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.
Ancient Philosophy: Aristotle and His Successors
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Ancient Philosophy: Aristotle and His Successors
About this Course
Learner Career Outcomes
50%
Learner Career Outcomes
50%
Shareable Certificate
100% online
Flexible deadlines
Approx. 15 hours to complete
English
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Aristotle’s Categories
Aristotle’s anti-Platonic metaphysics: the ultimate realities are ordinary objects of our experience, like people and animals. Each of these is a substances, the most fundamental type of being.
Aristotle's Natural Philosophy
Natural substances have matter and form, and natural processes are goal-directed. Every living thing, plants and animals included, has a soul that moves it.
Aristotle's Ethics
The motion of the universe is eternal and its cause is an eternal unmoved mover, Aristotle’s god. Our goal in life is to achieve happiness, which comes in two varieties: the human happiness we achieve by exercising the virtues of character, and the godlike happiness we achieve when we grasp eternal truths.
Epicureanism
Epicureans return to the atomism of Democritus, and find no purpose in nature. Philosophy is a therapeutic practice that removes fear and anxiety and provides us with the tranquility (ataraxia) of the gods.
Reviews
4.8
TOP REVIEWS FROM ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY: ARISTOTLE AND HIS SUCCESSORS
Excellent course, Pr. Sauvé-Meyer keeps the material very engaging, and makes it very clear and easily accessible. Knowing how difficult the original texts are sometimes, this is very valuable.
This is an excellent course! The professor is well-timed and the resource material well-selected. In-depth treatment of Aristotle, the Stoics, and the Epicureans. Highly recommended.
Very much enjoyed this course. Some areas were a review but in others I was able to gain a great deal of new insight into the philosophies that were covered. Many Thanks!
Absolutely amazing course. Very excellent teacher. She is eloquent, knowledgable and effective at teaching. The only sad part is that she only has 2 courses on Coursera.
Beautifully organized, this is a phenomenal tour through Aristotle's main ideas. Dr. Meyer is an expert on Aristotle, and this course is excellent for that reason!
Excellent lectures by Prof Susan Meyer. The only grouse I had was that no-one else seemed actively to be doing the course. And there were no replies by mentors.
Formatted like the the preceding course. This one goes in depth with the later philosophers. The lectures are very detailed and in-video quizzes are engaging.
Loved every minute of it! A big thank you to professor Susan Sauve Meyer - it was beautiful experience, I wish the course would be intimately wider.
This is a great course because the great instructor shares her knowledge about Aristotle and his successors in a comprehensible and exciting manner.
I honestly looked forward to this class at the end of each work day. Modest course work and excellent lectures and discussion exercises.
A very good introductory course\n\nThe content is sufficient but the questions inside the videos(and not only) are really childish.
Excellent overview of Aristotle, the Epicureans, and Stoics. The ideas were clearly expressed in a way that makes learning easier.
This was an enjoyable course. The professor through her explanations made what could be difficult concepts understandable and fun.
I enjoyed the course and treatment by the Professor. I learned a lot about this important period in philosophy. Thank you.
Very good basic introduction to the philosophers and their ideas. Very succinct while staying true to the content!
learned a lot about the subject under the guidance of Professor Meyer that's otherwise hard to study independently
Very well presented and simply fantastic in its making complicated philosophy a lot simple. Thanks for it!
I loved this course, the Professor is thoughtful and insightful. It was a treat to take this course!
Meyer is a great teacher and I look forward to more courses by her if she continues to release them
Very good professor. She explains everything clearly and is really enthusiastic about the topic.
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Once you enroll for a Certificate, you’ll have access to all videos, quizzes, and programming assignments (if applicable). Peer review assignments can only be submitted and reviewed once your session has begun. If you choose to explore the course without purchasing, you may not be able to access certain assignments.
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