FROM: Basic Teachings of the Great Philosophers:
S. E. Frost, Jr.
From “Introduction”:
p. 2: “What are the great philosophic problems which puzzle all of us, and which the great
philosophers throughout the ages have sought to answer?”
TEN MAJOR PROBLEMS of philosophy:
PROBLEM #1) What is the nature of the universe? “Did this universe come into being through an act of
divine creation or is it the result of a gradual process of growth? Of what substance or substances is the
universe created? How does the universe change?”
PROBLEM #2) What is man’s place in the universe? “Is the human individual the crowning
achievement of a growing and creating universe, or is he a mere speck of dust in unlimited space? Does
the universe care for you and me, or are we of no more concern than a grain of sand on a vast beach?”
PROBLEM #3) What is good and what is evil? “How are we to know the good from the evil? Has some
divine power set standards of good and evil for all times, or are good and evil matters of the local
culture? Is good in the very nature of things, or is it something which we can decide for ourselves? How
can we distinguish good from evil?”
PROBLEM #4) What is the nature of God? “Is God a being very much like man who governs the
universe, or is He a spirit which pervades everything? Is God all-powerful [omnipotent], all-good, alljust, or is He just another individual who has little more power or insight than you and I?”
PROBLEM #5) What is Fate versus Free Will? “Are we free individuals who can make out choices and
determine our actions without …hindrance, or are we determined by a fate over which we have no
control? Can we determine tomorrow in any significant sense, or is it all determined for us from the
beginning of time?”
PROBLEM #6) What is the nature of the Soul and immortality? “What is the soul?. . . Is it of such a
nature that it lives after the death of the body, or does it die with the body? Is there a future life in
which good is rewarded and evil punished, or does death mark the end of everything?”
PROBLEM #7) What about man and his relationship to the state? “Is the state a human creation which
has been brought into being to serve man, or is it something that has divine origin? Are the rulers of the
states given their power by those they rule or by God? Does man have a right to rebel against his rulers
and create a new kind of state? What is the best form of state and what is the worst?”
PROBLEM #8) Why is education important to man? “What is education? Why do we have a system of
education and why do we send our children to school? Who shall control education, the people or the
state? Is education designed to make free men or to make men who will serve blindly an all-powerful
state?”
PROBLEM #9) What is the nature of Mind versus matter? “Which is superior, mind or matter? Is
matter a creation of mind, or is mind merely another kind of matter? Can mind be superior to and free
from matter, or is it so tied up with matter that it is doomed? Is matter the source of all evil in the
universe? How can mind remain pure and at the same time inhabit the body?”
PROBLEM #10) Where do ideas and thinking come from? “Where do we get our ideas? Are they
inherent in the very nature of our minds, or do they come to us from outside the mind? What are the
laws of thinking? How can we be sure that our thinking is correct? Is thinking significant in the universe
or is it a mere sham?”