Michael Dickson
1:00-3:30 pm
Monday
GB107

This course is an introduction to some aspects of ancient and
medieval philosophy that might plausibly be called, in today’s
terms ‘philosophy of science’.  We will begin with the Pre-Socratic
philosophers, including Parmenides, Heraclitus, Pythagoras, and
Empedocles.  We will then consider Plato, focusing on the Timaeus.
When we come to Aristotle, we will read the Physics, the Posterior
Analytics, and parts of the Metaphysics, concerning ourselves not
only with Aristotle’s scientific epistemology, but also with his
conception of the natural world.  Indeed, these two aspects of
Aristotle’s thought can hardly be discussed independently of one
another.  We will also consider some authors outside of the physical
sciences.  In particular, we will read three works by Galen, and
perhaps ( time permitting) some excerpts from later commentaries on
Galen.  Next we will consider Hellenistic schools of philosophy,
especially the Stoics, Epicureans, and Skeptics.  We will again be
interested in scientific epistemology, but also in the role that
science played in the larger philosophical systems of these
schools.  From the medieval period, we will discuss topics such as;
the transmission of Aristotle to the medieval period, the problem of
universals, medieval hylomorphism, theories of knowledge of created
being, and the relation of God to nature.  We will discuss figures
such as: Augustine, Boethius, Abelard, Hugh of St. Victor, Anselm,
William of Auvergne, Albert the Great, Aquinas, Scotus and Ockham.
This course assumes no prior knowledge of ancient or medieval
philosophy, nor of Latin or Greek.  However, students will be
expected to become familiar with some key terms in Latin and Greek.