Love & Friendship
Love and Friendship in Philosophy and Literature This is a course for lovers of reading who wish to read great books on the subjects of love and friendship. We will start with Plato's two famous dialogues on love, the Phaedrus, and the Symposium, to learn about love (eros) and its relationship to speaking, writing, and philosophy, and his dialogue on friendship, Lysis. Then, we will read Aristotle's Ethics, which contains the definitive treatment of friendship. We will then read: a Shakespeare Sonnet; Montaigne's essay, Of Friendship; Bacon’s essay Of Friendship; Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra and Midsummer Night’s Dream, Jane Austen’s Persuasion, and Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence. We will also study parts of The Trivium: The Liberal Arts of Logic, Grammar, and Rhetoric by Sister Miriam Joseph.
Love and Friendship in Philosophy and Literature This is a course for lovers of reading who wish to read great books on the subjects of love and friendship. We will start with Plato's two famous dialogues on love, the Phaedrus, and the Symposium, to learn about love (eros) and its relationship to speaking, writing, and philosophy, and his dialogue on friendship, Lysis. Then, we will read Aristotle's Ethics, which contains the definitive treatment of friendship. We will then read: a Shakespeare Sonnet; Montaigne's essay, Of Friendship; Bacon’s essay Of Friendship; Shakespeare's Antony and Cleop …Read more
Difficult and challenging for a first year seminar, but it is very rewarding and helpful for understanding complex texts and improving writing skills. The readings he assigned were classic and definitely worth reading. He is extremely knowledgeable and very patient during office hours.
Murray Dry is the goat. There are a lot of readings, including some very difficult philosophical materials, and he cold-calls in every class. But his lectures are incredibly clear and engaging, and he genuinely pushes students to think deeply rather than just memorize ideas. Even though the workload is heavy, you walk away from the course feeling that it was absolutely worth it.