Core, Philosophy

Philosophy as a Way of Life

Taught by Joseph Minich
Difficulty: Intermediate
Crosslist: None
Runs 4/8 – 6/15/24
$225.00 – $399.00

 

What does it mean to study philosophy? Is it the act of studying philosophical texts (whether ancient or modern)? Does it predominantly involve memorizing arguments and counter-arguments about the big questions, and then trying to make some positive case for one’s own vision? Moreover, what is a philosopher? Is it simply someone who does the above in a more rigorous way? Is a philosopher, in other words, a kind of professional? Taking our cues from the inception of Western philosophy, as well as the Christian inheritance and transformation of the same, this course seeks to explicate the relationship between philosophical discourse and being a philosopher. With the ancients, we will consider philosophy as a way of life, a project of attuning the whole of ourselves to the whole of reality as guided by the sanctified mind. To be a philosopher is to possess this task in a unique and rigorous way as part of one’s vocation. When the philosopher Justin converted to Christ in the second century, he did not remove the philosophical robes which were the public mark of his vocation. Rather, his vocation was raised up in the way of Christ. And so it can still be today. Among the texts to be discussed will be Stephen R.L. Clark’s Ancient Mediterranean Philosophy and Dariusz Karlowicz’ Socrates and Other Saints.

 

Deadline to register: Friday, March 29th

 

The syllabus for this course is available now. You can access it here.

 

 

ENROLLMENT OPTIONS

Auditing ($225):

participate in readings and live class sessions, but no graded assignments and no course credit

Full course (Full-Time Discount) ($275):

for-credit courses (at least four per term) toward our Certificate or M.Litt in Classical Protestantism

Full course ($399):

individual classes on a for-credit basis; you can later apply them toward a Certificate or Degree

 

ENROLL NOW

Description

This Philosophy course will be taught by Joseph Minich, and will run from April 8th through June 15th. The syllabus will be posted when available.

What does it mean to study philosophy? Is it the act of studying philosophical texts (whether ancient or modern)? Does it predominantly involve memorizing arguments and counter-arguments about the big questions, and then trying to make some positive case for one’s own vision? Moreover, what is a philosopher? Is it simply someone who does the above in a more rigorous way? Is a philosopher, in other words, a kind of professional? Taking our cues from the inception of Western philosophy, as well as the Christian inheritance and transformation of the same, this course seeks to explicate the relationship between philosophical discourse and being a philosopher. With the ancients, we will consider philosophy as a way of life, a project of attuning the whole of ourselves to the whole of reality as guided by the sanctified mind. To be a philosopher is to possess this task in a unique and rigorous way as part of one’s vocation. When the philosopher Justin converted to Christ in the second century, he did not remove the philosophical robes which were the public mark of his vocation. Rather, his vocation was raised up in the way of Christ. And so it can still be today. Among the texts to be discussed will be Stephen R.L. Clark’s Ancient Mediterranean Philosophy and Dariusz Karlowicz’ Socrates and Other Saints.

 

Dr. Joseph Minich (Ph.D. University of Texas at Dallas) is a Teaching Fellow with The Davenant Institute and Editor-in-Chief of The Davenant Press. The founding editor of Ad Fontes, he is also the author of Enduring Divine Absence and a current co-host of the Pilgrim Faith podcast. His public writing can be found at The Calvinist International, Mere Orthodoxy, Modern Reformation, and the Ad Fontes blog. He lives in Garland, Texas, with his wife and four children.

The syllabus for this course is available now. You can access it here.

 

Details

Online only, runs 10 weeks, meeting 2 hr./wk. via Zoom. Students will also have the option to participate in class discussion on the Davenant Common Room Discord server. Register to reserve your spot and schedule will be set after a poll of participating students; if the class time does not fit your schedule, you will be eligible for a full refund.

This is a graduate-level course. Although a BA is not a necessary pre-requisite for this course, students should come prepared to do graduate-level work.