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.
Innate Ideas: Plato and the Meno
Philosopher Ian Hacking notes that Plato was fascinated by mathematics, and explains that his theory of innate ideas is based on the simple mathematical proof in his famous Socratic dialogue called the Meno.
How Old Is The Mind? (Part 1)
Philosopher Hilary Putnam talks about the concept of the mind, and how it's changed since the time of the early Greeks. He notes that Descartes was the first to say intellect, soul and mind are one and the same thing.
Nietzsche and the Death of God
Philosopher Hubert Dreyfus talks about Friedrich Nietzsche's views on God, then flashes back to the time of Plato, before moving forward again and exploring the question: what happens to a culture which is organized around the notion of God as a sin...
Plato, Artistotle and Scientific Theory
Philosopher Stephen Toulmin talks about Plato's preference for theories that take a mathematical form. Professor Toulmin adds that this preference was carried over to modern times, so that a discipline like psychology might be deemed inferior to the...
Philosophy Over Time
Philosopher Hilary Putnam talks about philosophy since the time of Socrates. He notes that one constant about philosophy since the days of the ancient Greeks has been its concern with thinking carefully about how to live.
Scientific Method, The
Philosopher Stephen Toulmin touches on another aspect of philosophy in which there are very different perspectives. In this case, Professor Toulmin notes, it is scientific method which comes into question. He notes that while some believe there is a...
Individual and the Community, The
Philosopher Martha Nussbaum discusses the relationship between the individual self and the community. She maintains that even with a spirit of altruism at work, even with an awareness of and concern for the community and the family unit, it is very ...
Ancient Views of the Self
Philosopher Martha Nussbaum talks about the split among the ancient Greeks between those, like Aristotle, who thought the body was an essential part of the self, and those like Plato, who believed that the body was merely "...a prison house for the ...
Ancient Philosophers and the Meaning of Life
Philosopher Martha Nussbaum talks about Socrates' belief that the unexamined life is not worth living. Professor Nussbaum adds that Plato and Aristotle urged those who were running society and making the rules to see things more clearly and do a bet...