Site • RSS • Apple PodcastsDescription (podcaster-provided):
Philosophy has been studied for thousands of years. It involves the use of reason and argument to search for the truth about reality - about the nature of things, ethics, aesthetics, language, the mind, God and everything else. This series of five introductory lectures, aimed at students new to philosophy, presented by Marianne Talbot, Department for Continuing Education, University of Oxford, will test you on some famous thought experiments and introduce you to some central philosophical issues and to the thoughts of some key philosophers.Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):
➤ Introductory philosophy lectures • logic, argument, symbolic logic • metaphysics, epistemology, knowledge • philosophy of mind and language: rationality, consciousness, expression • ethics, political philosophy, justice • history of philosophy from Pre-Socratics to presentThis podcast offers an introductory, lecture-based tour of philosophy aimed at listeners who are new to the subject. It presents philosophy as a discipline that uses reasoned argument to investigate fundamental questions about reality, knowledge, and human life, and it frames the material around central branches of the field as they are commonly taught in an academic setting.
Across the series, the content surveys core topics in metaphysics and epistemology, focusing on what exists, what kinds of things make up reality, and how—if at all—humans can acquire knowledge about the world. It also explores moral and political philosophy by asking how people ought to live and what principles might underlie a just society. Another major theme is the philosophy of language and mind, examining issues such as rationality, consciousness, and the relationship between inner experience and the possibility of expressing thoughts through language.
A further emphasis is placed on philosophical method. Listeners are introduced to the role of logic and argumentation in philosophical inquiry, including attention to symbolic logic and how structured reasoning is used to analyze claims and evaluate conclusions. The series also situates these themes within a broad historical narrative, tracing major developments from ancient Greek beginnings through to more contemporary philosophy, and highlighting how key figures and debates have shaped the subject over time.
Overall, the podcast aims to acquaint beginners with philosophical questions, some well-known thought experiments, and representative ideas from influential philosophers, while showing how different areas of philosophy connect through shared methods of analysis and argument.
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Philosophy of language and mind 2009-Jan-09 87 minutes |
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Metaphysics and Epistemology 2009-Jan-09 90 minutes |
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Ethics and politics 2009-Jan-09 92 minutes |
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The philosophical method - logic and argument 2009-Jan-09 94 minutes |
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A romp through the history of philosophy from the Pre-Socratics to the present day. 2008-Nov-13 92 minutes |