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1/x. I frequently get asked what to read in philosophy. There are no shortcuts. If you started an MDiv w/o the equiv. of a minor in Phil. you were at a disadvantage fr Day 1. Up to a few decades ago Phil. & Gr. were required by good seminaries for ENTRANCE (!). So what to do now?
2/x. If you have never taken a Phil. course, you need 4 things: 1) a basic understanding of the hist. of Phil. & how it has influenced theology with an emphasis on ancient Gr. phil, 2) metaphysics, 3) ethics & 4) a course in Aristotelian logic. This is the basic minimum.
3/x. Ignore the mod. stuff (Descartes on) initially. You need a grasp of how 4 major figures have influenced West. thot: Plato, Aristotle, Augustine & Thomas Aquinas. The writings of P & Aug are more accessible than those of Aris & Th. Fortunately the latter have great expositors
4/x. Just signing up for whatever your local university or college offers in Phil. is a bad idea. Many college Phil. depts. teach sophistry & not actual Phil. Stay away. Pick profs who focus on anc. & med. figures for the most part. That might mean they actually care about Phil.
5/x. The internet is a rich resource but it is like a flea market. You have to paw thro the junk to find something valuable. I suggest the following books initially. But sooner or later you need to find a teacher.
6/x. Edward Feser has a blog & many books that are clearly written & very knowledgeable. He is a Thomist & a former atheist. Sharp. Does not suffer fools gladly.
& #39;The Last Superstition: A Refutation of the New Atheism& #39; surveys the history of Phil. - a great place to start.
& #39;The Last Superstition: A Refutation of the New Atheism& #39; surveys the history of Phil. - a great place to start.
7.x. & #39;Five Proofs of the Existence of God& #39; demonstrates that God& #39;s existence can be proven by reason. It covers the proofs of Aristotle, Plotinus, Augustine, Thomas, & Liebniz.
& #39;Aquinas& #39; is a little intro to Thomas Aquinas that is as easy to understand as it gets. Read it first.
& #39;Aquinas& #39; is a little intro to Thomas Aquinas that is as easy to understand as it gets. Read it first.
8.x. Recent writers who are more indebted to Plato &/or Aug. include C. S. Lewis, Lloyd Gerson & Peter Kreeft. Gerson& #39;s trilogy on Platonism, defines the central trad. in Phil. Lewis& #39; & #39;Abolition of Man& #39; is pure gold. See Kreeft& #39;s & #39;The Platonic Tradition.& #39;
