Readings in Ancient Philosophy (Philebus)

This seminar is a close examination of the multiple interactions of dialectical philosophy, the divine method, cosmology, knowledge, pleasure and the good in Plato’s Philebus. This late period dialogue focuses on the one/many problematic in its initial sections. It then examines the method of dialectic. The inquiry in Philebus into the four kinds of the unlimited, the limited, mixture and cause had a profound effect on late Neo-Platonism and early Christianity. The Philebusconcludes with a hierarchy of the five possessions in relation to the good life. The seminar is open to M.A. and Ph.D. students. A knowledge of ancient Greek would be helpful but is not required.