A set of slides for the first day of PHIL 102, Introduction to Philosophy, at the University of British Columbia-Vancouver, Canada. We talked about students' initial ideas of what philosophy is, and also introduced Plato and Socrates, and Athenian democracy.

1. PHIL 102, Day 1
What is Philosophy?
Intro to Plato & Socrates
Christina Hendricks, UBC
Summer 2015
Slides licensed CC BY 4.0

2. Learning Catalytics
• Note info on syllabus about data collection
• Register here, if you wish to use LC:
https://learningcatalytics.com/
• access code: given in class

3. Survey for group formation
1. Have you ever taken any philosophy courses
before? If so, which?
2. Why are you taking this course? e.g., interest,
need to fulfill a requirement (which?), other
reasons
3. What faculty are you in? If you have a major,
what is it?

4. What is Philosophy?
• Based on what you have seen/read/heard for
today, how would you answer this question?
• Get into groups of 3 and discuss your thoughts;
the group should decide on an answer.
• One person from your group write your group’s
answer here:
http://is.gd/PHIL102WhatIsPhilosophy

5. Intro to Plato & Socrates
Plato: c. 428-347 BCE
Socrates: c. 469-399 BCE
Peloponnesian war btwn Athens & Sparta: 431-
404 BCE
Rule of 30 tyrants: 404-403 BCE
Trial and Execution of Socrates in Athens: 399
BCE

6. Map of Greece duringPeloponnesian War, 431 BC, from Wikimedia Commons,
licensed CC BY-SA 3.0

7. Democracy in Athens
Assembly of Citizens: male, Athenian parents, completed
military training (age 20)
• No women, children, slaves, foreigners
• Met around 40 times/yr, about 5000-6000 people
each mtg
• Anyone allowed to speak at assembly
• Decided on laws & policies from Council of 500
"Pnyx, Athens - Panorama" by Nikthestoned, via Wikimedia Commons. Licensed CC BY SA 3.0

8. Assembly
Council of 500
10 generals
9 Archons

9. Democracy in Athens
• Significant equality in ruling—many positions
chosen by lottery
• Speaking well in public very important
• Sophists: teachers of rhetoric—went around
Greece teaching for a fee

10. War Athens-Sparta
431-404 BCE; Athens loses
Rule of 30 tyrants (404-403 BCE)
• Set up by Sparta, anti-democrats
• Exiled democrats, killed people to take their
money and lands
• Tried to get Socrates to arrest an innocent
person (he refused)
• Plato’s uncle and great-uncle were part of the
30 (the latter was their leader)

11. Plato (428-347 BCE)
• From aristocratic, wealthy
family
• Did not go into politics
because of experience with
30 tyrants and trial of
Socrates
• Set up a school of
philosophy (“The Academy”)
around 385 BCE Plato Silanio Louvre, via Wikimedia
Commons. Public domain.

12. Socrates (469-399 BCE)
• Wrote nothing, so far as we know
• Walked around Athens engaging
people in philosophical
discussions
• May not have been a fan of
democracy
• Tried and executed for impiety
and corruption of the youth (see
Apology) "Socrates Louvre" by Eric Gaba, via
Wikimedia Commons.
Licensed CC BY-SA 2.5

13. Texts for Thursday
Euthyphro: Socrates speaking with a priest
named Euthyphro, shortly before Socrates’ trial
Apology: Plato’s version of Socrates’ trial
✴ Think about: what might Plato or Socrates say
philosophy is, and how it might make people’s
lives better?