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I will discuss some of the great philosophers and their ideas on ethics and metaphysics. Classcial philosphy is always my starting point; Plato and Aristotle will start things, but I will discuss various Hellenistic schools, and more modern thinker such as Mill , Kany, Nietzsche, and Whitehead.Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):
➤ Classical philosophy survey • Plato, Socrates, Aristotle: soul, forms, causality, substance • Hellenistic schools: Stoicism, Epicureanism, Plotinus • Ethics: utilitarianism, Kantian duty, relativism • Logic, critical thinking, syllogisms • Rhetoric: Aristotle, Bitzer, Booth • Greek myth divination, seersThis podcast presents short, lecture-style discussions designed to support introductory university philosophy coursework. Across the episodes, it focuses on major figures and problems in classical philosophy, especially ethics and metaphysics, while also building the foundational skills needed to read and assess philosophical arguments.
A substantial portion of the content introduces ancient Greek philosophy through Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Plato is approached both biographically and through close attention to key dialogues, including questions about piety, the structure of philosophical inquiry, and themes such as the soul and the development of the theory of Forms. Aristotle is used to explore core metaphysical and psychological concepts, including causation, substance, change, and the nature of psyche/intellect. The podcast also surveys later ancient schools and thinkers, including Stoicism, Epicureanism (via Lucretius), and Plotinus’s rational mysticism.
On the modern side, the podcast explains central debates in moral philosophy by contrasting consequentialist approaches (Bentham’s utilitarianism and hedonic calculus, Mill’s refinement via “higher pleasures”) with Kant’s deontological ethics and the role of duty, good will, and the categorical imperative, set against the background of Hume and empiricism. It also addresses the topic of moral relativism and why it is contentious.
Interwoven with these historical and ethical discussions are practical modules on critical thinking, basic logic (statements, validity and soundness, syllogisms, propositional forms), and rhetoric, drawing on Aristotle as well as later rhetorical theory (including Bitzer and Booth). Some episodes also touch on Greek religious and mythic material, such as divination and legendary seers, as part of the broader classical context.
