The good life in Ancient Greece and Early China: philosophies in comparison

Over two thousand years ago, philosophers East and West contemplated a series of fundamental questions in life, including: What are the unique characteristics of human beings compared with animals and other living things? How should humans cultivate themselves so as to fulfil their potential? What is the good life and how does one achieve it?  

Recent years have seen a growth of interest in cross-cultural comparative approaches to the classical traditions, where there is an increasing realisation of the unique viewpoints that can be gained by studying civilisations in parallel. This course offers insights into the ancient Greek and early Chinese philosophical traditions and explores notions of the good life from a cross-cultural comparative perspective. It does so both through a study of the relevant texts in question and through discussions of comparative methodology: examples are drawn from texts that include Plato and Aristotle on the Greek side, and the Confucian Analects, the Xunzi, Laozi and Zhuangzi on the Chinese side, supplemented by discussions of how comparisons of philosophical traditions can be made in a nuanced and sophisticated manner, bypassing superficial generalisations. Discussions will be a key element of this course and students are asked to engage critically with the texts and issues and to present their ideas in class.