Episodes
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Sex. The Ego. Repression. Sublimation. The Death Drive. That's right, we're reading Freud. Specifically we are reading two essays by Freud, "Civilised Sexuality Morality and Modern Nervous Illness" (1908) and "Civilisation and its Discontents" (1930). These works provide a brief introduction to core Freudian concepts such as repression and sublimation. Join us for a critical reading of one of the twentieth century's most important thinkers.
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Some call him "The First Teacher", others simply refer to him as "The Philosopher" - but you probably know him as Aristotle. If all philosophy is a footnote to Plato, then Aristotle is footnote number one. Join us as we discuss the most influential work of moral philosophy in the whole world, The Nicomachean Ethics.
The mentioned essay by Quentin Skinner is called "Meaning and Understanding in the History of Ideas".
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Ideas Matter discusses its first non-Western text: the Dao De Jing by Lao Tzu. Daoism is one of the three major religions/philosophies in China, alongside Confucianism and Buddhism. Unlike most other cultures however, these religions are not mutually exclusive. Confucianism is deeply informed by Daoist cosmology, which was in turn informed by the introduction of Buddhism into China from India. The result is a fascinatingly rich and complicated philosophical school of thought with huge contemporary resonance. In this episode we primarily discuss the ideas of 'the Way' (Dao 道) and 'effortless action' (Wu Wei 无为).
Please remember to rate the show so that more people can discover Ideas Matter. Stay updated by following the show on Instagram @ideasmatterpod or reach out via email: [email protected]
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Alex makes his long-awaited return to the Ideas Matter studio, just in time for a special guest appearance by Dan Crowley. Dan is a man of many talents, a true renaissance man. Most relevant for our purposes is his day job as a scholar of Ancient Greece, particularly of the historian Herodotus. We interview Dan about his research which seeks to reinvigorate Herodotus' approach to historical story-telling by drawing on postmodern theories of history.
We both really enjoyed recording this episode and have no doubt that you will love listening to Dan. Please subscribe to his newsletter, Some Writing.
If you enjoyed the episode, please rate the show on Spotify or wherever you listen. As always, you can contact the show on Instagram @ideasmatterpod or via email: [email protected]
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"All political action has then in itself a directedness towards knowledge of the good: of the good life, or of the good society", writes Leo Strauss in his well-known essay 'What is Political Philosophy?', published in 1957. For Strauss, political philosophy is essentially normative. We do not understand political things unless we take them as phenomena which cry out to be evaluated as good or bad, just or unjust.
Today's episode is a brief recapitulation of Strauss' essay, which includes his thoughts on the nature of political philosophy and the difference between classical and modern approaches to the discipline. This episode forms a nice contrast to our episode on Raymond Geuss and his approach of political realism.
Do you agree with Strauss that political philosophy is always normative? Or do value-judgements also fall prey to criticism by positivists and historicists? As always, we would love to hear what you think.
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Please rate and share the podcast, so that more people can learn about ideas that matter!What is Political Philosophy? By Leo Strauss: https://amzn.to/424WAjT
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What does it mean to be realistic about politics? Why does Raymond Geuss, a Cambridge political theorist, describe himself as a "neo-Leninist"?
In this episode, Louis gives a run-down of Geuss' hugely influential text Philosophy and Real Politics (2008), which revives the longstanding tradition of political realism in Western philosophy. Political realism is a way of studying politics which treats the political realm as distinct or seperate from the realm of ethics or morality. In this sense, realists treat political philosophy as distinct from moral philosophy. Notable realists throughout history include Aristotle, Augustine, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Niebuhr, Morgenthau, and Lenin.
This is such an excellent book. Geuss writes clearly and to the point. Best of all, it's only 100 pages. I could not recommend it highly enough.
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In this video Louis gives a run through of John Rawls' seminal text "A Theory of Justice" published in 1971.
A Theory of Justice is a must-read for anyone interested in Anglo-American political theory. It spawned the liberal-communitarian debate which dominated the academy for twenty years and produced some of the most well-known names in political philosophy: Michael Sandel, Alasdair Macintyre, Charles Taylor and Michael Walzer.
You've probably heard of the "veil of ignorance" and the "original position" - but just what are these conceptual devices and how do they serve Rawls' argument? Does Rawls succeed in defending welfare-state liberalism, or is his theory simply neoliberal apologia? Listen and find out!
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In part two of our episode on Nietzsche’s Birth of Tragedy we discuss the importance of myth, Nietzsche’s critique of “theoretical man” and why he sees Socrates as the birth of science, as well as the travesty of modern art. Nietzsche’s critique of egalitarianism is forceful enough to give Louis pause over his Marxist ethical commitments. Can we really have a society in which everyone is a creative producer or are some people naturally superior to others?
