Aristotle disagreed with much of Plato’s thought, but their differences are often overstated. Thought of more accurately as a student tweaking and developing the thought of his teacher, Aristotle’s agreement with Plato is as significant as his disagreements. Is the soul immaterial? What are the virtues and how does one acquire them? What is the nature of universals? What is a good regime in political philosophy and what causes a society to decay.
This course will be topically organized and involve comparative readings of excerpts across the broad corpus of both Plato and Aristotle. Some discussion will also be granted for comparing their influence throughout history. For novices, this course may provide a broad introduction to both philosophers. For advanced students, this course will provide a new depth of understanding as both philosophers are analyzed side-by-side. Topics will include the nature of wisdom and virtue, metaphysics and epistemology, God, philosophical anthropology, and political philosophy.