Sadler's Lectures
1,287 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 5 hours ago - ★★★★★ - 70 ratingsI'm that YouTube Philosophy Guy! Find more than 2,500 videos in my main channel. Support my video and podcast work! https://www.patreon.com/sadler or https://www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM
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Episodes
Ursula K Leguin, Tehanu - Dragons And Human Beings - Sadler's Lectures
July 14, 2024 16:03 - 12 minutes - 17.2 MBThis lecture discusses the science fiction and fantasy author, Ursula K. Leguin's novel, Tehanu, the fourth of six Earthsea books It focuses specifically on the new information about the interconnections between dragons and human beings in Earthsea, revealed by a story in a story in a story. Tenar tells Theru about the experience Ogion had with the woman of Kemay, who turns out to be a dragon, and the story of the origins of human beings and dragons she tells him. To support my ongoing work...
Ursula K Leguin, Tehanu - The King Of The Archipelago, Order, And Justice - Sadler's Lectures
July 13, 2024 17:58 - 15 minutes - 21.4 MBThis lecture discusses the science fiction and fantasy author, Ursula K. Leguin's novel, Tehanu, the fourth of six Earthsea books It focuses specifically on the early years of the king Lebannen's reign, which involves reintroducing order to Earthsea, and both enacting justice and enabling local communities to administer justice. Lebannen's reign aims to change the dynamic of the strong preying upon the weak To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler If you'd...
Ursula K Leguin, Tehanu - Aunty Moss The Witch - Sadler's Lectures
July 12, 2024 21:29 - 20 minutes - 27.6 MBThis lecture discusses the science fiction and fantasy author, Ursula K. Leguin's novel, Tehanu, the fourth of six Earthsea books It focuses specifically on the character, "Aunty" Moss, the local witch, who Tenar becomes friends with after Ogion's death. To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler If you'd like to make a direct contribution, you can do so here - www.paypal.me/ReasonIO You can find over 3,000 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www...
Ursula K Leguin, Tehanu - Tenar And The Mage Ogion - Sadler's Lectures
July 11, 2024 13:08 - 15 minutes - 22.6 MBThis lecture discusses the science fiction and fantasy author, Ursula K. Leguin's novel, Tehanu, the fourth of six Earthsea books It focuses specifically on the relationship between Ogion the mage and Tenar, who had been his ward and student for some time after she left Atuan with Ged. Ogion dies not long after Tenar arrives with Therru. To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler If you'd like to make a direct contribution, you can do so here - www.paypal.me...
Ursula K Leguin, Tehanu - Ged No Longer A Mage - Sadler's Lectures
July 09, 2024 14:57 - 19 minutes - 25.8 MBThis lecture discusses the science fiction and fantasy author, Ursula K. Leguin's novel, Tehanu, the fourth of six Earthsea books It focuses specifically on the dragon Kalessin dropping off the archmage Ged, now drained of all his power, on the island of Gont, with Tenar. Ged will struggle to make sense of his identity and his life lacking the magical power that has defined him for nearly his entire life, and will be lost for a good portion of the novel To support my ongoing work, go to my ...
Ursula K Leguin, Tehanu - Tenar Teaching Therru - Sadler's Lectures
July 08, 2024 21:31 - 14 minutes - 20.6 MBThis lecture discusses the science fiction and fantasy author, Ursula K. Leguin's novel, Tehanu, the fourth of six Earthsea books It focuses specifically on Tenar's attempt's to follow Ogion's final instructions "teach her all", about her young adopted daughter Therru. To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler If you'd like to make a direct contribution, you can do so here - www.paypal.me/ReasonIO You can find over 3,000 philosophy videos in my main YouTub...
Ursula K Leguin, Tehanu - Therru's Abuse, Fear, And Healing - Sadler's Lectures
July 07, 2024 13:55 - 22 minutes - 32.1 MBThis lecture discusses the science fiction and fantasy author, Ursula K. Leguin's novel, Tehanu, the fourth of six Earthsea books It focuses specifically on the character Therru, a terribly abused child who was beaten, starved, and raped by her parents and their gang. She is thrown into a fire and left for dead, but survives and is adopted by Tenar, who raises her and tries to help her heal. To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler If you'd like to make a ...
