TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

  1. General
  2. Author Biography
  3. How To Use This Site – Part I – Finding your way around the site.
  4. How to Use This Site – Part II – Asking questions.
  5. How to Use this Site – Part III – Disclaimers
  6. Definition of Philosophy
  7. Why Do Philosophy?
  8. Practical vs. Academic Philosophy

Philosophy – The Big Picture

  1. The Fundamental Questions
  2. The Nature of Reality
    • Internal Reality
    • Proximate Reality
    • Cultural Reality
    • Cosmic Reality
    • Ultimate Reality
  3. Ethics – The Philosophy of Human Conduct
    • Self-Mastery
    • Ethics and Others
    • Societal Duty
    • Ethics and Ultimate Reality
    • Supererogatory Duty
  4. Summary of The Big Picture

Special Problems

  1. Good and Evil
    • Introduction
    • Classifying Goods and Evils
    • The Summum Bonum
    • Causes of Evil
    • Good vs. Evil, Parts I – III
    • Synopsis
  2. God
    • Introduction – The Question of God
    • Arguments for God’s Existence, Parts I-III
    • Arguments against God’s Existence, Parts I-II
    • Subjective Belief in God
    • Religion
    • Relationship with God,  Parts I-III
    • Agnosticism and Atheism
    • A Personal Synthesis – Part I-III
    • God’s Characteristics
    • Synopsis of the Question on God
  3. Body and Soul
    • Introduction
    • Definition of Soul
    • Traditional Conceptions of Soul
    • Arguments for and against Soul
    • Subjective Warrants for Soul
    • Deconstruction of Soul – Parts I-IV
    • Reconstruction of Soul – Parts I -III
  4. Death and Immortality
  5. Free Will and Determinism
  6. Teleology
  7. Suffering
  8. Certainty
  9. Summary

The Meaningful Life

  1. Perspectives
    • Biologic
    • Pleasure
    • Happiness
    • Meaningful
  2. The Four Classic Components
    • Ethics
    • Purpose
    • Contentment
    • Connection with the Ultimate Reality
  3. Internal Consistency
  4. Examples
  5. Summary

Traditional Pathways to a Meaningful Life

  1. Introduction
  2. Stoicism
  3. Epicureanism
  4. Cynicism
  5. Buddhism
  6. Empiricism
  7. Existentialism
  8. Theological
    • Lay Religious
    • Monastic
  9. Common Sense Philosophy
  10. Summary

Stepwise Process to a Meaningful Life

  1. Awakening
  2. Stages
  3. The Self
  4. Accidental and Special Purpose
  5. Achieving Contentment
  6. Connection with Ultimate Reality
    • Cosmic Reality
    • Mystical Union
  7. Summary

Relationships and Philosophy

  1. Friendship
  2. Love
  3. Loneliness

Philosophy for Every Age

Applying Philosophy to Real World Issues

Current Readings – Examples of Practical Philosophical Analysis

 

APPENDICES

  1. Top 15 Short Quotes in the Philosophical Literature
  2. The Philosopher’s Toolbox
  3. Table of Duties
  4. Table of Certainty
  5. Table of Goods and Evils
  6. Table of Philosophy’s Accomplishments
  7. Greatest True Stories in Philosophy (and the lessons they teach)
  8. Greatest Classic Philosophical Books
  9. Greatest Chapters in Philosophical Books
  10. Additional Philosophical Quotes for Contemplation
  11. Directory of Philosophers
  12. Bibliography
  13. Other Websites
  14. Glossary