The Drama of Metaphysics: An Exploration into the Psychological Power of Worldviews

by Stephen Alexander Beach

TESTIMONIALS

“A copy of this book should be in every high school in America, and translated into Spanish so we can get it overseas as well. I’ve told my family the same. It is that good.” – Dr. Peter Mango, former director of the MA in Philosophy program, Holy Apostles College & Seminary, Cromwell, CT

“It seems cliché to say that Western Civilization is at a crossroads. Actually, we are now beyond the crossroads a fair distance down the wrong path. In The Drama of Metaphysics, Stephen Beach details our missteps, encouraging the hope that civilization might somehow regain its bearings.”  – Dr. Chris Gustafson, Director of the Regina Institute

“A well-articulated treatise that explains the shards of our ruined society and offers the kind of hope we need to begin rebuilding civilization.” – Dr. Sebastian Mahfood, OP, co-author with Dr. Ronda Chervin of Catholic Realism: A Framework for the Refutation of Atheism and the Evangelization of Atheists

“Stephen has done an excellent job of articulating the philosophical underpinnings of various worldviews in conjunction with the moral life of the human person. I highly recommend his work. Once you pick it up, it will be hard to put down.” – Dr. Marianne Siegmund, Director of the MAPS and MDiv in the New Evangelization programs at Holy Apostles College & Seminary in Cromwell, CT

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

​Stephen Alexander Beach is a graduate of Holy Apostles College and Seminary with a Master of Arts in Systematic Philosophy. He has also been a high school Catholic Theology and Philosophy teacher since 2013 in Charleston, SC, where he lives with his wife, Juliana Beach.

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The Battle for the 20th Century Mind

by Ronda Chervin

Reviews

A review of Dr. Ronda Chervin’s, The Battle for the 20^th Century Mind (St. Luis, MO: En Route Books and Media, 2022) by Francis Etheredge

Ronda Chervin sets out her course through the 20th Century as a dialogue between notable pairs and herself; however, on occasion there is more than a notable pair. Chervin begins the book with James Dewey (1842-1910) and William James (1842-1910) and ends it with Albert Camus (1913-1956) and C. S. Lewis, which makes it slightly out of sequence as she precedes these two with Sartre (1905-1980) and St. John Paul II. I not only like and admire the range of her “pairs” but appreciate, too, her plan to recover from her “opponents” what he or she has to offer. In this same style of pithy comment and argument Chervin proceeds promptly and at a reasonable pace through her period companions. Each person is introduced within the framework of a reasonably brief but apposite cameo and, as far as one can tell, a fair assessment, neither omitting nor exaggerating key facts and works. Furthermore, there are often a range of excerpts from the people under consideration and, therefore, Chervin’s book starts to serve the purpose of a reader, too: a book giving actual samples of a variety of works.

The book as a whole, we begin to realize, is not a strictly chronological account of thinkers through the 20th Century; rather, it is thematic, introducing us to a range of themes and thinkers, beginning with “Religion of Experience vs. Religion of Doctrine” and ending with “Evil as Proof of Atheism vs. God as the Answer to Suffering”. At the same time, Chervin provides a variety of resources to help the interested reader or actual student of philosophy, giving a mixture of primary and secondary sources. There is a particularly attractive set of excerpts from the work of St. Edith Stein which pertains very much to the present day need to understand the equality and complementarity of the sexes; and, in a different but equally exemplary way, there is the prolife work of Joan Andrews. In other words, this book easily suffices as an introduction to both the general reader and to the student who needs an overview of the background to contemporary thought.

While Chervin specifically recommends another of her books on ethics (cf. p. 116) there are excerpts and themes which apply, directly or indirectly to human nature and moral action; for instance, as regards those who want to permit euthanasia or even seek it, there is the work of Viktor Frankl, who ‘thought there were many layers where illness could arise, and that one of them was due to failure to find meaning in life’ (p. 100). Furthermore, there is a substantial treatment of the theme of freewill vs determinism with numerous excerpts from von Hildebrand.

