The aim of this course is to introduce students to ancient philosophy through the study of its foundational texts and of the philosophical problems that shaped its development.
This year, the course will take the notion of the soul (psychē) as an explanatory principle as its guiding thread. This approach makes it possible to present ancient philosophical doctrines through the problems they sought to address, since the soul occupies a central place in very different areas of ancient thought. It serves to explain not only perception and emotion, but also the distinction between life and death, the individual’s relation to self and others, the conditions of knowledge, and even the order of the cosmos.
The variety of theoretical contexts in which the soul is invoked — ethics, biology, epistemology, cosmology, and so on — may seem surprising to modern readers, who are accustomed to thinking of the soul primarily in religious terms. Studying the soul in ancient philosophy therefore provides a particularly effective way of grasping the distinctive character of ancient modes of thought.
It also allows ancient philosophy to be approached not as a succession of separate doctrines, but as a living tradition of debate. From the Presocratics to the Neoplatonists, different philosophical schools engage explicitly with one another: they inherit problems formulated by their predecessors, criticise the solutions previously proposed, and redefine the terms in which those problems are posed.
During the first semester, the course will provide a synthetic overview of the main philosophical issues involved in these debates, based on selected excerpts. During the second semester, the focus will shift to the close analysis and discussion of a selection of texts related to the course theme.
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
· identify the major philosophical doctrines of Antiquity and the main periods of ancient philosophy;
· formulate philosophical problems through which ancient doctrines can be analysed and compared;
· distinguish different forms of reasoning and modes of argumentation in ancient philosophy;
· understand the threefold role of the soul as an explanatory principle in ancient philosophy: (1) of life, (2) of the order of the cosmos, and (3) of the human being’s relation to the world;
bring ancient philosophical debates into dialogue with contemporary issues, for example concerning consciousness, political community, or science.
The course is organised into four chronological parts.
The first examines the soul as a principle of life and as a cosmic principle in Presocratic philosophy.
The second focuses on the debates between Plato and Aristotle concerning the heterogeneity of soul and body.
The third, devoted to the Hellenistic and Roman periods, explores the profound disagreements between the Stoics and Epicureans despite their shared assumption that the soul is corporeal.
The fourth examines debates in Late Antiquity, with particular attention to the Neoplatonic understanding of the soul as a principle of mediation.
1. Presocratic Philosophy: The Soul as a Principle of Life and a Cosmic Principle
1.1. The Homeric Vital Breath
1.2. The Monism of Anaximenes
1.3. Explaining the Different States of the Soul through Fire in Heraclitus
1.4. Metempsychosis from Pythagoras to Empedocles
1.5. Anaxagoras’ Ordering Nous
1.6. The Mechanism of Democritus
2. The Classical Period: Aristotle versus Plato. The Problem of the Heterogeneity of Soul and Body
2.1. The Platonic Soul as a Principle of Life and Knowledge (Plato, Phaedo, Meno)
2.2. Soul against Body, or Soul with Body? (Plato, Phaedo; Aristotle, De Anima)
2.3. A Multipart Soul or Multiple Souls? (Plato, Republic, Phaedrus; Aristotle, De Anima)
2.4. Does the Cosmos Have a Soul? (Plato, Timaeus; Aristotle, Metaphysics Λ)
3. The Hellenistic and Roman Periods: Debating the Materiality of the Soul
3.1. The Stoic Soul as Fiery Breath: A Cosmic Principle
3.2. The Epicurean Soul as an Aggregate of Atoms: A Temporary Accident
3.3. The Soul as an Object — and Instrument — of the Suspension of Judgement (Sextus Empiricus, Outlines of Pyrrhonism, II)
3.4. The Quest for Tranquillity of Soul
4. Late Antiquity: The Soul as a Principle of Mediation
4.1. The Soul between the Intelligible and the Sensible (Plotinus)
4.2. The Soul as a Systematic Explanatory Principle (Proclus)
4.3. The Soul as Interiority: The Place of Truth (Saint Augustine)
Textual commentary of ancient philosophical texts ; argumentative writing; oral presentation and debate.
The course is based on a selection of texts discussed closely in class. Teaching is primarily discussion-based and participatory, with the aim of helping students develop an active understanding of both the texts and the philosophical issues explored in the course.
Students will be encouraged to establish connections between the different texts, formulate philosophical problems on the basis of them, and draw on them within the broader perspective of the course.
Students will be asked to complete regular writing exercises in class and will receive feedback on their work. These assignments will not be graded, but they will serve as preparation for the final examination.
