By Benjamin Winokur, from University of Macau
philolibrary.crc.nd.edu/article/the-...

New Article
You think you know what causes what.

Fire causes heat. 🔥
Rain causes puddles.☔️

But what if you’ve never actually seen a cause?
David Hume argues that we only observe events happening, and our minds assume a connection.

👀So, do causes really exist? (Link below)

philolibrary.crc.nd.edu

Philosophy isn’t just something you study, it’s something you step into. 🌎 🧠

Our professors guide you through key texts, one idea at a time, so you can join a conversation that’s been shaping the world for centuries.

💻 👉Start exploring on the Philosophy Teaching Library website today!

philolibrary.crc.nd.edu/article/the-...

If a lie keeps society functioning, is it still wrong?

Plato thought it might not be. His idea of the “noble lie” forces a difficult question: do we value truth, or stability, more?

Check out the article from Brennan McDavid of
Chapman University to learn more! (Link below)

philolibrary.crc.nd.edu/article/the-...

This interactive essay guides readers through Aristotle’s account of friendship and invites us to reflect on what it truly means to be a “best friend.”

He also introduces his famous three layered distinctions between friendships of utility, pleasure, and virtue, offering a framework that continues to shape how we think about relationships today.

Books VIII & IX of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics explore one of the most essential parts of human life: friendship. In these books, Aristotle argues that friendship is not just valuable, but necessary for a good life, no matter the circumstances.

philolibrary.crc.nd.edu/article/best...

ICYMI: New article on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, Books VIII & IX!

(Link & Abstract below)

*New Article*

No Apologies: Plato's The Apology of Socrates

By Wes Siscoe, The Ohio State University

philolibrary.crc.nd.edu/article/no-a...

for political justice. In short, Book II is a critical component of the overall argument of the Republic. This interactive essay guides new readers through the main concepts and questions of Republic Book II and shows their contemporary relevance.

develops one of the most famous thought experiments in all of philosophy, the Ring of Gyges. Book II also introduces the division of political classes in the city which Plato continues to examine throughout the Republic, as well as the educational regime he thought was required

Book II of Plato’s Republic contains some of the most memorable and important passages of this classic work (and indeed of all of Plato’s writings). Here, Plato asks the central question the Republic is meant to answer - ‘Why is it better to be moral rather than immoral?’ - and

philolibrary.crc.nd.edu/article/the-...

ICYMI: New article on Plato’s Republic, Book 2!
(link and abstract below)

Book II of Plato’s Republic contains some of the most memorable and important passages of this classic work (and indeed of all of Plato’s writings). Here, Plato asks the central question the Republic is meant to answer - ‘Why is it better to be moral rather than immoral?’ - and

philolibrary.crc.nd.edu/article/the-...

Thanks so much for expanding our repertoire of medieval thinkers, Dr. Traci Phillipson of Loras College!

Can faith and reason coexist?

Many medieval thinkers struggled with how they should navigate their ability to reason with their desire to live in accordance with religious tradition. They were concerned about the truth and where and how to find it. Here we will examine Averroes.

philolibrary.crc.nd.edu/article/trut...

*New Article*

Truth Cannot Contradict Truth
Averroes’s Decisive Treatise

For Students: Getting Started With the Philosophy Teaching Library YouTube video by The Philosophy Teaching Library

For Students: How to Get Started with the Library

We hit 98,000 views in 2025. Looking forward to breaking 100,000 in 2026!

· We are up to 30 articles (and we just launched in September of 2024!)
· We have brought in over $25,000 in grants and awards
· Produced a series of high quality videos to promote the Library

The Library is thriving. A few updates from this past year:

In Book I, he argues that flourishing is not found in pleasure, fame, or wealth, but rather in living in accordance with virtue, setting the stage for a deeper discussion of virtue in the rest of the Nicomachean Ethics.

In the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle considers what it takes to achieve happiness or eudaimonia. And when Aristotle talks about eudaimonia, he has a broader concept in mind than just a particular emotional state. He wants to know, not what makes us psychologically happy, but what makes us flourish.