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PHIL 419

Major Philosophers

One or two philosophers, usually chosen from Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Leibniz, Spinoza, Kant, Hegel, Wittgenstein and Frege. Prerequisite: two courses in philosophy or permission of instructor. May be repeated for credit with different topics.

Distribution Area Prerequisites Credits
Two courses in philosophy or permission of instructor 1 course

Fall Semester information

Richard Cameron

419A: Tps:Major Philosophers: Plato's Republic

Study the work everyone's raving about! Morality is for fools! Amoralism! Justice on the rack! Female guardians! Rule by the wise! Greed! Plunder! The Sun! The Line! The Cave! Help Friends! Harm Enemies! Propaganda! The State of Nature! Justice! Gyges's Ring! Plutocracy! Democracy! Censorship! Education! Noble Lies! The action never stops! But seriously, Plato's Republic is not only a rollicking read (surprisingly, it is), it has been so influential that much of Western political philosophy reads like 'footnotes to Plato' and can't be fully understood without understanding the book everyone else is reacting (positively or negatively) to. It also raises a host of contemporary issues which we'll also highlight -- criticisms of democracy, the uses of propaganda, the place of women in society, and much more.