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Ancient Political Philosophy

Prerequisites

None

Synopsis of course content

The course will focus on five interrelated themes: agency and tragedy; violence power and morality; theory’s relationship to politics and as a practice; democratic politics and democratic culture, political speech and political silences.

Textbooks

• Homer, Iliad
• Aeschylus, The Oresteia
• Sophocles, Antigone
• Thucydides, History
• Plato, The Apology and Crito, The Republic, The Gorgias
• Aristotle, The Politics and selections from The Ethics

Other Online Resources

• Dept. of Political Science, Stanford University
• Stanford University Library Catalog
• The Complete Dialogues of Plato, Past Masters InteLex [Electronic Resource available only to Stanford affiliated users]

Term Papers

• Undergraduates - three 4-5 page essays
• Graduates - 20-25 page term paper

Grade to be based on

• 30% participation
• 70% essays

• 1. Homer’s Iliad

  We will begin our discussion of Ancient Political Philosophy with Homer’s epic poem about the Trojan War “The Iliad”.

  See another online edition of the Iliad at the Perseus Project at Tufts University.

  Homer, The English Works of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury; Now First Collected and Edited by Sir William Molesworth, Bart., (London: Bohn, 1839-45). 11 vols. Vol. 10. Chapter: HOMER’S ILIADS. TRANSLATED OUT OF GREEK by THOMAS HOBBES OF MALMESBURY.

  Accessed from oll.libertyfund.org/title/773/90072 on 2007-12-07

• 2. Aeschylus, Agamemenon

  We will be reading Aeschylus’s trilogy of plays known as “The Oresteia” beginning with “Agamemnon”.

  Aeschylus, The Lyrical Dramas of Aeschylus, translated into English Verse by John Stuart Blackie (London: J.M. Dent, 1906). Chapter: AGAMEMNON

  Accessed from oll.libertyfund.org/title/1039/107068 on 2007-12-07

• 3. Aeschylus, The Libation Bearers

  This is the 2nd play in Aeschylus’s trilogy of plays known as “The Oresteia”.

  Aeschylus, The Lyrical Dramas of Aeschylus, translated into English Verse by John Stuart Blackie (London: J.M. Dent, 1906). Chapter: CHOEPHORÆ OR, THE LIBATION-BEARERS A LYRICO-DRAMATIC SPECTACLE

  Accessed from oll.libertyfund.org/title/1039/107071 on 2007-12-07

• 4. Aeschylus, The Eumenides

  This is the 3rd play in Aeschylus’s trilogy of plays known as “The Oresteia”.

  Aeschylus, The Lyrical Dramas of Aeschylus, translated into English Verse by John Stuart Blackie (London: J.M. Dent, 1906). Chapter: THE EUMENIDES

  Accessed from oll.libertyfund.org/title/1039/107077 on 2007-12-07

• 5. Sophocles, Antigone

  This is the third play in the Oedipus trilogy.

  Sophocles, The Tradegies of Sophocles, translated into English prose by Sir Richard C. Jebb (Cambridge University Press, 1904). Chapter: ANTIGONE.

  Accessed from oll.libertyfund.org/title/1155/94542 on 2007-12-07

• 6. Thucydides, The History Part 1

  The first part of Thucydides’ history of the Peloponnesian Wars.

  Thucydides, The English Works of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury; Now First Collected and Edited by Sir William Molesworth, Bart., (London: Bohn, 1839-45). 11 vols. Vol. 8.

  Accessed from oll.libertyfund.org/title/771 on 2007-12-07

• 7. Thucydides, The History Part 2

  The second part of Thucydides’ history of the Peloponnesian Wars.

  Thucydides, The English Works of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury; Now First Collected and Edited by Sir William Molesworth, Bart., (London: Bohn, 1839-45). 11 vols. Vol. 9.

  Accessed from oll.libertyfund.org/title/772 on 2007-12-07

• 8. Plato’s Dialogues - The Apology

  We will read and discuss a number of Plato’s Dialogues, beginning with The Apology.

  Plato, The Dialogues of Plato translated into English with Analyses and Introductions by B. Jowett, M.A. in Five Volumes. 3rd edition revised and corrected (Oxford University Press, 1892). Chapter: APOLOGY.

  Accessed from oll.libertyfund.org/title/766/93694 on 2007-12-07

• 9. Plato’s Dialogues - Crito

  Read the Dialogue known as “Crito”.

  Plato, The Dialogues of Plato translated into English with Analyses and Introductions by B. Jowett, M.A. in Five Volumes. 3rd edition revised and corrected (Oxford University Press, 1892). Chapter: CRITO.

  Accessed from oll.libertyfund.org/title/766/93697 on 2007-12-07

• 10. Plato’s Dialogues - The Gorgias

  Read the Dialogue known as “The Gorgias”.

  Plato, The Dialogues of Plato translated into English with Analyses and Introductions by B. Jowett, M.A. in Five Volumes. 3rd edition revised and corrected (Oxford University Press, 1892). Chapter: GORGIAS.

  Accessed from oll.libertyfund.org/title/766/93703 on 2007-12-07

• 11. Plato’s Republic

  Read Plato’s most extended discussion of politics - “The Republic”.

  Plato, The Dialogues of Plato translated into English with Analyses and Introductions by B. Jowett, M.A. in Five Volumes. 3rd edition revised and corrected (Oxford University Press, 1892). Chapter: THE REPUBLIC.

  Accessed from oll.libertyfund.org/title/767/93795 on 2007-12-07

• 12. Aristotle, The Politics

  Read Aristotle’s most extended discussion of politics - “The Politics”.

  Aristotle, The Politics of Aristotle, trans. into English with introduction, marginal analysis, essays, notes and indices by B. Jowett. Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1885. 2 vols. Vol. 1.

  Accessed from oll.libertyfund.org/title/579 on 2007-12-07

• 13. Aristotle, Ethics

  Read selections from The Ethics.

  Aristotle, The Nichomachean Ethics of Aristotle, trans. F.H. Peters, M.A. 5th edition (London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Truebner & Co., 1893).

  Accessed from oll.libertyfund.org/title/903 on 2007-12-07