Politics of the City I: Plato and Aristotle

In this course we will consider political philosophy in ancient Greece by reading Plato’s Republic in its entirety and selections from Aristotle’s Politics. Among the questions we will address are these: What is the relation between the constitution of the city and the constitution of a person (the arrangement of the psyche)? What does it mean to lead a good life? Does an individual need a particular type of city in order to be good? Does a city need a particular type of individual in order to be good? In short, what is the relation between ethics and politics? It may be that in thinking about these questions in the context of ancient philosophy you will come to re-imagine your own relationship to the ethics and politics of New York City.

This course is capped at 20 and registration closes Sept.1

All registrations before Sept. 1 come with a free copy of Aristotle’s Politics or Plato’s Republic. All classes for this course  have complimentary beer, wine, and water courtesy of the Goethe-Institut.

Course Schedule