Aristotle’s Philosophy of Mind: Foundations and Relevance for Contemporary Thought (Module: Ancient Greek Philosophy and Its Reception)

Timetable

Module aim (aims)

- to learn about Aristotle's psychology and philosophy of mind in their historical context

- to understand Aristotle's most important texts concerning psychology und philosophy of mind

- to learn the main elements of the reception of Aristotle's philosophy of mind

- to see the relation between Aristotle's philosophy of mind and the modern philosophy of mind, to see why Aristotle's thought is relevant for modern discussions

Pre-requisites in terms of knowledge, skills and social competences (where relevant)

Advanced English

Syllabus

1. Aristotle’s psychology- introduction
2. Aristotle’s methodology
3. Aristotle’s criticism of earlier psychological theories
4. Aristotle’s definition of the soul
5. Vegetative functions of the soul
6. Aristotle’s theory of sense perception
7. The concept of the common sense
8. Aristotle’s concept of ‘phantasia’
9. Aristotle’s concept of consciousness
10. Aristotle’s concept of the intellect (1)
11. Aristotle’s concept of the intellect (2)
12. Aristotle’s concept of the intellect (3)
13. The ‘agent intellect’ and its reception
14. The soul-body relation in Aristotle's philosophy and in the modern debate

Reading list

William David Ross, Aristotelis De anima. Oxford University Press, Oxford 1956.

D. Hicks, Aristotle De Anima with Translation, Introduction, and Notes, Cambridge University Press, 1907.

Nussbaum & A. O. Rorty, Essays on Aristotle's De Anima. Oxford, 1992.

Ronald Polansky, Aristotle's De Anima. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2007.

Victor Caston, Aristotle and Supervenience, Southern Journal of Philosophy, 31, 1992, Supplement, pp. 107-35.

Henry J. Blumenthal: Aristotle and Neoplatonism in Late Antiquity. Interpretations of the De Anima. Duckworth, London 1996.