The reading list · Levels

Ancient epic, drama, poetry, and history

Homer, Iliad Core Read at: Level 101, Level 102, Level 103, Level 104, Level 105, Level 106, Level 107, Level 108, Level 109, Level 110, Level 111, Level 112, Level 201, Level 205
Homer, Odyssey Core Read at: Level 113, Level 114, Level 115, Level 116, Level 117, Level 118, Level 119, Level 120, Level 208
Aeschylus, Agamemnon Core Read at: Level 121
Aeschylus, Libation Bearers Core Read at: Level 122
Aeschylus, Eumenides Core Read at: Level 123
Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound Core Read at: Level 124
Sophocles, Oedipus Rex Core Read at: Level 125
Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus Core Read at: Level 126
Sophocles, Antigone Core Read at: Level 127, Level 213, Level 216
Sophocles, Philoctetes Core Read at: Level 128
Sophocles, Ajax Variable variable selection Read at: Level 129
Euripides, Bacchae Core Read at: Level 130
Euripides, Hippolytus Variable variable selection Read at: Level 131
Aristophanes, Clouds Core Read at: Level 132
Sappho, Selected poems Core including fragments 1 and 31 Read at: Level 1, Level 2
Herodotus, Histories Core selections Read at: Level 133, Level 134, Level 135, Level 136, Level 137
Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War Core selections Read at: Level 140, Level 141, Level 142, Level 143, Level 144, Level 145
Plutarch, Lycurgus Core Read at: Level 138
Plutarch, Solon Core Read at: Level 139
Plutarch, Alexander Core Read at: Level 146
Plutarch, Caesar Core Read at: Level 201
Plutarch, Cato the Younger Core Read at: Level 202
Plutarch, Antony Core Read at: Level 203
Plutarch, Brutus Core Read at: Level 204
Livy, Early History of Rome Core selections Read at: Level 205, Level 206
Tacitus, Annals Core selections Read at: Level 207, Level 208
Virgil, Aeneid Core Read at: Level 218, Level 219, Level 220, Level 221, Level 222, Level 223, Level 224, Level 225, Level 226, Level 227, Level 228, Level 229

Subjects

Epic narrative and heroic character.
Honour, anger, courage, mortality, and glory.
Homecoming, hospitality, loyalty, and identity.
Divine action and human responsibility.
Tragic conflict, suffering, recognition, and reversal.
Family obligations and civic duties.
Justice, revenge, punishment, and reconciliation.
War, empire, political ambition, and civil conflict.
Historical explanation and the evaluation of testimony.
Political speeches and competing arguments.
Myth, historical memory, and collective identity.

Ancient philosophy

Plato, Meno Core Read at: Level 5, Level 6, Level 7, Level 181, Level 184, Level 187
Plato, Gorgias Core Read at: Level 147, Level 148
Plato, Republic Core Read at: Level 93, Level 151, Level 152, Level 153, Level 154, Level 155, Level 156, Level 157, Level 158, Level 159, Level 160, Level 197
Plato, Apology Core Read at: Level 10, Level 484
Plato, Crito Core Read at: Level 25
Plato, Phaedo Core Read at: Level 149, Level 150
Plato, Symposium Core Read at: Level 161, Level 162
Plato, Theaetetus Core Read at: Level 164, Level 165
Plato, Timaeus Core Read at: Level 168, Level 169
Plato, Phaedrus Core Read at: Level 163
Plato, Parmenides Variable variable selection Read at: Level 166
Plato, Sophist Variable variable selection Read at: Level 167
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics Core Read at: Level 89, Level 170, Level 171, Level 172, Level 173, Level 174, Level 175, Level 200
Aristotle, Physics Core Read at: Level 182, Level 183, Level 184, Level 246
Aristotle, Metaphysics Core Read at: Level 188, Level 189, Level 190
Aristotle, Politics Core Read at: Level 176, Level 177, Level 178, Level 179
Aristotle, Poetics Core Read at: Level 180
Aristotle, On the Soul Core Read at: Level 186, Level 187
Aristotle, On Generation and Corruption Core Read at: Level 185
Lucretius, On the Nature of Things Core selections Read at: Level 209, Level 210, Level 211
Epictetus, Discourses Core Read at: Level 212, Level 213
Epictetus, Manual/Enchiridion Variable variable selection Read at: Level 9
Plotinus, Enneads Core selections Read at: Level 214

Also

aristotle-categories
aristotle-interpretation
aristotle-prior-analytics
aristotle-parts-animals
aristotle-generation-animals

Subjects

The distinction between knowledge and opinion.
Inquiry, teaching, learning, and recollection.
Definition, classification, and dialectic.
Truth, appearance, contradiction, and argument.
Being, becoming, unity, plurality, and substance.
Form, matter, actuality, and potentiality.
Nature, causation, motion, space, time, and infinity.
Soul, perception, imagination, thought, and desire.
Virtue, habituation, deliberation, and choice.
Courage, moderation, justice, friendship, and happiness.
Pleasure and the human good.
Political community, citizenship, education, and government.
Rhetoric, persuasion, poetry, and imitation.
Love, beauty, mortality, and immortality.
Atomism and material explanations of nature.
Self-government and the distinction between what is and is not within one's control.

Biblical literature, theology, and medieval philosophy

Hebrew Bible, Genesis Core Read at: Level 230, Level 231, Level 232, Level 233
Hebrew Bible, Exodus Core Read at: Level 234, Level 235
Hebrew Bible, Deuteronomy Core Read at: Level 236, Level 237
Hebrew Bible, Samuel Core selections Read at: Level 238, Level 239
Hebrew Bible, Kings Core selections Read at: Level 240, Level 241
Hebrew Bible, Chronicles Core selections Read at: Level 242
Hebrew Bible, Psalms Core Read at: Level 14, Level 243, Level 244
Hebrew Bible, Jeremiah Core Read at: Level 245, Level 246
Hebrew Bible, Jonah Core Read at: Level 247
Hebrew Bible, Job Core Read at: Level 248, Level 249
New Testament, Matthew Core Read at: Level 250, Level 251, Level 252
New Testament, John Core Read at: Level 253, Level 254
New Testament, 1 John Core Read at: Level 255
New Testament, Acts Core Read at: Level 256, Level 257
New Testament, Romans Core Read at: Level 258, Level 259
New Testament, 1 Corinthians Core Read at: Level 260
Augustine, Confessions Core Read at: Level 261, Level 262, Level 263, Level 264, Level 265
Anselm, Proslogion Core Read at: Level 268
Maimonides, Guide of the Perplexed Core selections Read at: Level 269, Level 270
Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae Core selections Read at: Level 209, Level 271, Level 272, Level 273, Level 274, Level 275
Dante, Inferno Core Divine Comedy Read at: Level 276, Level 277, Level 278, Level 279
Dante, Purgatorio Core Divine Comedy Read at: Level 280, Level 281, Level 282, Level 283
Dante, Paradiso Core Divine Comedy Read at: Level 284, Level 285, Level 286, Level 287

Subjects

Creation and the order of the world.
Covenant, law, prophecy, and wisdom.
Sin, guilt, repentance, grace, and redemption.
Faith, reason, revelation, and interpretation.
Divine attributes and the limits of human language about God.
Arguments concerning the existence of God.
Providence, freedom, and the problem of evil.
Suffering and justice.
Memory, confession, inwardness, and conversion.
Natural law and moral obligation.
Virtue, vice, human purpose, and happiness.
The relationship between philosophical reasoning and religious belief.
Allegory, symbolism, and theological poetry.

