Minds and Matter
Philosopher Daniel Dennett talks about the link between mind and matter. He states that it is the mind that causes things to matter, noting that for organisms with very simple minds (like sponges or starfish, for example), there is not much that act...
Language and Religion
Philosopher John Searle talks about what he calls "the language game," and how it's used today with regard to religion and God. Professor Searle says that many people go through the motions with religion, using language to express true belief when, ...
Language, Meaning and Truth
Philosopher W.V. Quine explores what he calls "the meaning of meaning." Using the formula for momentum as an example, he talks about the temporal nature of supposed statements of truth, arguing that what appears to be "true" today may not be conside...
Liberal and Communitarian Theories of Government
Philosopher Michael Sandel says he recognizes the power of the liberal theory of government, because its neutral position regarding morality is based on a certain conception of freedom. Despite this, however, Professor Sandel believes the liberal po...
Mind and the World (Part One), The
Philosopher Stephen Toulmin talks about Immanuel Kant's views regarding the relationship between the mind and the world. Professor Toulmin explains that it was Kant who originated the idea that our understanding of the world is "...at least as much ...
Knowledge
Philosopher Charles Taylor talks about different understandings of knowledge, beginning with Descartes, who believed that knowledge is inner representation of outer reality.
Mind and the World (Part Two), The
Philosopher Stephen Toulmin continues his exploration of the relationship between the mind and the world. He contends that while eighty percent of the way we see the world is based on the way the world present itself to us, the other twenty percent ...
Locke and the Self
Philosopher Ian Hacking talks about John Locke's idea that the self--or the person one is--depends on what one remembers. Professor Hacking looks at the implications of this idea on jurisprudence, citing a Canadian example of two individuals who bas...
Modern Dualism
Philosopher Charles Taylor talks about the tendency to see the mental and the physical as two completely separate and distinct categories. He notes that much of modern philosophy is concerned with blurring the rigid line between the two, in recognit...
Meaning in Life: From Heidegger to Dostoyevsky
Philosopher Hubert Dreyfus talks about different ways of explaining meaning in life, as reflected in the writings of philosophers Martin Heidegger and Maurice Merleau-Ponty, as well as author Fyodor Dostoyevsky.