Classics 245 - Cosmology and Ethics in the Axial Age

Institution:

Bard College

Subject:

Description:

In 1949 the German philosopher Karl Jaspers fashioned the phrase "the Axial Age" to describethe "spiritual process" that occurred between 800and 200 B.C.E. across Eurasia, with a common axis in the period around 500 B.C.E. Since at least the mid-1800s C.E., scholars have wondered whether it is more than coincidence that in those centuries Confucius and the "hundred schools" appeared in China, the Upanishads and the Buddha in India, Zoroaster in Persia, the principal prophets in Israel, and the philosophers in Greece. This course critically explores the interrelation of cosmology and ethics in the Axial Age. Readings from the five cultures at issue (Greek, Hebrew, Persian, Indian, Chinese) include major texts of the principal thinkers, as well as samples of earlier texts that were being reinterpreted or challenged. Students also examine what parts of the ethical legacy of these thinkers are still influential today.

Credits:

4.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.bard.edu

Phone Number:

(845) 758-6822

Regional Accreditation:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

The Course Profile information is provided and updated by third parties including the respective institutions. While the institutions are able to update their information at any time, the information is not independently validated, and no party associated with this website can accept responsibility for its accuracy.