Medieval, Renaissance, and early modern literature

Geoffrey Chaucer, Canterbury Tales Core selections Read at: Level 263, Level 288, Level 289, Level 290
William Shakespeare, Richard II Variable selections vary Read at: Level 303
William Shakespeare, Henry IV Variable selections vary Read at: Level 304, Level 305
William Shakespeare, The Tempest Variable selections vary Read at: Level 313
William Shakespeare, As You Like It Variable selections vary Read at: Level 306
William Shakespeare, Hamlet Variable selections vary Read at: Level 307, Level 308
William Shakespeare, Othello Variable selections vary Read at: Level 309
William Shakespeare, Macbeth Variable selections vary Read at: Level 310
William Shakespeare, King Lear Variable selections vary Read at: Level 311, Level 312
William Shakespeare, Sonnets Variable selections vary Read at: Level 12, Level 20, Level 266
Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote Core Read at: Level 314, Level 315, Level 316, Level 317, Level 318, Level 319
John Milton, Paradise Lost Core Read at: Level 341, Level 342, Level 343, Level 344, Level 345, Level 346, Level 347, Level 348, Level 349, Level 350, Level 351, Level 352
Jonathan Swift, Gulliver's Travels Core Read at: Level 358, Level 359

Subjects

Dramatic structure and characterization.
Kingship, succession, legitimacy, and rebellion.
Ambition, conscience, jealousy, and revenge.
Appearance, deception, madness, and self-knowledge.
Comedy, tragedy, satire, and romance.
Religious and political conflict.
Imagination and the interpretation of experience.
Narrative perspective and unreliable judgment.
The relationship between literature and moral understanding.
Freedom, obedience, temptation, and responsibility.
The relation between reason and passion.

Renaissance and early modern philosophy

Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince Core Read at: Level 291, Level 292
Niccolò Machiavelli, Discourses Core selections Read at: Level 301, Level 302
Michel de Montaigne, Essays Core selected essays Read at: Level 293, Level 294, Level 295
Francis Bacon, Novum Organum Core selections Read at: Level 320, Level 321
René Descartes, Discourse on Method Core Read at: Level 323, Level 348, Level 353
René Descartes, Meditations Core Read at: Level 324, Level 325
René Descartes, Rules for the Direction of the Mind Core selections Read at: Level 322
Elisabeth of Bohemia and René Descartes, Selected correspondence Core Read at: Level 326
Blaise Pascal, Pensées Core selections Read at: Level 327, Level 328, Level 329, Level 345
Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan Core selections Read at: Level 330, Level 331, Level 332
Baruch Spinoza, Theologico-Political Treatise Core selections Read at: Level 333, Level 334
Baruch Spinoza, Ethics Variable selection or alternative Read at: Level 335, Level 336, Level 337, Level 338
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Discourse on Metaphysics Core Read at: Level 339
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Monadology Core Read at: Level 340
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Principles of Nature and Grace Core Read at: Level 353
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Selected philosophical essays Core Read at: Level 354
John Locke, Second Treatise of Government Core Read at: Level 355, Level 356, Level 357
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Discourse on the Origin of Inequality Core Read at: Level 363, Level 364
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, The Social Contract Core Read at: Level 365, Level 366
David Hume, A Treatise of Human Nature Core selections Read at: Level 360, Level 361, Level 362
Immanuel Kant, Critique of Pure Reason Core selections Read at: Level 371, Level 372, Level 373, Level 374, Level 375
Immanuel Kant, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals Core also translated as Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals Read at: Level 376, Level 377, Level 378

Subjects

Scepticism and the possibility of certainty.
Method, evidence, observation, and experiment.
Rationalism and empiricism.
Ideas, perception, experience, and understanding.
Mind and body.
Substance, causation, necessity, and freedom.
The relationship between mathematics and knowledge.
The limits and conditions of human cognition.
Moral sentiment, duty, autonomy, and practical reason.
Natural rights and political obligation.
The state of nature and the social contract.
Sovereignty, consent, property, and inequality.
Religious authority and freedom of thought.
Political necessity and moral judgment.

Economics, constitutional government, and political thought

Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations Core selections Read at: Level 367, Level 368, Level 369, Level 370
American founding documents, Declaration of Independence Core Read at: Level 30, Level 379
American founding documents, Articles of Confederation Core Read at: Level 380
American founding documents, Constitution of the United States Core Read at: Level 381
Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay, Selected Federalist Papers Core Read at: Level 382, Level 383, Level 384
Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America Core selections Read at: Level 385, Level 386, Level 387, Level 388
Karl Marx, Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844 Core Read at: Level 409
Karl Marx, Theses on Feuerbach Core Read at: Level 410
Karl Marx, On the Jewish Question Core Read at: Level 410
Karl Marx, The German Ideology Core selections Read at: Level 411
Karl Marx, Capital Core selections Read at: Level 412, Level 413, Level 414
Frederick Douglass, Selected speeches Core Read at: Level 415, Level 416
Abraham Lincoln, Selected speeches Core Read at: Level 34, Level 417
Booker T. Washington, Atlanta Exposition Address Variable variable selections Read at: Level 418
Booker T. Washington, Our New Citizen Variable variable selections Read at: Level 418
Booker T. Washington, Democracy and Education Variable variable selections Read at: Level 418
W. E. B. Du Bois, The Souls of Black Folk Core Read at: Level 419, Level 420
James Baldwin, Stranger in the Village Core Read at: Level 472
James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time Core Read at: Level 473
Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex Core selections Read at: Level 474, Level 475
Supreme Court of the United States, Selected decisions Core cases not named in the source Read at: Level 476, Level 477, Level 478

Subjects

Labour, exchange, specialisation, and markets.
Value, wealth, capital, and production.
Class, exploitation, and alienation.
Private property and economic institutions.
Republicanism, representation, and federalism.
Separation of powers and constitutional limits.
Majority rule and minority rights.
Equality, liberty, citizenship, and democratic culture.
Slavery, emancipation, race, and political membership.
Education and social advancement.
Sex, gender, social formation, and unequal status.
Law, constitutional interpretation, and political authority.

