Many contemporary philosophical debates first appeared in the works of ancient philosophy. In this course, we will discuss a number of contemporary philosophical questions by first going back to their origin. Through focused writing and revision, we will examine several philosophical questions concerning the nature of knowledge, the nature of morality, and the nature of things in the world including substances, universals, and persons.

The ancient philosophers we will look at include Plato, Aristotle, The Epicureans, The Stoics, and The Skeptics. Critically writing about the views of these philosophers will help students develop the skills to (1) Extract arguments from texts, (2) Evaluate those arguments, and (3) construct clear, concise and well-reasoned essays that present those extractions and evaluations. Students will also gain the skills to critically assess their own writing through several sessions of peer-review and self-assessment. By the end of this course, students should have the skills to write good argumentative essays about any given subject matter.