PHIL 161 The Socratic Project
Socrates is one of the most fascinating figures in history. He lived a life that was totally dedicated to answering philosophical questions: What is moral? What is the nature of the good life? Is knowledge possible? His persistent attempt to answer these questions ultimately resulted in his execution. In a very real sense, Socrates died for philosophy. Our aim in this course will be to explore the Socratic project—to examine the point, worth, and form of a life dedicated to intellectual inquiry. We will take particular pains to try to understand the force and significance of the famous imperative, said to characterize the Socratic life: ‘Know thyself.’ We will accomplish this by examining a number of important thinkers, all of whom spent their lives attempting to make sense of the world and our place in it. We will begin, of course, with Socrates, but our inquiry will lead us into the present—into a consideration of inquiry as it currently exists in university settings. In addition to Socrates, we will read material from a diverse range of perspectives, all of which, in one way or another, are engaged in the attempt to understand the human condition. Material will include readings from Plato, Freud, Nietzsche, and Marx as well as from more recent authors in fields such as evolutionary psychology and gender/race studies.