In general, however, this book would work well with one of the many introductions to “perennial philosophy”, the philosophy that integrates truth with truth throughout the ages and constantly draws on reality as it exists, not confusing “what is the effect of the fall of man” with what in fact points to the enduring reality to be redeemed. At the same time, we could say, the book tends towards the possibility of a new synthesis, taking from each author what can be recognized as part of a renewed understanding of the nature of reality and the human person.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ronda Chervin has a Ph.D. in philosophy from Fordham University and an M.A. in Religious Studies from Notre Dame Apostolic Institute. She is a convert to the Catholic faith from a Jewish but atheistic background. She has been a professor at Loyola Marymount University, St. John’s Seminary of the Los Angeles Archdiocese, Franciscan University of Steubenville, Our Lady of Corpus Christi, and Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Connecticut. Eighty-five books of hers have been published by Catholic presses in the area of philosophy and spirituality. Dr. Ronda presents on EWTN and Catholic radio. Her many books include Quotable Saints, Seeking Christ in the Crosses & Joys of Aging, Catholic Realism and Voyage to Insight.

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Conscious Energy and the Evolution of Philosophy

by Joe P. Provenzano

Synthesis and Review

TESTIMONIALS

REVIEW ON GOODREADS OF THE 1993 Edition

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Joe Provenzano has an M.S. in physics. He has spent much of his life studying the great philosophical thinkers and the tough philosophical and theological questions. Joe also authored How to Believe in God and Science — In Three Easy Steps and co-authored The Fallen Angel Model — Deeper into the Mysteries with Deacon Ron D. Morgan and Dan R. Provenzano (Joe’s son) who has a Ph.D. in physics. Joe may be reached at joepro@proandsons.com

OTHER CATHOLIC PHILOSOPHY BOOKS

A Primer in the Philosophy of John Paul II–In His Own Words

by Dr. Michael J. Healy

To aid students in comprehending the Holy Father’s thought, Dr. Healy provides close-to-the-text summary interpretations of Saint John Paul II’s major philosophical works, condensing the essence of his philosophical teachings on the person and act, love, and sexuality.

Paperback: $29.95 | Kindle $9.99

TESTIMONIALS

“Professor Michael Healy has prepared a very accessible and usable introduction to the thought of Pope John Paul II which students and teachers alike–and even the interested general reader–will find to be a very good beginning in trying to understand and appreciate the author of one of the most profound and prolific teaching pontificates in the history of the Church. One would have to plow through many volumes to acquire what careful reading and study of this volume alone provides. Not least, the “primer” provides a clearer idea of what the student of John Paul II’s thought should go on to acquire and study.” – Dr. Kenneth D. Whitehead

“Karol Wojtyła was very gifted as a speaker but, alas, when he made philosophy he was extremely technical and rigorous. So much so that a familiar story in the milieu of Cracow was that all priests who in life had neglected their intellectual formation, before entering in Heaven, should have to pass an examination on The Acting Person (the philosophical masterpiece of Wojtyła). For some of them it might take even one hundred years. Now their task has been enormously facilitated (and their penance correspondingly cut short) by this “primer” of Prof. Michael Healy Sr.. Prof Healy has assimilated the spirit of Wojtyła so much in depth that he succeeds in rendering it in a smooth, plain and easy expression. He is really the St. John the Baptist of Wojtyła : he prepares the way leading to our author and makes the paths straight. The book is good for the students who try to find a path leading into the complex conceptual construction of Wojtyła but is useful also to advanced scholars who want to better appreciate the particular and inimitable flavor of Wojtyła’s philosophy.” – Dr. Rocco Buttiglione

