This lecture discusses key ideas from the 18th century philosopher Immanuel Kant's work of ethics, The Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals.
Specifically it examines his discussion of what he calls "heteronomy" in moral theories other than his own. He examines empirical principles of morality, which include moral feeling and individual happiness, and ra ... Show More
Oct 7
Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan - Motion, Endeavor, and Passions - Sadler's Lectures
This lecture discusses key ideas from the modern philosopher Thomas Hobbes' work Leviathan It focuses specifically on chapter 6, in which Hobbes develops his basic philosophy of human and animal action, which stems from the senses and movements of the body, and then flows into en ... Show More
14m 41s
Oct 5
Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan - Reason and Science - Sadler's Lectures
This lecture discusses key ideas from the modern philosopher Thomas Hobbes' work Leviathan It focuses specifically on chapter 5, where he examines in detail what reason or reasoning is, and what science is. Hobbes views reasoning as something analogous to "reckoning" by adding an ... Show More
17m 16s
Apr 2025
Schopenhauer on Ethics (Part One)
On The Basis of Morality (1840), Part III: "The Founding of Ethics," Ch. 5: "Statement and Proof of the Only True Moral Incentive." Everything up to this point in the book has been negative: Morality can't be founded on pure reason as Kant thinks, or on the idea of the good life ... Show More
1h 4m
Apr 2021
Five: Prof Will MacAskill on moral uncertainty, utilitarianism & how to avoid being a moral monster
Immanuel Kant is a profoundly influential figure in modern philosophy, and was one of the earliest proponents for universal democracy and international cooperation. He also thought that women have no place in civil society, that it was okay to kill illegitimate children, and that ... Show More
1h 52m
Sep 2017
Kant's Categorical Imperative
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss how, in the Enlightenment, Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) sought to define the difference between right and wrong by applying reason, looking at the intention behind actions rather than at consequences. He was inspired to find moral laws by natural phil ... Show More
49m 29s
Jul 2011
2011 Lecture 2: Aristotle's Philosophy as Two Ways of Life
Second lecture in the 2011 John Locke Lecture Series. Philosophy is a demanding intellectual discipline, with many facets: logic, epistemology, philosophy of nature and science, metaphysics, ethics, political philosophy, philosophy of art, rhetoric, philosophy of language and min ... Show More
1 h