The unfolding of Western philosophy has centred around the reception of key texts. For instance, foundational texts produced in Ancient Greece (e.g., by Plato and Aristotle) gave rise to important developments in Roman philosophy and a rich commentarial tradition in the Middle Ages. The Renaissance drew inspirations from these texts as did modern Western philosophy. In contemporary philosophy, both the Analytic and Continental traditions continue to refer to them. The present course will select one or more key texts from any period of the history of Western philosophy and study them systematically and in the context of their impact and their role within intellectual history.

CILO-1: Recognize the key classical works in Western philosophy and locate them in their broader historical and intellectual context. CILO-2: Critically discuss and evaluate classical works from the history of Western philosophy. CILO-3: Discuss key contemporary issues from the perspective of one or more classical work from the history of Western philosophy.