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Michael J. Healy served as Dean of the Faculty (chief academic officer) under Fr. Michael Scanlan, TOR (President) at Franciscan University of Steubenville from 1986-2000. During the 2002-2003 academic year, he served as interim president of Ave Maria College while on leave of absence from Franciscan University. He then returned to Franciscan to resume his position as full professor of philosophy, where he specializes in philosophy of the person, ethics, existentialism, and philosophy of religion. He has a special love for Kierkegaard, von Hildebrand, and Wojtyla interpreted in light of and in dialogue with the philosophia perennis. His favorite author in the Thomistic tradition is Josef Pieper. His favorite course is The Nature of Love, wherein he uses the works of all four of the above. Dr. Healy earned his B.A. from Loyola University of Los Angeles (1972, now Loyola Marymount University) and his M.A. (1975) and Ph.D. (1978) from the University of Dallas.

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Three Acts: A Commentary on Plato’s Theaetetus

by Brandon Spun

This guide to Plato’s Theaetetus is both an introduction to philosophy and an analysis of the dialogue according to the three acts of the mind. It suggests that Plato explores the problem of knowledge by means of a philosophical anthropology which presents us with one of the earliest accounts of the three acts of the mind (apprehension, judgment, and reason). By means of this philosophic anthropology, Plato delves into the character of wisdom, wonder, friendship, knowledge, ethics, and the divine. The Theaetetus and this Commentary explore these major psychological acts which allow us to understand the world. This Commentary places Plato’s dialogue in conversation with subsequent philosophy and Christian wisdom.

Paperback: $24.95 | Kindle: $9.99

TESTIMONIALS

“What is knowledge? If you think there is an easy answer to this question, then you have not read Plato, and you have certainly not read Plato‘s notoriously intricate and profound dialogue Theaetetus. This commentary—learned but not pedantic, Christian but not sectarian, rigorous but not stifling, profound but not obscure—is like having a master teacher and philosopher at your side as you read.” – Thaddeus Kozinski, author of Words, Concepts, Reality: Aristotelian Logic for Teenagers

“While The Theaetetus is not one of Plato’s most popular works in the standard repertoire of philosophical study, the topics dealt with in this dialogue could not be more timely in a culture of relativistic attempts at thought. Opinion, knowledge, truth, falsehood, being, wonder and whether ‘man is the measure of all things’ are all topics of eminent importance now (as always), and Spun’s commentary is the perfect guide to this dialogue, those profound ideas, and the answers developed by later thinkers.” – Matthew D’Antuono, author of A Fool’s Errand, The Wise Guy and the Fool, and Philosophy Fridays

“Alfred North Whitehead has stated that all philosophy since Plato is a series of footnotes on his thinking. Brandon Spun has provided an important footnote in plumbing the depths of Plato’s Theaetetus. His meticulous scholarship offers the reader an effective antidote in combating the relativism and skepticism that has captured today’s universities.” – Dr. Donald DeMarco, author of In Praise of Life and How to Flourish in a Fallen World

“Brandon Spun’s Three Acts about Plato’s Dialogue the Theaetetus is a masterpiece. It is erudite, clear, interesting and as delightful to read as it will be delightful to teach. I highly recommend it to students, philosophy teachers, and anyone eager to learn more about Plato and about truth.” – Dr. Ronda Chervin, Ph.D., emerita Professor of Philosophy, Holy Apostles College and Seminary, and author of numerous books about Catholic thinking.

