The Tree of Philosophy

(Enlarged fourth edition with Glossary and eight new lectures)

Order a copy (US$14)

Read the Chinese translation / Read the Indonesian translation

Reviewers' comments

 

Note: The full text, excluding diagrams, of the (now outdated) third edition is also still available on this site. The most important of the many differences between the two editions is briefly summarized in the Preface to this fourth edition. 

 

List of Lectures

Preface - viii

List of Figures

 

PART ONE: THE ROOTS

METAPHYSICS AND THE RECOGNITION OF IGNORANCE

 

Week I. Insight: Preparing for Life

Lecture 1.        What is Philosophy? - 2

Lecture 2.        Some Guidelines for Writing Insight Papers - 8

Lecture 3.        Philosophy as Myth - 13

 

Week II. Philosophy's Origins

Lecture 4.        Philosophy as Metaphysical Demythologizing - 21

Lecture 5.        Philosophy as Rational Dialogue - 26

Lecture 6.        Philosophy as Teleological Science - 33

 

Week III. The Modern Legacy

Lecture 7.        Philosophy as Meditative Doubt - 40

Lecture 8.        Philosophy as Transcendental Critique - 47

Lecture 9.        Philosophy after Critique - 55

 

 

PART TWO: THE TRUNK

LOGIC AND THE UNDERSTANDING OF WORDS

 

Week IV. From Metaphysics to Logic

Lecture 10.      What is Logic? - 64

Lecture 11.      Two Kinds of Logic - 70

Lecture 12.      Synthetic Logic - 78

 

Week V. The Geometry of Logic

Lecture 13.      Mapping Analytic Relations - 87

Lecture 14.      Mapping Synthetic Relations - 96

Lecture 15.      Mapping Insights onto New Perspectives - 102

 

Week VI. Philosophies of Language

Lecture 16.      Analytic Philosophy: Positivism and Ordinary Language - 110

Lecture 17.      Synthetic Philosophy: Existentialism and God Talk - 118

Lecture 18.      Hermeneutic Philosophy: Insight and the Return to Myth - 125

 

 

PART THREE: THE BRANCHES

SCIENCE AND THE LOVE OF WISDOM

 

Week VII. Philosophy of Science

Lecture 19.      What is Wisdom? - 134

Lecture 20.      Science and the Anatomy of Wisdom - 141

Lecture 21.      Causality and the Boundary of Science - 150

 

Week VIII. Philosophy of Morals

Lecture 22.      Freedom and the Boundary of Morals - 161

Lecture 23.      Transvaluation: A Moral Breakthrough? - 169

Lecture 24.      Perspectivism: Reconstructing the Boundaries - 177

 

Week IX. Philosophy of Politics

Lecture 25.      Power and the Boundary of Politics - 186

Lecture 26.      Theocracy: The Ultimate Breakthrough - 195

Lecture 27.      Wisdom on the Boundary: Ideas vs. Ideology - 203

 

 

PART FOUR: THE LEAVES

ONTOLOGY AND THE WONDER OF SILENCE

 

Week X. Diverse Experience: Feeling United

Lecture 28.      What is Silence? - 212

Lecture 29.      Finality and the Paradox of Beauty - 220

Lecture 30.      Reunion and the Mystery of Love - 229

 

Week XI. Symbolic Wonder: Being Religious

Lecture 31.      The Numinous and its Symbols - 239

Lecture 32.      Evil and the Paradox of Grace - 247

Lecture 33.      Community and the Mystery of Worship - 255

 

Week XII. Meaning: Preparing for Death

Lecture 34.      Angst and the Paradox of Courage - 263

Lecture 35.      Death and the Mystery of Life - 271

Lecture 36.      What is Philosophy? - 278

 

Bibliography: Key to Abbreviations - 285

 

Glossary - 288

 

Index of Names - 300

 


Back to the listing of Steve Palmquist's published books.

Back to Steve Palmquist's home page

Send comments to the author: StevePq@hkbu.edu.hk

 

This page was last updated on 8 November 2008.