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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Ancient Philosophy: Aristotle and His Successors by University of Pennsylvania

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About the Course

What is philosophy? How does it differ from science, religion, and other modes of human discourse? This course traces the origins of philosophy in the Western tradition in the thinkers of Ancient Greece. We begin with the Presocratic natural philosophers who were active in Ionia in the 6th century BCE and are also credited with being the first scientists. Thales, Anaximander, and Anaximines made bold proposals about the ultimate constituents of reality, while Heraclitus insisted that there is an underlying order to the changing world. Parmenides of Elea formulated a powerful objection to all these proposals, while later Greek theorists (such as Anaxagoras and the atomist Democritus) attempted to answer that objection. In fifth-century Athens, Socrates insisted on the importance of the fundamental ethical question—“How shall I live?”—and his pupil, Plato, and Plato’s pupil, Aristotle, developed elaborate philosophical systems to explain the nature of reality, knowledge, and human happiness. After the death of Aristotle, in the Hellenistic period, Epicureans and Stoics developed and transformed that earlier tradition. We will study the major doctrines of all these thinkers. Part I will cover Plato and his predecessors. Part II will cover Aristotle and his successors....

Top reviews

AT

Jan 10, 2021

This is an excellent course. The lecturer presents the material very clearly, carefully bringing out what is at stake in the views and arguments of the Greek thinkers and schools she considers.

LG

Apr 25, 2019

Excellent course, Pr. Sauvé-Meyer keeps the material very engaging, and makes it very clear and easily accessible. Knowing how difficult the original texts are sometimes, this is very valuable.

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26 - 50 of 207 Reviews for Ancient Philosophy: Aristotle and His Successors

By Hanno H

Feb 17, 2017

I very much liked the course, it has a good pace and the Professor, Susan Sauvé Meyer, does a great job in presenting the material. As the course goes on material discussed before is revisited, there are running examples (so to speak) and the set up generally seems to have been well planned and constructed in advance. This is a course anyone can follow casually on the side, its fun and offers a lot. Thank you

By Quentin A

Jan 21, 2017

This course gives an excellent tour of the thought of Aristotle and his successors. The course focuses on the main points of Aristotle's thought and gives the student an excellent frame work for understanding Aristotle's thought without getting lost in the details. A better course that leaves the student capable of going off and reading Aristotle on their own would be hard to produce. Great job.

By Robert A B

Sep 11, 2016

Professor Meyer gave exemplary lectures while explaining a variety of different philosophical schools. I found the course interesting and enriching primarily due to the high quality of the lectures given by Professor Meyer. The questions during the lectures were helpful and the quizzes were short and effective in testing learning. May Professor Meyer live long and continue to teach!

By Siddhant J

Apr 6, 2022

The School of Athens painting, accompanied by the background music, sets the mood and takes you back in time. Prof. Susan Meyer does a great job of keeping the topic engaging and thought-provoking. Highly recommend the course to anyone dipping their toes into Ancient Philosophy. I would suggest taking this 2nd part in the series after completing the 1st part by the same professor.

By Kateryna G

Jun 1, 2020

This is truly outstanding course. Highly recommended! I would even say that it is advisable that all people take it to learn how to reason, to contemplate and of course touch the immense ancient knowledge of giants such as Aristotle. The way it is presented is very well structured, material is given in a clear, engaging way. Overall, one of the best courses I have ever taken

By Tahereh D

Feb 6, 2024

Thank Professor Susan Sauvé Meyer for her best and useful choice of subjects. Professor Susan Sauvé Meyer collects, analyzes, and summarizes the gist of them skillfully, that is really a hard job. These subjects have always been my concerns. With passing Plato and Aristotle course, I feel to find the way to study and analyze these ideas. I appreciate her efforts.

By Deleted A

Apr 7, 2016

Both of the Ancient Philosophy courses, Plato and His Predecessors, and Aristotle and His Successors were excellent. Susan is a very good lecturer, clear, and precise.

I have completed 'Introduction to Philosophy' and the 'Philosophy of Science', both at the University of Edinburgh, and can highly recommend Susan's courses at University of Pennsylvania as the next step.