During the first semester, assessment will consist of a final oral examination comprising the following elements:
· a question testing knowledge and understanding of the course material;
· an argumentative question;
· a brief discussion of one of the three books to be read in full (the list is available on WebCampus);
· a broader discussion based on the preceding elements and their connections with the course as a whole.
During the second semester, assessment will consist of a written textual commentary and an oral examination.
Aristote, De l’âme, trad. Richard Bodéüs, Paris, GF-Flammarion, 1993.
Aristote, Métaphysique, trad. Marie-Paule Duminil et Annick Jaulin, Paris, GF-Flammarion, 2008.
Aristote, Physique, trad. Pierre Pellegrin, Paris, GF-Flammarion, 2000.
Aristote, Petits traités d’histoire naturelle, trad. Pierre-Marie Morel, Paris, GF-Flammarion, 2000.
Augustin, Confessions, texte établi et traduit par Pierre de Labriolle, 2 vol., Paris, Les Belles Lettres, « Collection des Universités de France », 1925-1926.
Augustin, La Foi chrétienne. De vera religione, De utilitate credendi, De fide rerum quae non videntur, De fide et operibus, trad. J. Pegon, Paris, Desclée de Brouwer, « Bibliothèque augustinienne », 1951.
Diels, Hermann et Kranz, Walther, Die Fragmente der Vorsokratiker, 6e éd., 3 vol., Berlin, Weidmann, 1951-1952.
Dumont, Jean-Paul, Delattre, Daniel et Poirier, Jean-Louis, Les Présocratiques, Paris, Gallimard, « Bibliothèque de la Pléiade », 1988.
Épictète, Manuel et Entretiens, dans Les Stoïciens, éd. Pierre-Maxime Schuhl, trad. Jean Pépin et Émile Bréhier, revue par Pierre Aubenque, Paris, Gallimard, « Bibliothèque de la Pléiade », 1962.
Épicure, Lettres, maximes, sentences, trad. Jean-François Balaudé, Paris, Le Livre de Poche, 1994.
Guéroult, Martial, « La méditation de l’âme sur l’âme dans le Phédon », Revue de Métaphysique et de Morale, t. 33, no 4, octobre-décembre 1926, p. 469-491.
Homère, Iliade, trad. Mario Meunier, Paris, Le Livre de Poche, 1972.
Homère, Odyssée, texte établi et traduit par Victor Bérard, 3 vol., Paris, Les Belles Lettres, « Classiques en poche », 2012.
Jamblique, Protreptique, texte établi et traduit par Édouard des Places, Paris, Les Belles Lettres, « Collection des Universités de France », 1989.
Long, Anthony A. et Sedley, David N., Les Philosophes hellénistiques, trad. Jacques Brunschwig et Pierre Pellegrin, 3 vol., Paris, GF-Flammarion, 2001.
Lucien de Samosate, Œuvres complètes, trad. Émile Chambry, révisée et annotée par Alain Billault et Émeline Marquis, avec la collaboration de Dominique Goust, Paris, Robert Laffont, « Bouquins », 2015.
Lucrèce, De la nature, trad. José Kany-Turpin, Paris, GF-Flammarion, 1997.
Platon, Ménon, trad. Monique Canto-Sperber, Paris, GF-Flammarion, 1991.
Platon, Phédon, trad. Léon Robin, Paris, Gallimard, « Folio essais », 1985.
Platon, Œuvres complètes, trad. Léon Robin, avec la collaboration de Joseph Moreau, 2 vol., Paris, Gallimard, « Bibliothèque de la Pléiade », 1953-1955, notamment Phèdre et Timée.
Platon, La République, trad. Georges Leroux, Paris, GF-Flammarion, 2002.
Plotin, Ennéades, texte établi et traduit par Émile Bréhier, 6 tomes en 7 vol., Paris, Les Belles Lettres, « Collection des Universités de France », 1924-1938.
Proclus, Éléments de théologie, trad., introduction et notes par Jean Trouillard, Paris, Aubier-Montaigne, 1965.
Proclus, Commentaire sur le Timée, trad. et notes par A.-J. Festugière, 5 vol., Paris, Vrin, 1966-1968.
Sextus Empiricus, Esquisses pyrrhoniennes, introduction, traduction et commentaires par Pierre Pellegrin, Paris, Seuil, 1997.
| Training | Block | Credits | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor in Philosophy | 2 | 6 | Yes |
| Bachelor in Philosophy | 3 | 6 | Yes |