THE SECRET CODES OF THE MIND: INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY: Book IV

Module V. Medieval Philosophy

• Lecture 19 explores early Christian philosophy and the teachings of Saint Augustine. It examines the historical and philosophical transition of the Roman Empire from paganism to Christianity and the influence of ancient thought on the formation of Christian philosophy.
• Lecture 20 focuses on Thomas Aquinas and Scholasticism, analyzing his biography, key works, and the synthesis of Aristotelian philosophy with Christian theology.
• Lecture 21 delves into Islamic philosophy and mysticism, tracing its historical roots and exploring Sufism, its spiritual practices, and its philosophical impact on both Islamic and Western thought.
• Lecture 22 examines Jewish philosophy and Kabbalah, covering its evolution from antiquity to modernity. It explores the works of Philo of Alexandria, Maimonides, and Baruch Spinoza, while giving special attention to Kabbalistic concepts such as the Tree of Sefirot and Tikkun Olam, and their influence on art, science, and other philosophical traditions.

Module VI. Philosophy of the Modern Era

• Lecture 23 is dedicated to René Descartes and his foundational ideas. It analyzes his contributions to mathematics and science, including analytic geometry, and explores his major works, Meditations on First Philosophy and Discourse on Method, their impact on philosophy and science, as well as contemporary interpretations and critiques.
• Lecture 24 examines the development of the scientific method through the ideas of Francis Bacon, focusing on his inductive reasoning and critique of the "idols of the mind." It also covers Thomas Hobbes' materialism, sensory perception theory, and social contract theory, along with John Locke's epistemology, tabula rasa concept, and political philosophy, including natural rights and human rights.
• Lecture 25 explores rationalism, focusing on Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz and his contributions, including monadology, theodicy, and principles of logic. It also examines Leibniz’s impact on mathematics and formal logic, as well as Blaise Pascal’s ideas and contributions to probability theory. The lecture concludes with a comparative analysis of rationalism and empiricism and their modern interpretations in philosophy and science.
• Lecture 26 delves into the skepticism of David Hume and the economic and philosophical ideas of Adam Smith.

Module VII. The Age of Enlightenment

• Lecture 27 explores epistemology and metaphysics in the Enlightenment era, analyzing the ideas of Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot, Montesquieu, and Grigory Skovoroda. Their contributions to rationalism and political philosophy are examined, culminating in an analysis of rationalism vs. empiricism and their role in shaping modern theories of knowledge.
• Lecture 28 focuses on the ethical and philosophical principles of Freemasonry, analyzing its core doctrines and influence on social transformations in Europe and the United States.