History of Virtue Ethics
Philosopher Martha Nussbaum briefly traces the history of virtue ethics, from Aristotle through Kant. She notes that the major theories of virtue have all included strong criticism of traditional social norms, and rejects the notion that virtue ethi...
Inner Self and External World
Philosopher Hubert Dreyfus talks about the views of multiple philosophers concerning how the inner self encounters the every day reality of the external world.
Physician-Assisted Suicide
Philosopher Michael Sandel criticizes the argument that the Supreme Court should adopt a neutral position that does not prevent individuals from opting for physician-assisted suicide. Professor Sandel talks about the opposing view, which does not ag...
Moral Issues and the Self
Philosopher Michael Sandel continues his discussion of morality and the self, exploring the ideas of both the encumbered and the unencumbered self. As an example of someone who acted with the sense of solidarity and moral obligation consistent with ...
Scientific Theory
Philosopher Stephen Toulmin talks about the difficulty of attempting to force different scientific theories into a single, logically coherent system.
How Does Science Add to Knowledge?: How Science Really Worked in the 17th-19th Centuries
Bacon's method of induction seems to work better for the experimental science of Robert Boyle than it does for the theoretical science of Isaac Newton, although Newton does describe his theory as "inferred from the phenomena." An alternative basis f...
Moral Dilemmas...Can Ethics Help?: Moral Dilemmas...Can Ethics Help?
The parents and medical staff caring for a premature baby struggling for life are faced with the decision of whether or not to continue treatment. Philosopher Immanuel Kant, whose ideas have influenced modern medical ethics, would answer such a ques...
Aristotle and Ancient Ethics
Philosopher Martha Nussbaum explores Aristotelian and ancient ethics, explaining what she feels are some of the drawbacks to virtue ethics.
Is Time Real?: Time as an Inner Sense
Immanuel Kant considers time a human creation. Like space, it is an inner sense our minds use to organize our experiences and structure reality. But if there really isn't any time, what is it? As Augustine said, "if I want to explain it to someone w...
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 ...