HoP 048 - Constitutional Conventions - A...

A royal scholar and philosopher sets aside the tribulations of her family to debate Descartes over the relation between mind and body and the nature of happiness. 

Descartes’ “provisional” morality and his views on free will and virtue. 

Descartes’ Meditations caused controversy as soon as it appeared. In this episode we look at criticisms including the “Cartesian Circle,” and how Descartes answered them. 

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss one of the most important works of political philosophy ever written - Aristotle’s ‘Politics’. Looking out across the city states of 4th century Greece Aristotle asked what made a society good and developed a language of ‘oligarchies’, ‘democracies ... Show More

Is it always better to be just than unjust? That is the central question of Plato's Republic, discussed here by Melvyn Bragg and guests. Writing in c380BC, Plato applied this question both to the individual and the city-state, considering earlier and current forms of government i ... Show More

Platón fue un filósofo griego antiguo nacido en Atenas durante el período clásico, fundó la Academia, una escuela filosófica donde enseñó las doctrinas filosóficas que más tarde se conocerían como platonismo. Junto con su maestro, Sócrates, y su alumno Aristóteles, Platón es una ... Show More

In this episode, we discuss the life and death of Sokrates (ca. 470-399 BC), who is widely considered to be the father of western philosophy, with in-depth overviews of Aristophanes' Clouds and Plato's dialogue Euphyro, Apologia, Krito, and Phaido.  Show Notes: http://www.thehist ... Show More

On Alexander Hamilton/James Madison's Federalist Papers (1, 10-12, 14-17, 39, 47-51), published as newspaper editorials 1787-8, plus Letters III and IV from Brutus, an Anti-Federalist. What constitutes good government? These founding fathers argued that the proposed Constitution, ... Show More

Llegado a Atenas como un desterrado, Diógenes se adhirió a la secta filosófica de los cínicos, una escuela fundada por un discípulo de Sócrates. Sin embargo, una vez instalado en la gran polis griega, ridiculizó las ideas de Platón y se rebeló contra todos los valores de una soci ... Show More

The Greek thinker Socrates was put to death for encouraging his students to question everything - from their own beliefs to the laws and customs of Athenian society. But his ideas didn't die with him.  Here's a chance to hear two episodes from our archive examining the legacy of ... Show More

For better or worse, democracy and epistemology are intertwined. For one thing, politics is partly a matter of gathering, assessing, and applying information. And this can be done responsibly or incompetently. At least since Plato, a leading critique of democracy has focused on t ... Show More

Critias by Plato audiobook. Step into the captivating world of Plato's 'Critias,' an enthralling philosophical dialogue that transports you to the heart of ancient Greece, where the allegorical tale of Atlantis unfolds, brimming with wisdom, intrigue, and timeless lessons. As you ... Show More