he intellectual history of western civilization as it is portrayed in literature and philosophy within the context of the ALAS Questions: What is truth? What is justice? What does it mean to be human? What is the good life? History, literature, and philosophy seek to help humans as a species explain the world, the world around them as well as the world within. And they all do so through narratives, stories that help us try to understand and explain our purpose in our very mortal existence. This anthology examines texts within the western literary tradition in conversation.