Nineteenth- and twentieth-century philosophy and psychology

G. W. F. Hegel, Phenomenology of Spirit Core selections; also translated as Phenomenology of Mind Read at: Level 401, Level 402, Level 403
G. W. F. Hegel, Philosophy of History Core selections Read at: Level 404, Level 405
Søren Kierkegaard, Fear and Trembling Core Read at: Level 406, Level 407
Søren Kierkegaard, Preface to The Sickness Unto Death Core Read at: Level 408
Søren Kierkegaard, Philosophical Fragments Variable variable selection Read at: Level 408
Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil Core Read at: Level 442, Level 443, Level 444
Edmund Husserl, The Crisis of European Sciences and Transcendental Phenomenology Core selections Read at: Level 449, Level 450
Martin Heidegger, Introduction to Metaphysics Variable selections vary Read at: Level 451, Level 452
Martin Heidegger, Basic Writings Variable selections vary Read at: Level 453
Martin Heidegger, The Word of Nietzsche: 'God Is Dead' Variable selections vary Read at: Level 454
Sigmund Freud, Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis Core selections Read at: Level 445, Level 446
Sigmund Freud, Mourning and Melancholia Core Read at: Level 447
Sigmund Freud, Beyond the Pleasure Principle Core Read at: Level 448

Subjects

Consciousness, self-consciousness, and recognition.
History and the development of human understanding.
Freedom, estrangement, and alienation.
Faith, anxiety, despair, and individual existence.
Criticism of morality and inherited values.
Nihilism and the problem of meaning.
Being, interpretation, and human existence.
Scientific explanation and lived experience.
The unconscious, repression, desire, and conflict.
Grief, mourning, repetition, and psychological motivation.
The relationship between rational explanation and human self-understanding.

Nineteenth- and twentieth-century fiction

Selections and placement vary.

Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice Core Read at: Level 389, Level 390
Jane Austen, Emma Core Read at: Level 391, Level 392
Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter Core Read at: Level 421
Mark Twain, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Core Read at: Level 423, Level 424
George Eliot, Middlemarch Core Read at: Level 425, Level 426, Level 427, Level 428
Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace Core Read at: Level 430, Level 431, Level 432, Level 433, Level 434, Level 435, Level 436, Level 437
Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov Core Read at: Level 438, Level 439, Level 440, Level 441
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Faust Core Read at: Level 393, Level 394, Level 395
Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness Core Read at: Level 455
Herman Melville, Benito Cereno Core Read at: Level 422
Gustave Flaubert, Un cœur simple/A Simple Heart Core Read at: Level 429
Marcel Proust, Swann's Way Core selections Read at: Level 456, Level 457, Level 458
William Faulkner, Go Down, Moses Core Read at: Level 465, Level 466, Level 467
William Faulkner, As I Lay Dying Core Read at: Level 464
Virginia Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway Core Read at: Level 461
Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse Core Read at: Level 462
Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own Core Read at: Level 463
Virginia Woolf, On Not Knowing Greek Core Read at: Level 18
Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon Core Read at: Level 470, Level 471
Flannery O'Connor, Selected stories Core including 'Good Country People' and 'The Displaced Person' Read at: Level 468
Flannery O'Connor, Revelation Core Read at: Level 469

Subjects

Character, conscience, responsibility, and moral development.
Marriage, family, class, and social convention.
Faith, doubt, suffering, and forgiveness.
War, history, individual action, and social forces.
Race, slavery, identity, and cultural inheritance.
Colonialism, domination, and interpretation.
Memory, time, consciousness, and perception.
Narrative voice, perspective, structure, and irony.
Self-deception and the limits of judgment.
The relationship between artistic form and human experience.

Ancient Greek language

The Septuagint, Selections Core Read at: Level 221, Level 225
The Greek New Testament, Selections Core Read at: Level 230, Level 233, Level 235, Level 238

Also

plato-meno
plato-republic
aristotle-ethics
aristotle-physics
homer-iliad
homer-odyssey
sophocles-antigone

Subjects

Greek alphabet and reading.
Vocabulary and the use of a lexicon.
Noun, adjective, and pronoun forms.
Grammatical case and syntactical function.
Verb forms, tense, aspect, mood, and voice.
Participles and infinitives.
Particles and connective expressions.
Clause structure and relationships between clauses.
Grammatical comparison with English.
Literal translation and interpretive translation.
Ambiguity, idiom, and alternative renderings.
Translation of philosophical prose.
Translation of epic or tragedy.
Translation of biblical Greek.

French language and literature

La Rochefoucauld, Maxims Core Read at: Level 337, Level 341
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Selected writings Core selected prose; titles not named in the source Read at: Level 356
La Fontaine, Fables Variable variable selection Read at: Level 360, Level 364
Madame de La Fayette, The Princess of Clèves Variable variable selection Read at: Level 367
Racine, Phèdre Core Read at: Level 373, Level 375
Molière, Le Misanthrope or Tartuffe Core Read at: Level 379, Level 384
Baudelaire, Les Fleurs du Mal Core selections Read at: Level 404, Level 413
Rimbaud, Selected writings Core selected poems; titles not named in the source Read at: Level 419
Valéry, Selected writings Core selected poems; titles not named in the source Read at: Level 427
Gustave Flaubert, Selected writings Core selected literary prose; titles not named in the source Read at: Level 435
Marcel Proust, Selected writings Core selected literary prose; titles not named in the source Read at: Level 443

Also

pascal-pensees
descartes-discourse

Subjects

French grammar and vocabulary.
Sentence structure and grammatical analysis.
Translation of prose, poetry, and drama.
Diction, idiom, and false cognates.
Rhetoric and literary style.
Rhythm, sound, and reading aloud.
Differences between literal meaning and rhetorical effect.
Comparison of French and English expression.

English poetry and literary analysis

John Donne, Selected writings Core not named in the source Read at: Level 19, Level 275
Andrew Marvell, Selected writings Core not named in the source Read at: Level 280
Anne Bradstreet, Selected writings Core not named in the source Read at: Level 283
Anne Locke, Selected writings Core not named in the source Read at: Level 268
Aphra Behn, The Disappointment Core Read at: Level 285
Lady Mary Wroth, A Crown of Sonnets Dedicated to Love Core Read at: Level 271
Emily Dickinson, Selected writings Core not named in the source Read at: Level 13
W. B. Yeats, Selected writings Core not named in the source Read at: Level 458
T. S. Eliot, Selected writings Core not named in the source Read at: Level 466
Wallace Stevens, Selected writings Core not named in the source Read at: Level 474
Elizabeth Bishop, Selected writings Core not named in the source Read at: Level 482
Gwendolyn Brooks, Children of the Poor Core selections Read at: Level 488
Sylvia Plath, Selected writings Core not named in the source Read at: Level 497
William Wordsworth, The Two-Part Prelude of 1799 Variable appears among variable upper-year readings Read at: Level 450

Also

shakespeare-sonnets
chaucer-canterbury-tales

Subjects

Middle English through Chaucer: variable.
Renaissance and seventeenth-century poetry.
Nineteenth- and twentieth-century English and American poetry.
Meter, stress, rhythm, rhyme, and stanza.
Syntax, diction, imagery, metaphor, and allusion.
Speaker, voice, tone, and perspective.
Poetic argument and dramatic situation.
Relationships between sound, structure, and meaning.
Close reading and comparison of interpretations.

