Book 2 of Encyclopedia Britannica - Great Books of the Western World Author: Mortimer J. Adler

The Great Ideas: Volume 1 (Syntopicon I)

Overview

Volume 2 of the Great Books of the Western World is the first part of the Syntopicon (a “collection of topics”). Edited by Mortimer J. Adler, it provides an index and an introductory guide to the first 50 of the 102 “Great Ideas” found throughout the set.

Ideas Included (1-50)

1. Angel to 50. Love

List of Ideas:

Angel, Animal, Aristocracy, Art, Astronomy, Beauty, Being, Cause, Chance, Change, Citizen, Constitution, Courage, Custom and Convention, Definition, Democracy, Desire, Dialectic, Duty, Education, Element, Emotion, Eternity, Evolution, Experience, Family, Fate, Form, God, Good and Evil, Government, Habit, Happiness, History, Honor, Hypothesis, Idea, Immortality, Induction, Infinity, Judgment, Justice, Knowledge, Labor, Language, Law, Liberty, Life and Death, Logic, Love.

Features of Each Chapter

For each Great Idea, the Syntopicon provides:

• Introductory Essay: A concise overview of the idea’s history and its varying interpretations.
• Outline of Topics: A breakdown of the idea into its constituent themes and questions.
• References: Citations to specific volumes and page numbers in the Great Books set.
• Cross-References: Links to related ideas in the Syntopicon.
• Additional Readings: Lists of other important works not included in the 54-volume set.

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