Explore foundational ideas, and join the inquiry of the ages. Intellectual Foundations is a carefully curated collection of historically significant primary texts that have shaped Western civilization, the Christian tradition, and the American republic. Organized for accessibility and breadth, this volume introduces students to perennial questions related to character development, faith and reason, civic life, and democratic citizenship. From Homer, Plato, and Locke to the early Church fathers, Aquinas, and Calvin to Jefferson, Susan B. Anthony, and W.E.B. DuBois, the carefully selected readings in this anthology spark reflection and inform debates that transcend academic disciplines. Each reading has been thoughtfully yet concisely introduced by the editors, providing context and highlighting the central ideas at stake. Intellectual Foundations thus offers readers a valuable framework for engaging with ideas that continue to shape and challenge contemporary life.
"Intellectual Foundations brings together important writings by the greatest and most influential thinkers of the Western tradition. The collection is an invitation to enter into the debates that have shaped the religious, political, and economic institutions of the West. It is a liberal arts education in a single volume."
Robert P. George
"Diving into this erudite reader is like listening to Beethoven or watching the aurora borealis. It's an experience beside which the mill run of other books pale in comparison. For here, in one tapestry of artful essays and profound thought, are gathered the classic literary underpinnings of Western Civilization traditions. Ranging from Plato to John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther to Joan of Arc, Thomas Aquinas to Helen Keller, and John Locke to W.E.B. DuBois-all impressively curated by a laudatory team of scholars-is deeply edifying. This omnibus illuminates the enduring importance of democratic expression, common decency, heartfelt compassion, equal rights, religious liberty, and philosophical pragmatism as the ethical scorecard to live by. Humanities students, along with the public writ-large, will be forever enlightened by reading this fine anthology. Highly recommended!!"
Douglas Brinkley
"Professors Begin and Clanton have expertly collected a number of important readings for us in the areas of Western Foundations, Christian Intellectual Tradition, and American Democratic Foundations. Some are well known; others have been comparatively neglected. But all of these readings should be engaged with as a way to remember where we have come from and preserve some of the most important ideas of Western Civilization."
