Course Guide

PHIL 3321


Hellenistic Philosophy

Professor John Heil
Spring 2005

The following guide is designed to help offer guidance and direction as you begin and continue research related to topics in this course. Your research needs will differ based on your topic, but the following resources should offer starting and continuing points.


1. Begin thinking about topics and looking at sources soon after receiving your assignment. Your ability to select and focus on topics tends to be better when the assignment is fresh in your mind. This also allows you to plan and schedule the kinds of tasks involved in a project that requires research sources.
 

2. Locate keywords for use in searching. Using a word or set of words related to your topic when searching should result in more specific information, often in less time. You can locate keywords in a number of ways:

A. Browse the subject headings index of the Library of Congress classification system (available at the library's help desk).

B. Look up books in Quest, the library's catalog, using very general search terms. Then, look at the description of a specific book to see what subject terms were assigned to that text. By clicking on one of the topics under "Subjects" you will be redirected to a list of similar texts.

C. Experiment with combinations of terms while doing a keyword search in Quest.

The following are Library of Congress subject headings used to organize the kinds of texts for which you will search. 

●  Aristotle Influence
●  Emotions (Philosophy) History
●  Hellenism
●  Epicureans (Greek philosophy)
●  Epicurus
●  Peripatetics
●  Philosophy, Ancient
●  Platonists
●  Platonists History
●  Skeptics (Greek philosophy)
●  Stoics History

3. Locate books. Use the library's catalog (Quest) to find books on your topic. CLICK HERE for information on using Quest.

The following list includes related titles currently held at the Coates Library at Trinity University. While a number of these titles were published pre-1990, the publication dates for most of these titles range from 1990 to 2004.

General

● Algra, Keimpe, et al. Cambridge History of Hellenistic Philosophy. (B 171 C36 1999)

● Annas, Julia. Hellenistic Philosophy of Mind. (B 187 M55 A56 1992)

● Annas, Julia. The Morality of Happiness.  (BJ 171 H35 A56 1993)

● Brunschwig, Jacques. Papers in Hellenistic Philosophy. (B512 B78 1994)

● Brunschwig, Jacques, and Martha C. Nussbaum. Passions and Perceptions: Studies in Hellenistic Philosophy of Mind. (BF 91 P37 1993)

● Cottingham, John. Philosophy and the Good Life: Reason and the Passions in Greek, Cartesian, and Psychoanalytic Ethics. (BJ 1531 C69 1998)

● Erskine, Andrew, ed. Companion to the Hellenistic World. (DE 86 C65 2003)

● Greco, John, and Ernest Sosa. Blackwell Guide to Epistemology. (BD 161 B465 1999)

● Irwin, Terence, ed. Classical Philosophy: Collected Papers. (B 171 C53)

● Kristeller, Paul Oskar. Greek Philosophers in the Hellenistic Age. (B 505 K7513 1993)

● LaFollette, Hugh, ed. Blackwell Guide to Ethical Theory. (BJ 1012 B536 2000)

● Long, A.A. Hellenistic Philosophy: Stoics, Epicureans, Sceptics. (B 525 L66 1986)

● Nussbaum, Martha C. Therapy of Desire: Theory and Practice in Hellenistic Ethics. (B 505 N87 1994)

● Ogden, Daniel, ed. Hellenistic World: New Perspectives. (DF 235 H45 2002)

● Sharples, R.W. Stoics, Epicureans, and Sceptics: an Introduction to Hellenistic Philosophy. (B 505 S52 1996)

● Sihvola, Juha, and Troels Engberg-Pedersen. Emotions in Hellenistic Philosophy. (B 511.5 E56 1998)

● Striker, Gisela. Essays on Hellenistic Epistemology and Ethics. (B 505 S775 1996)

Stoics

● Bobzien, Susanne. Determinism and Freedom in Stoic Philosophy. (B 528 B576 1998)

● Colish, Marcia L. Stoic Tradition from Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages. (B 528 C65 1990)

● Ierodiakonou, Katerina. Topics in Stoic Philosophy. (B 528 T66 1999)

● Inwood, Brad, ed. Cambridge Companion to the Stoics. (B 528 C26 2003)

● Inwood, Brad. Ethics and Human Action in Early Stoicism. (B 528 I59 1985)

● Long, A.A. Stoic Studies. (B 528 L65 1996)

