• How Plotinus reimagines Plato’s philosophy as a mystical roadmap for the soul’s return to its divine origin
• The metaphysical structure of reality: The One, Divine Intellect (Nous), and Soul—and the process of emanation and return
• The soul’s ascent through three levels of virtue: civic, purificatory, and contemplative
• Neoplatonism’s vision of truth as otherworldly, self-authenticating, and hidden beneath the surface of rational argument
• The transformation of philosophy into a spiritual practice—preparing the soul not merely to reason, but to remember
  

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• Stoicism as Psychological Training:
  Stoic ethics is not a list of rules, but a discipline of mind. It teaches that emotional disturbances arise from irrational judgments, and that inner peace (euthymia) is achieved through rational mastery of impressions.
  
• The Dichotomy of Control:
  Only our judgments are truly “up to us.” All else—fortune, reputation, others’ behavior—lies beyond our power and should be met with acceptance. This insight lies at the heart of Stoic freedom.
  
• The Stoic Toolkit:
  Practices like the reserve clause, morning and evening meditation, and the memorization of Stoic principles help one build a stable inner citadel of the mind—resistant to the chaos of the world.

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• The World of Jesus: Political unrest, economic inequality, and Roman brutality shaped the world into which Jesus preached—and against which he rebelled.
• Jesus' Radical Vision: A coming Kingdom of God that would reverse earthly hierarchies, heal injustices, and bring hope to the oppressed.
• Philo of Alexandria: A Jewish thinker who blended Scripture with Greek philosophy, transforming Judaism into a rational, universal faith beyond Temple rituals.
• Allegory as Survival: Both proto-Christians and Jewish philosophers like Philo used allegorical interpretation to defend and reinterpret ancient traditions for a new, cosmopolitan world.
• The Birth of New Worlds: Out of trauma, exile, and conquest emerged new ideas of God, justice, and human destiny—ideas that would echo for millennia.

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Topics discussed:

• Philosophy at the end of the Hellenistic Age
• Rome’s conquest of the Hellenistic World
• Philosophy in the Roman Imperial Era
• A Ciceronian review of the schools of thought from Unit II

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Topics discussed:

• The Stoic theory of impressions, assent, and the role of judgment in emotional life
• How pneuma—the cosmic breath—structures the soul, the cosmos, and Stoic psychology
• The importance of prohairesis (moral will) as the seat of freedom and virtue
• Why the Stoics saw emotion as a consequence of belief
• The rigorous practices of attention, self-monitoring, and withholding assent
• How Stoicism offers a radical kind of inner freedom in a world ruled by fate

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Topics discussed:

• The Four-Part Cure—Epicurus’ compact prescription for a peaceful life
• Pleasure and the Good Life—Understanding katastematic vs. kinetic pleasures
• Empty Desires and Quiet Joys—How to escape the traps of social ambition and luxury
• Friendship, Death, and the Gods—Replacing fear with clarity and connection
• Living Like Epicurus—Why wine, a warm bath, and a few good friends might be all you need

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Topics discussed:

• The historical roots of Pyrrhonian skepticism in Greek, Scythian, and Buddhist traditions
• Pyrrho’s radical doubt and the practice of suspending judgment to attain ataraxia (calmness of mind)
• Sextus Empiricus and the evolution of skepticism as a therapeutic philosophical lifestyle
• The problem of criterion and the skeptic’s critique of all claims to truth
• Parallels between ancient skepticism and modern practices of emotional distancing, mindfulness, and cognitive reframing

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Topics discussed:

• The role of external goods in Aristotelian philosophy.
• Methods for developing practical wisdom
• The method of the Golden Mean for discovering virtue.
• The role of friendship and Community in the life well-lived.

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Topics discussed: 

• Biographical details about Aristotle
• Key notions in Aristotelian thinking 
• Key aspects in Aristotelian physics, logic, and ethics

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Topics discussed:

• Different characterizations of the philosophy of Cynicism
• Survey of prominent Cynic thinkers
• Overview of the Cynic lifestyle

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