Chapter 10: The Splendor of Truth: Beauty (January 12, 2020)

01/12/20 • 10 min

Beauty is the splendor of truth. If we find something that is truly beautiful, then we know that we have found something true. Most of the time, new scientific theories meet with great resistance within the scientific community; it takes a long time for scientists to be convinced of new ideas. But in the case of Einstein’s theory of General Relativity, almost all scientists believed it as soon as they saw it. Even though there was little evidence for it at the time and it had not really been put to the test, most scientists knew that it was right because of its beauty.

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Chapter 9: Living the good life: Ethics, Part 2 (January 5, 2020)

Ethics is about the good life. The study of happiness and virtue helps us understand how we ought to spend our time and live life to the fullest. This topic provides us with an answer to the age-old question about the meaning of life. What most people mean when they ask about the meaning of life is, “What is my purpose?” The answer is to reach your fullest potential. Matthew Kelly has phrased it as: become the best version of yourself. The Church calls it the universal call to holiness and to become a saint. The Ancient and Medieval philosophers called it becoming virtuous and thriving. In the context of Catholicism where God Himself is the ultimate goal, they all mean the same thing. This might not seem very satisfying, but it is, and the evidence is the saints. They pursued holiness with abandon, and the joy practically drips off the pages of their writings and writings about them.

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A Fool's Errand: Suggested Reading (January 19, 2010)

Plato's works are very readable. Since he was the father of philosophy, there was no technical vocabulary at the time. He wrote in the form of dialogues, so the prose is less dry than mere treatises. Aristotle is a little more difficult, but he is still very systematic and clear as long as you can pay attention. Mortimer Adler is one of the clearest and most common-sensical writers in philosophy. St. Thomas is not easy to read, but he is the essential Catholic philosopher. Popes, Church Councils, philosophers, and theologians have all sung his praises. The Bible (start with the New Testament if you haven’t already) and the Compendium to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (It’s the short version – or you can go for the Catechism itself if you are feeling ambitious). God Himself is truth, and philosophy is the path that leads to Truth.