In Ancient Philosophy, a seven-hour course, Dr. Orr takes us on an exploration of the rich history of ancient Greek thought, beginning with the foundational ideas of the Ionian and Eleatic schools and voyaging through the transformative philosophies of Plato and Aristotle. The course also examines the emergence of Stoicism and Epicureanism during the Hellenistic period, emphasizing their distinct approaches to ethics, nature, and the human condition. Throughout the course, we trace the evolution of pivotal concepts in metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics that have shaped Western thought for millennia, underscoring the enduring relevance and transformative power of ancient Greek philosophy in modern times.
In our introductory lecture, Dr. Orr takes us on an exploration into the origins of Western philosophy by examining the ideas of the Ionian school, including Thales, Anaximander, …
In lecture two, we discover the Eleatic school of thought, which emerged in Elea on the western coast of Italy, and its focus on the concept of Being as opposed to the world of Be…
In lecture three, we study the philosophy of Plato, focusing on his dialogues and the emergence of his metaphysical and epistemological ideas. Dr. Orr traces the historical and in…
In lecture four, we consider the life and philosophy of Aristotle of Stagira, a pupil of Plato who rose from the fringes of the Greek world to transform civilization at its center…
In lecture five, we see the emergence and key ideas of Stoicism, an influential philosophical school founded by Zeno of Citium in Athens around 300 BC. The lecture traces the hist…
In our sixth and final lecture, we analyze the philosophy of Epicurus, who developed a materialist metaphysics based on the idea that all reality is reducible to indivisible atoms…
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