CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!! That's really all I had to say.

Socrates and the Divine

We didn't get to talk much today about the Apology but, no worries, I will make sure that the entire class on Wednesday centers upon analyzing this extremely rich text. For Wednesday though be sure to pinpoint what parts of the text showcase Socrates' individual courage against the fear of death as well as political courage to stand against the masses. More importantly, describe how Socrates' courage turns upon his self-professed divine mission. In short, how does Socrates connect philosophical activity to carrying out a "divine work" and how does this relate to his understanding of human wisdom?

See ya Wednesday,
Dr. Layne

The Apology

Who is Socrates?

Indifferent Courage

Moving now to Epictetus we will discuss the Stoic conception of courage. For Friday, come with a few quotes that we can analyze. When you post them be sure to justify why you think they highlight Epicetus' philosophy of fortitude.

Cheers,
Dr. Layne

Reasonable Courage

In the last class we dove head first into a discussion of practical reasoning and argued that a virtuous action must be one that reflects the truth (the conformity of one's will and intellect) in an individual's process of deliberation. In other words, an action is good in itself when it mirrors the human ergon or proper work of being a rational animal. So now, let us look at courage again. How for Aristotle can reason have anything to do with the pressures of battle, where one hardly has any time to chose or deliberate about the best course of action. Wouldn't such deliberation paralyze action, leading to inaction and cowardliness? Is all virtous activity really aimed at the good insofar as it is oriented toward the value of reason or contemplation? To answer this, be sure to think about the nature of war itself and its relation to the city....

Cheers,
Dr. Layne

Schedule Revision

So I know you guys are going to love this!! I want to spend at least one more day on Aristotle. Due to this and a desire to go ahead and read the Apology, I have made some substantial revision to the agenda. Please be aware of the fact that this will move the deadline of the first short paper to a week later and that we will be screening movies at different days.

Next week I will go over in detail the requirements of the first short paper.

Thanks guys,
Dr. Layne

SCHEDULE REVISION For SELF AND THE GOOD LIFE

Week 4

M            9/20         BB: Aristotle Book III

W            9/22         BB: Aristotle Book III

F              9/24         BB: Epictetus, Discourses Book I Section 29, 30 and Book II.1

Week 5

M            9/27         BB: Plato, Apology

W            9/29         BB: Plato, Apology            

F              10/1         NO CLASS          

Week 6

M            10/4         BB: Kierkegaard, The Purity of Heart is to Will One Thing pp.182-197

W            10/6         BB: Kierkegaard, The Purity of Heart is to Will One Thing pp.182-197

                                Draft of FIRST SHORT PAPER DUE in WAC LAB

                                Thursday Film Screening of Jesus Christ Super Star

F              10/8         St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica pp.422-424 and pp.451-453

Question 123: What is Fortitude?

Question 124: What is a Martyr?

St. Ignatius, Spiritual Exercises  pp.81-87

Gospel of Luke Chapters 22-24

Week 7

M            10/11       BB: Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra Prologue pp.3-20

W            10/13       BB: Paul Tillich, “Being and Courage,” from a Courage to Be

                                FIRST SHORT PAPER DUE

F              10/15       BB: Women and Courage—William Ian Miller “Courage and Chastity” from The

Mystery of Courage

Week 8

M            10/18       NO CLASS                           

W            10/20       BB: Genesis, The Story of Abraham

Euripides, Medea

Thursday Film Screening of Breaking the Waves

F              10/22       Euripides, Medea

Week 9

M            10/25       BB: Voltaire, “Fanatic” from the Philosophical Dictionary

“Fanaticism in the Modern Era” by Barrie Paskins in Fanaticism and

Conflict in the Modern Age

W            10/27       BB: Shakespeare, Julius Caesar

F              10/29       BB: Shakespeare, Julius Caesar     

Week 10

M            11/1         BB: Foucault, Fearless Speech, “The Word Parrhesia [free speech].”  

