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Great Minds in Philosophy: The Presocratics On Natural Reasoning

Completed by 11 learners
Ages 13-18
Live One-Time Class
What stuff is everything made of? Did you know that this question was asked (and answered) over a thousand years ago? Join us for a group discussion on these important questions and ideas from the Presocratics!
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:
(376 reviews)
Star Educator
Popular

Live video meetings
Meets once
4-8 learners per class
55 min

What's included

1 live meeting
55 mins in-class hours
Homework
1 hour per week. included

Class Experience

US Grade 9 - 12
Beginner - Intermediate Level
Welcome to the fantastic world of philosophy! It’s an honor for me to be your guide on a journey into both the ancient and modern worlds of ideas and thought. 

The primary objective of the 40+ classes in the Great Minds in Philosophy series is to give you, the student, an introductory glimpse into the history of philosophical ideas, consider important ethical concerns of our times, and improve our logical and critical thinking skills along the way.

The Presocratics includes those ancient Greeks who pioneered their contemporary communities on the path to critical thinking about the world. Rather than relying on mythical explanations customary to the pantheons of gods of their times, they sought to explain things and events in the world through natural causes and materialism. Without them, science may have never held sway as it has today (certainly not in the forms it takes today), and their advances in mathematics and philosophy has influenced many of the  great thinkers over the millennia following them.

In this class, we will specifically investigate the ideas and schools of thought of the following Presocratic philosophers:

   + Thales
   + Anaximander
   + Heraclitus
   + Anaximenes
   + Empedocles
   + Pythagoras
   + Zeno of Elea
   + Democritus
   + Xenophanes

Classes in the Ancient Philosophy portion of this series include:

  1.  The Presocratics 
  2. Socrates
  3. Plato 
  4. Aristotle

NOTE: A minimum of four students must be enrolled for the class to run as scheduled.

Learning Goals

Learners will become familiar with some basic historical background on the Presocratic thinkers
Learners will be introduced to the movement toward naturalistic reasoning of causes in ancient Greece

Other Details

Parental Guidance
These classes are offered in the spirit of self-directed, interest-based learning of the student. In the interest of promoting creativity and critical thinking under optimal conditions, I highly recommend parents check in with learners about their curiosity and potential interest in philosophy to confirm there is intrinsic motivation in engaging the subject.
Supply List
Two (2) one-page handouts for previewing and optionally completing for class will be provided upon enrollment.
 2 files available upon enrollment
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.

Meet the teacher

4.9
376reviews
Star Educator
Popular
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
Colorado Teaching Certificate in Mathematics
Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy from Gustavus Adolphus College
Mr. Kelsey is a professional math, philosophy, logic, and language tutor, writer, and lifelong-learning advocate. He is certified through the Praxis II (5161) exam to teach high school mathematics (pre-algebra through calculus), but his range of subjects has included ACT/SAT test prep, college-level mathematics, science, logic, foreign languages, and philosophy. He holds a BA with Honors in Philosophy (with concentrations in Religious and Japanese Studies).

As of March of 2019, Kelsey has had over 1000 registered tutoring hours on top of 3+ years of experience teaching in the classroom. His extensive work in tutoring middle school, high school, college, and continuing education students (over 1,260 hours), as well as instilling his passion for mathematics, science, language, and philosophy in his students, has earned him a 5.0-star rating (out of about 450 ratings) on Wyzant in addition to his past popularity on Outschool. 

This background, coupled with a bent for lifelong learning, has given him a knack for finding and rounding out students' weak spots and boosting their confidence in themselves. I've helped many students find the joy in learning math, language, and philosophy by helping them "crack the code" and dissolve the illusion so often impressed on us that everything about these subjects is difficult, complicated, or even impenetrable. It's not.

Please see his Teacher Bio below for further details.

Reviews



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