Ancient Philosophy (Advanced Studies)

Teacher(s)

Destrée Pierre; Machek David (compensates Destrée Pierre);

Language

French

Prerequisites

The course assumes a basic knowledge of the history of ancient philosophy.
Knowledge of Latin and Greek, while very useful, is not essential.

Main themes

The course in the history of ancient philosophy will seek to deepen the knowledge of the period concerned, starting with a given theme or corpus. The course will pay particular attention to the genesis and development of the chosen subject and, based on up-to-date research, will attempt to shed light on this subject and to advance the questions related to it.
The historical scope of this course ranges from Early Antiquity to Late Antiquity.
The course will focus on bodies of work and problems from the Greek and Roman traditions of thought, both comparatively and otherwise.
The systematic field will not be restrictive, since the course may focus simultaneously or alternatively on problems of theoretical or practical philosophy.
Particular attention will be paid to research tools and translation issues.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	enhanced skill of close-reading of a primary philosophical text
2	capacity to formulate and develop original and pertinent philosophical questions
3	good understanding of the Stoic ethics in its cultural and historical context, as well as of ancient ethics more broadly considered

Content

This year, the course will be dedicated to Plato's dialogue Crito. In the course of the semester, we shall read the entire dialogue, section by section. Close readings of the primary text will be supplemented by reading and discussion of selected works of secondary literature. The course will be dispensed in English. 

Teaching methods

Seminars

Evaluation methods

The final note will be composed of the
1) note for attendence and active participation (20%)
2) note for in-class presentation (30%)
3) note for final in-class exam (the last December session) (50%) 

Online resources

All required readings will be available on Moodle.

Teaching materials

• Inwood, B. Plato's Crito. Cambridge University Press, 2026.

Faculty or entity

> EFIL