History of Philosophy Audio Archive

In this 2015 talk, philosopher Wendy Brown, author of "Neoliberalism's Stealth Revolution" and "Regulating Aversion" gives a fascinating overview and analysis of the phenomenon of cultural decay under neoliberalism and offers a fascinating perspective on the early days of the US-Iraq War, especially the "leadership" of a certain Ian Bremmer, who as head of the Coalition Provisional Authority managed to destroy both the Iraqi state bureaucracy AND the standing Iraqi military, leading to the creation of, you guessed it, the 2004 Iraq Insurgency and of course Al-Qaeda in Iraq, later to become a little something called ISIS. Original video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlLPxNdYYWo Enjoy.

Do animals deserve rights in the same way that human beings do? How can those rights be determined, and do they differ from animal to animal based on complexity? In this presentation at the University of Chicago in 2021, Professor Nussbaum walks us through different intellectual and political approaches to animal rights, and some of the controversies that exist in this poorly explored and under-realized area of applied ethics. Original video here: https://youtu.be/DM8LHc2TkoI?si=6KpdqmorEaLzAsPT Episode art is the cover for Professor Nussbaum's book "Justice for Animals" - NB that this is episode is NOT the audiobook. Enjoy.

Herbert Marcuse was one of the leading intellectuals of the 1960s, and did more than perhaps any other philosopher to shape the intellectual foundations of the counterculture. In this episode, I include first an interview between Bryan Magee and the man himself, and then afterwards and always punchy analysis by the fantastic Rick Roderick. The original videos can be found here: Rick Roderick on Marcuse https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNAKr1TQ0xc Bryan Magee Interviews Herbert Marcuse (1977) https://youtu.be/U23Ho0m_Sv0?si=hRqCzQoaFrTrtKLg Enjoy.

Presentation by Robert C. Solomon Existentialism began not in philosophy but primarily in literature - Dostoevsky's Notes from the Underground and Kafka's Metamorphosis along with Hesse's Steppenwolf were the clearest and earliest expositions of existentialist themes and ideas. In this presentation, Solomon walks us through Dostoevsky's The Idiot, selections from Kafka, and finally to Hermann Hesse's "Magic Theater" in Steppenwolf. Enjoy.

Julian Assange is one of the few heroes to have lived and worked in my lifetime. It is clear that he will never receive a fair trial, never exercise his right to face his accusers, or be treated humanely during the series of ordeals that have comprised his exile, capture, and torture under conditions of solitary confinement. We must demand amnesty for Julian Assange - without journalists like him, we will be wrapped in darkness and lies. Original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HX7A2aCrBU Original article: https://scheerpost.com/2024/03/27/chris-hedges-the-crucifixion-of-julian-assange-2/ Image by Mr. Fish, cartoonist. https://clowncrack.com/

I've committed a grave sin - coining a new term - and that terms is soterioactive. The soterioactive is all forms of human activity that serve primarily and expediently to liberate, deliver, or emancipate human beings from a condition of ignorance, vice, or hate. In this talk, I lay out what that looks like in the realms of public discourse, art/aesthetics, and in history. Enjoy.

The Arab Spring was not just an Arab revolution - it was a wave of revolutionary activity that touched Brazil, Myanmar, the United States (Occupy) and Southeast Asia. It began in Tunisia, when a vegetable vendor who had been insulted and abused by police seeking bribes decided he had had enough and made the decision to self-immolate. In this lecture, Professor Roy provides both historical background and personal eyewitness testimony to the nature of the Arab Spring. The original video can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iL0nswvZRwo The original channel can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/@ACCTVStudios My thanks to Austin Community College TV for making this recording available. Enjoy.

"Anomie" is a term from the foundational French sociologist Emile Durkheim. It refers to the rage and chaos created in individuals and the networks they interact with when social disconnection and personal alienation reach dangerous levels. In this talk, Hedges turns his lens towards our cultural patterns of alienation, loneliness, resentment, frustration, and despair. He attempts to place the cause of mass shootings, ethnonationalist violence, and crimes of despair and self-harm within a sociological context responsive to our times. The original video is here: https://youtu.be/HV0cS1TGve4?si=VM8IEWYI3LdTfV-L My thanks to the Sanctuary for Independent Media for hosting the presentation and uploading the material. https://www.youtube.com/@mediasanctuary Enjoy.

In this talk Professor Roy breaks down: Where ISIS really comes from How the Syrian Civil War began Which countries benefited and which suffered following the Arab Spring revolution How the US supported Islamic extremists in Afghanistan, Kurdistan, and Syria The origins of al-Qaeda and the relationship between Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden. I found this presentation extremely effective and politically relevant, and I hope you did as well. As always, please go over to YouTube and give the man some love. YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheAustinSchool YouTube Original Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBeFTcK9U5s This material is taken from publicly available sources and is syndicated/curated for educational and nonprofit objectives in accordance with Fair Use Enjoy.

Hey everybody - this is a personal episode, I saw that there are a few people listening now and I wanted to say a few things about what I have learned studying philosophy and talk about a few of the major pitfalls and pathmarks that you can reasonably expect as you get deeper into the study of philosophy. I also tell a few jokes. If you feel like reaching out, you can hit me up here: williamengels@substack.com Enjoy