"The man who has no tincture of philosophy goes through life imprisoned in the prejudices derived from common sense, from the habitual beliefs of his age or his nation, and from convictions which have grown up in his mind without the co-operation or consent of his deliberate reason. To such a man the world tends to become definite, finite, obvious; common objects rouse no questions, and unfamiliar possibilities are contemptuously rejected. As soon as we begin to philosophize, on the contrary, we find, that even the most everyday things lead to problems to which only very incomplete answers can be given. Philosophy, though unable to tell us with certainty what is the true answer to the doubts which it raises, is able to suggest many possibilities which enlarge our thoughts and free them from the tyranny of custom."
~ Bertrand Russell - The Problems of Philosophy
The lecture begins with a continued discussion of the Cartesian argument and its weaknesses. The lecture then turns to Plato's metaphysical views in the context of his work, Phaedo. The key point in the... continue reading
posted by mauz15
1 decade 5 years 6 months 1 week ago • 1,917 views • 35:42The discussion of Plato's Phaedo continues, presenting more arguments for the existence and immortality of the soul. One such argument is "the argument from the nature of the forms," which states that... continue reading
posted by mauz15 1 decade 5 years 6 months 1 week ago • 1,269 views • 46:38YT: "Professor Kagan discusses the two main positions with regard to the question, "What is a person?" On the one hand, there is the dualist view, according to which a person is a body and a soul. On the... continue reading
posted by Nicki Hansen
(gwiz665) 1 decade 5 years 6 months 1 week ago • 1,779 viewsThe lecture focuses on the question of the metaphysical key to personal identity. What does it mean for a person that presently exists to be the very same person in the future? The first approach to answering... continue reading
posted by Nicki Hansen (gwiz665) 1 decade 5 years 6 months ago • 1,741 viewsThe lecture focuses exclusively on one argument for the immortality of the soul from Plato's Phaedo, namely, "the argument from simplicity." Plato suggests that in order for something to be destroyed,... continue reading
posted by Nicki Hansen (gwiz665) 1 decade 5 years 6 months ago • 1,145 viewsProfessor Kagan elaborates on the "argument from simplicity" and discusses in detail Plato's claims that the soul is simple, changeless and therefore indestructible. The final Platonic argument under discussion... continue reading
posted by Nicki Hansen (gwiz665) 1 decade 5 years 6 months ago • 1,040 viewsTwo more views regarding the metaphysical key to personal identity are discussed: the body view and the personality view. According to the body view, an individual is identified in terms of his or her... continue reading
posted by mauz15 1 decade 5 years 6 months ago • 3,015 viewsThe lecture focuses on the problems directly related to the personality theory as key to personal identity. The theory states that a person retains his or her individuality so long as he or she has the... continue reading
posted by mauz15 1 decade 5 years 6 months ago • 2,371 views • 51:50One of the world's greatest authorities on the Middle Ages, Professor Robert Bartlett of St Andrew's University, investigates the intellectual landscape of the medieval world. In this episode, Professor... continue reading
posted by mauz15 1 decade 5 years 5 months 3 weeks ago • 2,736 views • 58:06The personality theory is revised to state that the key to personal identity is having the same personality provided that there is no branching, that is, provided there is no transfer or duplication of... continue reading
posted by mauz15 1 decade 5 years 5 months 2 weeks ago • 2,394 views • 48:53Not yet a member? No problem!
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