Last class before finals

On Thursday for the last class before finals for Early Modern Philosophy we discussed trends in European Philosophy from Heidegger thru Alain Badiou and others. The goal was to familiarize everyone with who is who - like Zizek for instance. Some like Bernard Henri-Levy have much political influence. I did not get to Peter Sloterdijk but I should have. The video is posted here. The quiz question was ? For Introduction to Philosophy the quiz question was which French singer do you like? The topic was the Social Constructor and what did you think of the course... The video is posted here. Remember next week for both of these courses there is only one meeting - not two, but that meeting begins at 1 for both. Since I am going to show the movie The Circle and discuss it in both sessions you are welcome to come to either Tuesday or Thursday if one meets your schedule better than the other. For the last class for Ancient and Medieval Philosophy the first half we discussed Dun Scotus and William of Occam (notice there are at least three different spellings of his name Ockham. Also famous for his "razor". The video is posted here. For the second half of the session we began watching the movie Luther which we will watch the rest of the way next week on Fricay evening when we meet for the last time. Quiz question was do you think Trump has read Machiavelli's THe Prince?

Early Modern Philosophy and Introduction to Philosophy lecture 27

Today in early Modern Philosophy we discussed Daniel Dennett. The video is posted here and the quiz question was what kind of conception of God do you use to either affirm or deny? In Introduction to Philosophy today we discussed which culture had more impact on US more, Greece or Rome? We watched a portion of the Intelligence Squared debate posted on the syllabus up to about half way through Mary Beard's presentation. Following that the video is posted here. The quiz question was which side do you vote for? Greece or Rome?

Ancient and Medieval Philosophy

This evening we discussed Aquinas. First half on angels and the arguments for the existence of God and the second half on the Natural Law and Just Wars. The videos are here and here. The first quiz question was do you think the attack on Syria was a just war? Authority, cause, and intention. Second quiz all men are created equal is that natural law for Aquinas?

Early Modern Philosophy and Introduction to Philosophy lecture 26

Today in Early Modern Philosophy we discussed Monotheism following my posted presentation from the syllabus. The video is posted here. The quiz question was what question would you ask Richard Dawkins if you ever met him? For Introduction to Philosophy today we discussed William James and Pragmatism. The video is posted here. The quiz question was do you think Pragmatism represents the philosophy of your own life?

Early Modern Philosophy and Introduction to Philosophy lecture 25

Tuesday in Early Modern Philosophy we discussed Richard Rorty. The videos are posted here and here. The quiz question was. For Introduction to Philosophy we skipped ahead a week by mistake and did a piece on Schopenhauer - Art in the mist. The video is posted here. The quiz question was why did Muffasa die? Not to forget (for me) is to do the class on James next.

Ancient and Medieval Philosophy

Friday evening we discussed a few European philosophers from the end of the syllabus from last week since we had stopped there with Moses. There are two videos from last night posted here and here. Last night I watched the first video and made comments on the youtube site when I realized I either made and error or should have added something. The first quiz question was who do you think was the ugliest philosopher we discussed? (See the video for a hint.) The second half of the class was on Aquinas who we will continue discussing next week as well. See the test questions to see how this emphasis on Aquinas is essentially the climax of this course. The second quiz question was how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?

Early Modern Philosophy and Introduction to Philosophy lecture 24

Today in Early Modern Philosophy we discussed Willard V O Quine. The video is posted here and here. The quiz question was do you think Facebook should be required to do more to protect everyone's privacy? For Introduction to Philosophy today I used the same quiz question as above since it is an issue in the senate hearings today. The video is posted here. The topic today was the difference between eternity and immortality.

Early Modern Philosophy and Introduction to Philosophy lecture 23

Tuesday for Early Modern Philosophy we discussed a chain of thinkers that focus on the history of thought. Berlin, Taylor, Ignatieff, and Fukuyama. We looked at a few videos of each of them including an interview of Berlin done by Ignatieff. I did not film while watching the videos but two videos of the class are posted here and here. The quiz question was what do you think is the US obligation regarding the situation in Syria. Does the US have an obligation to militarily punish Syria's government for bombing their own people with poison gas? For Introduction to Philosophy we discussed Kant again but this time in the context of Virtual Reality as an additional complex issue. How should we conceive of Virtual Reality? As real? Watching David Chalmers argue that Virtual Reality is real - it is digital adds a current dimension to this. The quiz question was do you think VR is fake or veridical? The video is here.

Ancient and Medieval Philosophy lecture 21 and 22

This Friday evening we discussed the definition of Religion which led to our focus on historical religions so we could move on to compare Islamic and Jewish philosophers during the Middle Ages and their eventual impact through the Crucades on the Church dogma and philosophy in Europe. There were two videos even though I had battery problems (I found the missing battery stuck to my glove!) I have the videos posted here and here. The first quiz question was Is tragedy in the arts good for us in preparing us for tragedies that we will face? The second quiz question was Do you think Islam is at war with modernity, and is modernity at war with Islam?

Early Modern Philosophy and Introduction to Philosophy lecture 22

Today in Early Modern Philosophy we discussed Bertrand Russell and Ludwig Wittgenstein. The quiz question was do you find Wittgenstein interesting? The video of the class is posted here. For Introduction to Philosophy today we discussed Kierkegaard and assorted squirrels that came up including Eddie Izzard on fighting tanks with ice cream, Steve Martin on philosophy, proper elopement techiques, how to pronunce Clytmnestra, and climbing Mount Sinai. The quiz question was are there too many squirrels? The video is posted here.

Early Modern Philosophy and Introduction to Philosophy lecture 21

Tuesday we discussed John Dewey after a brief discussion of Husserl and Phenomenology. The focus on Dewey was on his theory of education. We watched a great old video about the Laboratory Schools and the changes he instituted that impact education to this day - applying the Hegelian dialectic as the Theory of Inquiry as the best way to learn and to solve problems. The video is here from the class. This is the old video we watched in class. The quiz question was can depressing works of art help people avoid things that depress them? (Thinking about the movie The Hours). For Introduction to Philosophy we discussed Anthony Appiah and identity. I used the way modern media, especially Disney, has of influencing identity world wide with a focus on the movie Frozen and the song in translation - 25 different languages. The video from the class is here. Here is one in French. The quiz question was do you feel your identity is oppressed?