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Ancient Philosophy

What is philosophy? How does it differ from science, religion, and other modes of human discourse? This course traces the origins of philosophy in the Western tradition in the thinkers of Ancient Greece. We begin with the Presocratic natural philosophers who were active in Ionia in the 6th century BCE and are also credited with being the first scientists. Thales, Anaximander, and Anaximines made bold proposals about the ultimate constituents of reality, while Heraclitus insisted that there is an underlying order to the changing world. Parmenides of Elea formulated a powerful objection to all these proposals, while later Greek theorists (such as Anaxagoras and the atomist Democritus) attempted to answer that objection. In fifth-century Athens, Socrates insisted on the importance of the fundamental ethical question—“How shall I live?”—and his pupil, Plato, and Plato’s pupil, Aristotle, developed elaborate philosophical systems to explain the nature of reality, knowledge, and human happiness. After the death of Aristotle, in the Hellenistic period, Epicureans and Stoics developed and transformed that earlier tradition. We will study the major doctrines of all these thinkers. Part I will cover Plato and his predecessors. Part II will cover Aristotle and his successors.

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Rating 4.6★ based on 116 ratings
Length 6 weeks
Effort 5 weeks of study, 1-3 hours/week
Starts Nov 21 (18 weeks ago)
Cost $49
From University of Pennsylvania via Coursera
Instructor Susan Sauvé Meyer
Download Videos On all desktop and mobile devices
Language English
Subjects Humanities Art & Design
Tags History Arts And Humanities Philosophy

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What people are saying

susan sauvé meyer

En I very much liked the course, it has a good pace and the Professor, Susan Sauvé Meyer, does a great job in presenting the material.

Thanks to Prof. Susan Sauvé Meyer and the Coursera staff.

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ancient philosophy

It is relatively introductory-level but still I think that even someone who has studied Ancient Philosophy before can learn something from this.

In ancient philosophy you will learn who asked the 'big' questions.

This is a great introduction to Ancient philosophy for all of those who want to obtain more knowledge about the invaluable legacy of the Greek miracle !

I deeply recommend this course, which brought be excellent additional material in Ancient philosophy useful to every philosophy student but also to anyone who wants to acquire in depth general knowledge of the roots of our civilisation, the whole brilliantly taught in a rigorous and entertaining fashion !

great course ( part e of 2) A good starting point to ancient philosophy .

Both of the Ancient Philosophy courses, Plato and His Predecessors, and Aristotle and His Successors were excellent.

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professor meyer

Thank you Professor Meyer !

Professor Meyer gave exemplary lectures while explaining a variety of different philosophical schools.

May Professor Meyer live long and continue to teach!

The gold of Aristotle's classic has been expertly mined out and presented in a connoisseur way for the appreciation, which give this lecture its form, or in Aristotle's term, its soul to be alive.Professor Meyer rarely smiled, but when she did, she smiled very charmingly.

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knowledge about

Would have appreciated more time on Hellenistic Philosophy Meyer is a great teacher and I look forward to more courses by her if she continues to release them This is a great course because the great instructor shares her knowledge about Aristotle and his successors in a comprehensible and exciting manner.

An excellent start to get knowledge about the philosophy principle of the ancient thinkers.

lot about

learned a lot about the subject under the guidance of Professor Meyer that's otherwise hard to study independently Superb.

I have learned a lot about Aristotle and the following schools.

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Careers

An overview of related careers and their average salaries in the US. Bars indicate income percentile.

Professor of Philosophy Fellow $20k

Lecturer, Philosophy $44k

Professor of Philosophy 2 $54k

Graduate Instructor of Philosophy $55k

Adjunct Lecturer in Philosophy $59k

Philosophy $64k

Professor of Theology/Philosophy $86k

Senior Professor of Philosophy $90k

Professor of Philosophy Consultant $116k

Assitant Professor of Philosophy $121k

Associate Instructor of Philosophy $151k

President Professor of Philosophy $264k

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Rating 4.6★ based on 116 ratings
Length 6 weeks
Effort 5 weeks of study, 1-3 hours/week
Starts Nov 21 (18 weeks ago)
Cost $49
From University of Pennsylvania via Coursera
Instructor Susan Sauvé Meyer
Download Videos On all desktop and mobile devices
Language English
Subjects Humanities Art & Design
Tags History Arts And Humanities Philosophy

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