This course will both provide a beginner’s introduction to the Ancient Greek language and a discussion of the origin of philosophy and the first philosophers.

Ancient Greek writings stand at the head of the major traditions of poetry, philosophy, history, political theory, mathematics, philology, theology, literary criticism, and many other disciplines (even the words describing them derive from the Greek). Learning Ancient Greek language opens up the broader horizons of the original sense of these terms that describe our own world.

In particular, our world is dominated by science, an activity derived from the discovery of the notion of nature (physis, φύσις) by the early Greek philosophers. We will study key fragments of Thales, Anaximander, and Heraclitus, among others, who have shaped later thought from Plato through Bacon to Heidegger. We will use the words and sentences of the first philosophers in our introduction to the Ancient Greek language and for our discussion of the original meaning of philosophy (no prior study of Greek or grammar is presumed).

This course is provided in collaboration with the Platonic Academy of Melbourne: https://platonicacademy.com.au/