CDIS8 — The Invention of Virtue
How ancient Greek philosophers developed the idea of virtue and taught us how to thrive in society. Before Socrates, the earliest philosophers moved away from myth to a rational explanation of the world, but Socrates changed the question from "what is the world made of" to "how should I live?" Put on trial, he chose to die rather than give up his quest for the true meaning of virtue. After Socrates, philosophers such as Aristotle, the Epicureans and Stoics continued to examine the relationship between virtue and happiness. Text: "The Apology of Socrates" by Plato. (3 sessions)