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 Eternal Dance: Unraveling the Nature of Eternity and Time The concepts of Eternity and Time are perhaps two of the most profound and perplexing subjects in philosophy. They lie at the very core of metaphysics, shaping our understanding of existence, change, and reality itself. This pillar page delves into...
The Idea of God as a First Principle: An Anchor in Metaphysics The concept of God, often relegated to theological discourse, holds a profound and enduring significance within the realm of philosophy, particularly as a First Principle. This article explores how the "Idea of God" has served throughout...
The Enduring Enigma: Exploring the Immortality of the Soul The question of the soul's immortality has haunted humanity since the dawn of philosophy, standing as a central pillar in our understanding of existence, consciousness, and what, if anything, transcends our mortal coil. This article delves into the rich...
Defining the One and the Many: An Enduring Metaphysical Inquiry The fundamental philosophical problem of the One and Many stands as a bedrock inquiry in metaphysics, probing the ultimate nature of reality. At its core, it asks: Is reality fundamentally a unified whole, or is it composed of discrete, multiple...
The Indispensable Divide: Being and Essence In the grand tapestry of Metaphysics, few distinctions hold as much weight and provoke as much intellectual wrestling as that between Being and Essence. At its core, this divide addresses two fundamental questions we can ask about anything: that it is and what it...
Unveiling the Eternal Question: The Immortality of the Soul The question of the Immortality of the Soul is perhaps one of humanity's most enduring and profound inquiries, reaching into the very core of our existence and informing centuries of philosophical and religious thought. This article delves into the...
Defining the One and the Many: A Core Metaphysical Inquiry Summary: The problem of the One and the Many stands as a foundational question in Metaphysics, probing the fundamental nature of reality. It asks how the apparent multiplicity and diversity of the world (the Many) can be reconciled with a...
The Enduring Puzzle of Universals: Where Do Ideas Reside? The question of the metaphysical status of universal ideas is one of philosophy's oldest and most persistent conundrums. At its heart, it asks: do general concepts like "redness," "humanity," or "justice" exist independently...
The Profound Divide: Untangling Being and Essence The distinction between Being and Essence is one of the most fundamental and enduring concepts in Metaphysics, the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of reality. At its core, this distinction asks us to differentiate that something is (its Being or existence)...
The Enduring Riddle: Unpacking the Problem of One and Many The Problem of One and Many is a cornerstone of metaphysical inquiry, a profound philosophical puzzle that asks how the diverse, individual things we perceive in the world can simultaneously constitute a unified whole, and vice versa. It delves into...
The Enduring Echoes of Perfection: Plato's Idea of Form in Metaphysics Have you ever looked at something beautiful and wondered what "beauty" itself truly is? Or seen countless examples of justice and pondered the essence of Justice? For Plato, one of the foundational figures in Western...
Beyond Our Cosmos: Pondering the Hypothesis of Multiple Worlds A Glimpse into the Infinite: Summary of the Multiverse Hypothesis The Hypothesis of Multiple Worlds, often referred to as the multiverse theory, posits that our observable universe is but one of many, perhaps an infinite number, of universes. This profound concept...
The Enduring Enigma of Being: Unpacking the Matter-Form Distinction in Physical Objects By Chloe Fitzgerald Summary: At the heart of understanding the physical world lies a profound philosophical insight: the matter-form distinction. Originating with Aristotle, this concept posits that every physical object is a composite of two fundamental aspects: its...
The Limitless Nature of Infinity: An Expedition into the Unbounded The concept of infinity stands as one of humanity's most profound and perplexing ideas, a boundless frontier that challenges the very limits of our understanding. Spanning the rigorous logic of mathematics and the speculative depths of metaphysics, infinity...
The Enduring Enigma: The Mind-Body Problem in Modern Science Unraveling the Knot of Consciousness and Matter The mind-body problem, that ancient philosophical conundrum concerning the relationship between our subjective conscious experience and the physical body—specifically the brain—remains one of the most profound and persistent challenges at the intersection...
The Enduring Enigma: Exploring the Concept of the Soul in Ancient Philosophy The human quest to understand existence finds one of its most profound expressions in the ancient world's contemplation of the soul. Far from a mere religious tenet, the soul (ψυχή, psyche) served as a cornerstone of...
The Enduring Question: What is the Metaphysical Status of Universal Forms? The question of universal forms is a cornerstone of metaphysics, probing the very nature of reality and our understanding of it. At its heart lies a fundamental distinction: the universal and the particular. We encounter countless particular red objects—...
The Metaphysical Problem of the One and Many: Unraveling Reality's Core Paradox The metaphysical problem of the One and Many grapples with the fundamental paradox of existence: how can reality be both a unified whole and composed of countless distinct parts? This foundational inquiry, central to Metaphysics, explores...