Modules
Being and Not-Being in Greek Philosophy: from Parmenides to Aristotle (CLA3263)
| Staff | Dr Gabriele Galluzzo - Convenor |
|---|---|
| Credit Value | 15 |
| ECTS Value | 7.5 |
| NQF Level | 6 |
| Pre-requisites | Either Greek or Roman Philosophy, or any Philosophy module. |
| Co-requisites | None |
| Duration of Module | Term 1: 11 weeks; |
Module aims
- To acquaint you with the early phases of the discipline that we nowadays call ‘metaphysics’ by illustrating the way in which Greek philosophers started to investigate into being and not-being. Through an analysis of a wide range of texts you will be in a position to critically evaluate philosophical argument and to place them in their appropriate historical and theoretical context.
- Furthermore, the module aims to enable you to understand the differences between the contemporary conception of being and not-being (which mainly focuses on the notion of existence) and the specifically Greek conception (which centres, by contrast, on a plurality of intuitions that are not simply confined to the notion of existence).
- Finally, the module will enable you to get acquainted with a variety of notions (existence and non-existence, predication, truth etc.) that can fruitfully be applied to different moments of human thought and even to contexts outside the philosophical arena.
ILO: Module-specific skills
- 1. To demonstrate knowledge of a wide range of topics connected with the notions of being and not-being
- 2. To demonstrate awareness of the specific way in which being and not-being were understood in the different phases of Classical Greek thought
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
- 3. To demonstrate appreciation of both the historical and the philosophical issues raised by ancient philosophical texts
- 4. To develop critical skills that can be applied to the analysis of every text on metaphysics
ILO: Personal and key skills
- 5. Through the preparation for and the composition of essays, to demonstrate the ability to think critically and independently on a range of crucial issues and to construct an interesting and consistent argument
- 6. Through the delivery of oral presentation to demonstrate the ability to speak clearly, engage in public debate and respond critically to observations and objections
Syllabus plan
Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following topics:
- To be or not to be? Being and not-being in ancient and contemporary philosophy
- The verb ‘to be’ in Greek language and philosophy
- Parmenides’ revolution: the birth of metaphysics
- Parmenides on being
- Parmenides on not-being
- A physical understanding of being and not-being: the Atomists
- Plato on being and becoming: the theory of Forms
- The notion of true being in Republic V-VII
- Beyond Parmenides: not-being as different in the Sophist
- Aristotle’s first reaction to Plato: the theory of the ten categories
- Aristotle on the multivocity of ‘being’: focal meaning in Metaphysics, IV 1-2
- Conclusion and revision: the Greeks on being and not-being
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 128 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching | 22 | 1 x 2 hour seminar per week: 1 hour presentation by lecturer and 1 hour presentations by students |
| Guided independent study | 128 | Independent study |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oral discussion/debate | 1-6 | Oral feedback from lecturer |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research exercises (bibliography and plan) | 10 | No fixed length | 1-5 | Mark, written comments and individual feedback from lecturer |
| In-class presentation | 20 | 20 minutes | 2-4, 6 | Mark, oral comments and feedback from lecturer and peers. Written comments and individual feedback from lecturer |
| Essay | 70 | 4000 words | 1-5 | Mark, written comments and individual feedback from lecturer |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research exercises | Research exercises | 1-5 | Referral/Deferral period |
| In-class presentation (20 minutes) | Recorded presentation (e.g. PowerPoint with voiceover) - 20 minutes | 2-4, 6 | Referral/Deferral period |
| Essay (4000 words) | Essay (4000 words) | 1-5 | Referral/Deferral period |
Re-assessment notes
Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.
Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Primary sources:
- Parmenides, in R. Waterfield (ed.), The First Philosophers. The Presocratics and the Sophists, Oxford 2000.
- The Atomists, in R. Waterfield (ed.), The First Philosophers. The Presocratics and the Sophists, Oxford 2000.
- Plato, Republic V-VII.
- Plato, the Sophist.
- Aristotle, Categories, Chs. 1-5.
- Aristotle, Metaphysics, IV.1-3.
Secondary sources:
- Brown, L., “The Verb ‘To Be’ in Greek Philosophy” in Everson, S. (ed.), Language, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1994.
- Crivelly, P., Plato’s Account of Falsehood. A Study of the Sophist, Cambridge University Press, Cambirdge 2012.
- Ferejohn, M.T., “Aristotle on Focal Meaning and the Unity of Science”, Phronesis 25 (1980), 117-128.
- Kahn, Ch., Essays on Being, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2006.
- Kung, J., “Aristotle on ‘Being is Said in Many Ways’.” History of Philosophy Quarterly 3 (1986), 3-18.
- Mann, W.-R., The Discovery of Things: Aristotle’s Categories and Their Context, Princeton University Press, Princeton 2000.
- Matthen, M., “Greek Ontology and the “Is” of Truth”, Phronesis 28 (1983), pp. 113-35.
- Sedley, D., “Two Conceptions of Vacuum”, Phronesis 27 (1982), pp. 175-193.
- Sedley, D., “Parmenides and Melissus”, in Long, A. (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Early Greek Philosophy, pp. 113-133.
- Warren, J., Presocratics, Acumen, Stocksfield 2007.
- Waterfield, R., The First Philosophers. The Presocratics and the Sophists, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2000.
- White, N., Plato on Knowledge and Reality, Hackett, Indianapolis 1976.
Module has an active ELE page?
Yes
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
Available as distance learning?
No
Origin date
03/03/2015
Last revision date
17/03/2022
Key words search
Being, Not-being, existence, predication, Parmenides, Plato, Aristotle