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By Stephen Palmquist (stevepq@hkbu.edu.hk)

A Note to the Student-on the Fourth Edition

The Tree of Philosophy (1992, 1993, 1995, 2000) is based on the lectures

delivered for the Introduction to Philosophy classes I have taught 31 times

at Hong Kong Baptist University from 1987 to 2000. It is the second in a

series of three texts on "philopsychy". (This term, meaning "soul-loving",

refers to any creative and disciplined application of scholarly learning-

especially in philosophy and psychology-that encourages self-awareness.)

The second book in the series consists of lectures for a class I teach on

dream interpretation for personal growth, entitled Dreams of Wholeness

(1997). The projected third volume is tentatively entitledElements of Love.

Each book stands alone, but taken together they will constitute a three-part

course in philopsychy.

This fourth edition has been revised much more thoroughly than either

of the previous new editions. Besides adding eight newdiagrams and

redrawing all 76 of the old ones, I have added eight new lectures and made

substantial improvements to the 28 old ones. The topics (and numbers) of

the new lectures are: insight papers(2), post-Kantian metaphysics (9), how

geometrical maps can stimulate insights (15), hermeneutic philosophy (18),

the superiority of perspectivism over relativism and deconstructionism

(24), how ideas are perverted into ideologies (27), and Kant's view of what it

means to be religious (32 and 33). I have also reorganized the format (see

the List of Lectures), conforming it to the more systematic arrangement

used for Dreams. Previously consisting of seven short lectures, each of the

four main Parts is nowdivided into three "Weeks", with three lectures each.

Publishing this fourth edition at the outset of a new century (and a new

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millennium) has also provided a much-needed opportunity to update the

time references throughout the text and to reassess the current state of

philosophy in general.

As with Dreams and the planned second sequel, The Tree is written

primarily as a textbook. With the self-motivated student in mind, I have

included an updated set of eight "Recommended Readings" per week, as

well as a set of eight "Questions for Further Thought/Dialogue". The

readings normally include texts quoted and/or discussed in the foregoing

chapter, supplementedwith other useful works that can be consulted by

students who have a special interest in that week's lecture topics. The

questions are grouped into four sets of "A" and "B" pairs. This is to enable

teachers, if deemed appropriate, to assign one set (e.g., all the "A" questions)

for individual reflection and the other set (e.g., all the "B" questions) for

small group discussion/debate (i.e., "dialogue").

As students in my philosophy classes find out by the end of our first

week, the most important challenge of this course is to learn to recall,

express, and criticize one's own "insights". Students must keep a record of

their insights and submit "insight papers" throughout the semester.

Learning the insightful theories of past philosophers, as described in the

book, should provide plenty of examples of how this can be done. In this

fourth edition, I have incorporated into the main text some advice regarding

how to have andwrite about insights. Students are advised to pay close

attention to Lecture 2 in this regard, and to the list (on p.8) indicating

sections of other relevant lectures that discuss the nature of insight in more

depth. Sample insight papers will often be read during class sessions to

illustrate various points being considered that week. Ideally, these paper

should not be graded, except on a "pass-fail" basis, thus allowing maximum

freedom of expression to the students-though this may not be possible in

some educational settings.

All students, especially those using this book in a class not taught by

the author, should keep in mind that no textbook should be used as a

substitute for developing your own perspective on philosophical issues or

your own critical appraisals of past philosophers-two clues to being a good

philosopher that work best in combination. The "myth of the tree" that you

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will learn in this course is intended to assist you in both these areas

(especially the former), but only in the early stages of your philosophical

development. Your examination of past philosophers in particular ought to

be supplemented by reading a good anthology, such as Wolff's Ten Great

Works of Philosophy or any of a host of others, and by consulting the

recommended readings as frequently as possible.

Suggestions for the Non-Student Reader

Anyone reading The Tree without the guidance of a teacher should keep

in mind that the book is meant to be read slowly, to be "mulled over",

roughly one chapter (i.e., three lectures) per week. Those who imagine their

reading to be part of a real 12-week course, requiring concentrated periods

of individual reflection and critical writing each week, are much more

likely to benefit from the emphasis on insight than those who simply read

the book through as quickly as possible. The point is not that this book

cannot be read quickly, but that it will not have its maximum effect unless

the ideas and theories it describes are gradually put into practice in the

reader's own philosophical thinking andwriting.

In addition to reading roughly three lectures per week, those who opt

for this more challenging approach should also try to do some of the

recommended readings each week. A goodway to compensate for not hav-

ing a teacher is to read the book concurrently with a friend or family

member, or as part of a small group of people who can share their progress

with each other in an atmosphere of trust.Spend an hour or two each week

thinking about and/or discussing the questions/topics provided for that

purpose. These suggestions may seem silly; but following them is the best

way to infuse the reading of this book with the power to promote significant

philosophical development. Taking this slower, 12-week approach will give

the reader's insights a chance to mature and deepen in interaction with the

topics discussed in the text. Reading ahead or rushing through the book too

quickly is sure to limit the reader's ability to learn the skill of having and

criticizing insights.

A Note on References

The Bibliography (pp.285-287) provides full details of the works quoted

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in these lectures, specifying an abbreviation for each. References in the text

normally use only the abbreviation, followed by the page number (unless

otherwise specified in the bibliographical entry). Consecutive references to

the same work give only the page number, without the abbreviation. Most

quotations refer to one of the eight works listed in the "Recommended

Readings" section at the end of each week's text.

Acknowledgments

I would like to offer special thanks to my grandparents, Herman and

Margaret, for frequently sharing their insights during childhood visits, and

to Tom Soule, for introducing me with his example to an open-mindedway

of doing philosophy. Thanks also to the countless students who have read

and commented on the text over the past ten years, many providing helpful

suggestions for improvements. Of these, the most substantial contributions

have come from Man Sui On and Christopher Firestone. Deepest thanks go

to my wife, Dorothy, who-despite losing interest in philosophy soon after

attracting me with her insightful reflections-thoroughly scrutinized an

earlier version of the manuscript and kindly drew the cover sketch

according to my painstaking specifications.

3 July 2000

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