Franz Fanon, Black Skin, White Masks - Parallels Between Antisemitism And Anti-Black Racism
July 05, 2024 13:25 - 17 minutes - 26.6 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th century philosopher, psychoanalyst, and social critic Frantz Fanon's work Black Skin, White Masks It focuses specifically on his comparative discussions of antisemitism directed at the figure of the Jew and anti-Black racism or negrophobia directed at the figure of the Black person. There are similarities and connections between the two dynamics but also some important differences that Fanon highlights To support my ongoing work, go to my Patre...
Franz Fanon, Black Skin, White Masks - Negrophobia, Nature, And Sexuality
July 03, 2024 14:58 - 18 minutes - 26.9 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th century philosopher, psychoanalyst, and social critic Frantz Fanon's work Black Skin, White Masks It focuses specifically on his discussions bearing on what he calls "Negrophobia", which involves the reduction of black people to nature, to animals, and to their sexuality, on the part of the racist feeling fear, anxiety, or disgust towards them. To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler If you'd like to make a d...
Franz Fanon, Black Skin, White Masks - Woman And Man, White And Color
July 01, 2024 19:45 - 25 minutes - 37.4 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th century philosopher, psychoanalyst, and social critic Frantz Fanon's work Black Skin, White Masks It focuses specifically on the discussions in the second and third chapters of the work, titled "The Woman of Color and the White Man," and "The Man of Color and the White Woman." Fanon examines what would need to be the case in order to have the possibility of "true, authentic love—wishing for others what one postulates for oneself, when that post...
Cicero On The Ends Book 3 - Wisdom And The Other Arts - Sadler's Lectures
June 30, 2024 20:08 - 10 minutes - 15.2 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient philosopher and statesman Marcus Tullius Cicero's work, On The Ends, which discusses problems and perspectives on happiness, ethics, and human nature Specifically it examines his discussion in book 3 likening the virtue of wisdom to certain arts, particularly dancing and acting. Cicero draws out the points of similarity, and also indicates where they differ. To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler If you'...
Nishitani Keiji, The Self-Overcoming Of Nihilism - Humanism, Existentialism, And Buddhism
June 29, 2024 21:15 - 22 minutes - 32.3 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th century philosopher and head of the Japanese Kyoto school, Nishitani Keiji's book, The Self-Overcoming Of Nihilism Specifically it examines the Appendix to the work, titled "The Problem of Atheism". He analyses two main philosophical atheistic approaches to religion, that of Marxist humanism and that of Sartrean existentialism, and points out inadequacies to both of these positions, particularly when examined in relation to Mahayana Buddhism. N...
Nishitani Keiji, The Self - Overcoming Of Nihilism - Nihilism And Reappropriating Tradition
June 28, 2024 20:58 - 17 minutes - 25.4 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th century philosopher and head of the Japanese Kyoto school, Nishitani Keiji's book, The Self-Overcoming Of Nihilism Specifically it examines chapter 9, "The Meaning of Nihilism for Japan". Nishitani claims that nihilism has become a significant cultural problem in post-World War II Japan, and that merely returning to a previously robust tradition undergirded by (Mahayana) Buddhism and Confucianism will not be by itself sufficient. Instead, that ...
Nishitani Keiji, The Self - Overcoming Of Nihilism - Nihilism, Japan, And Westernization
June 27, 2024 14:53 - 21 minutes - 31.5 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th century philosopher and head of the Japanese Kyoto school, Nishitani Keiji's book, The Self-Overcoming Of Nihilism Specifically it examines chapter 9, "The Meaning of Nihilism for Japan". This one examines his discussion of how Japan opened itself up to a crisis of nihilism precisely through modernization and westernization, and what the possibilities for post-World War II are. To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com...
Nishitani Keiji, The Self-Overcoming Of Nihilism - European Nihilism - Sadler's Lectures
June 26, 2024 17:55 - 17 minutes - 26.1 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th century philosopher and head of the Japanese Kyoto school, Nishitani Keiji's book, The Self-Overcoming Of Nihilism Specifically it examines his discussion in chapter 1 "Nihilism As Existence", of what he terms "European nihilism". Although nihilism remains in part a trans-cultural and trans-historical phenomenon, it arises in a complex and active way within the ongoing development of modern European culture. A nihilims that overcomes nihilism al...
Nishitani Keiji, The Self-Overcoming Of Nihilism - Nihilism And Philosophy Of History
June 24, 2024 19:59 - 13 minutes - 19.7 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th century philosopher and head of the Japanese Kyoto school, Nishitani Keiji's book, The Self-Overcoming Of Nihilism Specifically it examines his discussion in chapter 1 "Nihilism As Existence", focused on how human beings are situated in history, and how nihilism arises not just as a trans-historical possibility, but within a particular historical context, that of modern Europe. This requires that not only does nihilism need to be understood from...
