The Great Books of the Western Canon, organized by Mortimer J. Adler in the Syntopicon, span 102 enduring ideas—ranging from Truth, Beauty, and Justice to Democracy, Love, and God. These categories trace the intellectual tradition of the West, connecting philosophy, literature, history, science, and theology. Together, they map the recurring questions and principles shaping human thought across centuries.
The Elusive Essence: Unpacking the Metaphysical Status of Universal Ideas The metaphysical status of universal ideas is a foundational philosophical inquiry that asks whether general concepts, such as "redness," "justice," or "humanness," exist independently of the particular instances we observe, or if they are...
The Unseen Symphony: Contemplating the Beauty of Mathematical Structures Summary: Beyond the mere utility of calculation, mathematics reveals a profound and often overlooked dimension of beauty. This article explores the philosophical underpinnings of why we perceive mathematical structures as beautiful, delving into concepts of perfect Form and eternal Idea. Drawing...
Poetry as a Form of Imitation: Echoes of Reality and the Human Soul Poetry, at its profoundest core, functions as a sophisticated form of imitation, or mimesis, a concept deeply rooted in Western philosophical thought, particularly through the lenses of Plato and Aristotle within the Great Books of the Western...