Logic, rhetoric, and argument

Aristotle, Categories Core Read at: Level 21, Level 170
Aristotle, On Interpretation Core Read at: Level 22, Level 173
Aristotle, Prior Analytics Core Read at: Level 176, Level 179
Aristotle, Rhetoric Core Read at: Level 33, Level 181

Subjects

Categories and classification.
Terms and predication.
Statements and propositions.
Affirmation and negation.
Contradiction and opposition.
Premises and conclusions.
Syllogistic reasoning.
Validity and the structure of inference.
Definition and conceptual distinctions.
Reconstruction of arguments.
Identification of assumptions.
Examination of objections and counterexamples.
Dialectical questioning.
Persuasion and rhetorical effect.
Relationships between grammar, reasoning, and meaning.

Mathematics: geometry, astronomy, algebra, calculus, and relativity

Euclid, Elements Core Read at: Level 42, Level 49, Level 51, Level 52, Level 53, Level 54, Level 55, Level 56, Level 57, Level 58, Level 59, Level 60, Level 102, Level 105, Level 108, Level 111, Level 115, Level 118, Level 121, Level 124, Level 126, Level 129, Level 132, Level 139, Level 142, Level 145, Level 148, Level 150
Ptolemy, Almagest Core Read at: Level 66, Level 67, Level 166, Level 169, Level 175, Level 177, Level 180, Level 183, Level 186, Level 202
Copernicus, On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres Core Read at: Level 236, Level 239, Level 244
Kepler, Astronomia Nova Core Read at: Level 252, Level 256, Level 261
Apollonius, Conics Core Read at: Level 214, Level 219, Level 223, Level 227
René Descartes, Geometry Core Read at: Level 301, Level 304, Level 307
Viète, Introduction to the Analytical Art Variable variable selection Read at: Level 269
Blaise Pascal, Work on conic sections Variable variable selection Read at: Level 273
Nicomachus, Arithmetic Core Read at: Level 41, Level 43, Level 135
Aristotle, Galileo and Leibniz, Foundational readings for the calculus Core Read at: Level 316, Level 318, Level 321
Newton, Principia Core Read at: Level 371, Level 374, Level 378, Level 380, Level 383, Level 385, Level 388, Level 390
Dedekind, Essays on the Theory of Numbers Core Read at: Level 402, Level 407, Level 411, Level 416
Lobachevsky, Geometrical Researches on the Theory of Parallels Core Read at: Level 420, Level 425, Level 428, Level 433
Albert Einstein, On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies Core Read at: Level 442, Level 445, Level 449
Albert Einstein, Does the Inertia of a Body Depend upon its Energy Content? Core Read at: Level 456
Minkowski, Space and Time Core Read at: Level 459, Level 463
Albert Einstein, Relativity Variable relativity selections vary Read at: Level 481
Albert Einstein, On the Influence of Gravitation on the Propagation of Light Variable relativity selections vary Not yet set in a level.
Albert Einstein, The Foundation of the General Theory of Relativity Variable variable advanced topics; relativity selections vary Read at: Level 485
Albert Einstein, Geometry and Experience Variable variable advanced topics Read at: Level 499
Gödel, Incompleteness theorems Variable variable advanced topics Read at: Level 490
Poincaré, Selected writings Variable variable advanced topics; not named in the source Read at: Level 494
Immanuel Kant, Writings on space and time Variable variable advanced topics Not yet set in a level.
Alan Lightman, Einstein's Dreams Variable variable advanced topics Read at: Level 460

Subjects

Euclid's Elements.
Definitions, postulates, and common notions.
Geometrical constructions.
Propositions and demonstrations.
Plane figures and their relationships.
Triangles, circles, and proportional figures.
Number and magnitude.
Ratio and proportion.
Similarity and geometrical measurement.
Elements of solid geometry.
The role of diagrams in reasoning.
Necessary inference from stated assumptions.
Oral presentation and examination of proofs.
Ptolemy's Almagest.
Copernicus' On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres.
Kepler's Astronomia Nova.
Observed and apparent celestial motions.
Mathematical representation of the sun's motion.
Planetary models.
Geocentric and heliocentric explanations.
Plane and spherical trigonometry within astronomical work.
The relationship between observation and mathematical hypothesis.
Comparison and revision of astronomical models.
Apollonius' Conics.
Descartes' Geometry.
Viète's Introduction to the Analytical Art: variable selection.
Pascal's work on conic sections: variable selection.
Geometrical construction and properties of conics.
Algebraic representation of geometrical relationships.
Equations and curves.
Synthetic and analytic methods.
The transition from geometrical proportions to symbolic algebra.
Polynomial operations.
Rational expressions.
Factoring.
Exponents.
Simultaneous equations.
Quadratic equations.
Algebraic manipulation needed for calculus and mathematical physics.
Foundational readings from Aristotle, Galileo, and Leibniz.
Continuity.
Infinity and infinitesimals.
Limits.
Rates of change.
Differentiation.
Integration.
The relationship between differentiation and integration.
Logarithmic functions.
Selected differential equations.
Geometrical and analytical approaches to motion.
Newton's Principia.
Space, time, motion, and force.
Laws of motion.
Mathematical demonstrations concerning moving bodies.
Terrestrial and celestial mechanics.
Mathematical explanations of planetary motion.
The relationship between mathematical principles and physical phenomena.
Dedekind's Essays on the Theory of Numbers.
Number systems.
Arithmetic foundations.
Continuity.
The relationship between numbers and magnitudes.
The justification of mathematical constructions.
Lobachevsky's Geometrical Researches on the Theory of Parallels.
The parallel postulate.
Alternative geometrical assumptions.
Comparison of geometrical systems.
Mathematical consistency and geometrical intuition.
The relationship between geometry and physical space.
Einstein's "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies."
Einstein's "Does the Inertia of a Body Depend upon its Energy Content?"
Minkowski's Space and Time.
Reference frames.
Measurement of space and time.
Simultaneity.
The relation between spatial and temporal measurements.
Mass and energy.
The reformulation of physical laws.
General relativity.
Poincaré.
Kant on space and time.
Einstein's Geometry and Experience.
Gödel's incompleteness theorems.
Alan Lightman's Einstein's Dreams.
Mathematical foundations: the structure of deductive systems; assumptions and demonstrations; the relationship between mathematical objects and symbols; number theory; set theory; foundations of analysis.
Geometry: synthetic plane and solid geometry; axiomatic treatment of ratios; geometric constructions and proofs; conic sections; translating geometric relationships into algebra.
Trigonometry and astronomy: plane and spherical trigonometry; interpreting astronomical observations; mathematical treatment of the Sun's apparent motion; planetary models.
Calculus: limits; derivatives; integrals; logarithmic functions; selected differential equations; multivariable calculus; applications to motion and force.
Mathematical physics: mathematical accounts of space, time, force, and planetary motion; relationships between geometry and physical explanation.