Join us for this final instalment on Nietzsche’s inaugural text. Please remember to rate, like and share the podcast so that everyone can learn about ideas that matter!
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Friedrich Nietzsche has exerted a profound influence on Western philosophy. Thinkers diverse as Martin Heidegger, Carl Jung, Sigmund Freud and Michel Foucault all count Nietzsche as one of their inspirations. Nietzsche is also one of the most popular philosophers among the general public and is sometimes regarded as the “non-philosopher’s philosopher”. In our second episode covering this enigmatic thinker, we take a look at Nietzsche’s very first publication: The Birth of Tragedy (1872). In brief, Nietzsche argues that art is the only consolation for the horror and absurdity of existence. Existence, he writes, is only justified as an aesthetic phenomenon. This is Nietzsche in his primordial phase; those interested in his more mature philosophy will learn a lot from reading the Birth of Tragedy. If you enjoy the episode, please rate the podcast and follow us on Instagram and/or Youtube @ideasmatterpod
Raymond Geuss’ lecture series on Nietzsche
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William James was an American philosopher and psychologist, most known for expounding the philosophy of pragmatism. In episode sixteen of Ideas Matter, Louis and Alex read a series of lectures James gave in 1906 entitled “Pragmatism: A New Name For Some Old Ways of Thinking”. We discuss James’ theory of truth, the pragmatic method, pragmatism’s influence on educational philosophy, and offer our own criticisms and comments on the pragmatic project. Please rate and share the episode so that more people can learn about ideas that matter. Feel free to reach out on Instagram @ideasmatterpod
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Plato’s ‘Symposium’ is a Socratic dialogue about love. Situated in the home of the famous Athenian poet Agathon, Symposium presents a series of speeches by prominent Athenians who expound on the nature of love.
We encounter a range of ideas familiar to the modern mind: love creates happiness, encourages us to lead good lives, creates harmony and justice, and is the longing for unity with our better half.
All of these views, however, fail to capture the true essence of love. Love’s essence can only be understood by contemplating love itself, love in general - the Platonic form of love.
Socrates tells his fellow Athenians that love is the desire to have the good forever. Love therefore motivates us to reproduce so that we may approximate immortality. Physical reproduction is obvious: we reach towards immortality by perpetuating the human species. Yet it is mental reproduction that brings us closest to immortality and into favour with the Gods.
When two people pregnant in mind with creative and intellectual potential come together to discuss virtue, they give birth to children whose lives will outstrip their own: great works of philosophy and art. This is Platonic love. A relationship built around mutual appreciation of the beauty found in ideas and virtue. Platonic love grasps at what is truly immortal: the Form of Beauty itself.
If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us and follow the show on Instagram @ideasmatterpod
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Ideas Matter takes a trip back to the fourth century AD to read St Augustine of Hippo, a famed Christian theologian from Thagaste, North Africa. Augustine’s writings have proved tremendously influential not only within Christian theology, but in philosophy and political theory more broadly. His teachings on the nature of human sin - that we sin because it is fun - have informed political realism in domestic and international relations theory.
Augustine shows how deeply Christianity was influenced by Neoplatonic readings of the bible, furthering cementing the claim that all philosophy is a footnote to Plato. Even in the fourth century, educated theologians recognised that the Bible was an allegorical work, whose apparent contradictions are great wellsprings of profundity and meaning.
Even if you do not consider yourself religious, reading Augustine is a humbling experience. Most contemporary criticisms of Christianity are straw-man arguments, or “mental figments” as Augustine would describe them. An informed agnostic or partisan of another spiritual tradition could do much worse than to read Augustine. Indeed, there is much in common between Augustine’s Christianity and Daoism, Hinduism, and other Eastern religions. Perhaps they all point to the same fundamental human need to connect with something greater than ourselves.
Please like and share the podcast if you think others may benefit. As always we reachable via Instagram @ideasmatterpod or via email [email protected]
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As per listener request, today we delve into Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s ‘The Social Contract’. Published in 1762, Rousseau sets himself the ambitious task of reconciling individual freedoms with the collective protection of society. Rousseau thinks we can have both. Although society has the power to corrupt humanity, it also has the power to refine and enlightenment us, replacing our crude natural freedoms with more sophisticated civil freedoms. A society based upon the social contract is the best way to achieve this.
There is much to like in Rousseau - and much to dislike. His writings represent the “best and worst” of liberalism, as co-host Louis describes it. We hope you enjoy the episode. Please like, share, and rate the podcast. You can contact the show on Instagram and Twitter @ideasmatterpod
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What does it mean to be against morality? Why does Friedrich Nietzsche describe Western morality as a “slave-morality”? Episode 12 of Ideas Matter answers these questions and more, with our deep-dive into Nietzsche’s ‘On the Genealogy of Morality’.
