Electives

This course introduces students to the rich and varied history of Western Philosophy while also challenging students to evaluate philosophical ideas from a biblical perspective. Beginning with Thales in the 6th century B.C., students will learn about the origin of Western Philosophy, the four major branches, key thinkers and their ideas, various schools of thought (e.g., Epicureanism, Stoicism, Neoplatonism, Existentialism, etc.), and how Christians can benefit from learning, analyzing, and “doing” philosophy. Throughout the course, Christian theologians and philosophers such as Augustine, Aquinas, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Blaise Pascal, C.S. Lewis, Francis Schaeffer, Nancy Pearcey, William Lane Craig, and so many more are utilized to demonstrate Christianity’s superior explanatory power in comparison to other philosophical systems of thought.

The course is divided into the following four units:

• What is Philosophy?
• A Brief History of Western Philosophy
• Towards a Christian Worldview: Being, Truth, and Logic
• Towards a Christian Worldview: Ethics and the Abundant Life