This course surveys the great ideas in Western political philosophy from about 500 BCE to about 1500. We discuss issues related to ultimate authority, justice, human nature, humans' capacity to reason, and the role of women, among others. We also apply all of these ideas to contemporary controversies, proving that while humans don't live forever, ideas can!
During the course, students analyze a specific text by reading a philosopher's original works as well as material by critical interpreters.
Ancient and Medieval Political Theory is offered
approximately every two years. It fulfills the Political Theory
requirement
for Political Science majors and minors. It also counts towards
the
"Western Historical Perspectives" category in the general education
requirements.
It is a Writing Emphasis course.
Comprehensive set of links from Peter Suber of Earlham
College
Information, links and commentary from Garth
Kemerling of Newberry College (and an Iowa Ph.D. to boot)
Information on thinkers related to early Christian
church history at The
Ecole Project (Evansville University)
Introduction to medieval
philosophy (Macquarie University, Australia)
A couple of web sites on Islamic philosophy 1
2
Errors of the philosophers--including Aristotle,
Al-Farabi and Maimonides--by Giles
of Rome, an Augustinian monk
Journal
of the History of Philosophy (available from Coe computers only,
because
Stewart Memorial Library subscribes to Project Muse)
Philosophy
and Public Affairs (ditto)
Stanford
Encyclopedia of Philosophy is a work in progress, but has entries
on
Aquinas among others
Busy but impressive page on Aristotle
Lots of links related to Augustine
University of Pennsylvania St.
Augustine page claims he "may have been the first saint to find a
home
page on the Internet"
Required Texts
[CPT] Peter J. Steinberger (ed),
Readings in Classical
Political Thought (Hackett, 2000)
[LM] Ralph Lerner and Muhsin Madhi (eds), Medieval Political Philosophy
(Cornell University Press, 1972)
NOTE: It will also be helpful to have access to
The
Holy Bible, any Christian version i.e. with Old and New Testaments
Reading Assignments
I. THE ANCIENT GREEKS AND ROMANS
Thucydides, History of the
Peloponnesian War, Bk 3 chs 37-51,
81-85; Bk 5 chs 84-116 [CPT 47-58]
Plato (427-347 BCE), Euthyphro [CPT 139-147]
Plato, The
Laws 1-6
(excerpts) [CPT 317-337]
Plato, The
Laws
7-12 (excerpts) [CPT 337-357]
Aristotle (384-322 BCE), The
Nicomachean Ethics (excerpts) [CPT
361-377]
Aristotle (384-322 BCE), The
Politics Bk 1 chs 1-8 & 13 [CPT 377-384]
Aristotle, The
Politics Bk 3 chs 1, 4, 6-9, 11-12 [CPT 394-402]
Marcus
Tullius Cicero (106-43 BCE), The Republic (excerpts) [CPT
446-460]
II. THE BIBLE AND MEDIEVAL
RELIGION
The Gospel According to Mark
Augustine (354-430), The City of God Bks 12-14
(excerpts) [CPT 479-489]
Abu Nasr al-Farabi (870-950), The Political Regime
(excerpts) [LM 31-42]
al-Farabi, The Political Regime
(excerpts) [LM 42-56]
Moses Maimonides (1135-1204), Guide of the Perplexed Bk 2
chs 32, 36-40, 45 [LM 199-221]
Moses Maimonides, Guide of the Perplexed Bk 3
chs 27-28, 34 [LM 221-225]; "Letter on Astrology" [LM 227-236]
Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), Commentary on The Politics (excerpts) [LM
298-316]
Aquinas, Summa Theologica Qu. 90-91,
93-94, 96 [CPT 508-516, 518-529, 533-539]
Giles of Rome (c. 1246-1316), On Ecclesiastical Power Bk
2 ch 6 [LM 392-401]
Next course: Modern Political Theory
Last course: Contemporary Political Theory
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Last update 1/9/09