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Combat and Classics logoCombat and Classics is a series of podcasts and online seminars that explores the nature of man in conflict and cooperation through socratic dialogue and the great books. For more info visit combatandclassics.org

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Combat & Classics #25: Aristotle’s Politics, Part 3

October 30, 2018 by Brian Wilson Leave a Comment

What is slavery? What does slavery have to do with the household or the state? Brian, Lise, and Jeff dig deeper into the Politics in part 3 of their discussion of this series.

Get more C&C on the PEL site or at combatandclassics.org.

Combat & Classics #23: Aristotle Politics Bk. I, part 2

October 10, 2018 by Brian Wilson Leave a Comment

Lise, Jeff, and Brian continue their conversation about Book I of Aristotle’s Politics.
They address Aristotle’s discussion of how a city comes to be, and his assertion that humans reach their full potential by living in a city.

Get more C&C on the PEL site or at combatandclassics.org.

Combat & Classics #21: Aristotle’s Politics Bk. I

August 7, 2018 by Brian Wilson Leave a Comment

Jeff, Lise, and Brian roll up their sleeves and dig in to Aristotle’s Politics.
How are this and other “Great Books” relevant to how we live our lives? What is good political rule? What does it mean to be “just” within a political system? The team tackles those questions and much more in this episode.
Get more C&C on the PEL site or at combatandclassics.org.

Science, Religion, and Secularism Part XII: Michael Allen Gillespie, Theological Origins of Modernity

November 30, 2017 by Daniel Halverson 4 Comments

How an important element of both modern philosophy and science emerged from an obscure dispute within the medieval Franciscan order involving Plato, Aristotle, the Roman Catholic Church, and William of Ockham, among others.

Science, Religion, and Secularism Part VIII: Arthur O. Lovejoy, the Great Chain of Being

November 2, 2017 by Daniel Halverson Leave a Comment

In the previous article, we saw how geometry set the standard for knowledge in the world of ancient Greek philosophy, and how Christian theology emerged out of an effort to harmonize the very different traditions of Greek and Hebraic thought. Plato’s theory of the forms is perhaps his most famous contribution to philosophy, and requires no extensive discussion. But, as Continue Reading …

Nothing So Absurd?

August 1, 2017 by Nicholas Joll 1 Comment

In the first installment of a two-part series, Nicholas Joll tries to convince us that, for one thing, fire is not hot and, for another, that sincerity is impossible.

Bojack Horseman and Aristotelian Self-Love

November 1, 2016 by Ana Sandoiu 1 Comment

The popular Netflix show is rife with philosophical questions. “Can Aristotle teach Bojack a thing or two about self-love?” is one of them.

Episode 148: Aristotle on Friendship and Happiness

October 3, 2016 by Mark Linsenmayer 2 Comments

On the final books 8–10 of Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics. What does friendship have to do with ethics? With guest Ana Sandoiu.

End song: “A Few Gone Down” from The MayTricks’ Happy Songs Will Bring You Down (1994).

Episode 148: Aristotle on Friendship and Happiness (Citizen Edition)

October 2, 2016 by Mark Linsenmayer 2 Comments

On the final books 8–10 of Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics. What does friendship have to do with ethics? Aristotle thinks that friends are necessary for the good life and that the only true friend is a virtuous one. But the number one virtue is reason, and the chief activity for the good life for Aristotle is contemplation, so how does this connect with being a good friend? With guest Ana Sandoiu.

End song: “A Few Gone Down” from The MayTricks’ Happy Songs Will Bring You Down (1994).

Episode 147: Aristotle on Wisdom and Incontinence

September 19, 2016 by Mark Linsenmayer 7 Comments

On the Nichomachean Ethics (ca. 350 BCE), books 6–7. Is intelligence just one thing? Aristotle picks out a number of distinct faculties, some of which are relevant to ethics, and he uses these to explain Plato’s puzzle of how someone can clearly see what the good for him is, and yet fail to pursue it due to weakness of the will.

This episode continues our discussion from way back in ep. 5.

End song: “I Die Desire” from The MayTricks (1992).

Episode 147: Aristotle on Wisdom and Incontinence (Citizen Edition)

September 17, 2016 by Mark Linsenmayer 3 Comments

On the Nichomachean Ethics (ca. 350 BCE), books 6–7. Is intelligence just one thing? Aristotle picks out a number of distinct faculties, some of which are relevant to ethics, and he uses these to explain Plato’s puzzle of how someone can clearly see what the good for him is, and yet fail to pursue it due to weakness of the will.

