PHI103: Socrates and the Examined Life
Key details
Accredited towards | Bachelor of Arts in the Liberal Arts Diploma of Liberal Arts |
Unit type | Core unit |
Credit points | 6 |
Indicative contact hours | 3 hours per week |
Prerequisites | None |
Offered in | Semester 1 |
Tuition fee | Learn more |
Overview
In Fides et Ratio, Pope St John Paul II says that philosophy, “one of the noblest of human tasks,” is “directly concerned with asking the question of life’s meaning and sketching an answer to it”. This unit of study introduces students to this task, central to liberal education and the Catholic intellectual tradition, by focusing on Socrates, the foundational philosopher of the classical Greek tradition. As dramatized in Plato’s challenging yet accessible dialogues, Socrates asks and seeks answers to some of the most fundamental human questions (What is justice? What is knowledge? What is the good life?) as he challenges his fellow Athenian citizens to consider the purpose and nature of their lives. Works studied may include Plato’s Apology, Crito and Republic.
Learning outcomes
On completion of this unit of study, students will be able to:
- Examine Socrates’ quest for the right way of life and the question of how we can know it
- Understand the significance of the author’s choice of the literary form of the texts
- Evaluate the major themes, stylistic features and argumentative strategies employed in selected dialogues
- Identify and use the Socratic method of inquiry
- Understand the importance of clear argumentation and written expression
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