Module PHIL2161: Ancient Philosophies West and East

Department: Philosophy

PHIL2161: Ancient Philosophies West and East

Prerequisites

• Either Early Greek Philosophy (CLAS1101) OR Classical Theories of Soul (CLAS1531) OR Ancient Philosophers on Memory and Recollection (CLAS1751) OR [Knowledge and Reality (PHIL1021) AND Introduction to Logic (PHIL1031) OR Reading Philosophy (PHIL1041)] OR other appropriate evidence.

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• To promote the study of ancient philosophy in the Philosophy and Classics Departments:
• To look beyond the Western tradition by introducing the study of ancient Eastern thought into the curriculum.
• To acquaint students with key philosophical concepts from the philosophical traditions of Ancient Greece and Ancient India and to develop an understanding of their similarities and differences.
• To promote the learning and understanding of ancient philosophy in accordance with the general aims of the relevant Degree Programmes.
• To introduce students who have studied philosophy at Level 1 to new and more challenging philosophical topics, texts and concepts, and thereby to develop the range of their knowledge, and the depth of their analytical skills, to a level appropriate for progression to Level 3.

Content

• Epistemological debate lay at the heart of the philosophical traditions in both Eastern and Western thought. This course exploits that shared interest in our own cognitive access to the world we inhabit to introduce students to both traditions in a way which will encourage them to think afresh about each.
• The syllabus for Michaelmas Term will concentrate on early Greek philosophy, tracing the question of what we can know from Democritus (who gives us what is arguably the first clear articulation of a sceptical position clearly related to reflection on the mechanics of experience), through Pyrrho (of particular interest in this context, since ancient sources claim that he visited India with Alexander the Great and learnt from ‘gymnosophists’ he encountered there), Plato (who grounds his dogmatism in the idea of transcendent cognition), and the sceptical strategies of his school (the Academy) in the Hellenistic period.
• After covering some general methodological issues in the study of Ancient Indian philosophy the syllabus for Epiphany will begin by discussing one of the most influential systems of epistemological thought in Classical India, Nyāya-VaiÅ›esika. Its debate with one of the early systems of Buddhist epistemology in the Madhyamaka school will be explored in detail. The discussion continues by examining the epistemological theories of the Bhātta MÄ«māmsā before concluding with an introduction to two central thinkers essential to later epistemological theorising in Buddhist thought, Dignāga and DharmakÄ«rti.
• The seminars in the Easter term will be dedicated to discussing the similarities and differences between the two traditions.
• No knowledge of Classical or Asian languages is required; all texts will be read in English translation.

Learning Outcomes

• By the end of the module students will have knowledge and understanding of key concepts of Ancient Greek and Indian philosophy and the ways they are related to one another.
• for an understanding of Greek epistemology from the fifth to the first centuries BC
• the range of different epistemological positions adopted by different thinkers and schools in Greek antiquity, and some of the main arguments adduced for each;

• the ability to uses textual evidence to develop plausible accounts of particular theoretical positions in their full historical and polemical context
• an ability to engage critically with the full range of evidence, fragments as well as complete texts, partisan as well as polemical reports, in reconstructing individual philosophical positions
• confidence in handling and deploying basic philosophical concepts covering the fields of, especially, epistemology and ancient philosophy.
• correctly utilize specialist vocabulary
• grasp, analyse, evaluate and deploy subject-specific arguments
• locate, understand, assess, and utilise relevant philosophical (and, where appropriate, historical) sources

• Capacity for self-motivated work, and for working with other people in tackling particular analytical tasks and research projects.
• The ability to present a well-researched, well-articulated, and well-balanced account of the evidence for a particular topic, which takes the views of other commentators into account.
• The ability to read philosophical texts of a wide range of styles with confidence, and the capacity to identify and engage critically with arguments set out in them.
• The ability to reconstruct a plausible line of thought from evidence that is imperfect, biased, or indirect.
• An independence of mind which is strengthened, not compromised, by the sympathetic understanding of alternative points of view.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• structured teaching within seminars delivers basic module-specific information and provides a framework for further study. Seminars provide the opportunity for students to debate different opinions about theories and questions under investigation
• Guided reading provides a structure within which students can exercise and extend their abilities to make use of available learning resources.
• The formative essays provide the opportunity for students to test and extend their knowledge and understanding of module content, and to develop their ability to present and defent relevant arguments and theories using available resources, uninhibited by the need for summative assessment.
• The unseen 3 hour examination tests knowledge and understanding of the course material, and the ability to identify and explain judgements regarding the merits and weaknesses of the theories discussed.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Two formative essays, one due at the end of Michaelmas, one at the end of Epiphany.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University