“The famous quote from Socrates: ‘The unexamined life is not worth living’, has special application to this commentary by Brandon Spun on Plato’s Dialogue ‘Theaetetus’, in which Socrates begins to examine the question “What is knowledge?” For us humans to live is to know. So, in the context of this question what Socrates affirms might just as well be put: ‘The knowledge that we acquire without subjecting its fundamental meaning to intelligent examination (and in debate with others, to cross examination, as Socrates insisted on) is not worth knowing’. That is what Socrates, Plato and Aristotle meant by engaging in philosophy. The sad situation of modern education, then, has to be that the mountain of scientific and technical knowledge that we have accumulated, useful as it may be in particular ways, but lacking not just wisdom but even a desire for it (philo-sophia), is truly not worth knowing in the condition in which we possess it. At the end we ask: what does it all mean for human life? That is why modern ‘educated’ youth feel so frustrated, and rebellious. This does not mean that there is no worth in such science and technology, but it needs to be grounded on the more fundamental knowledge of wisdom. That is what the whole effort of the Socratics was about. More relevantly to the Christian, we know that even these geniuses cannot carry us to the knowledge that finally satisfies. It is only by our Christian Faith (and grace) that we can have practical wisdom, even at the level of reason, concerning the meaning of life and how we should live, as Aquinas shows.  Socrates only begins the examination, which is what Aristotle meant by Dialectic. But the aim of philosophy is to obtain what true knowledge is. The point of Socrates’s statement is that if we do not seek, we will not find. As for embarking on the particular enquiry regarding the nature of knowledge, Plato’s Dialogue is as good a place to start as any. If Brandon’s book does nothing more than encourage us, especially our youth, to recover Socrates’ desire to examine what is most important in life to understand, then it has done a great service.” – Dr. Donald Boland, author of Economic Science and St. Thomas Aquinas: On Justice in the Distribution and Exchange of Wealth and The Thomist Tradition: Avoiding Scylla and Charybdis

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

​Brandon Spun was born in Penn Valley, PA during a snowstorm in February. He grew up on Long Island, NY, and received an undergraduate degree in English and Philosophy from SUNY Geneseo. He holds an MA in Liberal Arts from St. John’s in Annapolis, an MA in Philosophy from Holy Apostles College and Seminary, and he is currently enrolled as a doctoral candidate in Humanities at Faulkner University. His intellectual interests include literature, ancient philosophy, ethics, and the Liberal Arts in general. A few idiosyncratic favorites include Russian Authors, Edith Nesbit, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Jane Austen. He has two children and lives in Tennessee. He is currently the Dean of Academics at New College Franklin where he has taught for over a decade.

OTHER CATHOLIC PHILOSOPHY BOOKS

Philosophy Begins in Wonder

by Stephen D. Schwarz with Kiki Latimer

TESTIMONIALS

“This is a unique mastery weave of both theological and practical skills in the delivery of  authentic homilies.” – Fr. Dominic Anaeto, Professor of Pastoral Studies and Homiletics, and author of Human Sexuality: Precious Gift and Perilous Challenge with Particular Reference to the Sexual Abuse Scandal in the Church

“Phenomenology has the reputation of being esoteric, boring, vague, and indecisive. This book refutes that canard in spades.  It is commonsensical, captivating, crisply clear, and compellingly convincing. And it covers pretty much the whole range of philosophical questions.” – Dr. Peter Kreeft, Professor of Philosophy, Boston College, Boston, MA

“Do you want to ‘get to the bottom’ of the meaning of life and big issues about reality? Here’s your chance. In this book, you will see displayed not only reasons for doubt about perennial truths but also life-changing insights.” – Ronda Chervin, Professor Emerita of Philosophy, Holy Apostles College & Seminar, Cromwell, CT

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen D. Schwarz, Philosophy Professor emeritus, Ph.D. Harvard, author, and student of Dietrich von Hildebrand, taught philosophy forty-four years at the University of Rhode Island. His belief that the true spirit of a philosopher is that of wonder was the foundation on which he taught thousands of students in the classroom. Now in Philosophy Begins in Wonder, he brings together, in an easily accessible, wonder-filled compilation, his teachings in Metaphysics, Philosophy of the Person, Epistemology, and Ethics, including Virtue Ethics.

Kiki Latimer, author, public speaking coach, editor, and teacher of Homiletics, received her BA from the University of Rhode Island in the Oral Interpretation of Literature, Psychology, and Philosophy and her MA in Moral Theology from Holy Apostles College & Seminary.  Student and life-long friend of Stephen D. Schwarz, she has accompanied him in transforming his classroom teaching experience to the written pages of Philosophy Begins in Wonder.

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