Sadler's Lectures

This is part 1 of the the recording of my invited Saint Anselm Lecture, given in 2008 at Saint Anselm College. Here is the abstract of the paper: One important divine attribute Saint Anselm examines and treats is that of simplicity. His treatment brings out some surprising features of simplicity itself which escape the frameworks of the logic of created being, providing us a fuller, albeit still very partial, understanding of the true nature of that attribute. A deep problem can then arise for the created human being in the course of such speculations and investigations: How can a complex, complicated, composite created being more closely approach a perfectly simple divine being? In both our thought and in our practice, it seems that our attempts to approach God simply introduce even more complexity into things. My paper addresses that problem. The first section of the paper presents five short Anselmian lessons about the divine attribute of simplicity. The second section then frames and explores the problem. The third and final section provides an Anselmian resolution to the problem. 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 - or at BuyMeACoffee - www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM You can find over 3,500 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler You can get Anselm's Complete Treatises: with Selected Letters and Prayers here - https://amzn.to/3YqF74L

This lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th and 21st century philosopher and moral theorist, Alasdair MacIntyre's work After Virtue It focuses upon chapter 3, specifically on his discussion of on the types of "characters" - social roles emblematic of a culture -- typical of late modern Emotivist culture. These are the rich aesthete, the manager, and the therapist. 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 - or at BuyMeACoffee - www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM You can find over 3,500 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler You can get MacIntyre's After Virtue here - amzn.to/2RiplGT

This lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th and 21st century philosopher and moral theorist, Alasdair MacIntyre's work After Virtue It focuses upon chapter 3, specifically on his discussion of MacIntyre's analysis of the key and distinctive aspects of Emotivism as a moral theory. Emotivism was presented originally as a meta-ethical theory, but as MacIntyre notes, it develops into its own ethical stance that rules out the possibility of rational inquiry into and agreement upon moral matters. 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 - or at BuyMeACoffee - www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM You can find over 3,500 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler You can get MacIntyre's After Virtue here - amzn.to/2RiplGT

This lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th and 21st century philosopher and moral theorist, Alasdair MacIntyre's work After Virtue It focuses upon chapter 2, specifically on his discussion of the distinction between the meaning and the use of moral language, using several examples. This will become particularly important in his analysis of Emotivism as a moral theory in the following chapter. 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 - or at BuyMeACoffee - www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM You can find over 3,500 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler You can get MacIntyre's After Virtue here - amzn.to/2RiplGT

Delve into Martin Luther King Jr.'s profound insights in a thoughtful discussion. Explore how he sees racial justice as the ultimate goal of non-violent action. Discover why he believes equality of treatment alone fails to transform society. The metaphor of 'cashing a check' ties racial justice to America's foundational promises. King advocates for integration over segregation, emphasizing dignity and respect for all. The conversation highlights the interconnectedness of communities, showing that injustice anywhere threatens justice everywhere.

Explore Martin Luther King Jr.'s perspective on nonviolent resistance as a strategic, methodical approach rather than spontaneous action. Delve into the four vital steps of a nonviolent campaign that include fact-finding and self-purification. Discover King's powerful notion of meeting physical force with 'soul force' to provoke a moral awakening in society. The importance of creating constructive tension is also highlighted, alongside King's critique of the white moderate who resists necessary change.

This lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th century African-American philosopher, theologian, and civil rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr.'s work "Letter From A Birmingham Jail". This episode examines King's discussion and reinterpretation of the classical distinction between just and unjust laws. 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 - or at BuyMeACoffee - www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM You can find over 3500 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler You can find the Letter From A Birmingham Jail here - https://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html

This lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th century African-American philosopher, theologian, and civil rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr.'s work "Letter From A Birmingham Jail" This episode examines King's depiction and analysis of racism and segregation as fundamentally wrong and illegitimate forms of inequality in America 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 - or at BuyMeACoffee - www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM You can find over 3500 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler You can find the Letter From A Birmingham Jail here - https://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html

This is the recording from my invited talk on philosophical resources for understanding and managing anger, which was part of my alma mater Lakeland University's Thinkhaus talk series, given up at the Mead Public Library in Sheboygan, WI. The original recording from 2017 was made by a local high school AV club, which unfortunately didn't do a great job with sound, lighting, video, or editing, so I didn't release it at the time, but I've subsequently remastered it to improve all of those. In the talk, I discuss how ideas drawn from Plato, Aristotle, and Epictetus can help us to deal productively with the anger that we inevitably encounter or experience. Specifically, from Plato we learn how to identify the sorts of conflicts that are likely to lead to anger, from Aristotle how to assess our own anger responses, and from Epictetus how to shift our feeling of anger into a different feeling by reminding ourselves of why people do things that we take as wrong or offensive.

Explore the intricate world of Aristotelian friendship and discover the three types: utility, pleasure, and the good. Understand how each type shapes our relationships and the challenges in achieving true friendship. Delve into Aristotle's views on virtue and the realistic path to nurturing genuine connections, emphasizing mutual growth and commitment. Insights from thinkers like Cicero, Seneca, and Plutarch add layers to this discussion, revealing timeless wisdom on trust and the essence of true companionship.