110

CWELLLA/CWECA
Course Number: (Ph 110)

Level 1

Course Title: Introduction to the Liberal Art of Uncommon Commonsense Logic

Thaddeus Kozinski
thaddeuskozinski@protonmail.com
Phone: 307-220-5520
Dear CWELLA/CWECA Students,

Welcome to this course on “Introduction to the Liberal Art of Uncommon Commonsense Logic”

My name is Dr. Thaddeus Kozinski. I will be your educational consultant (EC) for this course.

I look forward to working with you in this important and extremely relevant course.

Best wishes,

Thaddeus Kozinski

“To say of what is that it is not, or of what is not that it is, is false, while to say of what is that it
is, and of what is not that it is not, is true”

--Aristotle, Metaphysics

1. COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Educational Consultant: Thaddeus Kozinski

12) Course Number: Ph 110

Course Title: Introduction to the Liberal Art of Uncommon Commonsense Logic  

Course Description: This course is a study of the first act of the intellect, simple apprehension,
the act by which we know the essence of things. The traditional term for this discipline is
'material logic' because it treats of the building blocks of thought: concepts. Most logic courses
skip over material logic, beginning and ending with formal logic: the study of the third act of the
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mind: reasoning. The first act of the mind begins with the formation of the concept of a being
from sense perception and culminates in the propositional expression of the essence of the being
in definition.

To be able to define things, we need to know the ways “being can be said,” as Aristotle puts it,
which are the Categories; and the ways that concepts can be related to each other, which are the
Predicables. To understand these, comprehending the following is helpful: 1) the relation of logic
to grammar in the parts of speech (the categories) and syntax (the predicables); 2) the process by
which a concept is formed from sense perception (abstraction); 3) the natural of the concept and
its relation to real beings (comprehension and extension); 4) the fundamental components of all
material beings (form and matter); 5) why things are the way they are (Aristotle's four causes);
and 6) seeing the first act in relation to the other two acts, especially judgment, the act by which
we apprehend existence and, hence, truth. This course will treat all these topics. The book for
this course was written for teenagers, but it is profitable for adults, and my lectures will be
geared to adults.

After going through these fundamentals of material logic, we shall examine how
Aristotelian/Thomistic moderate realism, in which reality and the human soul are capable of
intimate union, enables us most effectively both to understand and engage with pressing cultural,
anthropological, theological, and political problems and issues. To this purpose, we shall read
and discuss selected chapters from my book Modernity as Apocalypse.

2. ENVISIONED LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Among other things, students will demonstrate in this course an understanding of the moderate
realism of the philosophia perennis: that and how words, concepts, and reality are intimately
related; that knowledge of the essences of things is attainable and how it is attained; and that
both the mind and its concepts are spiritual and that universals and essences are real.

As part of a personal “outcomes assessment,” before you start listening to this course, compose
several paragraphs in which you indicate 1) what you think about words, concepts, judgments,
truth, and reality, and the relation of each of these to the others; and 2) what you consider to be
the primary cultural problems we face today and their root cause(s). After you finish this class,
revisit these initial thoughts you had about these topics and whether you think the contrasting
Aristotelian/Thomistic vision that we have talked about in this course has helped you better to
understand reality, the human mind, and language, and improved your life, your understanding
of the cultural evils we face today, and how best to overcome them. Then email this outcomes
assessment to me. Doing so should give you a measure of how much, if anything, you have
learned from engaging in this study.

3. COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Completion of course required readings and assignments.

4. REQUIRED READINGS:
Words, Concepts, Reality: Aristotelian Logic for Teenagers
By Thaddeus Kozinski. https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/words-concepts-reality/

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Modernity as Apocalypse: Sacred Nihilism and the Counterfeits of Logos
By Thaddeus Kozinski, Angelico Press, 2019. https://www.angelicopress.org/modernity-as-
apocalypse-kozinski

REQUIRED LECTURE VIDEOS:

Links for URLs for the Lesson lectures to be posted.

