How René Descartes’ understanding of his own intellectual project evolved across his lifetime.
Dec 2019
Ep. 231: Descartes's "Discourse" on Wisdom and Certainty (Part One)
<p>On René Descartes's <em>Discourse on Method</em> (1637), an overview of his work that distills his method, outlines his famous <em>Meditations</em>, presents a provisional (Stoic) ethics, and considers whether he wants to be a public intellectual. This is all meant as a prefac ... Show More
39m 55s
Jan 2022
Cyrano de Bergerac
Cyrano de Bergerac is often called a man of letters, a philosopher, a soldier, a duelist, a playwright and many more things. But what he may have been best at was self-invention. His real story is blurry to begin with, and he contributed to that blur, but it’s been even more obsc ... Show More
33m 33s
Jul 2014
Episode #028 ... Rene Descartes pt. 1 - Context
On this episode of the podcast, we begin learning about Rene Descartes. First, we find out why the entire human race can be compared to the loud, obnoxious guy at a party who thinks he’s smarter than everyone else. Next, we examine Descartes’ rigorous method of doubt and how it i ... Show More
26m 51s
Jan 2024
81: Michel de Montaigne - “What Do I Know?”
Nietzsche listed Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) among the best French writers of the Renaissance, and called him a link to classical antiquity. The personal seal of Montaigne read, “What do I know?” For Montaigne, doubting was no less pleasing than knowing, and he exemplified th ... Show More
1h 18m