Monday, September 06, 2004

Peter Kreeft

Peter Kreeft, Professor of Philosophy at Boston College, has begun an excellent series of Socratic Dialogues that explore some of the Great Books. The introductions to the books explain their purpose:

Books in this series are intended to be short, clear, and non-technical, thus fully understandable by beginners. They also introduce (or review) the basic questions in the fundamental divisions of philosophy . . . : metaphyiscs, epistemology, anthropology, ethics, logic, and method. They are designed both for classroom use and for educational do-it-yourselfers.

The "Socrates Meets . . ." books can be read and understood completely on their own, but each is best appreciated after reading the little classic it engages in dialogue.

Here are the titles, most of which are still forthcoming.
  • Philosophy 101 by Socrates (introduction to philosophy via The Apology)
  • Socrates Meets Machiavelli (cross-examination of The Prince)
  • Socrates Meets Marx (cross-examination of The Communist Manifesto)
  • Socrates Meets Sartre (cross-examination of Existentialism and Human Emotions)
  • Socrates Meets Freud (cross-examination of Civilization and Its Discontents)
  • Socrates Meets Descartes (cross-examination of Discourse on Method)
  • Socrates Meets Kant (cross-examination of Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals)
  • Socrates Meets Kierkegaard (cross-examination of Philosphical Fragments)
  • Socrates Meets Marcel (cross-examination of "On the Ontological Mystery")
Kreeft has also teamed up with Barnes and Noble to record a class for their "Portable Professor Series." Kreeft's class is called What Would Socrates Do? History of Moral Thoughts and Ethics. I don't always agree with Kreeft, but he is always worth listening to.