English edition. Videos, book covers and the philosophy map retain their original languages; the language of external readings is indicated on their links.

ESSAYS AND ARTICLES

How to start reading philosophy on your own without feeling overwhelmed

This may sound familiar: a question sparks your curiosity, you look for a place to start, and you find yourself facing an endless list of names. Perhaps you have heard of Plato, Kant or Nietzsche, but you do not know whom to start with or how to approach their work. Every book seems to require five others. One introduction recommends starting with the Greek classics; another, with today’s questions. You open a work everyone considers essential and, after a few pages, can barely explain what you have read.

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Reading tables arranged around the centre of a monumental library hall. — Main Reading Room of the Library of Congress, Thomas Jefferson Building, Washington, 2009. An illustration of reading and research, not a record of a specific activity in this guide. Photograph: Carol M. Highsmith · Public domain according to the file record. Reproduced at a lower resolution, without cropping.

AI AND PHILOSOPHY

Leo XIV and artificial intelligence: a perspective grounded in human dignity

A reading of Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical of 15 May 2026, on artificial intelligence, dignity, work and the development of judgement. The article explores what it means to understand, decide and take responsibility when using these systems, without mistaking a convincing answer for a well-founded judgement.

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Leo XIV waves from the window of the Apostolic Palace during the Angelus on 22 June 2025, beside a lectern and microphone. — Leo XIV · Angelus, 22 June 2025. Source: Vatican News · All rights reserved. Contextual photograph; it does not depict the presentation of the 2026 encyclical.

ART AND PHILOSOPHY

Raphael’s The School of Athens

In The School of Athens, Raphael makes thought visible. The figures converse, write, calculate and listen. Explore the context, gestures and choices that shape this conversation between philosophers.

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Philosophers and scholars gather in a monumental interior with arches and steps. At the centre, Plato raises a finger while Aristotle extends his hand. Around them, others read, converse and follow demonstrations. — Raphael, *The School of Athens*, c. 1509–1511. Fresco, Stanza della Segnatura, Apostolic Palace, Vatican City. Photograph: Wilfredor, 2024 · Wikimedia Commons · CC0 1.0. Reproduced at 3,840 pixels, with no additional cropping.

READING CLUB · COMING SOON

Choose your reading room:

US$10/month

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One membership will provide access to all three reading paths and their private forums. Access is limited to active members. Books must be obtained separately.

What will be included?

A selection of readings each month
Guides to each text: key ideas, context and a step-by-step reading path.
Questions to explore in depth and discuss in private forums, at your own pace

Join in whenever you can. Discussions will be asynchronous, with no live meetings or immediate replies.

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Art for your library

Coming soon

Art posters to inspire you in your library, study or reading nook

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The Death of Socrates, by David — The Death of SocratesJacques-Louis David

Aristotle with a Bust of Homer, by Rembrandt — Aristotle with a Bust of HomerRembrandt

The School of Athens, by Raphael — The School of AthensRaphael

The Great Wave, by Katsushika Hokusai — The Great WaveKatsushika Hokusai

Wheat Field with Cypresses, by Vincent van Gogh — Wheat Field with CypressesVincent van Gogh

Tables and architecture in the Main Reading Room of the Library of Congress. — Main Reading Room of the Library of CongressCarol M. Highsmith

A philosopher beside a window and a spiral staircase in Rembrandt’s painting. — Philosopher in MeditationRembrandt

THE SAP

What we understand becomes wisdom
when it transforms the way we live.

Study on your own

Coming soon

Guides and workbooks to learn at your own pace

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$90 · All three printed workbooksU.S. shipping included

History of Philosophy I

Antiquity and the Middle Ages

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History of Philosophy II

From Humanism to Kant

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History of Philosophy III

Romanticism and contemporary thought

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The branches of the project

01 / WATCH

Philosophy in video

Series exploring philosophical concepts, thinkers and questions through videos, presentations and further reading, at your own pace.

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Árbol Interior thumbnail in Spanish: What is metaphysics? From Aristotle to Heidegger. — Árbol Interior by J. P. Bruz Watch the episode

Series

Great concepts in philosophy

Ten videos exploring what exists, how we know, how we reason and how we guide our decisions: from dialectic and metaphysics to ethics, aesthetics and politics. Each episode includes a presentation and further reading in English.

