Course Information:
PHIL 83202
- Professor Shields
- Seminar Meetings: R 9.30-12.15, Grace 345
Prospectus
Aristotle's Metaphysics contains his most mature thinking about the principles of being, and finds him announcing, rather surprisingly, that ‘There is a science (epistêmê) which studies being qua being, and the attributes belonging to this in its own right (kath’ hauto)’ (Met. 1003a21-2). Aristotle prepares for this announcement by following his aporematic method, whereby he sets a series of puzzles (aporiai) about being and its principles. These puzzles—some reasonably straightforward, others themselves rather puzzling—set an agenda for the entire work. We will begin by reviewing these puzzles, and will then use them as our template for investigating the whole of the Metaphysics. Although we will roam freely through the entirety of the work, we will be moved inevitably, inexorably to focus primarily on the engaging, vexing middle books, namely Z, H, and Θ.
Please adhere to this reading schedule. I will offer additional assignments and recommendations from the secondary literature as the term progresses.
Knowledge of Greek is neither required nor presupposed. Advanced students of Greek may, however, participate in a weekly reading group which will focus on Metaphysics Η. Students with Greek at any level beyond beginning may participate in a second reading group on Plato’s Gorgias.
Office Hours and Contact Information:
- Office: Malloy Hall 327
- Office hours: W 9.00-12.00 and by appointment
- e-mail: CJIShields@nd.edu
- N.b. I prefer e-mail to telephone as a manner of student contact. I make an effort to answer student e-mails promptly, but please be aware that I measure promptness in this domain in days rather than hours or minutes.
Required Texts:
- Aristotle, Metaphysics B and K 1-2, trans. with notes and comm. by A. Madigan (Oxford: 2000)
- Aristotle, Metaphysics Γ, Δ, and Ε, trans. with notes and comm. by C. Kirwan (Oxford: 1993)
- Aristotle, Metaphysics Ζ and Η, trans. with notes and comm. by D. Bostock (Oxford: 1994)
- Aristotle, Metaphysics Θ, trans. with notes and comm. by D. Makin (Oxford: 2006)
- Aristotle, Metaphysics Μ and Ν, trans. with notes and comm. by J. Annas (Oxford: 1988)
Recommended Texts:
- The Complete Works of Aristotle: the Revised Oxford Translation vols. 1 and 2, ed. J. Barnes (Princeton University Press: 1984).
- This work is also available in a searchable electronic form from various e-book sellers.
- Aristotle: Selections, trans. G. Fine and T. Irwin (Hackett: 1995)
- This work is also available in a searchable electronic form from various e-book sellers. Note too that this text has an outstanding glossary which will orient Aristotle’s newer readers to his technical terminology.
Requirements and Protocol:
Students will write two papers, the first at mid-term, of about 2,500 words, and the second, at the term’s end, in the neighbourhood of 4,000-5,000 words. I will offer suggested topics for each of these papers. You are, however, welcome to ignore these suggestions and write on a pertinent topic of your own choosing, but only if that topic is approved by me at least one week in advance of the due date.
Students will also offer a seminar presentation, presumably but not necessarily in conjunction with the topic of one of their essays.
The due dates are:
- Essay One: 3 March
- Essay Two: 28 April
These papers are to be submitted electronically, preferably in a main-stream word-processing format or (if you use something non-standard) as .pdf documents, addressed to CJIShields@nd.edu. Papers will be accepted until 17.00 on their due dates.
Course Lecture Slides: