Course Description

Fathom the Good Adult Course 1 asks the question of the Good. This is a philosophical question, first asked by Socrates, that focuses on higher human purposes. Many of us strive to become better people by living according to our Christian understanding. Socrates and other ancient philosophers likewise strived to become better people, but theirs was a moral striving based on reason. They asked the fundamental questions, “How should we live?” and “What is the best way to govern?” Why does Fathom the Good care about the question of the Good? Socrates ushered in a new kind of philosophy that he called “human wisdom.” Today, we call this “political philosophy.” In addition to Biblical faith, Good philosophy teaches us how to use reason to discover the truth of what is good. The question of the Good and the American Founding The question of the Good is expressed in the American Founding in unique ways. Adult Course 1 includes content, podcasts, and a family discussion guide. The course demonstrates the Founders’ understanding of the tension between individual rights and the common good as they are expressed through the words of Alexis de Tocqueville, John Locke, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and Edmund Burke. The words of contemporary intellectual leaders such as G.K. Chesterton and Seymour Lipset, as well as early American clergymen, help us consider the nature of Americans as a people and what makes us a people today.