Syllabus for Introduction To Philosophy
Midcoast
Senior College Fall II 2026
Monday
Mornings 9:30-11:30 AM from November 2 through December 7
Midcoast
Senior College Learning Center 18 Middle Street, Brunswick, Maine
Bruce
Hauptli
Copyright © 2026 Bruce W. Hauptli
Plato’s Euthyphro,
Apology, and Crito provide an excellent introduction to philosophy. These dialogues (55 pages of reading) are so
accessible that they require no prior study, yet they are so rich that even the
most experienced scholars have critically discussed them for more than two
millennia. Throughout the world, first
philosophy courses often begin with these works. Our discussions will devote time to both the
dialogues and historical criticisms of them.
In addition to helping students learn about philosophy, the course is
designed to engage students in philosophical discussions.
Brief
Biography: I earned a BA in mathematics from Lawrence
University in Appleton, WI (1970); and an MA and PhD in philosophy from
Washington University in St Louis, MO (1973 & 1974). I am an Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at
Florida International University in Miami, FL (The State University of Florida
in Miami) where I taught for thirty-nine years.
Almost every semester I enjoyed teaching an historically themed
introductory philosophy course to undergraduates as part of the University’s
core curriculum, and I used these dialogues to get the ball rolling. I have taught this course three times for MSC,
as well as seven others. Having retired
to Bath in 2015, I enjoy continuing to introduce interested individuals to
philosophy.
Text:
Plato: Five Dialogues: Euthyphro,
Apology, Crito, Meno, and Phaedo (Second Edition) trans. G.M.A. Grube,
revised by John M. Cooper (Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing, 2002). ISBN: 0872206335. Available from Amazon: Kindle: $0.19,
Paperback: $6.43-$12.00.
Please Note: Parking for the MSC Offices and Learning Place is very
limited. Please don’t park in the
building’s lot off Middle Street.
Instead, you should park on Elm Street, Middle Street, or Union Street
(there is a walkway to the building off the Library Parking Lot); and the
building is half a block north of Hanniford.
Anticipated
Course Schedule:
Week 1:
Introduction to Philosophy, to Plato, and to his society. Discussion of the ancient Greek’s and Plato’s
views of the role and importance of education in contrast to our own. How to read philosophy.
Assignment
for next session: read Plato’s Euthyphro (pp. 1-20).
Supplementary
materials and readings (may be read before or after the class):
My
Supplement to Plato’s
Euthyphro
Week 2:
Plato’s Euthyphro—discussion of what Euthyphro
is doing, what Socrates is doing (and why
he is doing it), and why Socrates cares about what Euthyphro is doing. Discussion of the Greeks’ views regarding
religion and of Plato’s differing view.
Assignment
for next session: read Plato’s
Apology pp. 21-44, and re-read
Plato’s Euthyphro.
Supplementary
materials and readings (may be read before or after the class):
My
Supplement to Plato’s
Apology.
Week 3:
Finish discussing Plato’s Euthyphro
and discussing his Apology—discussion
of Socrates’ trial and his defense.
Again, we want to ask, and try out various answers as to, what he is doing, why is he doing it, and why does Plato care about what his fellow
citizens he doing?
Assignment
for next session: re-read Plato’s Apology.
Supplementary
materials and readings (may be read before or after the class:
My
Supplement to Plato’s
Crito.
Week 4:
Plato’s Apology. Why does he think philosophizing is important
for him, for his fellow citizens and for Athens? Is Socrates on a “divine mission,” is he
“completely ignorant,” and why are these important questions?
Assignment
for next session: Read Plato’s Crito.
Supplementary
materials and readings (may be read before or after the class:
Week 5:
Plato’s Crito. How are Crito and Euthyphro different? Why not escape—what is his argument, and is
it, really, any good? Does Socrates have
a “death wish,” is he on a religious quest…?
Week 6:
Contradictions—do these dialogues fit together, or does Socrates deserve his
sentence? Conclusion: what is
philosophizing, are there multiple conceptions of it, is it important, and how
is it important for today’s society?
Supplementary
materials and readings (may be read before or after the class:
My
“Supplement
on Plato and Religion.”
For
those interested in further reading:
Rebecca
Goldstein, Plato At the Gooleplex: Why Philosophy Won’t Go Away (N.Y.:
Pantheon, 2015).
I greatly appreciate comments and corrections--typos and infelicities are all too common and the curse of "auto-correct" plagues me!
Email: hauptli@fiu.edu
Last revised: 09/02/26