Ancient and Medieval Philosophy

Course Description
This course provides an overview of the history of philosophy from Antiquity up to and including the Renaissance.
The course unit comprises two components: A. Ancient philosophy, and B. Medieval and Renaissance philosophy.
Part A starts with a sketch of the origins of philosophy in presocratic thought and then focuses on Socrates, Plato and
Aristotle. Part B will start with Augustines synthesis of Ancient and Christian thought, and will cover major medieval
thinkers such as Thomas Aquinas and William of Ockham, as well as the rise of humanism in the Renaissance.
Organization
Lectures take place on Thursdays and Fridays from 09:00 to 11:00 in room Omega of the Faculty of Philosophy. Lectures
are followed by seminars in rooms Omega, Beta, and Gamma, between 11:00 and 13:00.
Teachers
Dr Tamer Nawar

(T.Nawar@rug.nl)

Dr Han Thomas Adriaenssen

(H.T.Adriaenssen@rug.nl)

Teaching Assistants
Mark Rensema

(M.Rensema.1@student.rug.nl)

Derek van Zoonen

(D.H.C.van.Zoonen@student.rug.nl)

Literature
1. Anthony Kenny, An Illustrated Brief History of Western Philosophy (Wiley-Blackwell, London 2008)
2. Syllabus History of Philosophy 1. Ancient and Medieval Philosophy
Examination
The final mark for this course is based upon three partial exams: a written exam on Part A, a written exam on Part B, and
a short essay on a Medieval philosopher.
The two written exams each account for 40% of the final mark. The short essay accounts for the remaining 20%.
For successful completion of the course, the following conditions need to be met:
i.
ii.

The minimum score on each of the partial exams needs to be at least 5.

The average of the three partial exams needs to be 5.5 or higher.

If one of these conditions is not met, students can take a resit for those units on which they scored less than 5.5.
Participation in at least 5 out of the 7 seminars of Part A and 5 out of the 7 seminars of Part B is a requirement for
admission to the written exams. Students who fail to meet this requirement need to contact Dr Tamer Nawar (for part A)
or Dr Han Thomas Adriaenssen (for part B). Students who miss more than 5 seminars but still want to be admitted to the
exams need to direct a to the board of examiners by contacting Dr Jan Albert van Laar (J.A.van.Laar@rug.nl).
Language
Lectures and seminars by Dr Nawar, and the exam on part A, will be in English.

Learning Outcomes
At the end of the course, students will
1. have acquired a historical overview of philosophical thought from Antiquity to the Renaissance,
2. be able to distill central arguments from primary texts from Ancient, Medieval, and Renaissance thinkers,
3. be able to offer critical reflection on and evaluation of these arguments.
At the end of Part A, students will be able to
1. read the early Greek philosophers in context, reconstruct and evaluate the views of Heraclitus and Parmenides
2. outline Socrates criteria of definition and evaluate the central arguments of the Euthyphro and Meno
3. reconstruct and evaluate Platos arguments for the immortality of the soul and recollection in the Phaedo
4. reconstruct and evaluate Platos central arguments concerning knowledge and belief in the Republic
5. understand Aristotles account of change, matter, and causation
6. reconstruct and evaluate Aristotles arguments concerning happiness, human function, and virtue
7. reconstruct and evaluate Stoic views concerning determinism and moral responsibility
8. understand the motivation of Pyrrhonian scepticism and explain how the Five Modes of Agrippa function
At the end of Part B, students will be able to
1. Reconstruct and evaluate Boethiuss arguments for the compatibility of divine foreknowledge and free will,
2. reconstruct and evaluate Anselm of Canterburys proof of Gods existence,
3. describe Thomas Aquinass hylomorphic account of the relation between body and soul,
4. outline Aquinass theory of abstraction and compare it with the Augustinian theory of illumination,
5. explain the difference between realism and nominalism and discuss problems for both,
6. explain how Ockham sees the relation between spoken, written, and mental language,

7. characterize and contextualize Montaignes scepticism.

Reading Schedule
Part A
Primary text
No seminar

Kenny

3 Sept.

Topic
Ancient Philosophy

4 Sept.

Presocratics

A1

Chapter I (especially

10 Sept.

Socrates

A2

6-14, 17-20)
Chapter II (esp. 21-31)

11 Sept.

Plato I

A3

Chapter III (esp. 31-44)

17 Sept.

Plato II

A4

Chapter III (esp. 44-54)

18 Sept.

Aristotle I

A5

Chapter IV (esp. 77
90)

24 Sept.

Aristotle II

25 Sept.

Hellenistic philosophy

1 Oct.
2 Oct.

Written Exam Part A

A6

Chapter IV (61-3, 68-

A7 and A8

75)
Chapter V (esp. 93-99)

Part B

8 Oct.
9 Oct.
15 Oct.
16 Oct.
22 Oct.
23 Oct.
28 Oct.
29 Oct.
5 Nov.
6 Nov.

Topic
Medieval Philosophy
Augustine.

Primary texts
No seminar
B1

Boethius
Anselm
Aquinas I
Aquinas II
Ockham
Montaigne

B2
B3-5
B6
B7
B8-9
B10

Written exam part B

Deadline short essay: 30 October.

Kenny
Chapter VI

Chapter VII
Chapter VIII
Chapter IX
Chapter X