1. Starting with Plato

First go read the syllabus.  

Now.  

We're going to start with a dialogue by Plato, a philosopher who lived in the mid 400s to mid 300s BCE in Athens.

You need to know a few things.

The dialogue is called Phaedo, after a character it contains.  It contains a lot of other folks, too, including Socrates.

These were all real people, But Plato is using them as characters in his philosophical story.

There are some key anchors in real life:  Socrates was a philosopher, a teacher of Plato, and he was put to death by Athens.  This dialogue portrays his final moments.  But it is in no way meant to be a transcript--it is a highly crafted philosophical work.

Also, this is important:  Phaedo was a catamite--a slave employed in prostitution.  He was later freed and became a philosopher in his own right.

Skip the italicized intro.

And we'll refer to the old scholarly page numbers, which run alongside the text in numbers and letters.

So for Thursday, read from "57a" to the end of "69e."   Take notes. 

It is not quick or easy.  Go slowly.  Re-read.

You can find it HERE.