● Rist, John M. The Stoics. (B 528 S68)

● Sandbach, F.H. The Stoics. (B 528 S27)

● Sellars, John. Art of Living: The Stoics on Nature and Function of Philosophy. (BJ 1595 S425 2003)

● Sorabji, Richard. Emotion and Peace of Mind: From Stoic Agitation to Christian Temptation. (B 187 E46 S67 2000)

● Strange, Steven K., and Jack Zupko. Stoicism: Traditions and Transformations. (B 528 S6785 2004)


Epicureans

● Asmis, Elizabeth. Epicurus' Scientific Method. (B 573 A84 1984)

● Clay, Diskin. Paradosis and Survival: Three Chapters in the History of Epicurean Philosophy. (B 512 C57 1998)

● Englert, Walter. Epicurus on the Swerve and Voluntary Action. (B 573 E54 1987)

● Furley, David J. Two Studies in the Greek Atomists: Study I, Invisible Magnitudes; Study II, Aristotle and Epicurus on Voluntary Action            (B 573 F8)

● Jones, Howard. Epicurean Tradition. (B 573 J57 1990)

● Mitsis, Phillip. Epicurus' Ethical Theory: The Pleasures of Invulnerability. (B 573 M58 1988)

● Rist, J.M. Epicurus: an introduction. (B 573 R57)


Skeptics

● Annas, Julia, and Jonathan Barnes. The Modes of Scepticism. (B 837 A55 1985)

● Burnyeat, Myles, and Michael Frede, eds. The Original Sceptics: a controversy. (B 525 O75 1997)

● Bett, Richard. Pyrrho, His Antecedents, and His Legacy. (B 613 B48 2000)

● Hankinson, R.J. Sceptics. (B 525 H26 1995)

● Sinnott-Armstrong, Walter, ed. Pyrrhonian Skepticism. (B 837 P97 2004)

● Sosa, Ernest, and Enrique Villanueva. Skepticism. (B 837 S5657 2000)


Academics (Platonists)

● Annas, Julia. Platonic Ethics, Old and New. (B398 E8 A56 1999)

● Dillon, John M. Golden Chain: Studies in the Development of Platonism and Christianity. (B 517 D53 1990)

● Dillon, John M. Great Tradition: Further Studies in the Development of Platonism and Early Christianity. (B 517 D535 1997)

● Dillon, John M. Heirs of Plato: A Study of the Old Academy, 347-274 B.C. (B 517 D536 2003)

● Moravcsik, Julius. Plato and Platonism: Plato's Conception of Appearance and Reality in Ontology, Epistemology, and Ethics, and its Modern Echoes. (B 395 M79 1992)

● Tarrant, Harold.  Plato's First Interpreters.  (B 395 T22 2000)


Peripatetics (Aristotelians)

● Bodnar, Istvan, and William M. Forenbaugh. Eudemus of Rhodes. (B 577 E54 E93 2002)

● Fortenbaugh, William W., and David C. Mirhady. Peripatetic Rhetoric After Aristotle. (PN 173 P47 1994)

● Hughes, Gerald J. Routledge Philosophy Guidebook to Aristotle on Ethics. (B 430 H84 2001)

● Kenny, Anthony. Essays on the Aristotelian Tradition. (B 491 E7 K473 2001)

Tip: Some helpful resources might be available from other libraries. To find out about using the library's ILLiad program to loan books from other locations, CLICK HERE.

 

4. Locate journal articles. Use online databases to search a number of journals by keyword. The following databases feature full-text access and should be particularly helpful in your search. CLICK HERE to access databases available through Trinity's Coates Library.

●  Academic Search Premiere (abstracts and full-text articles in the social sciences, the humanities, arts, technology, medicine, ethnic studies, etc.)

●  Arts and Humanities Search (index to arts and humanities journals and selected articles from the sciences and social sciences)

●  Humanities Abstracts (Indexes mostly scholarly journals in philosophy, religion, literature, and related areas with a small number of full-text titles)

●  JSTOR (full-text scholarly journals in multiple disciplines, coverage typically excludes the most recent 3-5 years)

●  L'Annee Philologique (Key classical studies index to books and scholarly articles provides coverage of ancient philosophy; probably less helpful for this course than other resources)

●  Philosopher's Index Main (index to scholarly publications)

Tip:  Some databases do not include full-text of the articles listed in your search result.  However, you may see a button that says "Tour Full-Text."  This link will open another browser window and will show whether or not we have the text available in an online journal or in print in the library. 

