How to Survive an Ancient Philosophy Class

Ancient philosophy can be either fascinating or mind-numbingly difficult, depending on what you're expecting. If this is your first philosophy class, you may find yourself drowning in deep, confusing waters. Here are some survival tips for those who don't seem to know what's going on.

Instructions

1. Remember that there are two barriers to understanding ancient philosophy. The first is a large historical gap, more than 2000 years difference. The second is cultural. Greek and Roman philosophy was developed centuries before anything like a modern, scientific, or even Christian world view. If it all seems like a strange and alien way of thinking, it is!

2. Plato and Aristotle are the keys to ancient philosophy. You'll not only spend the most time reading them, but you can also create a mental map of the class material by comparing and contrasting the other material you read to these two men. Spend time getting a handle on them first before tackling more minor figures.

3. If you're having trouble figuring out Plato and Aristotle, here are some general tips. Plato is the big picture thinker who starts from ideals and how things "should" be. Aristotle is the realist, and his philosophy looks a lot more like modern empirical science. If you can start to find ways that all parts of their philosophy (ethics, metaphysics, art, etc.) fit into that idealist/realist distinction, you'll have a leg up on understanding them.

4. The pre-Socratic philosophers all thought in terms of elements (water, earth, etc.). Each of their philosophies uses one of the elements as a metaphor for how they see the world.

5. The philosophers that came after Plato and Aristotle, such as the Stoics, Epicureans, Pythagoreans, etc., all focused on how to live life. They didn't consider themselves "scientists," but more like self-help experts who thought they knew the way to human happiness. Focus on how their advice differed to get a handle on them.

6. If you're having trouble understanding the reading, look for outside resources. There are plenty of introductory books on the major thinkers, and even some recorded lectures. Use extra readings to your advantage.

7. Read the material both before and after class lecture. Philosophical argumentation can seem impenetrable, so getting practice with it is a must. Read through the material before class, even if it seems baffling. Then read it again after class and see how much clearer it seems. After a few weeks of this, you'll find yourself starting to understand the reading better on a first attempt.

8. Read a summary of the philosophers' ideas before reading their actual texts. It helps immensely to know what they are trying to say before you get into the details of their argument.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember to judge a philosopher on the reasons they give for their position, not on whether you believe them or not. Your professors will be more interested in how you judge their reasoning process than if you simply find them right or not.

• Treat philosophy as a mental experiment, especially if you find that you cannot believe a single thing that ancient philosophers held to be true. Treating it like a game may help you understand how the various positions work and relate to one another.

• Don't judge ancient philosophers by modern standards. Take them on their own terms, and you'll have a better understanding of what they were trying to say.