Biology, anatomy, and the study of organisms

Aristotle, Parts of Animals Core Read at: Level 109, Level 112
Aristotle, Generation of Animals Core Read at: Level 130
Harvey, On the Motion of the Heart and Blood in Animals Core Read at: Level 119, Level 123
Hans Driesch, The Science and Philosophy of the Organism Core Read at: Level 140
Hans Spemann, The Organizer-Effect in Embryonic Development Core Read at: Level 144
Hans Spemann, Embryonic Development and Induction Core Read at: Level 147
Rudolf Virchow, Cellular Pathology Core selections from the lectures Read at: Level 136
Claude Bernard, Selected writings Historical excerpts not specified in the source Not yet set in a level.
Galen, Selected writings Historical excerpts not specified in the source Not yet set in a level.
Carl Linnaeus, Selected writings Historical excerpts not specified in the source Not yet set in a level.
Wilhelm Roux, Selected writings Historical excerpts not specified in the source Not yet set in a level.

Also

aristotle-soul

Subjects

Observation of plants and animals.
Structure and function.
Classification and biological kinds.
Anatomy and dissection.
Organ systems and physiological explanation.
Circulation of the blood.
Cells and biological organisation.
Embryonic development.
Differentiation and induction.
Relationships between parts and wholes.
The distinction between living and nonliving things.
Purpose and explanation in biology.
Observation through drawings, records, and measurements.
Observational biology: classification; anatomical structure; cells forming larger structures; cell differentiation; embryological development; observation with and without microscopes.

Measurement, equilibrium, and chemistry

Archimedes, On the Equilibrium of Planes Core Read at: Level 154
Archimedes, On Floating Bodies Core Read at: Level 72, Level 157
Blaise Pascal, Treatise on the Equilibrium of Liquids Core Read at: Level 165
Joseph Black, Chemistry lectures Core Read at: Level 171
Fahrenheit, Selected writings Core on temperature measurement; title not named in the source Read at: Level 168
Mariotte, Selected writings Core scientific writings; title not named in the source Read at: Level 174
Lavoisier, Elements of Chemistry Core Read at: Level 178, Level 182
Dalton, A New System of Chemical Philosophy Core Read at: Level 189
Gay-Lussac, Selected writings Core on thermal expansion and gaseous combinations; title not named in the source Read at: Level 192
Avogadro, Selected writings Core on relative molecular masses; title not named in the source Read at: Level 192
Stanislao Cannizzaro, Letter to Professor S. De Luca Core Read at: Level 195
Berthollet, Selected writings Core chemical writings; title not named in the source Read at: Level 185
Proust, Selected writings Core on chemical combination; title not named in the source Read at: Level 185
Dmitri Mendeleev, The Periodic Law of the Chemical Elements Core Read at: Level 198
Pierre Louis Dulong and Alexis Thérèse Petit, Selected writings Historical excerpts not specified in the source Not yet set in a level.
Joseph Priestley, Selected writings Historical excerpts not specified in the source Not yet set in a level.

Subjects

Weight and balance.
Equilibrium.
Levers.
Pressure.
Floating bodies.
Hydrostatics.
Temperature and temperature scales.
Heat and measurement.
Experimental instruments.
Mathematical representation of physical quantities.
Chemical substances and transformations.
Combustion.
Phlogiston theory and competing explanations.
The role of quantitative measurement in chemistry.
Gases and their properties.
Combining proportions.
Combining volumes.
Atoms and molecules.
Relative atomic and molecular masses.
Chemical classification.
Periodic relationships among elements.
Chemical foundations: physical and chemical change; competing accounts of substance; evidence for discrete particles; determining atomic weights.

Mechanics, waves, optics, electricity, and magnetism

Galileo, Selected writings Core not named in the source Read at: Level 303, Level 308
Descartes, Selected writings Core not named in the source Not yet set in a level.
Christiaan Huygens, On the Movement of Bodies by Impact Core Read at: Level 319
Leibniz, Essay on Dynamics Core Read at: Level 335
Mayer, Selected writings Core not named in the source Read at: Level 346
Maxwell, Selected writings Core not named in the source Not yet set in a level.
Christiaan Huygens, Treatise on Light Core Read at: Level 372, Level 377
Brook Taylor, Selected writings Core on the stretched string; title not named in the source Read at: Level 355
Daniel Bernoulli, Selected writings Core on vibrating strings; title not named in the source Read at: Level 362
Euler, Selected writings Core response to Bernoulli; title not named in the source Read at: Level 362
Thomas Young, Selected writings Core on light and colours; title not named in the source Read at: Level 382, Level 387
Gilbert, De Magnete Core Read at: Level 401
Franklin, Selected writings Core electrical letters; title not named in the source Read at: Level 406
Nollet, Selected writings Core electrical observations; title not named in the source Read at: Level 409
Coulomb, Selected writings Core electrical and magnetic investigations; title not named in the source Read at: Level 412
Volta, Selected writings Core on contact electricity; title not named in the source Read at: Level 415
Ørsted, Selected writings Core on electrical effects on a magnetic needle; title not named in the source Read at: Level 418
Ampère, Selected writings Core investigations; title not named in the source Read at: Level 422
Michael Faraday, Experimental Researches in Electricity Core Read at: Level 424, Level 426, Level 429
Michael Faraday, On the Absolute Quantity of Electricity Associated with the Particles or Atoms of Matter Core Read at: Level 432
Maxwell, On Faraday's Lines of Force Core Read at: Level 437
Maxwell, On Physical Lines of Force Core Read at: Level 440
Maxwell, A Dynamical Theory of the Electromagnetic Field Core Read at: Level 441, Level 444

Also

newton-principia

Subjects

Falling bodies.
Projectile motion.
Collisions.
Periodic motion.
Quantity of motion.
Force and acceleration.
Leibniz's living force.
Work.
Kinetic and potential energy.
Heat and the development of energy concepts.
Mathematical and experimental accounts of motion.
Vibrating strings.
Periodic behaviour.
Mathematical descriptions of waves.
Competing particle and wave accounts of light.
The relationship between wave theory and optical phenomena.
Electrical and magnetic phenomena.
Electrical forces.
Magnetic interactions.
Currents and their effects.
Experimental measurement.
Fields and lines of force.
Electromagnetic induction.
The mathematical unification of electricity and magnetism.
Electromagnetic explanations of light.
Optics and electromagnetism: comparing particle and wave accounts of light; testing their explanatory power; developing an electromagnetic account of light.
Thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, Maxwell's equations, periodic motion, and the development of the gas laws (named in older descriptions only).

