Universität Wien

180102 SE Platons Politeia (2014W)

On the problem of justice

5.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 18 - Philosophie
Continuous assessment of course work

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 45 participants
Language: German

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

FR 17.10.2014 15.00-20.00 Hörsaal 2i NIG (Universitätsstraße 7) 2.Stock
SA 18.10.2014 09.00-12.00 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock
SA 18.10.2014 13.00-16.00 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock
FR 07.11.2014 13.15-18.15 Hörsaal 2G NIG 2.Stock
FR 09.01.2015 13.15-18.15 Hörsaal 3B NIG 3.Stock

  • Friday 17.10. 15:00 - 20:00 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
  • Saturday 18.10. 09:00 - 12:00 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
  • Saturday 18.10. 13:00 - 16:00 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
  • Friday 07.11. 13:15 - 18:15 Hörsaal 2G, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/2.Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Friday 09.01. 13:15 - 18:15 Hörsaal 3B NIG 3.Stock

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

The purpose of the seminar is to introduce students to a classical work of ancient ethics by reading the original text selectively. The text selection is based on the thematic focus of justice.
In this way, students will not only become familiar with an ancient original text in German translation, but they are also faced with Plato's theory of justice. Since Plato does not present his position directly, but presents different positions in dialogue form, it is possible - with the help of the text to get to know divergent ethical positions and to learn to discuss them.
Since Plato's own view is only gradually developed by working through a lot of considerations of different people and by the submissions of Socrates, it is not enough to deal with Socrates' debates with the five disputants only in the first two books of the Politeia. Furthermore, Plato presents his conception of justice through two detours, namely by reflecting on its relationship to the human soul and its connections to the state. Therefore corresponding passages outside of the first two books are to be included. Finally, it is necessary for the internal logic of Plato's conception of justice to bring it into connection with the concept of the good.
This results in the following structure of the seminar:
1 Introduction to Platonic philosophy and to the text
2 Justice as honest refund (I, 4-5: Kephalos)
3 Justice as fitting for the individual (I, 6-9: Polemarchos)
4 Justice as the advantage of the stronger (I, 10-15: Thrasymachos 1)
5 Injustice as happiness, best profit and highest power (I, 16-24: Thrasymachos 2)
6 Justice before injustice; definition of justice without regard to the consequences (II, 1-5: Glaukon)
7 Nature of justice and effect on the soul (II, 6-9: Adeimantos)
8 Justice in the state (IV, 6-10)
9 Justice in the individual; soul and state (IV, 11-19)
10 Reward for justice: an immortal soul; in this world; in the hereafter (X, 9-16)
11 Idea of the good: allegory of the sun and of the line (VI, 16-21); allegory of the cave (VII, 1-5)
12 Summary

Assessment and permitted materials

Written protocols and a seminar paper

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

The students should be able to give an account of Plato's key positions to justice and to reflect about them in writing.

Examination topics

In this course it is assumed that the texts are prepared by reading them in advance. The basic text is a German translation.
During the seminar, some selected and essential texts will be read and interpreted together. Central terms are explained by recourse to the Greek original.
Common reading alternates with group reading. Specific tasks are given to each group.
Plenary discussions and summaries of the course conductor collect and discuss developed positions. The seminar sessions are recorded by the students to secure the outcomes of the course

Reading list

Edition and translation:
As base text I suggest the following useful but inexpensive translation:
Platon: Der Staat. Übers. v. Karl Vretska, Stuttgart: Reclam 2001 (= Universal-Bibliothek 8205).
Currently relevant original edition:
Plato: Res publica. Recognovit brevique adnotatione critica instruxit Simon R. Slings, Oxford: Oxford University Press 2003 (= Oxford Classical Texts).

Secondary literature:
The following list contains literature for the first orientation and introduction:
Böhme, Gernot: Platons theoretische Philosophie, Stuttgart: Metzler 2000.
Bormann, Karl: Platon. 2. Aufl., Freiburg/Br.: Alber 1987.
Ferrari, Giovanni R. F. (Ed.): The Cambridge companion to Plato's Republic, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 2007 (= Cambridge companions to philosophy).
Günter, Andrea: Platons Politeia. Philosophie. Pluralität. Gerechtigkeit, Wien: Passagen 2010.
Höffe, Otfried (Ed.): Platon, Politeia. 3. Aufl., Berlin: Akademie Verlag 2011 (= Klassiker auslegen 7).
Kersting, Wolfgang: Platons Staat. 2. Aufl., Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft 2006.
Patt, Walter: Grundzüge der Staatsphilosophie im klassischen Griechentum, Würzburg: Königshausen & Neumann 2002.
Santas, Gerasimos (Ed.): The Blackwell guide to Plato's Republic, Malden/MA: Blackwell 2008.
Slings, Simon R.: Critical notes on Plato's Politeia, Leiden: Brill 2005 ( Mnemosyne Supplementum 267).
Szlezák, Thomas Alexander: Die Idee des Guten in Platons Politea. Beobachtungen zu den mittleren Büchern, St. Augustin: Academia 2001 (= Lecturae Platonis 3).

Association in the course directory

BA M 6.2, UF PP BA 09, PP 57.3.4

Last modified: Sa 10.09.2022 00:19