love (filia) and hate (neikoV)
      3. Concept of cycle (kuklon)
      4. Empedocles on life and death
        - excursus: Friedrich Hölderlin's Der Tod des Empedokles
    3. Anaxagoras (*500 BC Klazomenai/Asia Minor, †428 BC Lampsakos?)
      1. Confrontation with Parmenides
      2. mind (nouV) and matter (spermata)
      3. Anaxagoras' dualism compared with Cartesian dualism

  7. Democritus (*460 BC Abdera/Thrace, †371 BC Abdera/Thrace)
    1. The problem of Democritus
    2. Philosophical doctrines
      1. The concepts of atom (atomoV) and void (kenon)
      2. Physical doctrine
      3. Theory of soul and knowledge
      4. Morality and conduct
    3. Critical assessment
      1. chance (tuch) vs. art (tecnh)
      2. Is a mechanistic worldview sustainable?
        - excursus: Christoph Martin Wieland's Geschichte der Abderiten
        - excursus: D. Coornhert's engraving: "Democritus and Heraclitus" (1557)
        - excursus: Karl Marx' Dissertation

  8. The Sophists
    1. Historical background
    2. Main tenets of the Sophistic movement
      1. scepticism
      2. relativism
      3. professionalism
      4. "universalism"
    3. Contribution and influence

  9. Socrates (*469 BC Athens, †399 BC Athens)
    1. Socrates as teacher
    2. Major doctrines
      1. General (universal) definition
      2. Inductive arguement
      3. Socratic dialectics (elenchos)
      4. Immortality of the soul
      5. Cocept of love (eroV)
      6. Virtue is knowledge
      7. Virtue vs crafts
    3. Critical assessment
      - excursus: Raphael's "School of Athens"

  10. Plato (*427 BC Athens, †347 BC Athens)
    1. A brief sketch of Plato's life and work
    2. Major influences upon Plato's philosophical development (E.Zeller)
    3. Philosophical doctrines
      1. The doctrine of ideas (eidoV)
        1. imitation (mimhsiV) and participation (meJexiV)
        2. Simile of the line (Republic)
        3. Parable of the cave (Republic)
      2. Doctrine of the soul
        1. Immortality of the soul (Phaedo)
        2. Tripartition of the soul (Republic)
        3. The role of love (eroV) (Symposium, Phaedrus)
      3. Political philosophy (Republic)
      4. Later cosmological position (Timaeus)
    4. Plato's influence

  11. Aristotle (*384/383 BC Stageira, †322/321 BC Chalkis)
    1. A brief sketch of Aristotle's life
    2. Problems and challenges
    3. Aristotle's critique of Parmenides: the concept of not-being (mh on)
    4. Aristotle's critique of Plato:
    5. Philosophical doctrines
      1. The doctrine of categories (kathgoria)
      2. The concept of substance (ousia)
      3. The doctrine of four causes (aitia)
      4. Natural entities (fusei onta) and artifacts (tecnei onta)
      5. dunamiV and energeia
      6. Aristotle's doctrine of the soul (yuch)
      7. The concept of choice (proairesiV)
      8. Aristotle's theory of tragedy (Poetics)
    6. Aristotle's influence on posterity

  12. Post-classical philosophy
    1. Cynics
    2. Cyrenics
    3. Epicureanism
    4. Stoicism
    5. Neo-Platonism
    6. Hypatia and the end of Ancient philosophy

  13. St. Augustine (*354 Thagaste, †430 Hippo)
    1. A brief sketch of Augustine's life
    2. Philosophical doctrines
      1. creatio ex nihilo
      2. Good and evil, and the order of nature
      3. Primacy of the will, arbitrium liberum
      4. On Christian love, caritas
      5. Pre-destination
      6. Doctrine of illumination
      7. Philosophy of history (City of God)
    3. Augustine's influence
      - excursus: Jostein Gaarder's Vita Brevis: A Letter to St. Augustine
      - excursus: St. Augustine versus Palagius

  14. St. Thomas of Aquinas (*1225/6 Aquino near Naples, †1274 Rome)
    1. A brief sketch of Aquinas' life
    2. Philosophical doctrines
      1. Theory of human knowledge
      2. Principium individuationis
      3. Primary and secondary substances
      4. Theory of universals
      5. Act and potency
      6. Doctrine of the soul
      7. Problem of will
      8. Proof of the existence of God
      9. Analogia entis
    3. Conclusion and appraisal

  15. Final Summary - Recapitulation of some philosophical issues underlying the history of western philosophy

Bibliographies:

