Looking for just one book about Western Philosophy? If you are, I recommend that you check out Steven Cahn’s “Classics of Western Philosophy”. Whether you go to the library to borrow an old copy or get your hand on the latest (7th) edition you can will be hard-pressed to find an anthology that is more readable as well as affordable. In fact this book is becoming the text to use so much so that as Dr Vern Lindquist, an active reviewer/commenter in Amazon, said, “Classics” is itself becoming a classic.

Of course this not a book to read in one sitting with such a very broad range of philosophers and their representative ideas. The latest edition “presents complete texts or substantial selections from fifty-six philosophical masterpieces, in pre-eminent and thoughtfully annotated translations and editions.” According to the Amazon description the additions to the 7th edition include “selections from Plotinus’ “Enneads”, Schopenhauer’s “The World as Will and Representation”, Husserl’s “Paris Lectures”, Wittgenstein’s “Philosophical Investigations”, and a new selection from Hegel’s “Phenomenology of Spirit”. Selections from Aristotle’s “Metaphysics” and “On the Soul” have been expanded, while Aristotle’s “Physics and Nicomachean Ethics”, Hume’s “Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding”, Mill’s “On Liberty”, and Russell’s “The Problem of Philosophy” have been further abridged.”

This is one book that’s a must for any philosophy student or anyone who’s interested in simply learning some of the most interesting and compelling ideas of the best western philosophers.

A Progressive Utilisation Theory (PROUT) meet was held in Mysore, India just in time to commemorate the golden jubilee of the PROUT which was first published in 1959. The PROUT assembly was hosted by Ananda Marga Pracharak Sangha. Participants came from the city as well as Karnataka and Goa.

PROUT is a socio-economic philosophy that synthesizes the physical, mental and spiritual dimensions of human nature. The goal of PROUT is to provide guidance for the evolution of a truly progressive human society. According to the Proutist Universal website some of their basic tenets of PROUT are:

Spirituality and Progress – Human beings are on an evolutionary path toward realizing their higher consciousness. True progress is movement that leads to self-realization and spiritual qualities such as compassion and love for all beings. Material or intellectual gains do not necessarily constitute progress unless they contribute to deeper, spiritual well-being.

Economic Democracy – PROUT advocates economic democracy based on local economic planning, cooperatively managed businesses, local governmental control of natural resources and key industries, and socially agreed upon limits on the individual accumulation of wealth. By decentralizing the economy and making sure decision-making is in the hands of local people, we can ensure the adequate availability of food, shelter, clothing, health care and education for all.

Basic Necessities Guaranteed to All - The basic necessities of life must be a constitutional birth right of all members of society. People cannot attain their highest human potential if they lack food, shelter, clothing, health care and education.

Leadership - For a benevolent society, it is essential that leaders are morally principled and dedicated to serving society as part of their personal progress. Authority should not be centered in the hands of individuals, but should be expressed through collective leadership.

Other basic tenets discussed in the site include freedom, cultural diversity, women’s rights, science and technology, and world government.

The 6th International Philosophy, Science and Theology Festival is going to be held this weekend from the 27th of June (Saturday) to the 1st of July (Wednesday) in Grafton, North Rivers, Australia. The festival’s theme is “Our Now, Our Tomorrow”. According to the festival site “the festival is a forum where questions that concern us can be asked, discussed and debated in a friendly, non-threatening environment. Speakers from all over the world come to the festival to share their knowledge with people from all walks of life. It is a safe space in which you can listen, take part and enjoy. It is a place where barriers are broken, friendships are forged and excitement grows.” People interested in participating have the option of visiting for just one day or registering for the whole festival experience.

Here’s a short list of speakers and their chosen topics:

• Matthew Colless – What Science Can Say About Creation?
• Dr Jan Visser – Not by Philosophy, Science and Theology Alone
• Pam Wells – Personal Philosophy- a Practical Responsibility
• Dr Ian Gawler – Cancer as a path to Enlightenment
• Dr Michael Northcott- Climate Change, Industrial Capitalism and the Nature of Life on Earth
• Howie Firth- SEASHELLS, SUNFLOWERS AND GREEN SHOOTS OF SPRING
• Norman Habel – An Inconvenient Text
• Stephen Strong, Author: Constructing a New World Map; Mary Magdalene’s Dreaming

Philosophy is a very broad area of study so that if you’re interested in just one specific branch of philosophy other branches might as well be relatively alien for you. To remind us just how wide and varied the topics are that can be studied philosophically I’ll be going back to the basics and list down the main areas of study, which include the following:

Metaphysics – This area of philosophy deals with the nature of being and seeks to understand the nature of how and why things exist. It’s traditional branches are cosmology and ontology.
Epistemology – The study of HOW we know things, it is concerned with the nature and scope of knowledge. Epistemology is used by philosophers to decide or at least try to decide the limits and boundaries of what can and can not be known.
Logic – Logic is what’s used in all areas of philosophy to arrive at conclusions. Logic can be represented in symbols via mathematical logic though philosophical logic is still very much in use.
Ethics – Deals with morality. An area that is very much a cause for debate but is very important since it answers the questions of how we should act and react with other people. Aesthetics
Politics – The study of government and its relationship to its citizens and the communities that make up the government.
Language – Philosophical approach to the nature, origins, and usage of language.
Aesthetics – This is the study of not only beauty and art but seeks to explain how and why we classify things as beautiful as well as the degree to which we consider things beautiful.