Philosophy

by Peter Kreeft

Series Summary The  What Every Catholic Should Know  series is intended for the average faithful Catholic who wants to know more about Catholic faith and culture. The authors in this series take a panoramic approach to the topic of each book aimed at a non-specialist but enthusiastic readership. Already published titles in this series literature, salvation, mercy, being Catholic, God, and philosophy. Book Summary " The need for this book is perennial, but it is especially acute today, when both faith and reason are on life support in our culture, which is increasingly hostile to both, or at least to the classical or traditional forms of both….In this culture it is essential that Catholics and other Christians know the intellectual weapons and strategies of the enemies of religious faith and the defensive and offensive intellectual weapons that defeat them. Philosophical arguments are needed. They are weapons in the intellectual dimension of spiritual warfare, a warfare which is just as real and just as much a matter of life or death as physical warfare. " Just what is philosophy? Is there objective truth? Is self-knowledge possible? What is being? What is man's relation to nature? Is it possible for human reason to know God? If there is a God, why is there evil? What is happiness and how can we achieve it? If you've ever wondered about the answers to any of these questions, this is the book for you! These and dozens of other crucial questions are asked and answered in this easy-to-read book by one of the best-known philosophers alive today. Every Catholic should own one book on philosophy. This is it.

Genres: Philosophy, Theology, Catholic

270 pages, Paperback

Published February 1, 2023

About the author

Peter Kreeft is an American philosopher and prolific author of over eighty books on Christian theology, philosophy, and apologetics. A convert from Protestantism to Catholicism, his journey was shaped by his study of Church history, Gothic architecture, and Thomistic thought. He earned his BA from Calvin College, an MA and PhD from Fordham University, and pursued further studies at Yale. Since 1965, he has taught philosophy at Boston College and also at The King’s College. Kreeft is known for formulating “Twenty Arguments for the Existence of God” with Ronald K. Tacelli, featured in their Handbook of Christian Apologetics. A strong advocate for unity among Christians, he emphasizes shared belief in Christ over denominational differences.

Reviews

[Jacob Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a bad primer. However, I do think that Kreeft is a tad bit unfair at some points. The reason that naturalism is so popular compared to theistic forms of philosophy is because on its face, it can seem compelling in light of the alternatives. I think Kreeft goes out of his way to dismiss certain thinkers along these lines as simply foolish. Yet a lot of the things he says can be easily sidestepped because Kreeft isn't often charitable. It doesn't seem genuine to represent a lot of the history of philosophy as a bunch of morons. A true defense of Christian philosophy, in my opinion, is at the very least sympathetic to its opponents, no matter how fundamentally it disagrees with them. It requires care to see what claims are being made and how to conclusively deal with them. Certain philosophers might be wrong, even badly wrong, but they're not idiots, contrary to the impression this book sometimes gives.

Also, Kreeft goes out of his way to make Aristotle sound hardly different from any average Joe. He repeatedly says that Aristotle is the master of 'common sense'. The point he was trying to drive home lost meaning after a while because, though Aristotle is intuitive and doesn't reject certain parts of reality that seem really real, the entirety of his project is not common sensical. 'Unmoved movers', 'eternal intellects', 'substance ontology', 'God as thought thinking itself'. These are all ideas from Aristotle and it takes him literally thousands of pages to catalogue all of it and meticulously argue for it. Aristotle may seem intuitive at first, but there is more to him than meets the eye, and he's certainly not merely a common sense philosopher.

Finally, if Aristotle is one of the heroes of this book, then it seems like Kreeft thinks of Plato as a dumb uncle to Aristotle. It hurt me at times to hear some of the ways that Plato was portrayed, especially because there's good historical evidence to believe that Aristotle was a Platonist. Aristotle is extremely indebted to Plato and they share more than you would believe by how they're sometimes contrasted in this book.

I say all of this, yet I still really enjoyed the book. I think that Kreeft's survey of a lot of topics is extremely fun, especially for a book that is meant to open up your eyes to Catholic philosophy on a very broad level. I'd only say that it felt like Kreeft sometimes was more confident in certain claims than were deserved and argued for. Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone just so long as they read it with an eye towards it being a first step in beginning philosophy / Catholic philosophy rather than a conclusive handbook.

[Sam Harder · Rating 5 out of 5]

A survey of questions in Epistemology, Metaphysics, Anthropology, and Ethics that are relevant to Catholic morality and modern culture.

I was looking for a beginner-friendly introduction to the different schools of thought about these topics. Peter Kreeft’s wit and clarity satisfied my desire immensely. He’s also very skilled in explaining how your subconscious philosophical assumptions can deeply impact your behavior. This book was easy to read and serves as a great touching-off point for further study. I learned a lot and now I have a bunch of avenues of curiosity to go down in the future.

[Lydian Arredondo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is FULL of wisdom and truth, and is even pretty funny here and there. 100% recommend to all

[Oscar Martinez II · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kreeft does an amazing job of writing what is essentially an introduction to philosophy sprinkled with Catholic theology. What I especially appreciate is how Kreeft compares and contrasts different viewpoints while not explicitly answering many of the questions raised in each chapter instead choosing to leaving the answer open for the reader to think upon and research further before ultimately deciding. Kreeft actually mentions how each chapter is meant to be a conversation starter and not a final say on the matter.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Philosophy” by Peter Kreeft is again another outstanding read. For me it was an introduction to Philosophy and how it relates to Catholic tradition and traditions. Dr. Kreeft has written this marvelous book in the tradition of St. Thomas, numbered thoughts, words, and ideas with an in depth explanation of the definition and how it applies to Catholicism. Also, this is a great read for the “Catholic in the Pew” and you do not need to be a scholar to understand. Finally, the bibliography provides more avenues to explore this subject. Experienced as an Audio book.

[Paytron Ward]

I need to reread this to fully understand it. It’s the most I’ve been challenged intellectually in a long time. Excited to dive back in later in the year.

I gained a real appreciation in challenging oneself to engage with unfamiliar ideas especially with the goal of engaging with academics/philosophers with the hope of winning them to Christ. Would recommend to anyone who wants to dive into how Christian Thought and Philosophy coincide and challenge each other.

*Of note, this is from a Catholic Perspective, so take that for what you will.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only got halfway thru this read. I have no philosophy background and feel to have any hope it following this book you should have studied at least one philosophy class. It was textbook for my 9th graders philosophy class. I will say I heard after one semester they decided to no longer use.

[Doug Schreiber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peter Kreeft unpacks three millenia of philosophers in surprisingly succint manner. He does so while keeping his readers focused on the search for real truth - not just intellectual gymnastics. This truth of course leads one to God and Jesus Christ.