History of Philosophy podcast series
Peter Adamson, Professor of Ancient and Medieval Philosophy at King's College London, takes listeners through the history of philosophy, "without any gaps." Beginning with the earliest ancient thinkers, the series will look at the ideas and lives of the major philosophers (eventually covering in detail such giants as Plato, Aristotle, Avicenna, Aquinas, Descartes, and Kant) as well as the lesser-known figures of the tradition.
For more information, please visit the Department of Philosophy web pages.
In this collection
78. Middle Men: the Platonic Revival »
Pioneering thinkers Eudorus, Alcinous, and Numenius fuse Pythagoreanism with Platonism and pave the way for Plotinus.
77. Caesarian Section: Philosophy in the Roman Empire »
Peter introduces philosophy in late antiquity, when Aristotelianism and Platonism made a comeback, and pagan philosophy developed alongside Judaism and Christianity.
76. R.J. Hankinson on Galen »
Jim Hankinson, a leading expert on philosophical themes in Galen, joins Peter to discuss this greatest doctor of the ancient world.
75. The Joy of Sects: Ancient Medicine and Philosophy »
The ancient relationship between medicine and philosophy culminates in Galen, who passes judgment on the three main "sects": rationalism, empiricism and methodism.
74. Tony Long on the Self in Hellenistic Philosophy »
Leading Hellenistic philosophy scholar Tony Long talks to Peter about the self, ethics and politics in the Stoics, Epicureans and Skeptics.
73. Healthy Skepticism: Sextus Empiricus »
Sextus Empiricus, the last great ancient skeptic, expounds a radical branch of the tradition called Pyrrhonism. Peter raises some doubts about how to interpret him.
72. Raphael Woolf on Cicero »
Peter talks to Raphael Woolf about the method and philosophical allegiance of Cicero, focusing on the work On Ends (De Finibus).
71. Rhetorical Questions: Cicero »
Cicero's philosophical works are invaluable records of Hellenistic thought. But what kind of philosopher was Cicero himself?
70. The Know Nothing Party: the Skeptical Academy »
Under Arcesilaus and Carneades, Plato's Academy took a skeptical turn, casting doubt on the possibility of knowledge. But was their skepticism skeptical enough?
69. Beyond Belief: Pyrrho and Skepticism »
Peter turns to the final major Hellenistic school, the Skeptics, beginning with Pyrrho and the question of how ancient skepticism compares to modern skepticism.Related items
Podcast86. Serafina Cuomo on Ancient Mathematics »
How did the mathematics of figures like Euclid and Archimides relate to ancient philosophy? Peter finds out in an interview with Serafina Cuomo.
PodcastSt Clement Danes Church part three »
Part three: International dimensions of commemoration in St Clement Danes; Church and memorial at St Clement Danes; handling the memory of the Luftwaffe in Germany; Coventry's centre for international reconciliation.
PodcastRRIII Keynote 2 - Professor Nicholas Vincent FBA (UEA) »
In the second keynote paper of RRIII, Professor Nicholas Vincent FBA (UEA) talks about his work in the archives and some new perspectives on Magna Carta.
Podcast4. "Another fine mess ... tracing the source of Henry III's revenue" »
Nick Barratt, Historian and Broadcaster.