Atomic physics and quantum theory

J. J. Thomson, Cathode Rays Core Read at: Level 447
Millikan, The Electron Core Read at: Level 448
Rutherford, Selected writings Core work on scattering and atomic structure; title not named in the source Read at: Level 453
Planck, The Quantum Hypothesis Core Read at: Level 454
Niels Bohr, On the Spectrum of Hydrogen Core Read at: Level 460
Louis de Broglie, Matter Waves Core Read at: Level 464
Schrödinger, Four Lectures on Wave Mechanics Core first lecture Read at: Level 469
Werner Heisenberg, Critique of the Physical Concepts of the Particle Picture Core Read at: Level 472
Albert Einstein, Selected writings Core related writings; titles not named in the source Read at: Level 457
Clinton Davisson, Selected scientific essays Core Read at: Level 467

Subjects

The electron.
Electrical charge and its measurement.
Atomic structure.
Scattering experiments.
Atomic stability.
Statistical descriptions of matter.
The quantum hypothesis.
Atomic spectra.
Particle and wave descriptions.
Matter waves.
Wave mechanics.
The limitations of classical physical concepts.
What physical theories allow us to know and predict.

Evolution, genetics, and molecular biology

Darwin, On the Origin of Species Core Read at: Level 477, Level 479, Level 483
Lamarck, Zoological Philosophy Core Read at: Level 484
Mendel, Experiments with Plant Hybridization Core Read at: Level 486
G. H. Hardy, Mendelian Proportions in a Mixed Population Core Read at: Level 489
Boveri, Selected writings Core not named in the source Read at: Level 489
Sutton, Selected writings Core not named in the source Read at: Level 489
Thomas Hunt Morgan, Evolution and Genetics Core Read at: Level 492
Thomas Hunt Morgan, The Chromosomes and Mendel's Two Laws Core Read at: Level 492
Thomas Hunt Morgan, The Linkage Groups and the Chromosomes Core Read at: Level 492
Thomas Hunt Morgan, Sex-Linked Inheritance Core Read at: Level 495
Thomas Hunt Morgan, Crossing-Over Core Read at: Level 495
Beadle and Tatum, Selected papers Core Read at: Level 498
Watson and Crick, Selected papers Core Read at: Level 498
Jacob and Monod, Selected papers Core Read at: Level 500
Joel Sussman, Selected scientific essays Core Read at: Level 500
Alfred Sturtevant, Selected writings Historical excerpts not specified in the source Not yet set in a level.
Robert Trivers, Selected writings Historical excerpts not specified in the source Not yet set in a level.
C. H. Waddington, Selected writings Historical excerpts not specified in the source Not yet set in a level.

Subjects

Variation and inheritance.
Natural selection.
Species and evolutionary change.
Mendelian inheritance.
Population-level inheritance.
Chromosome theory.
Linkage.
Sex-linked inheritance.
Crossing-over.
The relationship between genes and biological function.
Molecular explanations of heredity.
DNA structure.
Gene regulation.
The synthesis of evolutionary and genetic explanations.
Ecology.
Organismal unity and biological explanation.

Music theory, practice, and analysis

Plato and other ancient writers, Selected writings Core not named in the source Read at: Level 61, Level 203, Level 207
Vincenzo Galilei, Dialogue on Ancient and Modern Music Core Read at: Level 62, Level 212
Palestrina, Missa Papae Marcelli Core Read at: Level 64, Level 245, Level 249
Monteverdi, L’Orfeo Core Read at: Level 253, Level 257
J. S. Bach, Inventions Core Read at: Level 65, Level 262
J. S. Bach, St. Matthew Passion Core Read at: Level 274, Level 278
Haydn, Selected string quartets Core Read at: Level 306, Level 320
Mozart, Don Giovanni Core Read at: Level 332, Level 344
Mozart, Selected operas Core other opera selections, including Don Giovanni Not yet set in a level.
Beethoven, Symphony No. 3 Core Read at: Level 357, Level 369
Schubert, Selected songs Core Read at: Level 381, Level 395
Stravinsky, Symphony of Psalms Core Read at: Level 451
Schoenberg, Selected works Core Read at: Level 470
Wagner, Tristan and Isolde Core upper-level selection Read at: Level 410, Level 431
Albert Murray, Stomping the Blues Variable variable selection Read at: Level 491
Not named in the source, Gregorian chant Core topic; no text named in the source Read at: Level 63, Level 224, Level 228

Subjects

Musical notation.
Sight reading and singing.
Choral performance.
Pitch and intervals.
Ratios and musical relationships.
The diatonic system.
Melody.
Counterpoint.
Harmony.
Rhythm, meter, and accent.
Musical form.
Score reading.
Attentive listening.
Analysis of musical structure.
Relationships between text and musical setting.
Relationships among music, poetry, mathematics, and emotion.
Ancient Greek musical thought.
Gregorian chant.
The development of opera.
Composition exercises, variable.
Relationships between words and music, musical structure, and the mathematics of vibrating strings, studied together.

Writing, interpretation, discussion, and scientific practice

Subjects

Close reading of difficult texts.
Formulation of substantive questions.
Reconstruction and evaluation of arguments.
Comparison of competing interpretations.
Clear definition of terms.
Use of textual evidence.
Development of a thesis.
Organisation of an extended argument.
Revision of syntax, structure, and style.
Translation and commentary.
Literary and philosophical essays.
Mathematical demonstrations.
Scientific observation and measurement.
Experimental design.
Replication and evaluation of experiments.
Recording results in notes, drawings, tables, and graphs.
Distinguishing observation from inference.
Assessing the relationship between evidence and theory.
Oral explanation and examination.
Sustained independent interpretation of one or more major works.
Defence and reconsideration of an extended written argument.
Experimental reasoning: how instruments work; limits of measurement; sources of error; alternative experimental procedures; repetition of experiments; relationships among observations, hypotheses, and theories.

Additional elective and concentrated studies

Alternatives and supplementary subjects, rather than a single required reading sequence. Some items are excerpts rather than complete works.

