Greece, Rome, and the Birth of Western Philosophy

From Hesiod to Seneca: Come face-to-face with the philosophical giants of ancient Greece and Rome.

Overview

Course No. 60120

This 24-lecture journey explores how ancient thinkers shaped Western thought by examining:

• Foundational ideas about nature, divinity, and human existence
• Key philosophical methods from Socratic dialogue to Aristotelian logic
• Enduring ethical systems including virtue ethics and Stoicism
• Political philosophy that still influences governance today

Course Highlights:

✓ Trace philosophy’s evolution from myth to systematic inquiry
✓ Compare Plato’s idealism with Aristotle’s empirical approach
✓ Discover how Epicureanism and Stoicism addressed life’s big questions
✓ Learn why these ancient ideas remain relevant today

Video Lectures

Section 1: The Pre-Socratics (Lectures 1-6)

01: Why Early Western Thought Is Timeless (27 min)
Meet the philosophers you’ll study and their lasting impact

02: Hesiod’s Challenge (27 min)
How poetry became philosophy in Theogony and Works and Days

03: Thales & Early Thinkers (33 min)
Proto-scientific inquiry meets divine reverence

04: Heraclitus vs. Parmenides (30 min)
The debate over change versus permanence

05: Pluralist Responses (35 min)
Empedocles, Anaxagoras, and Democritus on cosmic order

06: Herodotus’ Historical Philosophy (29 min)
Using the past to seek truth in the present

Section 2: Athenian Golden Age (Lectures 7-12)

07: Thucydides on Democracy (30 min)
Analyzing speech’s power in Athenian politics

08: Plato vs. Sophistry (32 min)
Transforming drama into philosophical dialogue

09: Socrates on Trial (32 min)
Philosophy’s clash with Athenian democracy

10: Plato’s Cave Allegory (29 min)
Responding to Thucydides’ crisis of speech

11: Theory of Forms (31 min)
Plato’s dual realms of perception and ideals

12: Plato’s Scientific Vision (30 min)
Atlantis myth meets cosmic creation in Timaeus

Section 3: Aristotle’s Revolution (Lectures 13-19)

13: Competing Gods (27 min)
Plato’s Craftsman vs. Aristotle’s Unmoved Mover

14: Four Causes (31 min)
Aristotle’s framework for natural phenomena

15: Empirical Research (31 min)
From biology to meteorology – science as purpose

16: Happiness Defined (30 min)
Reason integrated with emotion and desire

17: Virtue Ethics (32 min)
Cultivating character through habitual action

18: The Contemplative Life (31 min)
Technology’s role in human flourishing

19: Politics’ Biological Roots (30 min)
Examining Aristotle’s controversial hierarchies

Section 4: Hellenistic & Roman Thought (Lectures 20-24)

20: Diogenes’ Provocations (31 min)
Philosophy as public performance art

21: Epicurean Simplicity (29 min)
Pleasure through desire reduction

22: Lucretius’ Therapeutic Verse (30 min)
Atomism as antidote to fear

23: Stoic Resilience (29 min)
Virtue as path to tranquility

24: Seneca’s Letters (30 min)
Philosophy as lifelong friendship