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Study philosophy: ancient, medieval, modern
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Module 2
The Pre-Socratics: The Birth of Rational Inquiry
1
From Myth to Reason: The Dawn of Philosophy
Explain the significance of the shift from mythological to rational explanation, including the character of pre-philosophical mythological accounts of nature.
Explain the significance of the shift from mythological to rational explanation, including the character of pre-philosophical mythological accounts of nature.
2
Thales and Anaximander: Early Concepts of the Arche
Explain Thales' and Anaximander's proposals for the fundamental substance (arche) of nature.
Explain Thales' and Anaximander's proposals for the fundamental substance (arche) of nature.
3
Heraclitus: Flux, Logos, and Fragments
Analyze Heraclitus' doctrine of flux and the role of logos using his fragments.
Analyze Heraclitus' doctrine of flux and the role of logos using his fragments.
4
Parmenides: The Illusion of Change
Reconstruct Parmenides' argument that change is impossible from his poem 'On Nature'.
Reconstruct Parmenides' argument that change is impossible from his poem 'On Nature'.
5
Zeno's Paradoxes: Defending Parmenides' Monism
Explain Zeno's paradoxes as defenses of Parmenides' position.
Explain Zeno's paradoxes as defenses of Parmenides' position.
6
Democritus' Atomism: Atoms and the Void
Explain the core tenets of Democritus' atomism, including the concepts of atoms and the void.
Explain the core tenets of Democritus' atomism, including the concepts of atoms and the void.
7
Democritus' Atomism vs. Pre-Socratic Cosmologies
Compare and contrast Democritus' atomism with the cosmologies of earlier Pre-Socratics.
Compare and contrast Democritus' atomism with the cosmologies of earlier Pre-Socratics.
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Foundations of Philosophical Reading and Reasoning
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Socrates and Plato's Early Dialogues