Philosophy is both systematic thinking and the hermeneutical interpretation of texts. With Hegel and the Romantics, philosophy came to understand itself as having an obligation to search for its beginning in ancient thought, with Plato as a central figure. Much of contemporary philosophy can be understood as either acceptance or rejection of the Platonic theories. In this course, we will read and discuss two of Plato’s major dialogues, the Sophist and the Phaedo, paying particular attention to the problem of the other, fundamental philosophical categories, the immortality of the soul, the theory of forms and recollection, and the problem of death. Secondary readings will include works by Heidegger, Gadamer, Derrida, and other modern interpreters of Plato.