Open College
#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.
#24 Does Power Corrupt?
Lord Acton said, “absolute power corrupts absolutely” but is this accurate? Abuses of social and political power are the ones we worry about the most. Social science data does seem too, on the surface, bare out Lord Acton’s claims. However, if you correlate the degrees of corruption with degrees of centralization the data suggests things are not quite so simple.
Read MoreEP #23 – Is Postmodernism Neo-Marxist? Yes, No & Sort Of.
Professor Jordan B. Peterson is perhaps most famous for the neo-Marxist label “Postmodern Neo-Marxism.” Although Dr. Peterson recommends Explaining Postmodernism by Dr. Hicks, their analysis on this issue differs in some important ways.
Read MoreEP #22 | Did Coffee Give Us The Enlightenment
As a contributing factor, coffee (and tea) certainly gets credit on physiological grounds. Also contributing was the development of European coffee house culture, the coffee houses bringing businessmen, artists, and scientists together for drinking and socializing.
Read MoreEP #20 | Sex Dolls: Why Not?
Sex Dolls, Artificial Intelligence, and the Real Thing. Newly-engineered materials and robotics have made the physical experiences closer to the real thing, and artificial intelligence has enabled robots to respond verbally and non-verbally more realistically. let’s set aside the politics and focus on the ethics: Is sex with robots a good thing? a bad thing?
Read MoreEP #19 | Stain of Slavery
In this episode of the Open College podcast, Professor Stephen Hicks talks about the issue of slavery: its history and current implications. Even though slavery has been prohibited in Western countries, its stains such as racism and discrimination still can be seen in our society. During the last decades, people of the civilized world have been reflecting on the causes and consequences of this tragic part of human history. The anti-slavery position, as Dr. Hicks asserts, became a part of our moral identity, but its mere presence is not enough for a proper moral judgment on “how to apportion credit and blame, pride and shame.” The issue of slavery must first be systematically studied in all of its complexity. By describing the history of the slave trade, its routes and origins worldwide and in North America in particular, Dr. Hicks lays out the necessary foundation for discussing why and how slavery came to be, what were the philosophical ideas behind it, who should be blamed for what has happened, and the causes of eventual abolition. Through historical evidence and data, he presents important facts about slavery that are often sidelined in current discussions and emphasizes the importance of the new Enlightenment individualistic way of thinking for eliminating slavery. Moreover, Professor Hicks warns against rash judgments and common misuses of group language. In order to objectively assign credit and blame, one should check the premises and strictly follow the principles that lie in the foundation of the opposition to slavery because without this philosophical consistency no justice can be achieved. In this episode of Open College Podcast, Dr. Hicks presents a proper systematic way of judging and responding to this human tragedy that stems from ideas of the independence of every human being and his/her individual rights.
Read MoreEP 18 | A Conversation with Dr. Jordan Peterson [Excerpt]
This is an excerpt from a conversation between Dr. Hicks and Dr. Jordan B. Peterson, recorded on March 27, 2019 on the Jordan B. Peterson podcast. Dr. Peterson is a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto, a clinical psychologist and the author of the multi-million copy bestseller 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos. In this episode, the professors discuss the origins of Explaining Post Modernism, its acceptance and increased awareness amongst the philosophers and the origins of criticisms. The professors agree to continue the discussion further as the seeds of a new enlightenments may be upon us.
To listen to the full interview visit the Jordan B. Peterson podcast RSS feed at www.JordanBPeterson.com
Read MoreEP #17 | C. S. Lewis Christian Socialism
Should Christians be socialist and was C.S. Lewis a socialist? What are the basic themes and commitments that are common to all forms of christianity?
Clive Staples Lewis was a British writer and theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University and Cambridge University He is best known for his works of fiction, especially The Screwtape Letters, The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Space Trilogy and for his non-fiction Christian apologetics, such as Mere Christianity, Miracles and The Problem of Pain.
Dr. Stephen R.C. Hicks expands on many of the views, philosophy and influence of C.S. Lewis in this episodes of The Open College podcast.
Read MoreEP#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?
Read More
Recent Comments