Masters of Greek Thought: Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle

Challenge and satisfy your intellectual curiosity with an in-depth exploration of the dramatic turn in philosophical direction that began with these three philosophers.

Overview

Course No. 4460

This 36-lecture course examines:

• The Socratic Revolution – philosophy’s shift from nature to morality
• Plato’s Dialogues – including Republic, Gorgias, and Meno
• Aristotle’s System – ethics, politics, and the good life
• Enduring Questions about justice, virtue, and human happiness

What You’ll Discover:

✓ Socrates’ trial and philosophical method
✓ Plato’s theory of Forms and ideal city
✓ Aristotle’s virtue ethics and political science
✓ How these thinkers shaped Western philosophy

Video Lectures

Section 1: Socrates & His Contemporaries

01-05: The Socratic Turn (30-31 min)
From Aristophanes’ critique to Xenophon’s recollections

06-07: Socrates as Teacher (30 min)
Lessons from Alcibiades and Symposium

Section 2: Plato’s Major Dialogues

08-12: Republic (29-31 min)
Justice, philosopher-kings, and the ideal city

13-17: Sophists & Rhetoricians (29-31 min)
Debates with Protagoras and Gorgias

18-19: Meno (29-30 min)
The nature and teachability of virtue

Section 3: Socrates’ Trial & Legacy

20-24: Trial Sequence (29-31 min)
Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, and Phaedo

Section 4: Aristotle’s Philosophy

25-31: Nicomachean Ethics (29-32 min)
Happiness, moral virtue, friendship, and contemplation

32-35: Politics (30-32 min)
The political animal, justice, and best regimes

Conclusion

36: Enduring Influence (32 min)
The legacy of these philosophical giants