Nietzsche is one of the most popular philosophers today, especially with those who don’t normally read philosophy. His beautiful literary prose brings ideas of great insight to a wider audience than the usual humdrum style of analytic philosophy. Nietzsche knew that life involves great suffering, but he teaches how to find meaning in that suffering, by exercising our will to power.
Modern life is stultifying. Our world has been stripped of glory and meaning - we no longer have higher causes to die for. In this vacuum of meaning, nihilism seems like an attractive response. Nietzsche will have none of it. Nihilism is a weak, life-denying response. We need to be active, purposive creatures. We are meant to move, create, dominate and exercise our power over the world. Reading Nietzsche can be like a shock to the system: a cold shower and a shot of coffee all at once. How many authors, let alone philosophers, can you say that about?
We hope you enjoy today’s episode. Please rate and follow us on whatever podcasting platform you use, or give us a shoutout on social media.
You can find us on Twitter and Instagram @ideasmatterpod.
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In this episode we read two of Kant's most influential essays: “An Idea for a Universal History with a Cosmopolitan Purpose” and “What is Enlightenment?”.
In "Universal History", Kant suggests that history is the progressive development of humanity’s reason. In “What is Enlightenment?”, Kant argues that being enlightened is the capacity to think for oneself. History’s purpose, therefore, is the gradual enlightenment of the human race. How might we achieve this enlightened state? Well, listening, sharing, and liking the Ideas Matter podcast is a good place to start!
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Can there ever be a peaceful transition from capitalism to socialism? According to Vladimir Lenin, leader of the Bolsheviks and eventual head of the Soviet Union, workers must seize the state in a violent revolution. The task does not end here. Workers must reconstruct the state into a “dictatorship of the proletariat” in order to prevent a bourgeois counter-revolution. Eventually, once the bourgeoise have been repressed and all classes have been abolished, the state will wither away. Communism will have been achieved.Lenin presents this argument as the true and original interpretation of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. In State and Revolution, written in 1917, Lenin takes aim at those who he regards as distorting Marxism. Violent revolution and a dictatorship of the proletariat are absolutely necessary to bring about socialism and eventually communism. This is a seminal work of political theory, which influenced not only the Soviet Union but also the Chinese Communist Party and other Marxist-Leninist organisations. Of course, no work is beyond reproach. In this episode of Ideas Matter, Louis and Alex turn a critical eye towards Lenin’s masterpiece. What follows will surely bother both Marxists and non-Marxists alike. Enjoy. To contact the podcast, you can email [email protected] and Twitter: @ideasmatterpod
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No one wants to be described as Machiavellian…or do they? On today’s episode, Louis and Alex discuss common misinterpretations of everyone’s favourite, but frequently misunderstood thinker: Niccolò Machiavelli. What is Machiavelli’s main message? (5:00)
Is Machiavelli immoral? (23:02)
Historical versus philosophical approaches to politics (31:32)
Machiavelli and international relations theory (37:20)
Machiavelli’s relevance for contemporary domestic politics (46:10)
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Confucianism is enjoying a state-sponsored revival in China. What does this millennia-old political philosophy have to say about one of the most vexing issues in political theory, human freedom?
Today on the Ideas Matter podcast, we discuss our very own Louis Devine's recent Masters' thesis: Defending A Confucian Theory of Freedom. Learn about the major theories of freedom in Western thought, how Western and Chinese philosophies differ, and what a Confucian theory of freedom entails.
As always, you can find us on Instagram @ideasmatterpod, or email us at [email protected]Visit the show website: ideasmatter.com
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Today we discuss Karl Marx's famous Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts. The Manuscripts were written in 1844, but not published until 1932. This is important because many academics often make a distinction between 'early Marx' and 'late Marx'. Early Marx, the Marx present in the Manuscripts, is very much a humanist thinker, concerned with individual wellbeing and human flourishing. One could be forgiven for thinking, as Erich Fromm argued, that it represented the "full realisation of individualism".
The Manuscripts were a challenge to the Leninist interpretations of Marxism dominant at the time. They also forcefully challenged the lazy argument often made that Marxism was synonymous with cruel, oppressive dictatorship, in which the collective violently subdued the individual. Their most enduring contribution however, is Marx's articulation of alienation. Alienation is the chief psychological and moral ailment of humanity under capitalism. Understanding what Marx thought about alienation is crucial to understanding the full force of his later critiques of capitalism.
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Ideas Matter had the privilege to interview Epoch Philosophy, one of the best up and coming content creators in philosophy and political theory.
Epoch Philosophy (Ian) has a great talent for breaking down complex topics into beautifully designed and well explained youtube videos. Ian also hosts a podcast, and is active on Instagram and Twitter. Anyone interested in learning more about philosophy and political theory should give his work the attention it deserves.
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/EpochPhilosophy
Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/3DzYxPaQWsM5PIcI9N3WCk
Instagram and Twitter: @epochphilosophy
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