Compassionate Socrates

Compassionate Socrates: Readings on Wisdom across the Cultures and Disciplines takes the form of an interdisciplinary dialogue on human experiences in religion, art, science, and philosophy. With the Socratic method serving as a basis for exploration and examination, the carefully curated readings in this anthology help students better understand what we as humans assume, believe, favor, and hope. Throughout, students are encouraged to discover how questioning as a philosophical method opens a path to critical reasoning. In Unit I, readings help students make sense of religion through the examination of Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity. Unit II focuses on art with discussion of Greek drama, the metaphor of the body in painting, music for contemplative enjoyment, and the theme of the absurd in Camus' The Stranger. Units III and IV features articles on science and philosophy, respectively, offering a bird's eye view on significant upheavals in human intellect. The final unit invites students to read selections about the nature of humanity, including ancient wisdom on changes, the goals of human life, the concepts of economic alienation, and the primordial Tao. Designed to inspire critical thought and meaningful reflection, Compassionate Socrates is an ideal textbook for introductory courses in philosophy.