In this course, we will explore ancient Greek views on pleasure and its role in a good life. Some of the questions we will address are: What is pleasure? Does pleasure come in different kinds? Are human pleasures and the pleasures of non-human animals different; how so? What is the relationship between pleasure and desire, pleasure and phantasia, and pleasure and reason? What role, if any, does pleasure play in a life well lived? Is pleasure necessary for a happy, flourishing life? What role does pleasure play in the experience of art?
We will carefully study and analyze Plato and Aristotle’s answers to these questions, and how their ideas relate to the concepts and arguments developed in their psychological and ethical writings. First, we will look at Plato’s discussions of pleasure in the Republic, the Philebus, and the Phaedo. In these texts, we find a particular account of the nature of pleasure and its ethical implications. Then, we will read portions of Aristotle’s De Anima, Nicomachean Ethics, and the Poetics. Our goal will be to understand whether, and how, pleasure fits into Aristotle’s psychology, philosophy of action, and ethics.