W            11/3         BB: Foucault, Fearless Speech, “The Word Parrhesia [free speech].”

F              11/5         BB: Foucault, Fearless Speech, “The Word Parrhesia [free speech].”

                                DRAFT of SHORT PAPER due in WAC LAB

Week 11

M            11/8         Mill, “Of the Liberty of Thought and Discussion” from On Liberty

W            11/10       Mill, “Of the Liberty of Thought and Discussion” from On Liberty

F              11/12       Mill, “Of Individuality, As One of the Elements of Well-Being,” from On Liberty  

                                2^nd SHORT PAPER DUE

Aristotle and Courage

Tough stuff I know guys but maybe over the weekend after I tweak my notes for the text, I will post them to help you out.

In the end though, just try to summarize the rest of book III and unpack Aristotle's view of courage.

Cheers and have a great weekend,
Dr. Layne

Philosophy and Boxing

"Consider, for example, the demise of dodge ball in public schools. It was banned because of the terror that the flying red balls caused in some children and of the damage to self-esteem that might come with always being the first one knocked out of the game. But how are we supposed to learn to stand up to our fears if we never have any supervised practice in dealing with the jitters?"

As both a boxer and a philosopher, I have a personal connection to a lot of the ideas and sentiments expressed in this article. However, I would be interested to know what people (especially those detached from the sport of boxing) think about what this article contests relating to what we have discussed in class. Can boxing (or any form of potentially harmful physical competition) help one learn to be courageous in all aspects of their life?

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/15/boxing-lessons/?hp

Aristotle on The Self and the Good Life

Just to summarize it seems that we are all beginning to doubt the very aim of the class: discovering or even understanding the nature of courage. Many are even asking whether courage is a virtue or whether it is an illusion simply constructed by society at large. This arises from the fact that most of you guys are noticing that a Socratic definition that is "the same in all cases" seems impossible. There is always a refutation to be made for every definition on puts forward. This is due to the fact that many of you constantly appeal to the perspective of the Subject in order to determine whether they embody courage. In this argument  some also end up discounting the idea that there is a universal or objective definition of it. In short, who and what courage is is relative to the person, society and situation one finds oneself in. I still persist in wondering though, do we really believe this?

Turning now to Aristotle, read the first half of the text on blackboard and tell me what the section of the text is about. Specifically, concentrate on analyzing Aristotle's conditions for moral responsibility. For Aristotle what makes an action praiseworthy? Do you agree or disagree.

See you Friday.
Dr. Layne

Trial by Fire

After reading the rest of the dialogue, I want you to formulate in ONE SENTENCE your own definition of courage.

Good luck!

read to 190c

The Return to Courage

Okay now moving away from the explicit connection between freedom and identity, we will now return to the subject of courage in Plato's Laches. Read up until p.43 or when Socrates begins to ask "What virtue is".

Here, in the first half of the text I want you to tell me who you agree with in the debate between Nicias and Laches. Is courage something that can be learned or do activities like training in arms (or other physical sports) only give one false confidence?

Cheers,
Dr. Layne

NO Movie Tonight

Okay guys I think it's best to cancel the movie night tonight. There is just too much going on in the city with the Saints game and parades etc. Of course you are still free to watch it "sans me" but then you won't get to hear all the wildly interesting things I have to say about the Batman and the Joker (as an old comic book geek as well as a philosopher, I could ramble ad infinitum...oh how fun).

In any case, I will go to the library and see if there is a more comfortable venue for us to watch stuff. I have a ton of other movies I want to watch with you guys so if the Dark Knight is a "no go" at least next time we will have everything set up way in advance. Also if there are any other movies you think may be relevant to the subjects we are discussing in class, just let me know.