Nishitani Keiji, The Self-Overcoming Of Nihilism - Nihilism And The Problem Of The Self
June 23, 2024 22:08 - 14 minutes - 21.4 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th century philosopher and head of the Japanese Kyoto school, Nishitani Keiji's book, The Self-Overcoming Of Nihilism Specifically it examines his discussion in chapter 1 "Nihilism As Existence", which distinguishes several unproductive and inadequate approaches to nihilism, and then frames nihilism as a problem of the self. He notes that the self can be broken into two selves, one which observes and questions, the other which is observed and quest...
Albert Camus, The Myth Of Sisyphus - Dostoevsky, The Absurd, And Existentialism - Sadler's Lectures
June 21, 2024 14:26 - 20 minutes - 29.2 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th century philosopher, novelist, and essayist Albert Camus' work The Myth of Sisyphus Specifically it examines his discussion of Dostoevsky, his novels, and his characters' perspectives in the third part of the work, "Absurd Creation". While several of the characters that Dostoevsky discusses are people whose thought, life, and engagements emerge from and grapple with the absurd, according to Camus Dostoevsky himself makes a leap out past the abs...
Albert Camus, The Myth Of Sisyphus - Ephemeral Creation - Sadler's Lectures
June 20, 2024 20:02 - 18 minutes - 27.8 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th century philosopher, novelist, and essayist Albert Camus' work The Myth of Sisyphus Specifically it examines the section "Ephemeral Creation" in the third part of work. Camus discusses the possibility of an "ascesis" of he absurd that would remain true to it despite our tendency to succumb to hope. He discusses how this would work for the creative novelist, and the role that revolt, freedom, and diversity play To support my ongoing work, go to ...
Albert Camus, The Myth Of Sisyphus - The Absurd, Art, And Philosophy - Sadler's Lectures
June 18, 2024 19:03 - 26 minutes - 38.4 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th century philosopher, novelist, and essayist Albert Camus' work The Myth of Sisyphus Specifically it examines his discussion in the third part of the work, Absurd Creation, examining how art and specifically fiction or the novel end up intersecting with philosophy in their engagements with the absurd. To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler or Buy Me A Coffee - https://buymeacoffee.com/a4quydwom If you'd like ...
Albert Camus, The Myth Of Sisyphus - A Sketch: Conquest and the Conquerer - Sadler's Lectures
June 17, 2024 20:09 - 18 minutes - 27.2 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th century philosopher, novelist, and essayist Albert Camus' work The Myth of Sisyphus Specifically it examines the third of the sketches or examples Camus provides in part 2 of the work, illustrating ways in which a person might live out an "ethics of quantity" in the face of the absurd. Camus discusses conquest and the person he calls "the conquerer", but this person in late modern times will be quite different from conquerors in earlier times. ...
Albert Camus, The Myth Of Sisyphus - A Sketch: Drama and The Actor - Sadler's Lectures
June 16, 2024 17:05 - 19 minutes - 29 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th century philosopher, novelist, and essayist Albert Camus' work The Myth of Sisyphus Specifically it examines the second sketch or example he discusses in the second part of the work, "The Absurd Man". Taking the stage actor as a paradigm, Camus examines how living out a life that imitates many other lives on the stage, portraying passions through the body, can be one kind of an "ethics of quantity" To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon s...
Albert Camus, The Myth Of Sisyphus - A Sketch: Don Juanism - Sadler's Lectures
June 14, 2024 18:30 - 19 minutes - 27.7 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th century philosopher, novelist, and essayist Albert Camus' work The Myth of Sisyphus Specifically it examines one of the sketches or examples that he provides in the second part of his work, illustrating one particular "ethics of quantity" that remains consistently engaged with the absurd. This one centers around the fictional figure of Don Juan, reinterpreted by Camus. He engages in a seemingly endless series of seductions of women throughout h...
Albert Camus, The Myth Of Sisyphus - Ethics Faced With The Absurd - Sadler's Lectures
June 13, 2024 18:25 - 22 minutes - 33.8 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th century philosopher, novelist, and essayist Albert Camus' work The Myth of Sisyphus Specifically it examines his discussion in part 2, which develops a sort of ethics confronting the absurd in human existence. This ethics would be developed within the scope of a person's life, and would not be reducible to universal rules or principles. To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler If you'd like to make a direct c...
