Aristotle, Categories

Aeschylus, Agamemnon

Agamemnon Sparknotes summary Summary A watchman sees a signal flare, and goes to tell the queen of Troy's downfall, the news that they ...

Aristophanes, The Clouds

The Clouds Sparknotes summary Summary Strepsiades is a debtor who will be taken to court at the end of the month for his debts. His son...

Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics

Nichomachean Ethics Summary Books I, II, III Aristotle begins by saying that everything humans do is for the purpose of one good or anoth...

Aristotle, Poetics

Poetics Summary Aristotle introduced poetry (not just verse, but including a story) as a form of imitation, of which different forms are ...

Enuma Elish

Enuma Elish Notes Babylonian creation story Summary When the heavens and earth did not yet exist, Apsû and Tia-mat, the creators, br...

Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh Summary Gilgamesh was a mighty warrior who did not control himself, for he terrorized the people. The god Aruru created another...

Herodotus, The Histories

Herodotus, The Histories Wrote the background of the Greco-Persian wars Britannica summary Summary Herodotus begins by debunking Egypt'...

Hesiod, Works & Days

Hesiod, Works & Days Summary Zeus is the greatest, and the strongest. He decides whether men succeed or fail, whether they are known ...

Homer, The Odyssey

Homer, The Odyssey Summary of Book IX Odysseus was telling his story to Alkinoös. He told how, after Troy, they had sacked the city of th...

Plato, Meno

Meno The dialogue starts with Meno asking Socrates whether virtue can be taught or whether it can come naturally. Socrates replied that h...

Plato, Phaedrus

Phaedrus Phaedrus and Socrates meet leaving the city, so they strike up a conversation. Phaedrus had just come from a discussion with Lys...

Plato, The Apology

Plato, The Apology Summary Socrates was brought before the court to defend himself against charges of corrupting the youths and teaching ...

Plutarch, Alcibiades

Plutarch, Alcibiades Summary From childhood, Alcibiades had a strong sense of his own self-importance and had his own way with most thing...

Sophocles, Oedipus Rex

Oedipus Rex The people of Thebes suffered under a heavy plague, so Oedipus sent to the oracle to ask what should be done. The oracle inst...

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War Britannica link Wrote a history of the [[Peloponnesian Wars]] between Athens & Spart...

Augustine, Confessions

Augustine, Confessions Bks 2-4 Summary Augustine begins by relating his past sins. By sixteen years old, he says, he was entirely given o...

Augustine, On Grace & Free Will

Augustine, On Grace & Free Will Summary This treatise focused on the apparent conflict between grace and free will, showing that with...

Aurelius, Meditations

Aurelius, Meditations Background on Aurelius (Britannica) Summary In his Meditations, Marcus Aurelius exhorts himself to live a good lif...

Cicero, On Duties

Cicero, On Duties Background on Cicero (Britannica) Summary Cicero begins by admonishing his son to pursue philosophy before introducing...

Irenaeus, Against Heresies

Irenaeus, Against Heresies Summary This reading was composed of a discussion of a series of heresies about the apostles and Jesus. Irenæu...

Livy, Early History of Rome

Livy, Early History of Rome Britannica link Summary Livy began with the story of Aeneas and his successors, two of whom were Romulus and...

Lucretius, The Nature of Things

Lucretius, The Nature of Things Background on Lucretius (Britannica) Summary Lucretius states that everything is made out of atoms, and ...

Philo, Allegorical Interp of Genesis

Philo, Allegorical Interp of Genesis Summary Philo's allegorical interpretation of Genesis relies heavily on symbolic language. Going ver...

Plutarch, Alexander the Great

Plutarch, Alexander the Great Summary Alexander was the son of Philip, the King of Macedon. He was a very eager and ambitious boy, once e...

Plutarch, Fabius

Plutarch, Fabius Summary Early, Fabius had the reputation of being a slow, insensible, submissive man, but when he was tried, his true ch...

Plutarch, Romulus

Plutarch, Romulus Summary Plutarch begins by discussing the different stories that were told about the founding of Rome, eventually landi...

Polybius, Rise of the Roman Empire

Polybius, Rise of the Roman Empire Britannica link Bk 3 Summary Polybius begins by discussing the difference the cause and the beginning...

Shakespeare, Julius Caesar

Shakespeare, Julius Caesar Summary The play starts with Julius Caesar being lauded by the people and Mark Antony offering him the kingshi...

Tacitus, Annals of Imperial Rome

Tacitus, Annals of Imperial Rome Britannica link Summary This reading highlighted the reign and crimes of Nero. It began with the great ...

