This introductory course in Practical Philosophy is a discrete unit of study, but for those who wish to continue it forms the first of three terms of a foundation year: Philosophy and Wisdom, Philosophy and Happiness and Philosophy and Love.
The introductory terms draw upon the great teachings of East and West, past and present to provide a system of knowledge and practical guidance relevant to life in the world today. In a spirit of enquiry, the School encourages an exploration of philosophical principles based on personal experience. It is not exclusive, and its students include followers of the world’s great religions – and many who follow no religion at all.
Simple exercises are given for practice each day to help clear and quieten the mind and strengthen attention. For those wishing to continue their study and practice of the subject, further courses are offered on the basis of a twelve week term. After some time, the study focuses more upon the Advaita philosophy teachings as given by one of the oldest philosophical traditions. Participants are also invited in the second year to take up the practice of meditation as a means of connecting more deeply and effectively with the inner consciousness, the source of all energy and intelligence. In essence, the aim of the course is to help each person to understand their own nature, adopt what is helpful, discard what is unhelpful and realise their full potential.
The School seeks not only to raise the intellectual understanding of its students but also encourages them to put what they have learned into practice. The aim is to lead a balanced life and to serve society to the best of one’s ability.
| Week 1 | What is Philosophy? A very practical exercise. |
| Week 2 | Self-knowledge. Observation and verification. Neither accepting, nor rejecting. |
Week 3 |
Knowledge vs information. Levels of awareness. The spirit of enquiry. |
| Week 4 | Levels of awareness (cont). Full potential. Transcending fear. |
| Week 5 | Reason, justice and injustice. Experiencing deeper levels of being through stillness. |
| Week 6 | Consciousness. The nature of Beauty — a description from Plato’s ‘Symposium’. |
| Week 7 | The question: ‘What am I?’ |
| Week 8 | Three fundamental universal forces. Freedom from pleasure and pain. |
| Week 9 | The Self beyond the universal forces. Attention - free and bound. |
For more details, see www.schooleconomicscience.org/wp/courses/philosophy