PHIL 102, Day 1

What is Philosophy?

Intro to Plato & Socrates

Christina Hendricks, UBC

Summer 2015

Slides licensed CC BY 4.0

Learning Catalytics

• Note info on syllabus about data collection

• Register here, if you wish to use LC:

https://learningcatalytics.com/

• access code: given in class

Survey for group formation

1. Have you ever taken any philosophy courses

before? If so, which?

2. Why are you taking this course? e.g., interest,

need to fulfill a requirement (which?), other

reasons

3. What faculty are you in? If you have a major,

what is it?

What is Philosophy?

• Based on what you have seen/read/heard for

today, how would you answer this question?

• Get into groups of 3 and discuss your thoughts;

the group should decide on an answer.

• One person from your group write your group’s

answer here:

http://is.gd/PHIL102WhatIsPhilosophy

Intro to Plato & Socrates

Plato: c. 428-347 BCE

Socrates: c. 469-399 BCE

Peloponnesian war btwn Athens & Sparta: 431-

404 BCE

Rule of 30 tyrants: 404-403 BCE

Trial and Execution of Socrates in Athens: 399

BCE

Map of Greece duringPeloponnesian War, 431 BC, from Wikimedia Commons,

licensed CC BY-SA 3.0

Democracy in AthensAssembly of Citizens: male, Athenian parents, completed

military training (age 20)

• No women, children, slaves, foreigners

• Met around 40 times/yr, about 5000-6000 people

each mtg

• Anyone allowed to speak at assembly

• Decided on laws & policies from Council of 500

"Pnyx, Athens - Panorama" by Nikthestoned, via Wikimedia Commons. Licensed CC BY SA 3.0

Assembly

Council of 500

10 generals

9 Archons

Democracy in Athens

• Significant equality in ruling—many positions

chosen by lottery

• Speaking well in public very important

• Sophists: teachers of rhetoric—went around

Greece teaching for a fee

War Athens-Sparta

431-404 BCE; Athens loses

Rule of 30 tyrants (404-403 BCE)

• Set up by Sparta, anti-democrats

• Exiled democrats, killed people to take their

money and lands

• Tried to get Socrates to arrest an innocent

person (he refused)

• Plato’s uncle and great-uncle were part of the

30 (the latter was their leader)

Plato (428-347 BCE)

• From aristocratic, wealthy

family

• Did not go into politics

because of experience with

30 tyrants and trial of

Socrates

• Set up a school of

philosophy (“The Academy”)

around 385 BCE Plato Silanio Louvre, via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

Socrates (469-399 BCE)

• Wrote nothing, so far as we know

• Walked around Athens engaging

people in philosophical

discussions

• May not have been a fan of

democracy

• Tried and executed for impiety

and corruption of the youth (see

Apology) "Socrates Louvre" by Eric Gaba, via Wikimedia Commons. Licensed CC BY-SA 2.5

Texts for Thursday

Euthyphro: Socrates speaking with a priest

named Euthyphro, shortly before Socrates’ trial

Apology: Plato’s version of Socrates’ trial

✴ Think about: what might Plato or Socrates say

philosophy is, and how it might make people’s

lives better?