Great Books: Philosophy & Social Thought

To wonder is that unique trait that sets us, modern humans, apart from all other animals. It is no wonder that we adorn ourselves as 'homo sapiens,' signifying wisdom, self-reflection, and intellect. We have engaged in myriad modes of thought, reflection, wonder, and research, exploring everything from our internal and external sensory experiences to our constructed realities. This exploration has resulted in mountains of texts across diverse fields, forming a monumental taxonomy that, in itself, is a significant undertaking.

Philosophy holds a special place among these fields, serving as the mother of all others while reflecting the ongoing developments in various disciplines. Philosophy is the giant path that our minds have traced throughout centuries, comprising many diverging, converging, and criss-crossing paths.

This course serves as an introduction to that philosophical path. While numerous alternative introductions could be made, none would be inherently better in coverage and depth than another. Thus, the course modestly aims to construct a map of the complexity that philosophy embodies, inspiring students to create their own maps. It accomplishes this through exemplary philosophical texts, situating them within specific topics, threads, themes, or questions while considering the broader contexts in which they were written.

The course introduces three major, not entirely mutually exclusive, yet distinct threads or topics. Each thread represents a unique mode of philosophizing about the subject matter at hand. The first mode explores how to explain, understand, or interpret it as an outsider; the second mode examines how to live with it; and the third mode is dedicated how to change it. Quarter 2 is dedicated to the first mode, Quarter 3 to the second, and Quarter 4 to the third mode of philosophizing, which ultimately contributed to the development of modern sciences.