When Descartes famously concluded “I think, therefore I am”, he took for granted his ability to use the first person pronoun to refer to himself. But how do we come to have this capacity for self-conscious thought? We aren’t born with it, and while we may not be the only creatures that can think thoughts about ourselves, this ability does not seem to be very ... Show More
Jan 10
Kenneth Aizawa, "Compositional Abduction and Scientific Interpretation: A Granular Approach" (Cambridge UP, 2025)
How do scientists reason when they posit unobservables to explain their observed results? For example, how did Watson and Crick reason that DNA had a double-helix structure when they observed Franklin’s image 51, or how did Hodgkin and Huxley reason that sodium ions carried the c ... Show More
1 h
Dec 16
Mariana Ortega, "Carnalities: The Art of Living in Latinidad" (Duke UP, 2024)
How can habits of racialization be affected by art, in its reception and its creation? How can a carnal aesthetics help us understand Latinx life? What if we listen to photographs? How might they undo us? Can we be undone? In Carnalities: The Art of Living in Latinidad (Duke UP, ... Show More
1h 16m
Nov 10
Amie Thomasson, "Rethinking Metaphysics" (Oxford UP, 2025)
The word “metaphysics” conjures up thoughts of very hard questions about reality and deep, perhaps unresolvable, metaphysical mysteries. But is that the right way to think about the subject matter of metaphysics? According to Amie Thomasson, very clearly no. In her new book, Reth ... Show More
1h 3m
Mar 2022
Super Soul Special: Deepak Chopra Session: Belief Creates Reality
<p>Original Air Date: June 26, 2019</p><p>In a live appearance at UCLA’s Royce Hall, Deepak Chopra explains why a belief is simply a "thought that is true for you." He says the world that we create for ourselves is based on these thoughts, and thus beliefs shape our reality. Deep ... Show More
26m 13s
Jun 2019
Deepak Chopra Session: Belief Creates Reality
<p>In a live appearance at UCLA’s Royce Hall, Deepak Chopra explains why a belief is simply a "thought that is true for you." He says the world that we create for ourselves is based on these thoughts, and thus beliefs shape our reality. Deepak goes on to discuss how, as babies, w ... Show More
26m 13s
Sep 2021
Becoming Who You Truly Are (Self-Realisation)
<p>Life is a journey of self-realisation, of understanding and discovering who we truly are, and of maximising our potential. While this might be a life long journey, one can be closer or further from one's true self. This video analyses self-realisation from a philosophical ... Show More
17m 45s
Jan 2020
Why Self-Esteem is a Fairweather Friend
“The reason we don’t change,” says Shauna Shapiro, PhD, “is because most of us are missing this essential ingredient of self-compassion.” The psychology professor and author of Good Morning, I Love You joins Elise Loehnen to explain why we can forget about self-esteem and why “he ... Show More
43m 12s