5. LESSON PLAN:
Part 1 involves students listening to video recordings each week. Part 2 involves students doing
required readings each week related to the content of the videos. Part 3 consists in completing
weekly writing assignments that will involve students: 1) composing written assignments related
to the videos and readings; 2) listening to the weekly videos and doing the required readings, and
writing a short writing assignment, emailing this assignment by the reception due date and time
to me as the course trainer.

After receiving these assignments, the Educational Consultant will read them, make comments
about them, and return them via email to you.

The course divides into 14 online lectures by the Educational Consultant, followed by a final and
15th session as summary and overview.

6. COURSE SCHEDULE AND WEEKLY TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THE

VIDEOS AND REQUIRED READINGS:

I. Weeks 1-10: Weekly work consists of a) reading a lesson from Words, Concepts,
Reality; b) watching the lecture video; c) answering the study questions at the end
of each lesson; d) a minimum 500-word commentary on the video Lecture and
corresponding readings in which you summarize at least 3 topics discussed in the
video Lecture and/or readings.

II. Essay (due at the end of Week 10): Write a 2000-word essay on this question:
“How can what you learned in material logic help combat the evils we see in our
culture today? Try to pinpoint the most fundamental evil of our day, the root
cause of all the others, and show how it is both the cause of all the others and how
it can be combatted with Aristotelian logic.

III. Week 11-15: Selected essays from Modernity as Apocalypse

11) Read Chapter 1 and Chapter 2: “Modernity: Disease and Cure” and
“Becoming Children of Modernity.” View Lecture Video.
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 Write minimum of 1000-word commentary on the Video Lecture and
corresponding readings in which you: a) Summarize at least 3 topics discussed
in the video Lecture and/or readings; b) Relate one or more ideas or themes in
the chapters to what we discussed in Material Logic.

12) Read Chapter 3 and Chapter 4: “What’s Good? Wherefrom Ought?” and
“Plato: Being in Exile.” View Lecture Video. Write minimum of 1000-word
commentary on the Video Lecture and corresponding readings in which you:
a) Summarize at least 3 topics discussed in the video Lecture and/or readings;
b) Relate one or more ideas or themes in the chapters to what we discussed in
Material Logic.

13) Read Chapter 7 and Chapter 8: “An Apology for Uselessness” and “Why the
Philosopher and the Catholic University Need Each Other.” View Lecture
Video. Write minimum of 1000-word commentary on the Video Lecture and
corresponding readings in which you: a) Summarize at least 3 topics discussed
in the video Lecture and/or readings; b) Relate one or more ideas or themes in
the chapters to what we discussed in Material Logic.

14) Read Chapter 10 and Chapter 11: “Why Modern, Liberal, Pluralistic,
Secularist Democracies Cannot Educate Themselves” and “Sacred
Ambivalence.” View Lecture Video. Write minimum of 1000-word
commentary on the Video Lecture and corresponding readings in which you:
a) Summarize at least 3 topics discussed in the video Lecture and/or readings;
b) Relate one or more ideas or themes in the chapters to what we discussed in
Material Logic.

15) Conclusion and Overview Read Chapter 20 “Why Mysticism is not an

Option.” Write a personal essay (min. 2000 words) exploring how you can
take what you learned in this course to engage in intellectual, cultural, and
spiritual warfare and evangelization.

After you complete each assignment, email it to thaddeuskozinski@protonmail.com. Do

not email assignments as an attachment! Put it into the body of the email. In the
Subject line of the email, put your Name, Course number, and Class Lesson number
(for example, John Doe, PHS 1, Course Lesson 1/2).

If you have any difficulty understanding the above directions, do not hesitate to email
Educational consultant at thaddeuskozinski@protonmail.com or phone him at 307-220-
5520.

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COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Completion of weekly course required readings and assignments:

SOME INFORMATION ABOUT REQUIRED READINGS AND VIDEOS:

Videos are posted online.

ABOUT YOUR COURSE EDUCATIONAL CONSULTANT

Commonsense Wisdom Educational Consultant Thaddeus Kozinski

Dr. Thaddeus Kozinski was Associate Professor of Philosophy and Humanities at Wyoming
Catholic College and Academic Dean. He teaches political philosophy, logic, and Latin at John
Adams Academy, and Great Books for Angelicum Academy.