Plutarch, How To Tell A Flatterer From A Friend - Moderating Frankness Of Speech - Sadler's Lectures
June 11, 2024 12:53 - 18 minutes - 26 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient Middle Platonist philosopher and biographer Plutarch's essay How To Tell A Flatterer From A Friend This episode focuses specifically on the importance of moderating, or placing some limits on frankness of speech (in ancient Greek, parrhesia) within the scope of genuine friendship. These include advice to avoid approaches that are likely to be insulting to the person being criticized, since frankness has room for graciousness. Frank criticism ...
Plutarch, How To Tell A Flatterer From A Friend - Flatterers' Imitation Of Frankness Of Speech
June 09, 2024 17:15 - 15 minutes - 23.1 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient Middle Platonist philosopher and biographer Plutarch's essay How To Tell A Flatterer From A Friend This episode focuses specifically on how flatterers engage in imitation of, rather than genuine, frankness of speech with the people that they want to deceive into thinking they are actually friends. Plutarch identifies several ways in which the seeming frankness of flatterers differs from that of friends, and notes a particularly problematic te...
Plutarch, How To Tell A Flatterer From A Friend - Friendship And Frankness Of Speech
June 08, 2024 16:41 - 19 minutes - 28.1 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient Middle Platonist philosopher and biographer Plutarch's essay How To Tell A Flatterer From A Friend This episode focuses specifically on the importance of frankness of speech (in ancient Greek, parrhesia) within genuine friendship. Plutarch argues that we all need friends not only to be pleasant to us and praise us, but also to point out where we are going wrong in our attitudes, words, and actions. He provides advice about how and when we oug...
Plutarch, How To Tell A Flatterer From A Friend - Tricks Flatterers Employ - Sadler's Lectures
June 07, 2024 18:54 - 17 minutes - 24.6 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient Middle Platonist philosopher and biographer Plutarch's essay How To Tell A Flatterer From A Friend This episode focuses specifically on his discussion of a number of tricks and techniques that more sophisticated flatterers use to attempt to imitate friendship. Among these are using a fake frankness of speech, imitating similarities with the person targeted, pretending to share the same problems or deficits, praising the person wrongly for th...
Plutarch, How To Tell A Flatterer From A Friend - Friendship, Similarity, And Flattery
June 06, 2024 15:16 - 16 minutes - 23.3 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient Middle Platonist philosopher and biographer Plutarch's essay How To Tell A Flatterer From A Friend This episode focuses specifically on the role that similarity plays in generating and sustaining real friendships between people, and the deliberate and deceptive imitations of similarity on the part of flatterers. He also notes that flatterers will imitate negative characteristics and actions, whereas friends will generally share similarities i...
Plutarch, How To Tell A Flatterer From A Friend - Assistance And Services
June 04, 2024 16:37 - 14 minutes - 20.9 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient Middle Platonist philosopher and biographer Plutarch's essay How To Tell A Flatterer From A Friend This episode focuses specifically on his discussion of assistance, services, ministering, and courtesies that flatterers and friends provide. Merely providing these or not does not allow us to distinguish flatterers from friends, so we need to look to other characteristics, such as the eagerness that a person shows, the moral quality of the serv...
Plutarch, How To Tell A Flatterer From A Friend - Flatterers And One's Own Friends
June 03, 2024 19:03 - 13 minutes - 20.2 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient Middle Platonist philosopher and biographer Plutarch's essay How To Tell A Flatterer From A Friend This episode focuses specifically on one area in which we can tell flatterers from genuine friends, namely their attitudes and behavior towards other flatterers and towards our genuine friends. Flatterers will be envious of other flatterers and compete with them, and they will attempt to isolate their target from genuine friends. Real friends, ...
Plutarch, How To Tell A Flatterer From A Friend - Pleasure, Praise, And Services
June 02, 2024 16:30 - 11 minutes - 15.8 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient Middle Platonist philosopher and biographer Plutarch's essay How To Tell A Flatterer From A Friend This episode focuses specifically on criteria we can use to tell flatterers from friends. Early on in the work, Plutarch considers three potential criteria, namely whether a person gives pleasure to the other person, whether a person gives praise to the other person, or whether a person does services and courtesies to the other person. None of t...
Plutarch, How To Tell A Flatterer From A Friend - Vulnerabilities To Flatterers
June 01, 2024 22:34 - 17 minutes - 24.8 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient Middle Platonist philosopher and biographer Plutarch's essay How To Tell A Flatterer From A Friend This episode focuses specifically on the vulnerabilities to flatterers and flattery that we have within our own selves and characters. These stem from our own excessive self-love (philautia) which makes us liable to be flatterers of our own selves, and renders us liable to listen to those who confirm what we would like to think about ourselves, ...
Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis - Modes Of Alienation In The Narrative
May 30, 2024 21:01 - 18 minutes - 26.4 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the work of the 20th century novelist and short story writer, Franz Kafka, "The Metamorphosis" This lecture discusses different modes of alienation or estrangement within the story, largely but not solely concerning the character Gregor Samsa. He is already somewhat alienated in economic and social terms at the start of the story, and more so as the story goes on, but he is even more so in terms of the Samsa family dynamics and in relation to his own sel...
Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis - The Cook, Servant Girl, Lodgers, And Charwoman - Sadler's Lectures
May 29, 2024 13:04 - 15 minutes - 21.8 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the work of the 20th century novelist and short story writer, Franz Kafka, "The Metamorphosis" This lecture discusses the responses and attitudes towards Gregor on the part of different minor characters in the short story, namely the cook and servant-girl who respond to Gregory with horror, the lodgers who pretend to be disgusted by him but really are just taking advantage of the situation, and the charwoman who exhibits a kind of rough friendliness towa...
Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis - Gregor's Mother And Father - Sadler's Lectures
May 28, 2024 13:53 - 17 minutes - 24.8 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the work of the 20th century novelist and short story writer, Franz Kafka, "The Metamorphosis" This lecture discusses two of the other important characters in the story, Gregors mother and father, simply referred to Mrs. and Mr. Samsa. Both of them are aged and in bad health, and dependent upon Gregor, at the start of the story. Mrs. Samsa remains prone to fainting spells, but does take thought about her son and takes on work that can be done in the home...
Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis - Gregor's Sister Grete - Sadler's Lectures
May 26, 2024 15:30 - 13 minutes - 19.2 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the work of the 20th century novelist and short story writer, Franz Kafka, "The Metamorphosis" This lecture discusses the character Grete, who is Gregor's younger sister. At the beginning of the story, she is a teenager with minimal responsibilities and some musical talent. As she comes to take care of her brother after his metamorphosis, she takes on more responsibility and agency. By the end of the story, she argues that the creature is no longer her b...
Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis - The Samsa Family's Circumstances - Sadler's Lectures
May 24, 2024 19:57 - 16 minutes - 24.2 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the work of the 20th century novelist and short story writer, Franz Kafka, "The Metamorphosis" This lecture discusses the circumstances of Gregor's family, the Samsas. Initially, they are all dependent upon Gregor for their income, paying down debts, and even the decision-making around the house. As Gregor discovers after his transformation and losing his job, his father does have some money set aside, and his family members are all capable of taking on ...
Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis - Gregor Samsa's Transformation - Sadler's Lectures
May 23, 2024 17:34 - 19 minutes - 27.4 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the work of the 20th century novelist and short story writer, Franz Kafka, "The Metamorphosis" This lecture discusses the transformation or metamorphosis (Verwandlung) that Gregor Samsa experiences at the very beginning of the story, but also throughout the narrative. As it turns out it is not simply his physical form that is changed, but also his own capacities and possibilities, his relationships with other people, his senses and desires, and even his ...
Martin Luther King, Unfulfilled Hopes - Bitterness, Withdrawal, & Creative Will - Sadler's Lectures
May 21, 2024 14:38 - 19 minutes - 28.3 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the work of the 20th century theologian, social philosopher, and civil rights activist, Martin Luther King Jr.'s sermon "Unfulfilled Hopes" It discusses the analysis he provides of three different characteristic responses to the tragic element of life, that dreams remain unrealized, hopes unfulfilled, and that cries for a solution go unanswered. Two of these responses, those of bitterness and withdrawal, are negative and motivated by anger and hate. The ...
Plato, Gorgias - Why People Get Angry In Discussions - Sadler's Lectures
May 20, 2024 13:16 - 12 minutes - 18.1 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient philosopher Plato's dialogue, the Gorgias. This lecture focuses specifically on a set of points that Socrates makes in his conversation with Gorgias, outlining a common dynamic that tends to produce anger and even lead to abusive language between people who are discussing or exploring a subject matter together. When subject matters or topics are difficult to define, people will accuse each other of being unclear or incorrect in what they say....
