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A Great Idea At the Time

In which the pilgrim considers writing a series of essays (over a long period of time), each on one of the Great Ideas, and its place in his journey of faith.



I'm almost finished reading Mortimer J. Adler's <i>Six Great Ideas</i>, a philosophical consideration of the ideas of Truth, Goodness, Beauty, Liberty Equality and Justice. It is meant for the layman as a guidebook to laying the foundation for a grand conversation on these ideas that would be a part of every household and a greater common discourse. The book is a great read, fueling a lot of thought and reminding me of the days when I wanted to write a blog called "The Philosophical Plumber." That blog's purpose would have been to discuss why philosophy should be a universal practice and applying philosophy to the quotidian, current news stories and in everyday language.

But it's for this blog that I'm now thinking of taking on those same philosophical pontifications and applications, just through a personal lens especially with regards to faith. Early in Adler's book, he gives a list of great ideas that any person should be able to discuss thoughtfully before tackling the six in depth. As I perused the list, I found myself considering the list as a springboard for blog entries here.

So I post the list, in hopes that it inspires this pilgrim in the Land of Unlikness to pontificate on Great Ideas and put those thoughts to words.

  • Animal
  • Art
  • Beauty
  • Being
  • Cause
  • Chance
  • Change
  • Citizen
  • Constitution
  • Democracy
  • Desire
  • Duty
  • Education
  • Emotion
  • Equality
  • Evolution
  • Experience
  • Family
  • God
  • Good & Evil
  • Government
  • Habit
  • Happiness
  • Honor
  • Imagination
  • Judgment
  • Justice
  • Knowledge
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Medicine
    • Philosophy
    • Science
    • Theology
    • Astronomy
    • Mechanics
    • Physics
  • Labor
  • Language
  • Law
  • Liberty (Freedom)
  • Life & Death
  • Love
  • Man
  • Matter
  • Memory
  • Mind
  • Nature
  • Opinion
  • Pleasure & Pain
  • Poetry
  • Progress
  • Punishment
  • Reasoning
  • Relation
  • Religion
  • Revolution
  • Sense
  • Sin
  • Slavery
  • Soul
  • Space
  • State
  • Time
  • Truth
  • Tyranny
  • Violence
  • Virtue & Vice
    • Courage
    • Temperance
    • Prudence
  • War & Peace
  • Wealth
  • Will
  • Wisdom
  • World
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