Heraclitus, Parmenides, and Anaxagoras, Selected writings Optional not named in the source Not yet set in a level.
Plato, Philebus Optional Not yet set in a level.
Aristotle, On the Heavens Optional Not yet set in a level.
Aristotle, Eudemian Ethics Optional Not yet set in a level.
Schopenhauer, The World as Will and Representation Optional Not yet set in a level.
Wittgenstein, Philosophical Investigations Optional Not yet set in a level.
G. W. F. Hegel, Philosophy of Nature Optional Not yet set in a level.
Martin Heidegger, What Is Metaphysics? Optional Not yet set in a level.
Nietzsche, The Gay Science Optional Not yet set in a level.
Hannah Arendt, The Human Condition Optional Not yet set in a level.
James Joyce, Finnegans Wake Optional Not yet set in a level.
Virginia Woolf, The Waves Optional Not yet set in a level.
Chopin, The Awakening Optional Not yet set in a level.
Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God Optional Not yet set in a level.
Naipaul, A House for Mr. Biswas Optional Not yet set in a level.
Gaddis, The Recognitions Optional Not yet set in a level.
Laxness, Independent People Optional Not yet set in a level.
García Márquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude Optional Not yet set in a level.
Melville, Moby-Dick Optional Not yet set in a level.
Dostoevsky, Demons Optional Not yet set in a level.
O'Connor, Wise Blood Optional Not yet set in a level.
Borges, Ficciones Optional Not yet set in a level.
Pessoa, The Book of Disquiet Optional Not yet set in a level.
Shakespeare, Measure for Measure Optional Not yet set in a level.
Shakespeare, Cymbeline Optional Not yet set in a level.
Shakespeare, The Winter's Tale Optional Not yet set in a level.
Keats, Odes and letters Optional Not yet set in a level.
Rainer Maria Rilke, Duino Elegies Optional Not yet set in a level.
Rainer Maria Rilke, The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge Optional Not yet set in a level.
Gibbon, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Optional Not yet set in a level.
Spengler, The Decline of the West Optional Not yet set in a level.
Piketty, Capital in the Twenty-First Century Optional Not yet set in a level.
Not named in the source, Daodejing Optional author not named in the source Not yet set in a level.
Not named in the source, Zhuangzi Optional author not named in the source Not yet set in a level.
Not named in the source, Bhagavad Gita Optional author not named in the source Not yet set in a level.
Hardy, A Course of Pure Mathematics Optional Not yet set in a level.
Russell, Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy Optional Not yet set in a level.
Feynman, QED Optional Not yet set in a level.
Feynman, Selected writings Optional readings named only as Feynman Not yet set in a level.
Not named in the source, Neuroscience Optional topic only; no text named in the source Not yet set in a level.
Mozart, The Marriage of Figaro Optional Not yet set in a level.
J. S. Bach and Stravinsky, Further studies Optional no text named in the source Not yet set in a level.
Manet, Selected writings Optional not named in the source Not yet set in a level.
Duchamp, Selected writings Optional not named in the source Not yet set in a level.
Lovelace, Selected writings Optional computation readings; not named in the source Not yet set in a level.
Turing, Selected writings Optional computation readings; not named in the source Not yet set in a level.
Peirce, Selected writings Optional computation readings; not named in the source Not yet set in a level.
Searle, Selected writings Optional computation readings; not named in the source Not yet set in a level.
Leibniz, Selected writings Optional computation readings; not named in the source Not yet set in a level.
Petzold, Code Optional Not yet set in a level.
Borgmann, Holding On to Reality Optional Not yet set in a level.
Borgmann, Technology and the Character of Contemporary Life Optional Not yet set in a level.
Weizenbaum, Computer Power and Human Reason Optional Not yet set in a level.
Euripides, Alcestis Optional Not yet set in a level.
Euripides, Medea Optional Not yet set in a level.
Euripides, Hecuba Optional Not yet set in a level.
Euripides, The Trojan Women Optional Not yet set in a level.
Madame de Sévigné, Letters Optional Not yet set in a level.
Voltaire, Candide Optional Not yet set in a level.
Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary Optional Not yet set in a level.
Henry James, The Portrait of a Lady Optional Not yet set in a level.
James Joyce, Ulysses Optional Not yet set in a level.
Marcel Proust, In Search of Lost Time Optional also titled Remembrance of Things Past; beyond Swann's Way Not yet set in a level.
Toni Morrison, Beloved Optional Not yet set in a level.
Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man Optional Not yet set in a level.
Eudora Welty, Selected short stories Optional Not yet set in a level.
Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Desire Optional Not yet set in a level.
Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman Optional Not yet set in a level.
Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot Optional Not yet set in a level.
Alfred Hitchcock, Selected films Optional Not yet set in a level.
Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism Optional Not yet set in a level.
Albert Camus, The Stranger Optional Not yet set in a level.
G. W. F. Hegel, Elements of the Philosophy of Right Optional Not yet set in a level.
Emmanuel Levinas, Totality and Infinity Optional Not yet set in a level.
Søren Kierkegaard, Either/Or Optional Not yet set in a level.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Émile Optional Not yet set in a level.
Michel Foucault, Discipline and Punish Optional Not yet set in a level.
Michel Foucault, Security, Territory, Population Optional Not yet set in a level.
Ibn Mājah, The Sunan Optional Not yet set in a level.
Konrad Lorenz, Studies in Animal and Human Behavior Optional Not yet set in a level.
Not named in the source, The Epic of Gilgamesh Optional and related ancient Near Eastern literature Not yet set in a level.
Ovid, Metamorphoses Optional Not yet set in a level.
Ibn Khaldun, Introduction to History Optional Not yet set in a level.
Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew Optional Not yet set in a level.
Kant, Critique of Practical Reason Optional Not yet set in a level.
Jane Austen, Mansfield Park Optional Not yet set in a level.
Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre Optional Not yet set in a level.
Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina Optional Not yet set in a level.
Toni Morrison, Jazz Optional Not yet set in a level.
Toni Morrison, Paradise Optional Not yet set in a level.
Aristotle, Leonardo da Vinci, Newton, Goethe, and Edwin Land, Writings on colour theory Optional Not yet set in a level.
Visconti, Rossellini, De Sica, De Santis, and James Monaco, Italian neorealism Optional work associated with these names; no titles named in the source Not yet set in a level.

The arts of learning and expression

Hugh of Saint Victor, Didascalicon: A Medieval Guide to the Arts Core Jerome Taylor's translation is an established English edition Read at: Level 4, Level 91, Level 92, Level 267, Level 482
Cicero, De oratore Core often translated On the Ideal Orator Read at: Level 31, Level 36, Level 38
Dorothy L. Sayers, The Lost Tools of Learning Core Read at: Level 3, Level 96, Level 481
Quintilian, Institutio oratoria Core also The Orator's Education Read at: Level 8, Level 32, Level 35, Level 37, Level 40, Level 483
Augustine, De doctrina christiana Core also On Christian Teaching Read at: Level 15, Level 16, Level 266, Level 485
Sister Miriam Joseph, The Trivium: The Liberal Arts of Logic, Grammar, and Rhetoric Core Read at: Level 11, Level 17, Level 26, Level 28, Level 95
John of Salisbury, Metalogicon Core lower priority than practising the other arts Read at: Level 94

