The Heart of Philosophy

Philosophy as it is frequently taught in classrooms bears little relation to the impassioned and immensely practical search for self-knowledge conducted by not only its ancient avatars but also by men and woman who seek after truth today. In The Heart of the Philosophy, Jacob Needleman provides a "user's guide" for those who would take philosophy seriously enough to understand its life-transforming qualities.The Heart of PhilosophyPreface to the Tarcher/Penguin Edition
Preface
Acknowledgments

Part I: Philosophy, Where Are You?
1. Introduction
2. Socrates and the Myth of Responsibility
3. Pythagoras

Part II: Wendy, Sim, and Other Philosophers
4. Nondepartmental Offering
5. Questions in the Margin
6. A Strange Warmth
7. Parents

Part III: Remembering Philosophy
8. Eros and Ego: Toward a Redefinition of the History of Philosophy
9. Reality: The Problem and the Question
10. One Self: Two Words
11. The Indestructible Question

Conclusion

The acclaimed author of The American Soul, Why Can’t We Be Good? and Money and the Meaning of Life, Jacob Needleman is Professor of Philosophy at San Francisco State University, and former Director of the Center for the Study of New Religions at the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley. He lives in Oakland, CA.