Johannes A. Niederhauser

It is rather incredible how revered Bergson is given his crude misreading of Kant. In this talk I take diagnose this misreading and also show where Bergson’s “philosophy” has led. If you’d like to read Kant with me this year, follow this link. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit halkyon.substack.com/subscribe

John Vervaeke, a cognitive scientist and philosopher at the University of Toronto, dives deep into the nature of God and the universe. He discusses how philosophical and theological texts can reshape our understanding of divine existence, embracing a more relational approach. Vervaeke also elaborates on the critical intersection of philosophy, cognitive science, and spirituality, arguing for a more integrated way to find meaning. His upcoming course promises transformative insights through engaging lectures and collaborative discussions.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit halkyon.substack.comIn the true spirit of com-mentare, of thinking along with, I read here Emerson’s magnificent and wondrous essay. Thank you for listening, reading and thinking along.

The Cambridge Platonists are today largely forgotten. But they were hugely influential during their time and especially also on the development of German Idealism. They opposed the burgeoning materialism and mechanism (and thus atheism) of their time but also Cartesian dualism. Instead, they proposed a metaphysics of spirit which saw the cosmos as enlivened. In this lively conversation Prof. Douglas Hedley, Professor of the Philosophy of Religion in the Faculty of Divinity at Cambridge, lays out the lasting significance of legacy of the Cambridge Platonists. Douglas’ book can be found here.You can enrol in my Plato course here. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit halkyon.substack.com/subscribe

Philosophy shall be the Queen of the Arts and Sciences once more! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit halkyon.substack.com/subscribe

διὰ τὸ θαυμάζειν οἱ ἄνθρωποι καὶ νῦν καὶ τὸ πρῶτον ἤρξαντο φιλοσοφεῖν.Through wonder men began to philosophize, both now and in the beginning.-Aristotle, Metaphysics, Book 1, 982bThat something is at all! This is the wonder with which philosophy begins. Join me when we again let ourselves into the wonder of existence at my new Plato course: https://halkyonacademy.teachable.com/p/plato-republic This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit halkyon.substack.com/subscribe

A new experimental video of which there shall be many more. In autumn of 2022 I spent several months in Sicily and also got to travel to Mount Etna. I hiked up the active volcano where legend has it that Empedocles, one of the forefathers of philosophy, threw himself into the element of fire to prove his divinity. Or perhaps Empedocles rather wished for himself to experience the intensity of being and death. In any event myth stands higher than recorded history. And it is upon us to continue the narration of the myth of the future. The footage you can see here I recorded during my two days at Mount Etna. I’m reading from John Burnet’s translation of Empedocles’ fragments. I shall publish more such videos on my YT channel and some also here on Substack. I also recorded an entire lecture course on Plato’s Republic in Athens and Delphi in October 2023. You can find the course here.Image: The Death of Empedocles by Salvator Rosa. Source: Wikipedia. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit halkyon.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode I introduce my new course on Plato’s Republic. Seminars for the course begin 20th of January 2024. You can enrol here. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit halkyon.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit halkyon.substack.comTravel back in time with me to the year I lived and travelled across Canada and the US. First stop Granville Street, Vancouver. I tell the stories of the people I met during my first month in Vancouver, around the warehouses I worked, the musicians I jammed with, the songs I wrote, the car we bought, my first boss who had emigrated from Persia and who c…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit halkyon.substack.comFrancis Bacons’s New Atlantis is a most astounding utopian fable. Published shortly after his death by his former chaplain William Rawley Bacon here lays out the blueprint for the Royal Society — and in fact for the British Empire with its vast spy network. Not only that though. The New Atlantis, albeit unfinished, is a deeply significant fable for it a…