Undergraduate Course: Plato's Republic (LLLI07007)
Course Outline
| School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 7 (Year 1 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | This is a for-credit course offered by the Office of Lifelong Learning (OLL); only students registered with OLL should be enrolled. The course will guide students through a reading of the whole of Plato¿s Republic ¿ which is arguably the most important philosophical text of all time. The text is a seminal work in metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, political theory, and aesthetics ¿ and so students will be introduced to these branches of philosophy, and to ancient Greek thought generally. |
| Course description |
Content of course
1. Book 1 ¿ Introduction
2. Book 2 ¿ Justice and Injustice: is justice good in itself, or is it good on account of its consequences?
3. Book 3 ¿ The Noble Lie: is it ever morally permissible for rulers to lie in order to pursue the public interest?
4. Book 4 - Justice in the State and the Individual: how do we achieve a harmonious and healthy soul?
5. Book 5 ¿ Women and the Family: how are women and children to contribute to the public good in the ideal state?
6. Book 6 ¿ The Philosopher King: democracy may result in the translation of public ignorance into public policy ¿ so who should rule?
7. Book 7 ¿ The Cave: what is the condition of those who lack a philosophical education, and what is the process of coming to enlightenment?
8. Book 8 ¿ Imperfect Societies: what are the defects of those political regimes where the philosopher does not rule?
9. Book 9 ¿ Tyranny: is the tyrannical man ever truly happy?
10. Book 10 ¿ The attack on Poetry and the Myth of Er: Plato argues that poets should be banished from the well ordered state, before concluding the text with his own poetical account of the afterlife.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
¿ Explain the dialectical method employed by Plato;
¿ Locate the Republic in the context of the history of Western philosophy, in terms of its influence, and of the subsequent development of key philosophical theories;
¿ State in outline Plato¿s positions on metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, political theory, and aesthetics;
¿ Critically evaluate the positions which Socrates adopts with respect to these topics;
¿ Use appropriately philosophical terminology, both as employed in the text and more generally.
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Reading List
Essential
Plato., 2008. The Republic. Waterfield, R., ed. Oxford: Oxford World¿s Classics.
Recommended
Benson, H.H., 2009. A Companion to Plato. London: Blackwell.
Web sources
John Gordon¿s (course tutor) website: http://www.glaucon.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk
Class handouts
Tutorial questions and class summaries will be posted to the above web site.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr James Mooney
Tel: (0131 6)50 3077
Email: |
Course secretary | Mrs Sabine Murdoch
Tel: (0131 6)51 1855
Email: |
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