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: Unpacking the Relationship Between Fate and Will The human experience is a constant negotiation between what we believe is predetermined and what we feel we choose. Are our lives meticulously scripted by an unseen hand, or are we the sculptors of our own destiny? This profound relation...
The Enduring Question: Labor, Freedom, and Chains The relation between labor and slavery is one of the most profound and unsettling inquiries into the nature of Man's existence, freedom, and dignity. While fundamentally distinct – one implying free will and self-ownership, the other forced servitude – philosophical traditions, particularly those...
The Enduring Nexus: Exploring the Relation Between Wealth and Justice The intricate relation between wealth and justice has been a cornerstone of philosophical inquiry for millennia. Far from being separate domains, the accumulation and distribution of wealth profoundly impact our understanding and implementation of justice within society. From ancient city-states...
The Intricate Dance: Unpacking the Relationship Between Desire and Happiness Summary The relation between desire and happiness is one of philosophy's most enduring and complex inquiries. From ancient Greece to modern thought, thinkers have grappled with whether desires are the direct path to contentment, an obstacle to be...
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 Intrinsic and the Interconnected: Unpacking Quality and Relation We navigate a world brimming with diverse phenomena, constantly categorizing and understanding what we encounter. But how do we truly grasp the essence of things? Is a rose inherently red, or is its redness merely a comparison to other hues? This...
The Enduring Dialectic: Navigating the Universal and Particular in Law In the grand tapestry of human thought, few philosophical tensions are as persistent and profound as the interplay between the Universal and Particular. This fundamental Relation is nowhere more critical than within the realm of Law, where abstract ideals of...
Logic and the Concept of Same and Other: A Foundational Inquiry The bedrock of all coherent thought, logic, fundamentally grapples with the distinctions and identities that shape our understanding of reality. At the heart of this endeavor lies the profound and often perplexing relationship between the Same and the Other....
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...
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 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 Indispensable Lens: Analogy in Philosophical Reasoning Analogy, at its core, is a profound and often indispensable tool in philosophical reasoning. It allows us to bridge the chasm between the known and the unknown, illuminating complex ideas by drawing parallels to more familiar concepts. This article explores how philosophy has...
The Enduring Enigma of Identity: Navigating the Same and Other Summary: The concept of identity, at its core, revolves around the fundamental distinction between the Same and the Other. This article explores how philosophers, from the ancients to the early moderns, grappled with defining what makes something identical to itself—...
Echoes of the Mind: Unpacking the Intricate Dance Between Language and Thought The relation between language and thought is one of philosophy's most enduring and captivating mysteries. Is language merely a vessel for our pre-formed ideas, or does it actively sculpt the very contours of our mind? This...
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...
The Intricate Dance: Exploring the Connection Between Wealth and Justice The relation between wealth and justice has been a cornerstone of philosophical inquiry for millennia, a complex interplay that continues to challenge societies and individuals alike. From the ancient Greek city-states to our contemporary global economy, thinkers have grappled with...
The Intricate Dance: Unpacking the Relationship Between Desire and Happiness Summary: The relationship between desire and happiness is one of philosophy's most enduring and complex puzzles. Far from a simple cause-and-effect, our longing for things, states, or experiences often dictates our pursuit of happiness, yet it can also...
The Nature of Eternity and Time: A Philosophical Journey Chloe Fitzgerald Summary: Delving into the profound philosophical concepts of eternity and time reveals a rich tapestry of thought that challenges our most fundamental assumptions about existence. This pillar page explores the distinct yet often intertwined natures of these two concepts,...
The Subtle Art of Distinction: Unpacking Quality and Relation in Philosophy My dear reader, have you ever paused to consider the fundamental building blocks of thought itself? How we categorize and understand the world around us is not merely a linguistic exercise; it's a profound philosophical endeavor that...
Logic and the Concept of Same and Other: The Foundations of Thought The very act of thinking, of discerning one thing from another, hinges upon two foundational concepts: the Same and the Other. Far from being mere linguistic conveniences, these categories are the bedrock upon which all logical reasoning, classification,...
