Introduction to Perennial Philosophy

First, we will study the historical origin of philosophy in classical Greece.

At the end of this unit, students will be able to:

1. Explain the origin of Socratic philosophy in the context of ancient Greece

2. Summarize key doctrines of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle

3. Apply selected concepts and theories in a contemporary context

4. Give reasons for agreeing or disagreeing with selected doctrines

What to expect in Chapters 1-7, before you read.

Keep these questions in mind as you read Sullivan Chapter 1.

Write down your answers and thoughts for future reference.

After reading Chapter 1 (pages 1-6), watch my video commentary on it.

Then reread the chapter and review your notes, to solidify your understanding.

Keep these questions in mind as you read Sullivan Chapters 2 and 3.

Write down your answers and thoughts for future reference.

Chapters 2-3 (pages 11-22) cover the origin of philosophy and the problem of change.

After reading these pages, watch my commentary for some further thoughts about the Pre-Socratic philosophers.

Keep these questions in mind as you read Sullivan Chapters 4 and 5.

Write down your answers and thoughts for future reference.

Chapters 4-5 (pages 23-38) cover the Sophists and the life & teaching of Socrates in 5th century BC Athens.

Keep these questions in mind as you read Sullivan Chapters 6 and 7.

Write down your answers and thoughts for future reference.

Chapters 6 & 7 cover the teachings of Socrates' student Plato and Plato's student Aristotle.

These three men are certainly the three most important philosophers of Western antiquity.

Brief review of what you have learned so far, and where we stand with the unit and course objectives at this point.

Next, we will study (some but not all) chapters from Part II of Sullivan's book, on human nature and human knowledge.

At the end of this unit, students will be able to:

1. Describe key philosophical concepts and theories in human knowing

2. Evaluate arguments for and against materialism and reductionism

3. Differentiate human knowing from animal knowing

Keep these questions in mind as you read Sullivan Chapter 8.

Write down your answers and thoughts for future reference.

Chapter 8 covers philosophy of human nature, what in Sullivan's time (1957) was called philosophy of man. It deals with what is unique about human beings, what makes us distinct from other animals.

He begins by discussing how philosophical thinking about human nature has changed in modern times.

Keep these questions in mind as you read Sullivan Chapter 9.

Write down your answers and thoughts for future reference.

Chapter 9 covers the philosophy of knowledge (also called epistemology), a very complex and difficult topic.

Because of the difficulty, I am asking you to read only part of this chapter, with the help of the notes, slides, and videos provided.

Read only pages 67-71 of Chapter 9, stopping at "The Problem of Universals."

If you find it confusing at first, please do not give up. Take the time to reread these pages several times, in order to get the key ideas needed for this course.

My summary of the first 4 sections of Chapter 9, focusing on 2 topics: levels of communication with the world, and intentional existence.

In this video I distinguish between the external & internal objects of our act of knowing.

I do not refer directly to Sullivan's book, but the ideas are similar. You should be able to relate what I say here to what you have read.

Keep these questions in mind as you read Sullivan Chapter 10.

Write down your answers and thoughts for future reference.

Chapter 10 covers the different kinds of knowing that we humans do.

Because we are animals, with animal bodies & senses, all our knowledge starts in sense-knowing.

But we also have a power of intellectual knowing, which takes us beyond the senses.

In this video I summarize the three acts of the mind and give examples.

I do not refer directly to Sullivan's book, but the ideas are similar. You should be able to relate what I say here to what you have read.

Keep these questions in mind as you read Sullivan Chapter 11.

Write down your answers and thoughts for future reference.

Chapter 11 discusses the truth that we discover through our processes of knowing.

Sullivan begins with the "primordial certitudes," our starting point for all truth, then covers the nature of truth, and the problem of skepticism.

He gives his reasons for rejecting some modern views of human knowledge and its limits.

Keep these questions in mind as you read Sullivan Chapter 15.

Write down your answers and thoughts for future reference.

In Chapter 15 Sullivan goes over the basics of a philosophy of the human soul/mind/self.

He discusses the powers of human souls, some of which are shared with animals, and some of which are unique to humans.

He argues against Plato's view of the soul, and argues that the human soul is not destroyed when we die.

A brief look at what you have learned in this unit, and where we are going next.

Lastly, we will study Part III of Sullivan's book, on ethics, virtue, and political life.

At the end of this unit, students will be able to:

1. Summarize key concepts in virtue ethics

2. Apply virtue ethics concepts & theory to real life situations

3. Argue in defense of their position on an ethical question

Keep these questions in mind as you read Sullivan Chapter 17.

Write down your answers and thoughts for future reference.

In Chapter 17, "In Search of Happiness," Sullivan begins with the nature of human happiness, defined as the thing we all strive towards.

He discusses the different types of goods we seek in order to become happy, and the order we can discover among them.

He concludes with the incompleteness of the philosophical account of happiness, and how it points to some higher answer.

Keep these questions in mind as you read Sullivan Chapter 18.

Write down your answers and thoughts for future reference.

In Chapter 18 Sullivan defines and argues against moral relativism, and discusses the outer/objective and inner/subjective sides of philosophical ethics.

Sullivan is part of a philosophical tradition called virtue ethics. The next chapters will examine the virtues in more detail.

Keep these questions in mind as you read Sullivan Chapter 19.

Write down your answers and thoughts for future reference.

In Chapter 19 Sullivan defines "virtue" and discusses the different kinds of virtues and how they fit into a well-lived life. Virtues are stable habits that help us to succeed in living well.

Learning just where we stand with specific virtues, and training ourselves to improve in each of them, constitutes a big part of applied virtue ethics.

Mid-unit review of what we have covered so far.

Keep these questions in mind as you read Sullivan Chapter 20.

Write down your answers and thoughts for future reference.

In Chapter 20 Sullivan describes the first 3 of the 4 cardinal virtues.

These are called "private" virtues, because they deal directly with how each individual lives his life, unlike the virtue of Justice, which deals with how community life, society, and the state are organized.

(Recorded in the springtime, birds singing outside my window are audible, sorry)

Keep these questions in mind as you read Sullivan Chapter 21.

Write down your answers and thoughts for future reference.

In Chapter 21 Sullivan covers the 4th cardinal virtue, Justice. It is called the "public" virtue, because it deals with how we achieve the good life in cooperation with others.

A just community or state helps people to achieve some goods that we cannot realize individually or in small groups. People in an unjust state suffer the loss of some part of the good life.

Keep these questions in mind as you read Sullivan Chapter 22.

Write down your answers and thoughts for future reference.

In Chapter 22 Sullivan talks about social philosophy, and various theories about social order, its foundation, and its ultimate ends.

Philosophy of society wraps up this unit on ethics, politics, and human values.

Brief review of what you have learned, related to the Unit objectives.

Review of the 3 course goals, aligned with the goals of Units 1-3.

A list of the concepts, doctrines, and thinkers covered in this course.

49 Questions & Topics you can discuss further or write about now that you have finished the course.

Three ways to get the book. Its ISBN is 978-0-89555-469-7.

Optional final exercise, to review and extend what you have learned.

(Can be made mandatory for homeschoolers.)