lectures

#25 Thales’ Revolution

September 10, 2019 admin Open College with Dr. Stephen Hicks Comments Off on #25 Thales’ Revolution

The standard claim is that philosophy begins with Thales. Why did philosophy come into being in a clusters of cities on the coasts of Asia minor? Ascribed to Thales by Aristotle: “The first principle and basic nature of all things is water, ”and “All things are full of gods.” Why do historians of philosophy get worked up over these lines?
To see their significance, let’s set a context by going back to the worldview of the awesomely great Homer. So brush up on The Iliad, which I want to use as our pre-philosophy-worldview contrast object.

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 EP#15  | Training, Not Educating Activists

March 20, 2019 admin Open College with Dr. Stephen Hicks Comments Off on  EP#15  | Training, Not Educating Activists

Are reason and analysis under attack by scepticism? Why do post modernists focus on training and indoctrinating activist while ignoring some of the fundamental principals of education? If racial gender ethnic group conflict are the new principal of education what is the purpose of education?

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EP #11 | Is Envy Worse in a Free Society?

January 23, 2019 admin Open College with Dr. Stephen Hicks Comments Off on EP #11 | Is Envy Worse in a Free Society?

The argument claims, Socialism is motivated by anti-rich, anti-success envy, and that’s simply an illegitimate motivation. The envy-charge against socialism is that it institutionalizes envy. How does this compare with liberal capitalist countries? Is there more or less potential for envy to flourish in a liberal capitalist society?

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EP #10 | Bhopal: Government Subsidized Chaos

January 8, 2019 admin Open College with Dr. Stephen Hicks Comments Off on EP #10 | Bhopal: Government Subsidized Chaos

Bhopal is a city in central India, and late in 1984 chemicals in large quantities spilled out of an industrial plant there, killing, maiming, and damaging tens of thousands of people.
The long-term estimated death toll from the 1984 Bhopal disaster in India is about 16,000 people, making it the worst human-caused environmental disaster in history.
In the high-tech society we strive to be, it is essential that we learn the causes of disasters so that we can correct our mistakes. Technology lessens many of life’s risks, but handled badly it can add other serious risks.

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EP #9 | Envy’s Moral Psychological Challenge

January 2, 2019 admin Open College with Dr. Stephen Hicks Comments Off on EP #9 | Envy’s Moral Psychological Challenge

The puzzle of envy and how it impacts our lives. Why does envy cause some of us to do destructive things? How do envy differ from jealousy?

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EP #8 | Love Canal

December 18, 2018 admin Open College with Dr. Stephen Hicks Comments Off on EP #8 | Love Canal

Did government contribute to one of America’s greatest environmental disasters? What is eminent domain? Were any politicians or government officials prosecuted for criminal neglect?

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