This episode continues our discussion from way back in ep. 5.

End song: “I Die Desire” from The MayTricks (1992).

Martha Nussbaum on Emotions, Ethics, and Literature

August 12, 2016 by Ana Sandoiu 6 Comments

When it comes to ethics and human choice, there is “a serious candidate for truth” that we haven’t considered properly.

The Ship of Theseus and “The Outer Limits of Reason”

June 23, 2016 by Daniel Halverson 9 Comments

According to Noson S. Yanofsky, the universe does not contain contradictions, but our thinking about it does and must. If this is true, any representation of the universe must be inaccurate, not simply in details, but also in substance.

Critical Voter

June 21, 2016 by Jonathan Haber 4 Comments

critical-voter-logo

This year’s bizarre election might confirm that we are entering a post-factual age, or that some other major cognitive or political transformation is happening to our species or polity. But before jumping to such a conclusion, perhaps it’s worth looking at today’s scorched political landscape based on similar first principles.

Not School April: Dennett and Germans and Aristotle

March 29, 2016 by Brian Wilson 1 Comment

Come get involved in the coming month with a Not School group, or propose your own!

Is “Hungernachdeutschphilosophie” a made up word? Maybe, but it works.

Intro Readings in Philosophy Series Starting Now(ish)!!!!

March 2, 2016 by Brian Wilson Leave a Comment

Seminars are now scheduled for Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, and Montaigne, free with your PEL Citizenship You can sign up for all four, and help us develop an Intro readings drinking game.

Ep 130/131 Aftershow on Aristotle’s “De Anima” feat. Rebecca Goldner

February 18, 2016 by Mark Linsenmayer 3 Comments

Host Danny Lobell joins Wes to welcome St. John’s Annapolis tutor Rebecca Goldner to help folks understand Aristotle’s De Anima. Also featuring Michael Burgess, Nick Halme, Erik Weissengruber, Chase Fiorenza, and Scott Anderson. Recorded 1/31/16.

Episode 131: Aristotle’s “De Anima”: What Is the Mind?

January 11, 2016 by Mark Linsenmayer 4 Comments

Our second discussion of De Anima or On the Soul (350 BCE), this time on book 3. What is the intellect? We talk about its highest part/function: nous, which is a “form of forms,” literally nothing until it thinks, survives death and is not actually yours or mine, but just the universal mind!

This continues the discussion from ep. 130 and includes a preview of the Aftershow featuring Rebecca Goldner.

End song: “Wonderful You” (live 2001) by Mark Lint.

Episode 131: Aristotle’s “De Anima”: What Is the Mind? (Citizen Edition)

January 11, 2016 by Mark Linsenmayer 3 Comments

Our second discussion of De Anima or On the Soul (350 BCE), this time on book 3. What is the intellect? We talk about its highest part/function: nous, which is a “form of forms,” literally nothing until it thinks, survives death and is not actually yours or mine, but just the universal mind!

Continued from ep. 130. The discussion concludes with the Aftershow featuring Rebecca Goldner.

End song: “Wonderful You” (live 2001) by Mark Lint.

Episode 130: Aristotle’s “De Anima”: What Is Life?

December 28, 2015 by Mark Linsenmayer 9 Comments

Aristotle

On De Anima or On the Soul (350 BCE), books 1 and 2, after some listener mail. What can this ancient text tell us about biological life? What counts as a scientific explanation? A. describes life as “the first actuality of a natural body which has organs,” so bodies express their nature only when they’re growing and reproducing and all that stuff that bodies do. The body is potential, and life is its actuality. So what the heck kind of explanation is that, and how does it tie into Aristotle’s convoluted metaphysics?

End song: “Intermission Song” by Mark Lint from Spanish Armada: Songs of Love and Related Neuroses (1993).

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The Partially Examined Life is a philosophy podcast by some guys who were at one point set on doing philosophy for a living but then thought better of it. Each episode, we pick a text and chat about it with some balance between insight and flippancy. You don’t have to know any philosophy, or even to have read the text we’re talking about to (mostly) follow and (hopefully) enjoy the discussion

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