Introduction to Plato and Aristotle [2483]

General Information

• Credits: 6 ECTS
• Prerequisites: baccalaureate level or equivalent; proficiency in French
• Learning format: asynchronous distance learning – 100% e-learning
• Language of instruction: French
• Course access: available at any time of year
• Disability liaison officer: Cécile Boucherle

Course Overview

This course introduces the two great founders of Western philosophy through their complementary approaches. The first part explores Plato’s thought, focusing on the search for truth, virtue, the immortality of the soul, and the Theory of Forms, while highlighting the central role of Socrates, dialogue, and dialectical inquiry. The second part presents Aristotle’s philosophy, which emphasizes the observation of the natural world and develops key concepts in logic, language, scientific knowledge, nature, metaphysics, and the doctrine of the four causes. Together, Plato and Aristotle laid the foundations of metaphysics, ethics, logic, and epistemology, exerting a lasting influence on the history of philosophy. 

Course Objectives

This course enables you to:

• Understand the main philosophical ideas of Plato and Aristotle and their historical significance.
• Explain the key concepts of Platonic and Aristotelian philosophy, including the Theory of Forms, virtue, logic, and metaphysics.
• Compare the philosophical methods and approaches of Plato and Aristotle to knowledge, reality, and ethics.
• Discover the lasting influence of Platonic and Aristotelian thought on the development of Western philosophy.

Learning Outcomes

This course is linked to the following competency:

• Situate and interpret the major currents of ancient and medieval philosophy in their context.

Course Outline

Section 1:  Introduction to Plato

Section 2:  The apology — An introduction to the dynamics of the moral life

Section 3:  Plato's psychology

Section 4:  Plato's theory of forms/ideas

Section 5:  Conclusion

Section 6:  Introduction to Aristotle

Section 7:  Organon

Section 8:  Physics

Section 9:  Metaphysics

Section 10:  Nicomachean Ethics

Assessment Methods 

Course assessment is based on:

• tracking and completion of the course and of all learning activities. These activities, designed as essential practice and learning exercises, may be completed multiple times and are not factored into the final grade,
• the final assessment quiz, which constitutes the graded evaluation.

Learning Format

The course is taught entirely online via the MyDomuni platform, accessible 24/7.
Learning resources include:

• written course materials;
• supplementary documents and, depending on the content, video resources;
• interactive learning activities (quizzes, exercises);
• a discussion forum with the course instructor and fellow participants.

Prerequisites

This course is open to anyone with a general level of education equivalent to the baccalaureate, or with personal or academic experience related to the topics covered.

A good command of written French is recommended to facilitate understanding of the content and participation in the activities offered.

Accessibility

The course is accessible at any time, from any internet-connected device, via the MyDomuni platform.
For students with disabilities, specific support can be arranged upon request to ensure equitable access to course content and activities.

Disability liaison officer: cecile.boucherle@domuni.eu.

Selective Bibliography

• Werner Jaeger, Paideia: The Ideals of Greek Culture, vol. II, In Search of the Divine Centre, trans. Gilbert Highet, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1986, pp. 279-288.
• Richard Kraut (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Plato, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1992.
• Werner Jaeger, Aristotle: Fundamentals of the History of His Development, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1934.
• Jonathan Lear, Aristotle: The Desire to Understand, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1988.
• W. D. Ross, Aristotle, London, Methuen & Co., 1923.