5. Locate authoritative web resources. Web resources are not always helpful to students and scholars because

(1) website addresses and contents change, making it difficult for a reader to verify or refer to the source;
(2) websites are difficult to evaluate, often due to missing information related to authority, currency, and accuracy;
(3) and website authors do not always use materials with consideration to copyright law. This would mean that an image discussed from a website might not include the information required for a full bibliographic citation.

The following sites have been evaluated and selected for use by your Trinity librarian.
 

American Philosophical Association
While the organization and their site focuses on broad topics and issues related to the study and teaching of Philosophy, the links on their "Web Resources" page may be of interest.

EpistemeLinks
This site "includes over 16,500 categorized links to philosophy resources on the Internet and has several additional features." You can browse by philosopher, topic, or category.

Epistemology Page
Maintained by Keith DeRose at Yale, this incomplete site offers a number of directions and sources for information related to the study of epistemology.

Guide to Philosophy on the Internet
While this site is no longer maintained, its extensive link listings and helpful categories make it a site worth browsing.

History of Psychology
While clearly focusing on related yet different topics, this site offers a helpful timeline and map of each of the different eras important to the history of psychology. For the purposes of this course, the section on the "Epicureans and Stoics" may offer context for a discussion of these movements.

Internet Classics Archive
Sponsored by MIT, this long-running site includes full-text reproductions of more than 400 classical texts.

Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Consistently and regularly maintained and updated since 1995, the IEP includes both longer peer reviewed entries and shorter "public domain" entries.  Extended entries include bibliographic resources.

Philosophy Around the Web
According to the web author, "The main purpose of this site is to act as a guide and a gateway to philosophy resources on the Internet.  The heart of the site is a set of links organized into fourteen main categories.  In some cases (for example, the list of University links) the relevant sites are stable enough to make completeness and accuracy a sensible goal.  Some of the pages in my non-philosophical sections might be of interest to philosophers - in particular the...Scepticism, and Teaching Resources pages."

Philosophy of Mind: Philosophy of Emotions Portal
Focusing specifically on ethics and emotions, this (very) extensive list of links covers a wide array of websites dealing with the topic.  Since a great number of the resources focus on time periods other than the Hellenistic Age, this site is ideal of expanding on and extending your work related to Hellenistic philosophers.

Radical Academy
This extensive site related a wide number of topics on philosophy is helpful with general information and offers helpful links to other sites.  The "Philosophy Resource Center" link may be particularly valuable.

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
While some of the entries in this work-in-progress are limited, some are extended and include suggestions for further research and reading.  Some entries also include links to the online full-text of classical works related to the topic.

The Window: Philosophy on the Internet
"The Window is an experimental interface attempting to stretch the limits of HTML and the WWW. Conceived as "the philosophical clearing house on the Internet," it has grown from simple beginnings as a simple list of sites to a comprehensive tool for the discovery of new knowledge." At this stage of development, the site is limited, but the linked timeline assists in understanding the context of the work of different philosophers.

6. Evaluate your resources. You wouldn't buy a car because it was the first one you found in a list of results from a Google search, would you? So why do the same with sources? Sources support your ideas while also testifying to your diligence as a student and scholar. The ability to evaluate the sources that speak for and about you is a valuable skill that can extend beyond your work as a student.

● To determine the difference between a scholarly journal and a popular or trade magazine, CLICK HERE

● For information on evaluating web resources, CLICK HERE



7. Use and cite your resources. Citing sources and avoiding plagiarism (intentional or accidental) is imperative in any research situation, and the manner in which you document sources is not a creative exercise. The following links may help as you think about documenting the sources you use in your writing and other projects.

● For MLA and APA citation style guidelines (as well as other styles), CLICK HERE

● To use RefWorks, Trinity's online software for creating bibliographies, CLICK HERE


8. When in doubt, ask your librarian. No one expects you to know it all, and getting stuck during the research process can be frustrating for anyone. The librarians at Coates Library are not only trained to assist you in your researching endeavors; they are glad to help. To contact a librarian immediately, CLICK HERE.




Prepared by Benjamin R. Harris

Reference/Instruction Librarian
Trinity University Coates Library
January 2005 (Updated July 2005)