History of Philosophy Audio Archive

Come join my Patreon! https://patreon.com/HemlockPatreon A Portuguese Jew living in Holland, Spinoza was excommunicated because of the unorthodox view he took of God. Spinoza wrote in the rationalist style of a geometric proof to develop his idea of God as the infinite, indwelling cause of all things, a unified causal system that is virtually synonymous with nature. In this system, there is no free will, for all things are necessary and inevitable, and all objects, including humans, are part of God's active self-expression. Our minds can participate in the eternity of God by focusing on natural laws and the way all things follow from God or nature. Human fulfillment is possible, he believed, only by rejecting our finite, flawed selves and identifying with the eternal within us. Spinoza believed that by doing so we can love God with an immediate devotion without asking anything in return. Script authored by Spinoza scholar J. Thomas Cook. Enjoy. -//- https://philpeople.org/profiles/j-thomas-cook https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baruch_Spinoza https://archive.org/details/thegiantsofphilosophy

Come join my Patreon! https://patreon.com/HemlockPatreon The tyrant dies and his rule is over; the martyr dies and his rule begins. -Soren Kierkegaard, 1848 For Kierkegaard, truth is a subjective reality which we must live, not simply something to consider and discuss. His self-consciousness and self-examination highlight the practical demands of existence, and he opposes the speculative thinking of philosophical idealists (especially Hegel). Kierkegaard urges the reader to commit to make choices about how to live. In Either/or, he concentrates on sensual indulgence versus duty, the avant garde versus tradition. Fear & trembling dramatically distinguishes between ethical and religious existence, based on the biblical story of Abraham. We must choose to be a "knight of infinite resignation" (giving up hope for this life). Kierkegaard says much of life's meaning depends not on external conditions, but on our internal choices about relating to them. -George Connell, author of the script. Enjoy. -//- https://www.researchgate.net/profile/George-Connell https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%B8ren_Kierkegaar https://archive.org/details/thegiantsofphilosophy

Come join my Patreon! https://patreon.com/HemlockPatreon Thomas Aquinas is the smartest man who ever lived - with the sole exception of Jesus Christ. -Peter Kreeft, Professor of Philosophy at Boston College St. Thomas Aquinas is known for producing history’s most complete system of Christian philosophy. In the late thirteenth century, this quiet, reflective Dominican scholar combined the work of Aristotle with Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and pagan thought to reconcile reason and faith. He believed we can know that God exists but not what God is like. Thomas concluded that mortal happiness is uncertain but immortal happiness is the ultimate end of life; beatitude is to pass beyond death to "see the face of God." His thought continues to exert a powerful influence on Catholic philosophy today.  -Kenneth L. Schmitz, author of this recording's script. (1922-2017) Enjoy. -//- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_L._Schmitz https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Kreeft https://archive.org/details/thegiantsofphilosophy

Come join my Patreon! https://patreon.com/HemlockPatreon David Hume (1711-1776) has been called "the greatest philosophical mind in the English language" by Cornel West, and is one of the most influential philosophers of the Enlightenment era. In this lively and fully-acted performance, Hollywood actor Charlton Heston narrates an overview of Hume's life, philosophy, and influence as described by noted Hume scholar Nicholas Capaldi, current professor emeritus of Loyola University. This recording is remastered from a set of cassette recordings called "The Giants of Philosophy" first published in 1990 and available now on Internet Archive. Enjoy -//- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hume https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Capaldi https://archive.org/details/thegiantsofphilosophy

Come join my Patreon! https://patreon.com/HemlockPatreon How did South Africa come under the control of the Dutch and the British? When and how was racial apartheid implemented and justified? Professor Roy breaks it down for us. Enjoy! -//-

We did it - 100 episodes! Celebrate with 12 hours of Plato! My Patreon page: https://patreon.com/HemlockPatreon (00:00:00) - Intro (00:00:51) - The Domain of the Dialogues (01:31:20) - The Examined Life (02:16:42) - Tragedy in the Philosophic Age of the Greeks (03:00:16) - Republic I (03:46:46) - Republic II (04:30:45) - Republic III (05:16:40) - The Laws and Cephalus (06:01:33) - Protagoras: The Many and the One (06:46:51) - Gorgias: The Temptation to Speak (07:32:24) - Parmenides: The Most True (08:07:10) - Sophist and Statesman (09:01:35) - Phaedrus: Hymn to Love (09:46:23) - Symposium: Pride of Love (10:33:03) - Platonic Achievement (11:17:59) - Living Voice Enjoy! -//-

Come join my Patreon! https://patreon.com/HemlockPatreon World-renowned professor of linguistics and lifelong political dissident Noam Chomsky addressed The New School in September 2015 about the threats facing the civilized world as we neared the third decade of the 21st century. His predictions and analyses are more prescient now than they were even then. Enjoy. -//- Original video (The New School): https://youtu.be/w_X5czMVKT8?si=AiN_Vbu1hgJ_HRAn&t=433

Come join my Patreon! https://patreon.com/HemlockPatreon In order to do philosophy at all we have to find ways to discuss difficult topics in a way that allows other people to approach and understand us. Conversation is an infinite game - how can we establish ground rules for communication that allow players to keep coming back and keep the ball of dialogue in the air? Marshall Rosenberg is the author of the book Nonviolent Communication and served for many years as a diplomat, negotiator, and peacemaker in dangerous international contexts.

Note: This episode contains a graphic description of torture. Come join my Patreon! https://patreon.com/HemlockPatreon In this 1993 talk Michael Parenti explores the techniques that imperial powers such as the United States use in order to reduce "Third World" countries like Mexico, Guatemala, Iran, and so forth to dependency and economic vulnerability.

Come join my Patreon! https://patreon.com/HemlockPatreon (00:00:00) Intro (00:00:52) Phenomenology of Spirit (00:45:36) Hegel & the Meaning of History Enjoy -//-