Great Ideas of Philosophy Series II (6 Programmes)

Synopsis

Stimulating commentary by renowned philosophers whose lines of inquiry intersect the spheres of science, religion, politics, epistemology, and logic makes this 6-part series useful for the study of philosophical principles and approaches that are closely aligned with the activities and concerns of daily life. Interviews with some of the discipline’s top experts, excerpts from influential writings, and numerous on-screen charts, diagrams, and illustrations enhance each programme. Individual programmes are on Epistemology; Logic; Modern Philosophy; Philosophy Of Religion; Philosophy Of Science; Political Philosophy.

Series

Great Ideas of Philosophy II, Series

Language

English

Country

United States

Year of release

2006

Year of production

2004

Subjects

Philosophy

Keywords

philosophy of science; political debate; religious belief and practice; logic; Philosophy

Distribution Formats

Type

DVD

Format

Region 2 PAL

Price

£39.95 each; £189.95 set

Availability

Sale

Duration/Size

45 minutes each

Year

2009

Type

VHS

Format

PAL

Price

£39.95 each; £189.95 set

Availability

Sale

Duration/Size

45 minutes each

Year

2009

Sections

Title

Epistemology - What we can know

Synopsis

This programme travels from Plato’s cave to Gettier’s papier-mâché barns while addressing, along the way, questions such as: What does it mean to really know something? How can one know that one knows it? And is seeing the same thing as believing? Deconstructing the principles of epistemology are Rutgers University’s Alvin Goldman and Peter Klein and Princeton University’s Alexander Nehamas and Daniel Garber. Their insights, in combination with excerpts from Aristotle’s De Anima, Descartes’s Meditations on First Philosophy, Locke’s An Essay on Human Understanding, Hume’s A Treatise of Human Nature, and Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason, illuminate the complexity of truth.

Duration

45 mins

Title

Logic - The Structure of Reason

Synopsis

As a tool for characterising rational thought, logic cuts across many philosophical disciplines and lies at the core of mathematics and computer science. Drawing on Aristotle’s Organon, Russell’s Principia Mathematica, and other central works, this programme tracks the evolution of logic, beginning with the basic syllogism. A sampling of subsequent topics includes propositional and predicate logic, Bayesian confirmation theory, Boolean logic, Frege’s use of variables and quantifiers, Gödel’s work with meta-mathematics, the Vienna Circle’s logical positivism, and the Turing machine. Commentary by Hilary Putnam, of Harvard University; NYU’s Kit Fine; and Colin McGinn, of Rutgers University, is featured.

Duration

45 mins

Title

Modern Philosophy

Synopsis

During the 16th century, a new breed of thinker arose, equal parts philosopher and scientist, that threw off the received wisdom of the past and started afresh. In this programme, Paul Guyer, of the University of Pennsylvania; Rutgers University’s Colin McGinn; and Princeton University’s Kwame Anthony Appiah and Daniel Garber address the major philosophical currents of that era and the explosive controversies surrounding them. Bacon’s Novum Organum, Descartes’s Discourse on the Method, Hobbes’ Leviathan, Spinoza’s Ethics, and other germane works are cited.

Duration

45 mins

Title

Philosophy of Religion

Synopsis

This programme explores three major areas of philosophical inquiry into religion: religious epistemology, or the exploration of the rational grounds for religious beliefs and, in particular, the existence of God; the metaphysics of religion, which inquires into the nature of God; and theodicy, which examines the philosophical implications of the presence of evil in the world. Commentary by Alvin Plantinga, of the University of Notre Dame; Fordham University’s Merold Westphal; Dean Zimmerman, of Rutgers University; and Richard Sorabji, of King’s College London, is featured. Readings from Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologica, Moses Maimonides’ Guide for the Perplexed, and other essential texts are included.

Duration

45 mins

Title

Philosophy of Science

Synopsis

Does science explain the world, or does it simply describe it? Can science ever be truly objective? What is the boundary between science and non-science? Does nature have laws? This programme seeks to answer questions such as these through the insights of Princeton University’s Daniel Garber; Hilary Putnam, of Harvard University; and Barry Loewer, of Rutgers University. Ranging from the Physics of Aristotle to the competing physics paradigms of Einstein and Bohr, the programme illustrates the progression of scientific thought from ancient times, through the Renaissance, to the 21st century.

Duration

45 mins

Title

Political Philosophy

Synopsis

Who should lead the world’s only superpower? When is it acceptable to topple another country’s leader? Are personal freedom and national security mutually incompatible? The answers to urgent political questions such as these are informed by 23 centuries of discourse that started with The Republic. This programme focuses successively on the pivotal ideas of Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Rousseau, Marx, Mill, John Rawls, and Robert Nozick to elucidate the thinking that underpins the West’s conceptions of good and bad government. Commentary by Ronald Dworkin, of New York University, and Kwame Anthony Appiah, of Princeton University, is featured.

Duration

45 mins

Production Company

Name

Teaching Company, The

Email

customerservice@thegreatcourses.com

Web

https://www.thegreatcourses.co.uk External site opens in new window

Phone

+1 800 832 2412

Fax

+1 703 738 2819

Address

Suite 100
4151 Layfette Center Drive
Chantilly
VA 22151-1232
USA

Distributor

Name

Viewtech Educational Media

Contact

Lynda Morrell

Notes

NB. Viewtech ceased trading in 2014 and the company’s products are no longer in distribution For over 30 years Viewtech distributed programmes from leading specialist educational producers from around the world and since 2002 it included titles previously distributed in the UK by Educational Media Film & Video. The extensive collection covered all subjects within the primary and secondary curriculum and some materials, particularly in the areas of study skills and business, are applicable to further/higher education.