"This life's dim windows of the soul. Distorts the heavens from pole to pole. And leads you to believe a lie when you see with, not through, the eye." William Blake
INTRODUCTION TO WESTERN PHILOSOPHY
Seeing Through the Eye
This 10-part curriculum-based video series examines many of the key figures and ideas that have shaped Western Philosophy. From the Socratic dialogues that challenged early Greek thought to the existential world view that influenced a generation of thinkers, writers and artists, this series provides a solid foundation for philosophy students.
WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY?
Navigating the Labyrinth
DVD / Live / 28 min / Available in 2010
This video introduces the four major branches of philosophy: Metaphysics, Epistemology, Ethics and Logic. We'll also meet the ancient Greek philosophers whose questions sparked a two-thousand year quest for truth. This program investigates the lives of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle and their radical ideas that charted the course of philosophical inquiry.
METAPHYSICS
The Big Picture
DVD / Live / 29 min / Available in 2010
What is real? What is our place in the universe? And what exists beyond the physical world? These questions are explored in this thought- provoking program that seeks to shed light on the big questions. It also explores the field of onlology, investigating what types of things are in the world and how they relate to one another.
THE THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE
What can we Know?
DVD / Live / 26 min / Available in 2010
In the pursuit of truth, philosophers must be able to justify their beliefs, to distinguish between what is true and what is false. In this overview of epistimology (the science of knowing), viewers are introduced to different types of knowledge, various theories of truth are reviewed and the challenge of skepticism is examined. It also looks at our relationship to the external world by engages the primary theories explaining our perception of the world: direct realism, representationalism and idealism (phenomenalism).
THE PHILOSOPHY OF ETHICS
My Brother's Keeper
DVD / Live / 25 min / Available in 2010
When Socrates said "It is not living that matters, but living rightly," he was making a moral statement. What is "living rightly" and why do we need morality? This overview of ethics explores the values and customs that define our views on "right living", including concepts such as right and wrong, good and evil, and responsibility. The theories of relativism, objectivism, utilitarianism as well as the role of religion conclude this discussion on the field of ethics.
LOGIC
Framing the Questions
DVD / Live / 22 min / Available in 2010
How should we structure our arguements and our statements? This program investigates and classifies the structure of statements and arguments, both through the study of formal systems of inference and through the study of arguments in natural language. It briefly highlights the history of logic, from Aristotle to Bertrand Russell. Views will be able to identify valid arguments and define the difference between inductive and deductive arguments. The more common fallacies of reasoning concludes this fascinating look at the philosophy of logic.
THE PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION
In Search of God
DVD / Live / 25 min / Available in 2011
What roles do faith and reason play in the search for truth? Do suffering and evil disprove the existence of God? What are the main traditions of religious experience and how do they shape conversations about God? The question of God's existence has confounded philosophers and theologians since the dawn of time. This video looks at the Cosmological, Teleological and Ontological arguments for the Existence of God. It also examines the main arguments against the Existence of God. It concludes by investigating the problem of evil and the ramifications in the search for God.
THE PHILOSOPHY OF MIND
The Mind-Body Dilemma
DVD / Live / 28 min / Available in 2011
Traces the main positions that describe the relationship between the mind and the body, including idealism, materialism and dualism. Learn about the strengths and weaknesses of monistic and dualistic attempts to explain how the mental and the material worlds interact. This show also asks: What defines personhood? Is it our ability to make moral decisions and to reason? How are humans different from the animal world? Also, how free are we to make choices? One theory - determinism - says that everything is the effect of a cause. Another theory - libertarianism - says that our actions originate soley within ourselves. This program explores these and other theories, such as compatibilism, that try to determine how responsible we really are for the actions we do.
AESTHETICS
Eye of the Beholder
DVD / Live / 24 min / Available in 2011
Surveys the ideas about beauty and related concepts, addresses questions about the value of aesthetic experience and the variety of aesthetic attitudes, and explores matters that separate art from pure aesthetics, notably the presence of intention. Focuses on the main definitions of art as well as surveys the recent “de-definition” period. The concepts of expression, representation, and the nature of art Objects will also be covered.
THE PHILOSOPHY OF EXISTENTIALISM
Being in the World
DVD / Live / 28 min / Available in 2011
What does it mean to be a human being? Existential philosophy rejects traditional interpretations molded by rationalism or empiricism. Launching from the premise that "existence precedes essence," this program looks at the key ideas and figures in the existential movement, including Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Sartre and Camus.
POSTMODERN PHILOSOPHY
Twilight of the Idols
DVD / Live / 24 min / Available in 2011
While difficult to define, postmodern thought springs from an extreme skepticism which claims that a correct description of Reality is impossible. Journey with us as we grapple with some of the complex ideas of Derrida, Foucault, Wittgenstein, Heidegger and others in the struggle between truth and power.
