This SDG is an exploration of thought that is unlimited by category or definition. Our goal is to develop a knowledge base of reasoned thought from human interpersonal, environmental and spiritual perspectives. The sources used are varied; ranging from Emerson to Octavia Butler, where the common purpose of each author is to expand and refine philosophical thought.
One dictionary definition of the word Philosophy is: The study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, especially when considered as an academic discipline. We will read and discuss the following philosophers:
Ralph Waldo Emerson - Nature
Simone de Beauvoir - Ambiguity
Iris Murdoch - Sovereignty of Good
Hannah Arendt - Totalitarianism
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin - Phenomenon of Man
Simone Weil - The Self, The Soul
Frederick Douglass - What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?
James Baldwin - The Fire Next Time
Octavia Butler - Blood Child
Lao Tzu - The Way of Life
Hermann Hesse - Enlightenment
Thich Nhat Hanh - Buddhism
I chose these philosophers because some have been intellectual heroes/heroines to me, some have spoken to critical issues in our world, and some just have beautiful minds and hearts. Each person chosen has something to offer us now, so join Barbara and I for a very interesting conversation.
Lao Tzu: Tao Teh Ching/The Way of Life
Week 1 - Stanzas 1, 8, 10, 14, 15, 22, 29, 39, 42, 76, 81
Hermann Hesse: Siddhartha
Week 2 - Samsara; Pgs. 75 - 152
Thich Nhat Hanh, No Fear No Death
Week 3 - Chapter 1, 5 and 9; Where Do We Come From, New Beginnings, and Accompanying the Dying
Ralph Waldo Emerson:
Week 4 - Nature
Simone de Beauvoir: The Ethics of Ambiguity
Week 5 - Personal Freedom and Others, pgs. 38 - 103
Week 6 - The Antinomies of Action, pgs. 103-168
Frederick Douglass, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?”
Week 7 - What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?
Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism
Week 8 - The Totalitarian Movement, pgs. 341 - 388
Simone Weil, An Anthology
Week 9 - Human Personality, The Self, The Needs of the Soul, pgs. 49 - 120
Iris Murdoch: The Sovereignty of Good
Week 10 - On "God" and "Good", The Sovereignty of Good Over Other Concepts, pgs. 45-101
Octavia Butler, Collected Stories
Week 11 - Blood Child
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, The Phenomenon of Man
Week 12 - Survival, pgs. 237-290
James Baldwin, Collected Essays
Week 13 - The Fire Next Time - complete
Collected Wisdom, Our Experiences of this SDG
Week 14 - What reading was the most influential to you, expanded your possibilities or most interested you?
Lao Tzu, "The Way of Life" Translated by: Witter Bynner, Perigee Books
Hannah Arendt, "The Origins of Totalitarianism", University of Chicago Press,
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, "The Phenomenon of Man", Harper Perenial Modern Thought, 2008
Simone Weil, "Simone Weil, An Anthology", Grove Press, 1986
Frederick Douglas, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July", available on-line
Simone de Beauvoir, "The Ethics of Ambiguity", Open Road Integrated Media, 2018
James Baldwin, "Collected Essays", Library of America
Octavia Butler, "Blood Child and Other Stories'. Seven Stories Press
Hermann Hesse, "Siddhartha", Bantam Books, 1971
Books in BOLD and RED - please purchase your own copy of. All books can be purchased used.
Books not in bold type, their articals will be scanned by me and distributed to the class. This will lower your cost substantially.