Existentialism, traced from Dostoevsky to Sartre, is the story of a single question growing louder across a century: what do we do when no authority…
Core Theosophical Teachings
Central doctrines, principles, and key concepts of Theosophy—including karma, cycles, planes, and foundational ideologies—organized for study and reference. This category anchors philosophical understanding and supports comparative and interpretive discussions.
Define Existentialism: A Philosophy of Freedom, Choice, and Individual Meaning
Both confront life’s inherent lack of predetermined meaning, but absurdism (associated with Camus) emphasizes the conflict between human need for meaning…
What Is a Philosophy of Inclusion in Theosophical Practice (and How Does It Work)?
The philosophy of inclusion within theosophical thought is the principle that universal wisdom belongs to all humanity and reveals itself through the diverse experiences, cultures, and perspectives of every individual. It rejects the notion that spiritual truth is the exclusive domain of any single tradition, race, or background, instead affirming that the journey toward understanding requires the contributions of many voices.
This matters because inclusion isn’t simply about being welcoming or polite. In theosophical communities, it determines whether we’re genuinely exploring the common threads of human spiritual …
What Is Functionalism in Psychology (and How Does It Connect to Spiritual Purpose)?
Functionalism in psychology is the study of mental processes through the lens of their practical purpose and adaptive value in helping humans navigate and survive in their environment. Rather than asking what consciousness is made of, functionalism asks what consciousness does.
This approach emerged in the United States during the late 19th century as a direct challenge to structuralism, which focused on breaking down mental experiences into their smallest components. Functionalism shifted the conversation entirely. It viewed the mind not as a collection of static elements to be catalogued, but as a dynamic system shaped by …
Why Albert Camus’s The Plague Returns to Toronto This November
Albert Camus is surging in search interest this October because Toronto’s Small World Centre is staging the Canadian premiere of The Plague from November 17-29, 2026, a timely adaptation by Neil Bartlett of Camus’s 1947 novel about a city in quarantine. Tickets range from $25-$35, and the production arrives at a moment when audiences are reconsidering what isolation, collective responsibility, and meaning look like after our own recent experiences with pandemic life.
For readers exploring the basics of theosophy Camus might seem an unlikely figure to …
What Is Evolutionary Psychology (and How Does It Relate to Human Nature)?
Evolutionary psychology is the scientific study of how natural selection has shaped the human mind, examining why we think, feel, and behave the way we do by tracing the adaptive origins of our mental traits. Rooted in Darwin’s insights, this field proposes that many of our psychological features, from mate preferences to fear responses to social cooperation, evolved because they helped our ancestors survive and reproduce in their environments.
The discipline matters because it offers a lens through which we can understand persistent patterns in human behavior across cultures and time periods. Why do we form status hierarchies…
What Is French Existentialism (and How Does It Shape Our Understanding of Freedom)?
French existentialism is a philosophical movement that emerged in mid-20th century France, asserting that individual human beings create meaning and essence through lived experience, personal responsibility, and authentic choice in an inherently absurd universe. Rather than accepting predetermined purpose or divine design, this school of thought places the burden of meaning-making squarely on each person’s shoulders.
This matters because French existentialist thinkers like Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and Albert Camus didn’t just theorize about existence from ivory towers. They lived through the Nazi occupation …
What Berkeley’s Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous Reveals About Inclusive Theosophical Conversation
George Berkeley’s Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous offers contemporary theosophical communities a remarkably practical framework for conducting inclusive, transformative conversations about perception, reality, and shared truth. Written in 1713 as a defense of idealism (the view that material objects exist only as ideas in minds), the text’s real gift to modern spiritual practitioners lies not in its metaphysical conclusions but in its method: how two people with fundamentally different worldviews can engage in respectful, probing dialogue that deepens understanding rather than entrenching positions.
For study…
What Is Psychoanalysis (and How Does It Work)?
Psychoanalysis is a depth-psychological method that explores the unconscious mind through talk therapy, dream analysis, and the examination of recurring patterns in thoughts, emotions, and relationships. Developed by Sigmund Freud in the late nineteenth century, it rests on the premise that much of human behavior is shaped by desires, conflicts, and memories outside conscious awareness. By bringing these hidden forces to light through dialogue with a trained analyst, individuals can achieve greater self-understanding and relief from psychological suffering.
For spiritual seekers and students of …
How Plato’s Five Dialogues Reveal What Theosophical Communities Need Most
Plato’s five essential dialogues (Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Phaedo, and Meno) offer theosophical communities a 2,400-year-old blueprint for building inclusive spaces where genuine spiritual inquiry thrives. These texts don’t merely record philosophical debates. They demonstrate how to create dialogue that honors diverse perspectives, questions assumptions without dismissing participants, and transforms individual insight into collective wisdom.
Plato’s influence on theosophical thought runs deeper than …