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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Ancient Philosophy: Plato & His Predecessors by University of Pennsylvania

4.8
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1,476 ratings

About the Course

What is philosophy? How does it differ from science, religion, and other modes of human discourse? This course traces the origins of philosophy in the Western tradition in the thinkers of Ancient Greece. We begin with the Presocratic natural philosophers who were active in Ionia in the 6th century BCE and are also credited with being the first scientists. Thales, Anaximander, and Anaximines made bold proposals about the ultimate constituents of reality, while Heraclitus insisted that there is an underlying order to the changing world. Parmenides of Elea formulated a powerful objection to all these proposals, while later Greek theorists (such as Anaxagoras and the atomist Democritus) attempted to answer that objection. In fifth-century Athens, Socrates insisted on the importance of the fundamental ethical question—“How shall I live?”—and his pupil, Plato, and Plato’s pupil, Aristotle, developed elaborate philosophical systems to explain the nature of reality, knowledge, and human happiness. After the death of Aristotle, in the Hellenistic period, Epicureans and Stoics developed and transformed that earlier tradition. We will study the major doctrines of all these thinkers. Part I will cover Plato and his predecessors. Part II will cover Aristotle and his successors....

Top reviews

AA

Apr 18, 2020

Excellent course. This course has opened up ancient philosophy to me and made it accessible. I feel I have finished the course a good understanding of such keys texts as Plato's Republic and Timaeus.

LL

Mar 8, 2016

Good intro to early Greek philosophy. Dr Meyer has a simple and subtly humorous approach to the material. Dr Meyer makes the subject approachable so that the student wants to do further reading.

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76 - 100 of 440 Reviews for Ancient Philosophy: Plato & His Predecessors

By David M

Aug 5, 2019

This course provided an excellent introduction to the world of ancient philosophy. Not only has it taught me specific philosophical ideas, but it has also helped me develop crucial critical thinking skills that will greatly benefit my career.

By Alexandra T

Nov 25, 2020

An excellent course. The readings are well-chosen, and the lecturer presents the material in a very clear and engaging way. I've learnt a great deal from it, and have very much enjoyed thinking about the philosophical questions it explores.

By Gabriel G

May 25, 2020

Great course. Not to demanding so it allows you to learn without stress. However, you need to pay attention to the reading materials in order to pass the quizzes and final report. Overall I’m happy I took this course, philosophy is amazing!

By David F

Oct 23, 2017

Excellent introduction to the Pre-Socratics and Plato. My only regret is that Part 2 is not a further study of the Pre-Socratics and Plato, rather than an introduction to Aristotle. But thank you for this finely articulated introduction.

By gurpreet b

Aug 24, 2020

Susan Sauvé Meyer is an excellent instructor. I am so grateful to her that she created this course. She is so poised in her lectures and she knowledge spans so many varied subjects . I am thankful to her from the bottom of my heart.

By fernanda g c g

Apr 29, 2018

I am really enjoying this course, the short and concise lessons make it very pleasant and even though the reading material can be a bit heavy at some points, the way they are explained by Susan helps understanding them much better.

By Gonçalo S

Dec 28, 2016

The teaching is excellent, if you want to learn about ancient greek philosophy, look no further.

The problems I found are small technical issues: the very loud music at the start of every video, the mistakes in the transcipts, etc.

By Ferrie S

May 9, 2016

A very informative and high content course. Good tutor and explained very well.

Questions could be a bit more difficult, but I liked the last exercise with peer reviews. Very educational and would like some more of these exercises.

By Craig J

Jul 23, 2022

This course motivated me to read the entire Republic. I have been planning to read this since I was a teenager. I can't rembember the last time I read a full book, it's been more than five years. More philosophy courses please.

By ANDRES R P D

May 8, 2018

Excellence in presentation and content of the theme. Indispensable step for further comprehension of evolution of philosophical ideas until our times. Discovering the hidden details laying in the crib of science and philosophy.

By Aida T

May 24, 2020

A great introductory course and I loved the lectures. Prof. Meyer is an eloquent speaker and an excellent teacher on dissecting abstract topics into practical examples. Greatly enjoyed it and I will be taking the next course.

By Rafael M

Apr 6, 2017

The course is simply amazing! I have learned so much about the real philosophy and how to put it to use! I surely recommend it. The professor is very knowledgable that makes it easy for us to see philosophy as a real subject.

By Kevin A

Apr 14, 2021

Un viaje muy agradable en la historia de la filosofía antigua, en donde analizamos las ideas y contexto de esas personas tan sabias que empezaron la genial tradición de pensar mucho sobre temas de la naturaleza y la persona.

By Ricardo S C

May 25, 2020

It's my first time with this kind of knowledgement topics. And if somebody wants to learn about this, it's a good way to start, because you would like to know what happened then and how this helped developing the philosophy.

By pooyan

Jan 1, 2018

I'm listened to this course with minimal background in philosophy. Susan is a very organized lecturer. Super cohesive material, all parts of the speech connect together at the end and create the big picture for the audience.

By FRANCISCO D

Jun 2, 2020

An excellent course taught by and extraordinary professor. I´m happy and proud of have taken this course and very excited to keep learning on Ancient Philosophy with Professor Meyer in the next course. Thank you very much.

By JCarlos P

Nov 20, 2017

What an elegant and valuable introduction to the subject matter ! Prof Meyer speech's flow is naturally captivating which helps to deliver the content a lot more effectively. I appreciated it ! Thx to all.

best rgds,

By P. R B

Jan 9, 2024

I took this course as a general interest based on a book I read on Stoicism that piqued my interest. Difficult to follow at times (for someone with no philosophy background) but not insurmountable. Fun and informative.

By Jutta B

Feb 2, 2021

A fantastic introduction into ancient Philosophy and into the thought of Sokrates. Most inspiring and stimulating! It gives me a basis for understanding the concepts that lie behind discussions about what is knowledge.

By Silvia F

May 7, 2020

It has been a very clarifying course.

The teacher talk crearly and her voice captured my interest.

The questions made during the units provided the student of a genuing tool to know if he is understanding it.

I enjoy it.

By John F

Mar 31, 2016

Excellent!! I can't say enough good things about the professor. She does an amazing job explaining the more complex ideas and concepts in a way that is clear and very easy to understand. Great course so far.

By Daniela M

Jun 1, 2021

Professor Sauve Meyer is a great teacher, she gives clear explanations and examples to help us understand better such difficult, yet universal themes. I enjoyed this course and I hope to keep on learning.

By C

May 26, 2020

I knew nothing about Philosophy and wanted to learn. This is a great place to start. The professor is an awesome lecturer and gives great interpretations for the subject matter. I will be back for part 2!

By Emanuela Z

Aug 3, 2019

It was very instructive to study Greek philosophy starting from documents.

The lessons were clear and effective, I will continue with the next course

Thank you for the study opportunity you are giving

By Noemi M

Jul 27, 2020

I have never studied Philosophy before at school or on my own, but Professor Meyer made it very clear, interesting and fascinating for me to understand. Following this course has been a pleasure!