Image of Confucius - historical figure

The Pedagogy of Confucius

Almost everyone is familiar with the name Confucius, but not as many are familiar with the impact his philosophy has made on the world at large. Confucius’s concepts of how life should be experienced, the dynamics between citizen and government, the structure of family, and his views on how to operate in an increasingly turbulent society remain relevant hundreds of years after his death. They formed the philosophical backbone of East Asian civilization as well as influencing the Western world in innumerable ways […]

Classical Philosophy

What Was Greek Philosophy Before Socrates?

Greek philosophy is divided into the period before and after the life of Socrates. Starting with the Ionians, the earliest philosophers are now known as the “Presocratics”. The question is, what was their role in defining Western Philsophy as we know it today? […]

Image of 4 historical figures over watches
Applied Philosophy

Can We Truly Know The Lives of Historical Figures?

We have a problem in everyday language when we want to talk about “what happened” in the lives of historical figures. What happened is surprisingly complicated, even when we wish to explain an event that occurred earlier today, much less the actions of a person living 2,500 years ago […]

Applied Philosophy

Why Do Scientists No Longer Study The Soul?

Despite its immense importance over the millennia, there is one concept not found in contemporary science or philosophy of mind: the concept of the soul. Why are problems of mind and body still with us, both philosophically and scientifically, while contemporary scientists and philosophers have nothing to say about souls? This lecture considers the history of that vanished concept. […]

1 2 3