By Subrat D

Jul 29, 2021

An excellent exposition of Aristotle's Philosophy. The Professor was lucid and explained all major concepts in a compehensive manner. The quizzes and the project reinforced the learning. The videos were just right to keep one engaged and covered all conceptts exceedingly well. Overall an outstanding course which has whetted my apetite for learning of Philosophy.

By Caitlin N

Jan 30, 2017

I thoroughly enjoyed this course! I started with practically no knowledge on the subject, and finished with a great understanding. The course was not difficult to follow; had interesting and easy to understand lectures, and provided brilliant resources for background study. I highly recommend this course for anybody interested in Philosophy!

By Wei L

Jun 27, 2016

The gold of Aristotle's classic has been expertly mined out and presented in a connoisseur way for the appreciation, which give this lecture its form, or in Aristotle's term, its soul to be alive.

Professor Meyer rarely smiled, but when she did, she smiled very charmingly. ; )

By MUHAMMAD G S

Jul 26, 2021

It was a great course. It opened new doors for me to think. This course immersed me in immense joy during this global scary pandemic time. Professor Susan Sauvé Meyer as a teacher is an extraordinary personality. Her presentation style has fascinated me throughout the course.

By J H B v d M

Sep 7, 2020

I learned a lot about ancient philosophy. Thanks for this opportunity. The teacher explained in a clear way the important aspects of the ancient philosophers. By doning it in her way, she invited me for deepening my interest for the stoics. I enjoyed this course very much.

By Renee K

Jul 24, 2020

Thank you, Professor Susan! I've enjoyed the second part of this course and the material and new informative skills I've learned in this course have helped me to grow my love for learning more on philosophy.

I highly recommend taking this course you'll not regret it!

By Nicolau N S

May 19, 2020

Again, like I have said in the end of Part I, this was a wonderful learning experience. I feel very grateful to Coursera, to the University of Pennsylvania and specially to Susan Meyer. This will certainly help me as a philosophy teacher in the future. Thanks!

By David S

Jan 3, 2023

This is a very well-organized course with well-designed lecture videos. The professor explains difficult concepts in an admirably clear way. I have studied Aristotle on my own, and found that this instructor made clear concepts that I had not grasped before.

By David J

Apr 19, 2021

A beautifully lucid and well thought out presentation of some of the views and arguments of these fascinating early thinkers. I've never heard or read a clearer account of the issues that concerned them. Susan Meyer's love of her subject shines through!

By Willian S

Oct 20, 2021

This course is splendid. The course introduces Aristotle's ideas and then moves on to the Epicurean and Stoic schools of philosophy. The quizzes are relevant to the course material, and the final assignment(s) apply the knowledge that is learned.

By Emanuela Z

Aug 27, 2019

This course is well structured. Organized in a chronological sense, it allows us to compare the idea of philosophers considered with contemporaries and precedents.

The intermediate exercises and questions are effective for a better understanding.

By Gary T

Aug 31, 2023

I found the first part of the course, Plato and his predecessors, quite difficult, but it led well into this one. I am glad I did both of them, even though it was the second I really wanted.

Thank you for the opportunity to do both of them.

By Sandra R E

Jul 25, 2020

Excellent course so loved learning more about ancient philosophers. Enjoyed the lectures very much. I took the first part of this course Presocratic philosophers & Plato first. I have enjoyed very much taking both of these courses.

By Michael O

Feb 27, 2023

Excellent course! The content was interesting, the course was well-designed (good mix of video lectures, readings, multiple choice tests, a short essay at the end), and the lecturer gave very clear talks on the various topics.

By Gregory R

Oct 21, 2021

Dr. Meyer was a knowledgeable, pleasant guide throughout "Ancient Philosophy." I especially appreciate the way she used the writing exercises to help her students get a better understanding of the course material.

By Lee

Dec 21, 2019

Enjoyed this survey of Aristotle, the Epicureans, and the Stoics! Good introduction to the ideas, with easy to understand examples that make it possible to understand the translated readings that precede them.

By Claudia M

Dec 1, 2020

I loved this course by prof. dr Meyer. Indeed, it involves reading the original texts, then they are duly commented by prof dr Meyer, who invites us to use our own reasoning ability. I recommend this course!

By Orville C

May 27, 2020

Dr. Susan Sauvé Meyer delivers the course material at a pace that makes the subject easy to understand while using check-in questions during her presentations that help the listener capture the key concepts.