Plato, Gorgias - Knowledge, Good Will, And Frankness - Sadler's Lectures
May 19, 2024 16:18 - 12 minutes - 18 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient philosopher Plato's dialogue, the Gorgias. This lecture focuses specifically on a passage in the conversation between Socrates and the host of the evening's conversations, Callicles. After Callicles has told Socrates that philosophy is fine for children and young men, but that a mature man ought to leave it behind, Socrates ironically tells Callicles that he is certain to get a good assessment of his character from Callicles. Socrates claims ...
Franz Kafka, On Parables - Making Sense Of Parables and Meta-Parables - Sadler's Lectures
May 18, 2024 21:38 - 15 minutes - 21.4 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the work of the 20th century novelist and short story writer, Franz Kafka, "On Parables" This lecture discusses the terminology used in the story, the distinction between the words of the wise which are parables and the needs and cares of our daily lives, and a metaparable that this short story ends on. Here is the story in its entirety: Many complain that the words of the wise are always merely parables and of no use in daily life, which is the only li...
Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters To A Young Poet - Trust In Things - Sadler's Lectures
May 17, 2024 22:29 - 16 minutes - 24.4 MBThis lecture discusses the 20th century poet, novelist, and philosopher, Rainer Maria Rilke's work Letters to a Young Poet, and examines in particular advocation of trusting (halten) in what is difficult, and trusting in things. The range of "things" includes those of nature, even the smallest things, but also matters like love and death To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler If you'd like to make a direct contribution, you can do so here - www.paypal.me/...
Plutarch, On Having Many Friends - Problems With Having Many Friends - Sadler's Lectures
May 14, 2024 15:01 - 15 minutes - 21.7 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient philosopher and biographer Plutarch's short work On Having Many Friends. This episode focuses specifically on the reasonings he provides for the impossibility or impracticability of having many friends (poluphilia) in any genuine sense of the term. Some of these stem from the difficulties involved in doing justice to all of our relationships. Others arise from the variance we are bound to encounter among the people we would like to call frie...
Plutarch, On Having Many Friends - Trying And Testing Friends - Sadler's Lectures
May 14, 2024 00:19 - 12 minutes - 18.5 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient philosopher and biographer Plutarch's short work On Having Many Friends. This episode focuses specifically on his advice that, if we want to have good friendships, we need to try and test people before becoming fully friends with them. This echoes advice given earlier by authors like Cicero, Aristotle, and Seneca. Unfortunately, Plutarch says, many people make friends first, and then come to regret their commitment to people whose characters ...
Plutarch, On Having Many Friends - What Genuine Friendship Involves - Sadler's Lectures
May 12, 2024 23:51 - 12 minutes - 18.6 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient philosopher and biographer Plutarch's short work On Having Many Friends. This episode focuses specifically on a number of features of true or genuine friendship that he discusses in the work. Some of these are his own later interpretation of earlier authors who discuss friendship, like Aristotle and Cicero. You can find the copy of the text I am using for this sequence on Plutarch's On Having Many Friends here - https://amzn.to/48LBGZ2 To s...
William James, The Will To Be - Certitude And Truth - Sadler's Lectures
May 11, 2024 13:44 - 21 minutes - 30.9 MBThis lecture discusses the 19th-20th century philosopher and psychologist, William James, and focuses on his essay, "The Will To Believe". Specifically it discusses the relationship between certitude or certainty and truth. James distinguishes two different orientations towards these, which he calls empiricism and absolutism. Absolutism holds that we can attain some absolute certainty, and that we can know with certainty that we know the truth. Empiricism about philosophy notes that there is ...
Immanuel Kant, Prolegomena - Pure And Empirical Laws Of Nature - Sadler's Lectures
May 10, 2024 17:05 - 14 minutes - 20.2 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the 18th century philosopher Immanuel Kant's work, The Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics. Specifically it focuses on his discussion in the Second Part Of The Transcendental Problem: How Is Pure Natural Science Possible? Specifically this bears upon Kant's distinction between pure or universal laws of nature, which can be known a priori and which are the conditions for the possibility of experience, and empirical laws of nature, which can be grasped ...
Immanuel Kant, Prolegomena - Metaphysics And The Other Sciences - Sadler's Lectures
May 09, 2024 13:48 - 21 minutes - 31.2 MBThis lecture discusses key ideas from the 18th century philosopher Immanuel Kant's work, The Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics. Specifically it focuses on the Appendix, specifically the relations and differences that Kant says metaphysics has with the other sciences (Wissenschaften) and branches of knowledge (Kentnisse), including Mathematics, Natural Science, Theology, Medicine, Jurisprudence, and Morality To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler If y...