Bacon, Novum Organum

Bacon, Novum Organum Class Notes (some from Kate) shortly after [[Copernicus]]'s death making a new version of [[Aristotle]]'s Organ...

Boyle, Mechanical Philosophy

Boyle, Mechanical Philosophy Class Notes (some from Kate) Mechanical Principles: intelligible & clear world operates on 2 princi...

Calvin, Institutes

Calvin, Institutes Class Notes What is Calvin trying to accomplish? answering slander a/b his beliefs support those being persecuted...

Meditations of First Philosophy

Meditations of First Philosophy Author: [[Descartes]] Why does Descartes makes these arguments? Some of the things that he knows are wro...

Edwards, Religious Affections

Edwards, Religious Affections Written by [[Jonathan Edwards]] Background from edwardsstudies.com written in midst of revivals "reli...

Federalist Papers

Federalist Papers Written by [[Hamilton]], Jay, and Madison. Class Notes Paper 1: Hamilton thought constitution was best option; wanted ...

Leviathan

Leviathan - Hobbes Terms Power: what quality soever maketh a man beloved, or feared (or the reputation of such quality) (ex: to have se...

Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding

Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding Written by David [[Hume]] Book Notes moral philosophy = science of human nature 2 ...

What is Enlightenment?

What is Enlightenment? Author: [[Kant]] Class Discussion What are his ends? Are we after enlightenment or freedom? We want freedom ...

Two Treatises of Government

Two Treatises of Government Written by John [[Locke]] Book Notes political power - right of making laws with penalties of death (and ...

Luther, Freedom of a Christian

Luther, Freedom of a Christian Written by [[Luther]] Class Notes Christian is lord of all & subject to all maybe he's not saying...

Essay on the Principle of Population

Essay on the Principle of Population Written by [[Malthus]] Discussion Notes What is the nature of man? to eat & repro...

Paine, Common Sense

[[Paine]], Common Sense Class Notes Biblical argument against [[Divine Right of Kings]] economic argument for secession argument ...

Pascal, Vacuum

Pascal, Vacuum Summary Pascal wrote about the vacuum. First he explained why the Ancients' opinion on the vacuum was not necessarily the ...

Reid, Inquiry & Essays

Reid, Inquiry & Essays Author: Thomas [[Reid]] ![[Reid#Philosophy]] what does he think of previous philosophers? they...

Shakespeare, Measure for Measure

Shakespeare, Measure for Measure Author: [[Shakespeare]] Summary The Duke, noticing that he had not been executing the law well enough, ...

Merchant of Venice

Merchant of Venice Summary Bassanio wishes to try his hand at wooing Portia, but he has no money for it. He asks his friend Antonio for ...

Wealth of Nations

Wealth of Nations Class Notes Smith accurately described how Division of Labor works but does it reduce the meaning people...

Candide

Candide By [[Voltaire]] Questions how serious is this work? why is there evil and suffering? is it b/c God's not good? ...

Whitfield, Method of Grace

Whitfield, Method of Grace Discussion Notes feel heaviness of sins we are essentially sinful; deserve damnation even w/o any actual...

Burke, Reflections on the Revolution

Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France Class Notes legitimacy of government not based on divine right (23) no...

De Tocqueville, Old Regime & French Rev.

The Old Regime & The French Revolution Class Notes His view on [[Burke]]: "Even Burke failed to understand it. "You wish to correct ...

Hegel, Intro to Philosophy of History

Intro to Philosophy of History Written by [[Hegel]] Themes Spirit: consciousness self-consciousness freedom progress of histo...

Rousseau, Social Contract

Rousseau, Social Contract Class Notes what is general will different from "will of all" does social contract make...

Schopenhauer, World as Will & Idea

Schopenhauer, World as Will & Idea Class Notes world is idea (these ideas drawn from combining [[Hume]] and [[Kant]]) ...

Shelley, Frankenstein

Frankenstein Class Notes Parallels to Prometheus: both made creation, then problem Prometheus brings fire at great personal cost to...

Nicene Creed

English Versions of the Nicene Creed Apparently Early Version We belive in one God, the Father almighty, maker of all things visible and...

Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards

Metadata Author: [[Jonathan Edwards]] Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God’s help, I do hum...

The Chastity of the Intellect

The Chastity of the Intellect - Vincent Hendricks Humans are in pursuit of knowledge. It plays a significant role for deliberation, deci...

Glorious Revolution

Glorious Revolution [[Burke]] thought the Glorious Revolution was legitimate, because it did not attempt to overthrow the government, ju...

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