UNITS 2-3: CLASSICAL PHILOSOPHY/DRAMA

"I Think, Therefore I Am." ~ Descartes

Students will examine concepts such as truth, existence, reality, and reason as defined across the ages, from Classical to modern "lovers of wisdom," in our attempt to define our place in the universe.

 

Works Studied 

• “Body Ritual Among the Nacirema,” Horace Miner 

• “My American Glasses,” Francisco Ramirez

• “The Big Questions,” Robert Solomon

• "The Apology," Plato

• "The Allegory of the Cave," "Book VII" of Plato's Republic

• from Consolations of Philosophy, Alain de Botton

• from "Plato's forms, Plato

• from "Utlilitarianism," Mill

• from  "Fundamental Principles of Metaphysics and Morals," Kant

•  "Epicurean Ethics" and "Stoic Guidelines for Living"

• from "Philosophy: An Introduction to the Art of Wondering," James L. Christian

• Oedipus Rex: Full TEXT,  Full TEXT Kindle 

 

 

Additional Links:

• "The Apology," by Plato, notes: http://caae.phil.cmu.edu/Cavalier/80250/part2/ApologyAnalysis.html

• "The Allegory of the Cave," text: http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/republic.8.vii.html

• "The Allegory of the Cave," review: https://faculty.washington.edu/smcohen/320/cave.htm

• ​"The Allegory of the Cave," notes: http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Allegory_of_the_cave.html

• "Utopia," by Sir Thomas More, notes: http://www.bl.uk/learning/histcitizen/21cc/utopia/more1/moreutopia.html

 

Unit Vocabulary

 

Ethos                          Pathos                       Logos                   Argument                    Dialogue                       Speech   

Metaphysics               Epistemology             Ethics                   Political philosophy      Existentialism               Logic

Aesthetics                  Religious philosophy  Ontology               Phenomenology          Deductive Reasoning   Syllogism

Inductive Reasoning  Allegory                      Metaphor              Symbol                        Allusion                        Irony

Hyperbole                  Understatement          Satire

 

Research