Subjects

Hugh of Saint Victor, Didascalicon: the purposes and ordering of study, the relationships among kinds of knowledge, and the discipline of reading. Begin with learning and the arts, then scriptural study.
Cicero, De oratore: broad knowledge, public judgment, argument, character and persuasive speech. Book I on the orator's education; Book II on argument, audiences, emotion, arrangement and memory; Book III on style and delivery.
Sayers, The Lost Tools of Learning: explicit teaching of the intellectual tools needed to learn unfamiliar subjects. Read the whole essay, then test whether your own study develops its abilities.
Treat Sayers's proposed childhood stages as an educational proposal, not an established developmental law.
Quintilian, Institutio oratoria: Books I-II on education and elementary composition; Book X on reading, imitation, writing, revision and extemporaneous speech; Book XI on memory and delivery; Book XII on character. Exercises run from narration and paraphrase to proof, refutation, composition and speaking.
Augustine, De doctrina christiana: signs, interpretation, ambiguity, background knowledge and responsible explanation, especially Books II-IV. Eloquence stays subordinate to understanding and wisdom.
Miriam Joseph, The Trivium: grammar, propositions, syllogisms, fallacies, figurative language and literary expression.
John of Salisbury, Metalogicon: why grammar, reasoning and eloquence belong together in an education.
Grammar: understand precisely. Define the central terms, establish relevant facts, and summarise a text accurately without borrowing its sentences.
Dialectic: examine reasons. Reconstruct an argument, identify its assumptions, and present the strongest objection fairly.
Rhetoric: communicate responsibly. Write an explanation for an actual reader, deliver it aloud, and revise after questions and criticism.
Empirical inquiry: check against evidence. Analyse a dataset, reproduce a calculation, compare competing explanations, or investigate a claim's sources.
Practical judgment: act and review. Make a consequential decision with explicit reasons, then examine its results without rewriting what you originally expected.

Modern methods for deciding what deserves belief

P. D. Magnus and Tim Button, Calgary edition by Aaron Thomas-Bolduc and Richard Zach, forall x: Calgary Core includes exercises and solutions Read at: Level 23, Level 24, Level 27, Level 29
Diez, Çetinkaya-Rundel, and Barr, OpenIntro Statistics Core Read at: Level 73, Level 74, Level 75, Level 204, Level 210, Level 217, Level 222
Miguel Hernán and James Robins, Causal Inference: What If Core begin with Part I Read at: Level 76, Level 229, Level 234, Level 241, Level 370
Mike Caulfield and Sam Wineburg, Verified Core Read at: Level 81, Level 82
Carl Bergstrom and Jevin West, Calling Bullshit Core including the course materials Read at: Level 28, Level 79
Peter Godfrey-Smith, Theory and Reality Core Read at: Level 77, Level 459
Booth and colleagues, The Craft of Research Core Read at: Level 39, Level 84, Level 408
Philip Tetlock and Dan Gardner, Superforecasting Core Read at: Level 85

Subjects

Modern formal logic: propositional and predicate logic, quantifiers, validity, counterexamples, translation into explicit logical form, and natural-deduction proofs.
Probability and statistics: conditional probability, base rates, sampling, selection bias, distributions, statistical inference and regression.
Causal reasoning: counterfactual questions, confounding, randomised versus observational evidence, and the assumptions needed to infer effects.
Source verification: provenance, investigating sources outside their own websites, finding better coverage, and tracing claims to their origins.
Statistical and informational deception: misleading graphs, unsuitable metrics, statistical traps, publication bias, and responsible challenges to a claim.
Philosophy of science: induction, falsification, scientific change, realism, explanation, and the social organisation of inquiry.
Research and argument: turning an interest into an answerable question, distinguishing evidence from reports of evidence, and presenting reasons, qualifications and objections.
Judgment under uncertainty: explicit probabilistic judgments, alternatives considered, beliefs updated, and predictions compared with outcomes.
Work the logic and statistics texts through with their exercises. Do not merely read them.

Contemporary accounts of nature and human behaviour

OpenStax, Biology 2e Core Read at: Level 71, Level 247, Level 254, Level 260, Level 267
OpenStax, Psychology 2e Core Read at: Level 272, Level 279, Level 284, Level 291, Level 455
Donella Meadows, Thinking in Systems Core Read at: Level 78, Level 487
Allen Downey, Think Python Core Read at: Level 405, Level 414, Level 421, Level 430, Level 439, Level 446

Subjects

OpenStax, Biology 2e: cell biology, metabolism, genetics, genomics, evolutionary mechanisms, physiology and ecology. Concentrate on mechanisms and evidence rather than memorising classifications alone.
OpenStax, Psychology 2e: research design, perception, learning, memory, cognition, development and social behaviour. Pay attention to measurement, validity and replication.
Meadows, Thinking in Systems: stocks, flows, feedback, delays, system boundaries, resilience and unintended consequences.
Downey, Think Python: computation as a means of investigation, including algorithms, decomposition, simulation, debugging and testing. Skip elementary material you can already demonstrate.
The standard: explain the mechanism, identify its evidence, and say where your model stops being reliable.

Historical, institutional, and comparative understanding

Marc Bloch, The Historian's Craft Core Read at: Level 83
CORE Econ, The Economy 2.0 Core selected units Read at: Level 312, Level 331, Level 351
Elinor Ostrom, Governing the Commons Core Read at: Level 479, Level 480
Philip J. Ivanhoe and Bryan W. Van Norden, editors, Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy Core Read at: Level 191, Level 192, Level 193, Level 194, Level 195
Deepak Sarma, Classical Indian Philosophy: A Reader Core Read at: Level 215, Level 216, Level 217

Subjects

Bloch, The Historian's Craft: how historians question testimony, assess evidence, interpret documents and reason about causes.
CORE Econ, The Economy 2.0 (selected units): contemporary models and evidence on incentives, strategic interaction, firms, markets, institutions, credit and externalities.
Ostrom, Governing the Commons: how actual communities organise shared resources through rules, monitoring, enforcement and cooperation.
Ivanhoe and Van Norden, Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy: competing accounts of human nature, cultivation, government, morality and social order.
Sarma, Classical Indian Philosophy: competing theories of knowledge, perception, mind, self, reality and liberation, including Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and materialist arguments.
A world chronology and historical atlas kept beside the reading, to locate authors within political institutions, religious communities, trade networks, technologies and conflicts.

Practical and moral judgment

Cicero, De officiis Core also On Duties Read at: Level 86
Cicero, Laelius de amicitia Core also On Friendship Read at: Level 87
Pierre Hadot, Philosophy as a Way of Life Core Read at: Level 88

Subjects

Cicero, On Duties: duties, justice, generosity, social roles, and apparent conflicts between honourable conduct and personal advantage.
Cicero, On Friendship: friendship, loyalty, moral character, and the limits of what friends may properly ask of one another.
Hadot, Philosophy as a Way of Life: ancient philosophy read as a practice of attention, examination, dialogue and changes in how one lives. An interpretation to test, not a doctrine to adopt.
For each text, ask what it would require you to do differently in a friendship, disagreement, responsibility or difficult decision, then examine whether that requirement is justified.

Latin (optional)

Hans Ørberg, Lingua Latina per se illustrata: Familia Romana Optional Not yet set in a level.

Subjects

Latin access to Cicero, Quintilian, Augustine, Hugh of Saint Victor and medieval educational writing.
Linguistic precision. The intellectual work can begin in translation.