The Philosophy Teaching Library

Thanks to Dr. Lorenzo Spagnesi of Trier University!

What can we know? We know many things about the world around us: whether it is raining outside, the result of last night’s game, or how vaccines work. But we want to know more. We will see how Kant’s philosophy offers a revolutionary approach to our deep thirst for knowledge

philolibrary.crc.nd.edu/article/what...

*New Article*

What Can I Know? Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason, Preface A and B

must be conserved before it can be improved upon. In this piece, we examine Burke’s arguments, which draw on tradition, observable cause and effect, and a mix of moral and religious sentiments. Contrary to expectations, Burke insists that the principles of conservation and change are not opposed.

the rule of law, property, the family, and religion. Burke himself sought to defend these things, as embodied in the British Constitution, against the revolutionary spirit sparked in France. In his Reflections on the Revolution in France, Burke develops the idea of society as an inheritance that

Edmund Burke was an Irish-born British statesman and political philosopher who is best known as the father of modern conservatism. Developed in response to the French Revolution, Burke's conservatism aims to preserve and promote the existing (or traditional) institutions of society, including

philolibrary.crc.nd.edu/article/chan...

ICYMI: New article on Edmund Burke’s Reflections on the Revolution in France by @tristanjrogers1.bsky.social! (link and abstract in comments)

and body are constantly changing?

In this reading, we will examine one of history’s most influential answers: the psychological continuity theory of the Early Modern philosopher John Locke

not someone else. When we think justice is done in a criminal trial, we assume the person put into prison is the very same person as the person who committed the crime months or years earlier. But here is a mystery: how can one’s person remain the same over time when one’s mind

All our meaningful human interactions presuppose that persons persist across time. You assume the person you say “goodbye” to on the phone is the same person you said “hello” to earlier. When you plan for the future, you assume you’re making plans for your future self,

philolibrary.crc.nd.edu/article/who-...

*New Article* from Cal Poly professor Dr. Todd Long

You Are Who You Remember

John Locke's An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, Book 2, Chapter 27

Thank you to Dr. @edutmer.bsky.social of @culveracademies.bsky.social for contributing his expertise!

Governments all around the world call themselves ‘republics’. But what is a republic? The word comes from a Latin word, res publica, and, in its broadest sense, can be translated as ‘the people’s thing’. How did this Latin word make its way into the official names of 159 countries?

philolibrary.crc.nd.edu/article/the-...

*New Article*

The People’s Property and the Common Good
Cicero's On the Republic, Book I

More money, more problems.

The Institute for Humane Studies has awarded the Philosophy Teaching Library $10,000 to add articles on foundational texts in the classical liberal tradition. Now we just have to find some authors.

Conservatism, Past and Present: A Philosophical Introduction In Conservatism, Past and Present: A Philosophical Introduction, Tristan J. Rogers argues that philosophical conservatism is a coherent and compelling set of historically rooted ideas about conserving...

Thanks to Dr. Tristan Rogers (‪@tristanjrogers1.bsky.social‬) - for more of his work on the conservative tradition, see his new book Conservatism, Past and Present!

www.routledge.com/Conservatism...

The work has since become the classic statement of political conservatism, earning new readers every generation.

Burke’s reflections are composed in the rhetorical style of a letter. Ostensibly addressed to a concerned French citizen, Burke was really addressing the British public, whom he feared would emulate the radical politics of the 18th century Enlightenment intellectuals.

philolibrary.crc.nd.edu/article/chan...

*New Article*

Change from Within: Edmund Burke's Reflections on the Revolution in France (link in comments)

Does Socrates ultimately prove the soul’s immortality, or do his challengers expose doubts that remain unresolved?

Through a series of arguments, Socrates seeks to demonstrate that the soul exists before birth and endures beyond physical death. However, his companions, Simmias and Cebes, challenge his reasoning with thought-provoking objections.

What happens to the soul after death? Does it simply vanish, or does it continue to exist beyond the body? In the Phaedo, Plato presents Socrates’ final conversation with his companions before his execution, a discussion where he makes the case that the soul is immortal.

philolibrary.crc.nd.edu/article/expl...

ICYMI: New article on immortality in Plato’s Phaedo by Dr. Athanasia Giasoumi! (link and abstract in comments)

If you knew what God wanted you to do, then making the right choices would be easy, but we struggle to know what God wants. In the Euthyphro, Plato tackles this issue head on while at the same time giving a lesson on the importance of philosophy for both life and theology.