History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps

Exploring the anxieties and explanations of witchcraft in Shakespeare's Macbeth, discussing supernatural elements, historical context, attitudes towards witchcraft in the 16th and 17th centuries, and the portrayal of Lady Macbeth as a fiend-like queen.

Exploring the motives behind English colonization efforts and the perception of native populations. Examining Shakespeare's play 'The Tempest' as a reflection on colonialism. Analyzing the connection between Montaigne's essay 'On Cannibals' and Shakespeare's play. Challenging the idea of Shakespeare as a colonizer.

How the Renaissance turn towards individual identity is reflected in Shakespeare's most famous play. 

We're joined by Patrick Gray to discuss Shakespeare's knowledge of philosophy, his ethics, and his influence on such thinkers as Hegel.

How should we approach Shakespeare’s plays as philosophical texts? We take as examples skepticism and politics in Othello, King Lear, and Julius Caesar.

We begin to look at Elizabethan literature, as Sidney argues that poetry is superior to philosophy, and philosophy is put to use in Spenser’s "Fairie Queene".

Richard Hooker defends the religious and political settlement of Elizabethan England using rational arguments and appeals to the natural law.

The evolution of ideas about kingship and the role of the “three estates” in 15th and 16th century England, with a focus on John Fortescue and Thomas Starkey.

What is the message of the famous, but elusive, work "Utopia", and how can it be squared with the life of its author?

Humanism comes to England and Scotland, leading scholars like Thomas Eylot and Andrew Melville to rethink philosophical education.