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The aim of this module is to give a general introduction to the first philosophers of Western civilization, roughly between the 6th century BCE and the 1st century CE. We shall proceed chronologically, from the Presocratic thinkers and their discussions of nature, to the Sophists and their focus on human concerns, and then to Plato and Aristotle, ending with the Hellenistic philosophical schools: the Stoics, the Skeptics, and the Epicureans. We shall also proceed philosophically, emphasizing philosophical themes, problems, possible solutions, and methods arising in this period.
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