Nice to find this webiste

[Argive2013]

Hello,
My name is Kashia and I live in California. I came across your website looking for resources about The Odyssey. I am just looking around. I posted in your Book Club forum about my current reading interests. I wanted to also add, does anyone have any links to lectures on Youtube about interpreting the Illiad or Odyssey?

I tried to upload a picture but it wouldn't work and Im not how to scale it down for your website.

,
Kashia

[The Voice of Time]

Philosophy is not ancient fiction literature.

[RickLewis]

Philosophy is not ancient fiction literature.

The Odyssey and the Illiad were used for centuries in ancient Greece as the primary texts for educating children about how they should live. They were the repository of a set of values which were widely emulated, and sometimes criticised. The people who were educated using those books included most of the founders of the Western philosophical tradition. Surely for this reason, if for no other, they are rather a good subject for philosophical exploration?

[SpheresOfBalance]

Hello,
My name is Kashia and I live in California. I came across your website looking for resources about The Odyssey. I am just looking around. I posted in your Book Club forum about my current reading interests. I wanted to also add, does anyone have any links to lectures on Youtube about interpreting the Illiad or Odyssey?

I tried to upload a picture but it wouldn't work and Im not how to scale it down for your website.

,
Kashia

I agree with Rick.
Any text ever written, can lend to philosophical discussion, in one way or another. I don't know of any resources, but shall keep my eyes open.

Welcome to the forum. I hope to read your positive contributions.

PEACE, my friend!

[The Voice of Time]

Philosophy is not ancient fiction literature.

The Odyssey and the Illiad were used for centuries in ancient Greece as the primary texts for educating children about how they should live. They were the repository of a set of values which were widely emulated, and sometimes criticised. The people who were educated using those books included most of the founders of the Western philosophical tradition. Surely for this reason, if for no other, they are rather a good subject for philosophical exploration?

Not really. Anything can of course be used as an analogy. But there's nothing particularly philosophical about it, and I'll still have to say: philosophy is not ancient fiction literature. Just because a philosopher reads a novel doesn't make that novel philosophy.

[RickLewis]

Well, Kashia is looking for resources on this subject, so one which springs to mind is a book by my friend Peter Worley called The If Odyssey. It is actually intended for children (ages 8-16) but that doesn't stop it being a good resource for adults too.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Odyssey-Phi ... 1441174958

The description on Amazon says:

The If Odyssey draws out the philosophy that lies behind each story in Homer's epic tale to introduce children not only to the exciting fables of Odysseus, but also to that other great Ancient Greek tradition, philosophy. Explore with Odysseus the value of happiness, non-existent entities, moral dilemmas, the philosophy of prophecy, and the nature of love among many other philosophical issues. From the author of The If Machine, this book offers stories and session plans suitable for use across the curriculum with children aged 8-16. Online you'll find maps of Odysseus' journey, The Words of Tiresias that provides clues for the children as to Odysseus' progress and an Ancient Greek language workshop with accompanying worksheets. You can use the 'Storykit' section, which provides hints and tips on storytelling skills, to bring the tales of The Odyssey to life and stimulate independent, critical thinking with your class.

Coincidentally I was chatting with the author today, so I asked him about this thread and he said that the neoplatonist philosopher Porphyry recommended teaching philosophy by using the Odyssey.