History of Philosophy: Unresolved Issues

Course Objective
During this course, students
1. acquire or deepen their knowledge of the key notions and strands of
Platonism by means of reading and commenting on different texts from
that tradition, including texts criticizing its main tenets.
Students also train
2. critical reading of complex philosophical argumentations
3. historically and theoretically contextualizing philosophical debates
4. presenting,
5. writing, and
6. discussing

Course Content
What is Platonism? And how does it develop, in late antiquity, into what
we call Neoplatonism? What is Aristotle's role in that development?
In this course we will read (passages from) dialogues that were at the
heart of the development of Platonism, such as the Timaeus and the
Parmenides, Aristotle's criticism of the Forms, e.g. in the Metaphysics,
Plotinus' elaboration of the Platonic foundation into what are now
called the three hypostases, as beautifully laid out in Enneads V.1, and
Proclus' further systematization, as presented most emphatically in the
Elements of Theology. From a thematic point of view, we will focus on
the debates around the ontology and epistemology of the Forms: what are
the Forms in Plato and what is dialectic, as the method used to acquire
knowledge of the Forms; what are the details of Aristotle's objections
to this theory; how and to what extent does the early Neoplatonic
revision as found in Plotinus resolve Aristotle's criticism, and
incorporate Peripatetic elements; what are the assumptions underlying
the further differentiations introduced by Proclus in his metaphysics
and epistemology?

Teaching Methods
Interactive lectures
Method of Assessment
There will be preparatory assignments for each class. These assignments
will not be graded, but they are required for completing the course.
The final grade is based on two essays and an oral discussion of the
essays (40% for each essay, and 20% for the discussion).

Literature
Capita selecta from Plato, Aristotle, Plotinus, and Proclus, in English
translations. Details and some material will be made available on Canvas
at least two weeks before the start of the course.

Target Audience
This course is primarily intended for second and third year Philosophy
bachelor students. Other interested students: contact the teachers
before enrolling.

Recommended background knowledge
BA Philosophy Introduction to Ancient Philosophy is highly recommended.
Students who did not complete this course but would like to attend "The
many forms of ancient Platonism" will need to contact the teacher before
enrolling.