Soul of Goodness: Transform Grievous Hurt, Betrayal, and Setback into Love, Joy, and Compassion
-- With a Foreword by Dr. Cornel West
Christopher Phillips has devoted his life to carrying the torch of Socrates and his quest to "Know Thyself." Yet upon the death of his beloved father and mentor, the originator of the burgeoning global Socrates Café movement - one of his international bestsellers is 'Socrates Cafe: A Fresh Taste of Philosophy' - had little choice but to confront the inescapable truth: that there are some things we cannot know for sure. This moving, insightful and ultimately hopeful and helpful blend of memoir and philosophical exploration begins in Phillips' native stomping grounds of the tiny volcanic island of Nisyros, Greece and unfurls through space and time as the author explores the connections between his immediate circumstances and the eternal wisdom of popular philosophers. -
In this personal and probing book, the acclaimed 'philosopher for the people' shares lessons gleaned from his intimate and often unexpected encounters with uncommonly perceptive human beings both living and long deceased, in the form of weary travelers and some of history's greatest thinkers, from Heraclitus to Dr. Cornel West. Along the way, he charts a pathway for sculpting what Shakespeare describes as a "soul of goodness," which meshes with Plato's paradigm-shattering conception of the "healthiness of soul." For those struggling to overcome the hopelessness that can result from grievous loss, setback, or betrayal - what Phillips' touchstone Percy Blythe Shelley calls life circumstances "darker than death or night" - the author spotlights, with philosophical prescriptions both timely and timeless, how to cultivate a 'Socratic spirit' that leads to renewed love, forbearance, and hope at the other end of the tunnel.
"Christopher Phillips is the greatest living embodiment of the Socratic spirit in our catastrophic times. His global grassroots movement of Socrates Cafés and Democracy Cafés have transformed the lives of millions of people in every continent on the earth. His brilliant and wise books have touched the minds and souls of so many of us. And his soulful style and genuine compassion have enriched the lives of us fortunate ones. When the historians write of the ugly and beautiful in our turbulent age, the Socratic words, works, and deeds of my dearest Brother Christopher Phillips should loom large." -- Dr. Cornel West, author, Race Matters, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Professor of Philosophy and Christian Practice, Union Theological Seminary
"In Soul of Goodness, Christopher Phillips walks us down his joyful path as a philosopher from the day when he was twelve years old and his Greek grandmother handed him a copy of Plato's Cave. From that inspired beginning, Chris implements the Socratic power of simple questions to transcend barriers and reach for greater insight. It's a pleasure to see the world through the eyes of this boy grown into a husband, father and activist who does everything he can to bring love and joy into the world. He reminds us never to take a moment for granted when we always have the opportunity to live life full on." -- Kathryn Watterson, author of Not by the Sword, Women in Prison, and I Hear My People Singing: Voices of African American Princeton
Be sure to get he complimentary guide to Phillips's newest book, "Soul of Goodness,' to accompany your journey reading it, at Dr. Phillips's site ChristopherPhillips dot com
