Fate and Virtue
In this course—one of three in the Humanities foundation series—we will read one of the greatest poems ever written (Homer’s Iliad), excerpts from two writers who can lay claim to have created the discipline of history as we understand it (Herodotus and Thucydides), two of the world’s greatest philosophers (Plato and Aristotle), and the playwright known as the “father of comedy” (Aristophanes).
Why study the Greeks? Why study these authors? In part because the questions they raised are fundamental. Each, in his way, asked the question, “How should we lead our lives?” We will take up this question, and focus particularly on the themes of “fate” and “virtue.” We will read them for themselves, seeking to understand what their answers were. We will also compare them to each other, and see where they converge and diverge. In the process, we will seek to discover how and why our own views differ from theirs.
Department: Division of Arts and Humanities
University: Quest University Canada
Years offered: 2011-2012