Have fun tonight guys and see you tomorrow,
Dr. Layne

And the Cow Enters the Room

Today I attempted to argue vehemently that Prometheus is not the freest character in the first half of the text. I referred constantly to his almost insufferable self-pity and submission to his own fore-knowledge. He, I believe, felt bound long before he was physically chained to the rock. In both classes though, I alluded to my belief that Prometheus changes in this text and ultimately becomes free. In this vein then, I will ask two questions. You are "free" to answer both or only one.

For those who agree with me that Prometheus laments and suffers fate and is therefore bonded or enslaved by fate, how do you think this changes in the second half of the text? Does he change in fact? If so how do you think this transformation comes about and how do you think Io is related to this change?
Or 
For those who believe that Prometheus always represents true freedom, what role does Io play in the text? Why do you think she was an important character for Aeschylus with regards to the plot and "moral" of the story. Here I want you to think about the similarities between Io and Prometheus. How are these two characters lives intertwined and why would such a relationship be important in a text were issues like free will, fate, destiny and the human relationship with the Gods, particularly the tyrannical Zeus, are constantly invoked?

See you soon guys,
Dr. Layne

As soon as I have more info on watching the Dark Knight, I will fill you in.  Presently the plan is to watch it tomorrow on the 12th floor of Budding Hall at 9pm.....if this changes I will post something.

Question 3 Prometheus Bound Part 1

Turning now from an "Iron Age" epic poem by Homer to a "Classical" Greek tragedy by Aeschylus, describe the character in the first half of the text who exhibits the most "freedom" while also analyzing the characteristics and circumstances that may make the other characters enslaved. Once again it may help if you define  freedom and slavery.

Have fun with this text guys as it is one of my all time favorites.

Cheers,

Dr. Layne

Food for the Weekend

Okay guys, I talked a lot today in class. You got to hear my opinion of the text. If you would like, please post your opinions. Do you agree with me that the Iliad doesn't glorify war or heroism but criticizes it? Don't the appeals to dipolmacy, peace, and the care of concrete others over abstract, remote ideas like honor prevail in the end? Furthermore, feel free to share your opinions on contemporary war and the bravery of combat soldiers. Does the Iliad have anything to teach both ourselves on the home front and, more importantly, our soldiers in Iraq? Or are these wars incomparable? Just think of the difference in the way we fight, the methods of war? Yet, don't we honor soldiers in a similar way? Do we not consider those who die for this cause brave, do we not commemorate them, immortalize them, for the commitment to their country regardless of their personal feeling toward the war?

Of course this isn't a required question....I would just like to see what you think.

Cheers,
Dr. Layne

PS I will post my question on Prometheus Bound Monday around 12.

Rage, Achilles and the Death of Hector

Another fun class today guys and thanks again for all the interesting and insightful comments on Book I.

We discussed a few important things ranging from the civil disobedience of Achilles to the submission to the status quo of Nestor. We resisted pigeon-holing any one character into the paradigms of heroic and cowardly by stressing the differences between physical and moral strength, authoritative and self-determinate power. We also, or at least in the first class, thought about the difference between the courage of aggression or offensive strength and the courage of defense or endurance. We didn't discuss any of these things fully but at least we are begining to note the ambiguities that are sometimes dormant in our basic understanding of courage and what constitutes the defining characteristics of heroic individuals.

Now for the next class, I want us to think about cowardliness and whether such behavior eliminates courage. Is courage a zero-sum game? Do you have it or not, if you don't at one moment, can you regain it in another? Or is courage a habit, a disposition, something that you can eventually acquire etc. Here we should also be thinking about the role of fear. Is the coward simply one who fears or can the courageous also fear, should they fear? Can one who isn't afraid truly be courageous?

In this vein, I am asking for the next class to tell me what you think of Hector's "flight." Did he behave cowardly? If so, does this take away from his courage? If not, how do you excuse his flight?
 
Cheers,
Dr. Layne

(PS I don't have much time to give you a synopsis of the events leading to Chapter 22 but if I have time this afternoon, I will try to quickly give you a blow by blow of the greatest war story ever told.)