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Series

The Presocratics

A journey through the earliest Greek thinkers and the questions that gave rise to philosophy: the origin of nature, change and the search for a common principle.

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02 / READ

Essays and articles

A space to think slowly and explore questions in depth.

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Mountains and trees reflected in the calm waters of Lake Seealpsee — Photograph: Lucas Derksen / Unsplash · Unsplash License. An illustration of appearance and reality.

What can we know about reality?

Perception, knowledge and reality: a journey through Berkeley, Kant and the limits of what we can know.

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How to start reading philosophy on your own without feeling overwhelmed

Find your way through texts and arguments, making a thoughtful start without expecting yourself to know everything.

View both essays · What can we know about reality?

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03 / FOLLOW A PATH

Reading paths

Connect books, authors and ideas. Find your own thread.

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The Death of Socrates, by David: Socrates reaches towards the cup while his disciples surround him. — Jacques-Louis David, The Death of Socrates, 1787 · The Met, 31.45 · CC0. Source and rights

Plato’s dialogues

Apology, Crito and Euthyphro: context and passages to accompany your reading.

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Marble bust of Aristotle, Palazzo Altemps, Rome. — Aristotle, Palazzo Altemps · Photograph: Jastrow (2006), public domain. Source and rights

Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics

How to live well

Nicomachean Ethics: ten books exploring happiness, character, choice and friendship, with explanations and reference passages.

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04 / CONTEMPLATE

Art and philosophy

Look at what an artwork reveals. Think through sensory experience.

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Raphael’s School of Athens: philosophers gathered beneath monumental architecture. — Raphael, The School of Athens · Public-domain reproduction (PD-Art), Wikimedia Commons. Source and rights

The School of Athens

Raphael’s context, his figures and the gestures that bring thought into a scene.

Explore the artwork

Luis Enrique Marval Coll · 28 days, photographs and stories

28 days, photographs and stories: Children in the streets

In February 2018, a daily photography prompt led Luis Marval to explore Punto Fijo and Paraguaná, Venezuela. A photographic journey through childhood in its streets

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05 / DISCOVER

Philosophy and film

Stories that challenge us. Questions as we leave the cinema.

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Truman opens his arms in front of the exit door of the set, on a platform against the painted sky. — The Truman Show, 1998 · Film still: Paramount Pictures, as credited by Looper.

The Truman Show

Reality, freedom and spectacle: the right to lead a life of your own.

Contains spoilers.

Discover the key ideas

Pi and Richard Parker in the lifeboat. — Life of Pi, 2012 · 20th Century Fox · Vanity Fair.

Life of Pi: the story we choose to believe

A journey through fear, instinct and faith, where the tiger, the sea and the farewells invite us to ask what sustains us.

Contains spoilers.

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06 / QUESTION

AI and philosophy

Explore artificial intelligence and what it means to be human.

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Contextual photograph.

Leo XIV and artificial intelligence: a perspective grounded in human dignity

A philosophical reading on artificial intelligence, dignity and work, in relation to Leo XIII and the Industrial Revolution.

Think about AI

The Alps supercomputer at CSCS in Lugano, with mountain-decorated cabinets and a person beside an open panel. — Alps supercomputer, CSCS (Lugano), inaugurated in 2024. Photograph: Marco Abram / CSCS, «The Alps research infrastructure» · CC BY-SA 3.0. Illustrative image, reproduced without alteration; it is not part of the original article.

Epistemic responsibility

Dan Lloyd proposes four rules for making AI use transparent and retaining human responsibility for what we publish.

AI-assisted English adaptation of the Spanish translation · Unofficial.

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THE PROJECT

Growing within

Árbol Interior begins with an idea: weaving together fields of knowledge to better understand reality and our own experience. Here, philosophy enters into dialogue with science, art and spirituality, respecting their differences. Videos, essays and reading paths give shape to that search. Wisdom is its sap: what nourishes thought and inner growth.

Get to know the project

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