Teens asked us for a philosophy course and have told us they loved Philosophy in Four Questions by Dr. Micah Tillman (a homeschool grad and PhD in Philosophy).

Here's why any teen benefits from studying the basics of Philosophy:

1. Philosophers run the world- your teens need to become aware of the ideas running the world. (You just don't notice it. Philosophers are the brains behind political decisions, health care management, types of books we read, fashions we enjoy, even some of the ways we interact with our theology.)
2. Teens who recognize philosophical thoughts and trends can become culture creators themselves.
3. God is a philosopher. Philosophy is the love of wisdom. God said to "get wisdom". God is the creator of wisdom.  It is important for our teens learn to be wise and submit their thinking to God's wisdom.

Dr. Micah Tillman teaches Philosophy and Philosophy-based Science and Math for Stanford University's online high school. He wrote Philosophy in Four Questions at the request of our local homeschool high schoolers to help them understand the basics of philosophy.

(Check out Dr. Micah Tillman and philosophy on this episode of Homeschool Highschool Podcast.)

In Philosophy in 4 Questions, Dr. Tillman broke the 4 basic questions of philosophy into bite-sized, understandable chunks:

1. What is there?
2. How do we know?
3. What do we do about it?
4. Why?

Written in a light-hearted, fun manner and a Christian worldview, Philosophy in 4 Questions helps teens learn to recognize, think about, and discuss these questions. Lessons are short, easy to digest, and include lively examples.

Don't let your teens' God-given thinking abilities go to waste! Let Dr. Micah Tillman give them the tools to become a generation of Godly philosophers in whatever career they pursue.

Text includes a separate answer key and guide for writing an optional philosopher's paper. (Note: There are no tests in this curriculum because in philosophy courses students generally write something to assess learning instead of test. The answer key help parents with scoring and coaching their teens if they get confused.)

Although students need no prerequisite his course is a great follow-up for History and Philosophy of the Western World.

This is a one-credit course.

Here is a list of the topics of each chapter:

• Chapter 1: What Is Philosophy?
• Chapter 2: Why Should Christians Care?
• Chapter 3: An Introduction to Philosophy’s First Question: What Is There? (Ontology)
• Chapter 4: Do You Exist (and If So, What Are You)?
• Chapter 5: Does the World Exist (or Is It All an Illusion)? Augustine, Descartes
• Chapter 6: Do Groups (like Companies, Countries, or Families) Exist? Narrative
• Chapter 7: Is Everything Just Physical? Two Kinds of Things: Particulars and Universals
• Chapter 8: Does God Exist (and What about Evil)? The Cosmological Argument, The Ontological Argument, The Teleological Argument, The Problem of Evil and Some Answers
• Chapter 9: Does Free Will Exist (and Do We Have It)?
• Chapter 10: Application: How to Deal with Disagreements
• Chapter 11: An Introduction to Philosophy's Second Question: How Do We Know? (Epistemology)
• Chapter 12: What Is Truth?
• Chapter 13: Can We Learn the Truth from Others? Language and Witnesses
• Chapter 14: Do We Know through Living or Thinking? Empiricism and Rationalism
• Chapter 15: Giving Up, or Going with What Works: Skepticism and Pragmatism
• Chapter 16: Can We Just Get Back to Our Actual Experience? Phenomenology
• Chapter 17: Application: Authorities, Science, Faith, and Reason
• Chapter 18: An Introduction to Philosophy’s Third Question (Ethics)
• Chapter 19: Is It Good to Do What Is Excellent? Virtue Theory
• Chapter 20: Is It Good to Do What Creates the Most Pleasure? Utilitarianism, Epicureanism, or Hedonism, or Whatever
• Chapter 21: Is It Only Good to Do Your Duty? Deontology
• Chapter 22: Is It Only Good to Do What God Says? Divine Command
• Chapter 23: Application: Evaluating Abortion, Racism, and Sexism
• Chapter 24: An Introduction to Philosophy’s Fourth Question: The One Answer to, “Why?”
• Chapter 25: Are There Different Sources of Value?
• Chapter 26: Is There a Single Source of Value? The Value Theory behind Humanism, The Value Theory behind Environmentalism, The Value Theory behind Theism
• Chapter 27: What If There Is No Source of Value?  Nihilism
• Chapter 28: Is the Source of Value the Highest Thing? The Good and God
• Chapter 29: Application: What to Do When You Get Confused
• Chapter 30: Go Forth!

CLICK HERE to view an excerpt from Philosophy in Four Questions.

Download this FREE Suggested Syllabus for Philosophy in Four Questions.

What folks are saying about Philosophy in Four Questions:

I really enjoyed the textbook because often times when dealing with uncomfortable or serious topics Dr. Tillman would incorporate some humor and it made the subject a little easier to digest. Philosophy has always been a great thing to study in my mind. It helps me think more clearly and it teaches me to never settle for the easiest option, and Tillman's text book certainly made me think a lot. I thoroughly enjoyed reading through and completing this text and I would suggest it to anyone who feels inspired to delve deeper into what they believe about the world.- James, 11th grade when he completed Philosophy in 4 Questions.

The course was super fun, and the material had so much depth. Learning not only the different schools of thought but their origins, and of their followers opened my eyes to further understand the people and circumstances around me. Breathing new life in what I thought were worn out doctrines.- Jonah, 10th grade when he completed Philosophy in 4 Questions.

10-Day No-Questions-Asked Money-Back Guarantee on all 7Sisters EBook curriculum.