  1. Text for History of Western Philosophy

    1. Walter Kaufmann and Forrest E. Baird (ed.), Philosophic Classics, in 4 volumes. (Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, 1994)
    2. Frederick Copleston. S.J., A History of Philosophy, in eight volumes. (New York: Image Books, 1964)
    3. Wilhelm Windelband, History of Philosophy : with especial reference to the formation and development of its problems and conceptions. (Lehrbuch der Geschichte der Philosophie). (New York: Dover, 1905)
    4. Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy and its Connection with Political and Social Circumstances from the Earliest Times to the Present Day. (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1946, 1961)
    5. François Châtelet, (ed.) Geschichte der Philosophie (Histoire de la philosophie). Translated into German. (Frankfurt/Main: Ullstein, 1974)
    6. Eduard Zeller, Grundriss der Geschichte der griechischen Philosophie. English. Outlines of the history of Greek philosophy. 13th ed., rev. by Wilhelm Nestle and translated by L. R. Palmer. (New York : Meridian Books, 1955)
    7. Julian Marias, History of Philosophy. transl. from the Spanish by Stanley Appelbaum and Clarence C. Strowbridge, (New York: Dover, 1967).
    8. Geschichte der Philosophie in Text und Darstellung, hrsg. von Rüdiger Bubner, 8 Bände, (Stuttgart: Reclam, 1995).
    9. Geschichte der Philosophie. Darstellungen, Handbücher, Lexika, ausgewählt von Mathias Bertram. Digitale Bibliothek Band 3, (Berlin: Directmedia, 1998)

  2. Other related references

    1. Hermann Diels und Walther Kranz, Die Fragmente der Vorsokratiker. 3 Bände. (Zürich/Holdesheim: Weidmann, 1989-1990). Nachdruck der 6.Auflage von 1951-52. The monumental Diels-Kranz edition has been partially translated into English by Kathleen Freeman. See her Ancilla to the Pre-Socratic Philosophers. (Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1962).
    2. Jaap Mansfeld, Die Vorsokratiker, (Griechisch/Deutsch). Zwei Bände, (Stuttgart: Reeclam, 1983-1986).
    3. Walther Kranz, Die griechische Philosophie. Zugleich eine Einführung in die Philosophie überhaupt. (Birsfelden-Basel: Verlag Schibli-Doppler, 1955)
    4. Walther Kranz, Geschichte der griechische Literatur. (Birsfelden-Basel: Verlag Schibli-Doppler, 1960)
    5. Oskar Becker, "Die Aktualität des pythagoreischen Gedankens", in: Dasein und Dawesen. Gesammelte philosophische Aufsätze. (Pfullingen: Neske, 1963). pp. 127-156.
    6. Heinz Heimsoeth, Die sechs großen Themen der abendländischen Metaphysik. (Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, 1981)
    7. Eugen Fink, Nachdenkliches zur ontologischen Frühgeschichte von Raum-Zeit-Bewegung. (Den Haag: Martinus Nijhoff, 1957)
    8. Ernst Bloch, Zwischenwelten in der Philosophiegeschichte. (Stuttgart: Suhrkamp, 1977)
    9. Joachim Ritter und Karlfried Gründer (ed.), Historisches Wörterbuch der Philosophie. (Basel: Schwabe, 1985)
    10. Friedrich Nietzsche, Philosophy in the Tragic Age of the Greeks. Transl. by Marianne Cowan. (Chicago: Regnery, 1962).
    11. Jakob Burkhardt, Griechische Kulturgeschichte. 4 Bände. 2. Auflage, (München, dtv, 1982).
    12. Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Emminent Philosophers.English translation by R. D. Hicks. (Cambridge : Harvard University Ptess, 1965).
    13. F. M. Cornford, Greek Religiuous Thought from Homer to the Age of Alexander. (New York: AMS Press, 1969).
    14. John Burnet, Greek Philosophy : Thales to Plato. (London : Macmillan, 1964).
    15. Werner Jaeger, The Theology of the Early Greek Philosophers. The Gifford Lectures 1936. (Oxford: OUP, 1947,1967)
    16. Chen, Chung-hwan, Sophia: The Science Aristotle Sought. (New York/Hildesheim: Georg Olms Verlag, 1976).
    17. Bruno Snell, The Discovery of the Mind. The Greek Origins of European Thought. Translated by T. G. Rosenmeyer. (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1953).
    18. F. E. Peters, Greek Philosophical Terms. A Historical Lexicon. (New York: NYU Press, 1967)
    19. Wilhelm Weischedel, Die philosophische Hintertreppe. 5th ed. Munich: DTV, 1979.

Please note that, for a thorough understanding of the history of philosophy, students are always encouraged to go through the original texts of the respective philosophers as much as possible. For more detail information please look up the Philosophy Page of the RIH Web Site.
Of particular interest is our Kant Page, now featuring Norman Kemp Smith's translation of the Critique of Pure Reason (with an online searchable index). Similar text tools will be introduced in the future.
The RIH server is also keeping a host of images related to the history of philosophy. Please look up our Image Archive if interested.

Page last updated on October 28, 1998 by Tze-wan Kwan.
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