What does it mean to “know thyself”?

What is justice?

What makes a life worth living?

Western philosophy begins with questions, often uncomfortable ones.

From the rocky hills of ancient Athens to the ink-stained desks of Enlightenment thinkers, Western philosophers have asked not only how the world works, but how we should live within it.

This series will take us through the well-known names… Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, but also through the quieter voices, the overlooked women, and the forgotten mystics and skeptics who shaped the philosophical tradition from the margins.

On “Western Philosophy Tuesday,” we don’t merely study history.

We dialogue with it.

Together, we’ll examine:

• The foundational questions of Greek philosophy
• Ethical systems, political theory, and metaphysics
• Christian and Enlightenment-era thinkers who shaped modern Western values
• The hidden influences of ancient Egypt, Babylon, and Persia
• And the deeply personal, sometimes uncomfortable work of self-inquiry

Western philosophy has often been framed as a legacy of logic and reason, thoughts from the head. But behind every idea is a human being asking Why? (including women) in the face of chaos, death, injustice, and love. These weren’t just intellectuals; they were seekers, rebels, mystics, and dreamers.

And while the tradition has often excluded voices—particularly feminine ones—we’ll spend time recovering those threads too. We’ll look at how power shaped the narrative of Western thought and who was written out of the canon.

Because philosophy is not just a body of knowledge to be studied.

It’s wisdom to be lived.

So each Tuesday, we ask:

• What did the philosophers of the West get right?
• What did they miss?
• And how do their ideas still shape the way we think, love, lead, and live today?