Sadler's Lectures

This lecture discusses key ideas from the modern Epicurean and freethinker philosopher, courtesan, and writer Ninon de l'Enclos' Letters to Marquis de Sévigné, a work whose authenticity scholarship is divided upon, but which certainly seems reflective of her viewpoints. Specifically, it discusses the distinction she draws between two different attitudes we can have towards another person, one of which is (romantic or erotic) love, and the other of which is friendship. Love is based to a significant extent upon the physical attractiveness and charms of the person one feels love towards, and it aims at an exclusive relationship with th...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the modern Epicurean and freethinker philosopher, courtesan, and writer Ninon de l'Enclos' Letters to Marquis de Sévigné, a work whose authenticity scholarship is divided upon, but which certainly seems reflective of her viewpoints. Specifically, it discusses l'Enclos' advice to the young marquis bearing upon what both mena and women genuinely find attractive and charming in the other person in romantic or erotic love, which is not, as he seems to think "essential qualities" or virtues. These are good things, and can certainly produce admiration for the other person, and they might provide a go...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the modern Epicurean and freethinker philosopher, courtesan, and writer Ninon de l'Enclos' Letters to Marquis de Sévigné, a work whose authenticity scholarship is divided upon, but which certainly seems reflective of her viewpoints. Specifically, it discusses her advice to the marquis about three different kinds or temperaments of women, two of which are at extremes and ought to be avoided, one of whom is the sort to be pursued, if the goal in love-affairs is amusement, rather than setting up a marriage, household, and family. On the one side, we have the woman of...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the modern Epicurean and freethinker philosopher, courtesan, and writer Ninon de l'Enclos' Letters to Marquis de Sévigné, a work whose authenticity scholarship is divided upon, but which certainly seems reflective of her viewpoints. Specifically, it discusses a matter that arises early in the letters. The marquis complains that he has not found adult life as enjoyable or sayisfying as he had hoped, and l'Enclos tells him that this is because his heart will remain restless and uneasy until it is filled with the love that, at his age, nature intends for him to fe...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the modern Epicurean and freethinker philosopher, courtesan, and writer Ninon de l'Enclos' Letters to Marquis de Sévigné, a work whose authenticity scholarship is divided upon, but which certainly seems reflective of her viewpoints. Specifically, it discusses her articulation of the general approach that she adopts in her letters to the younger marquis, providing him with an education about love, romance, desire, and sexuality, or in her terms "a course in morals", which is oriented by "gallantry". She aims to be very realistic about the complex nature of the human heart, and about romantic an...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th century philosopher, novelist, and essayist Albert Camus' short essay "The Enigma", in which he provides some needed discussion of what his attitude towards the absurd, despair, nihilism, and the lack of meaning really are. He notes that many authors and other artists end up not being read or engaged in their works by many of the people who talk about them, but rather turned into something like a public persona by journalists. Camus clarifies that there is no real possibility of an absolute despair or complete nihilism, and that his interest in...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient Stoic philosopher Musonius Rufus' Lecture 14, in which he discusses a perennially debated question, whether or not marriage is an impediment or hindrance for engaging in philosophy. In his view, marriage definitely is not an impediment, and he mentions examples of philosophers who were indeed married. He also provides several other arguments, one of which is that the philosopher is a teacher and guide for human beings in what is in accordance with nature, and marriage is clearly something that is aligned with our human nature. He also discusses marriage and the household...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient Stoic philosopher Musonius Rufus' Lecture 13, in which he discusses what the main or most important aspect of marriage is. The first thing he identifies is coming together for two purposes, a shared life and the generation of children. The latter turns out not to be quite so central, however, given that human beings do that as well outside of marriage, as do all other animals. The shared life ought to include sharing everything in common, including one's own body, with one's spouse, and mutual care or concern for each other as well. ...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient Stoic philosopher Musonius Rufus' Lecture 12, in which he discusses the attitude a virtuous person will adopt towards sexual matters (aphrodisia), translated by Lutz as "sexual indulgence". For Musonius, the need for many varied objects of sexual desire is a sign of weakness and luxury, adultery is a very serious vice, and male-male sexual relationships are contrary to nature. In his view, the proper use and indulgence of sexual activity is within the framework of marriage, with the aim of producing children, rather than merely seeking pleasure. To support my ongoing work, go...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient Stoic philosopher Musonius Rufus' Lecture 8, in which he sets out reasons why a person in a position of rulership or authority (specifically a king), ought to study philosophy. For a ruler developing and using the cardinal virtues of wisdom, justice, temperance, and courage will be of paramount importance To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler If you'd like to make a direct contribution, you can do so here - www.paypal.me/ReasonIO - or at BuyMeACoffee - www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM You...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient Stoic philosopher Musonius Rufus' Lecture 4, in which, addressing the question whether daughters should be given the same education as sons are, he makes several important points. The first is the answer to the question, namely Yes of course male and female ought to receive the same education, since they are both human beings, and as with other animals, both male and female of the species have the same functions and excellence, which requires the same training. To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler If...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient Stoic philosopher Musonius Rufus' Lecture 3, in which he addresses the question whether women just as much as men ought to study and practice philosophy, to which his answer is "Yes, of course". He then provides reasons for this, starting with the fact that women and men as human beings share the same capacities, which they ought to rightly cultivate. He then goes on to consider each of the four cardinal virtues, noting why women as well as men need to develop these virtues. Considering one possible objection, likely raised at his time...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient Stoic philosopher Musonius Rufus' Lecture 2, in which he argues that human beings have an innate inclination towards virtue and even the "seeds of virtue" within them. He uses several lines of argument. The fact that certain lines of conduct are required or prohibited shows an assumption that people are responsible for developing and displaying virtue. As opposed to other types of skill or knowledge, where we don't hold people accountable for not knowing them, that of living well is one we do. When we ask people whether they have virtues or vices...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient Stoic philosopher Musonius Rufus' Lecture 1, in which Musonius advances the claim that it is a sign that a teacher better understands their subject when they can present it with fewer rather than more arguments, proofs, or demonstrations. Likewise, on the part of the student, it is a sign that they have better intellectual capacities when they do not require as many demonstrations to understand the matter in question. He does note that some students will require more demonstrations, so an instructor should tailor their presentation to the intellectual needs of their students. ...

This lecture discusses the 20th century Analytic philosopher, Thomas Nagel's essay "Sexual Perversion", and focuses upon the remarks that Nagel closes the article with, bearing on how sexual perversion connects with morality and goodness or badness. He clarifies that moral judgements are just one of a number of possible modes of evaluative judgements, and that assessments about sexuality and perversion might not be moral judgements any more than judgements about health or beauty. He also notes that it may not be the case that perverse sex is always worse than unperverse sex, and that it is possible to talk about "...

This lecture discusses the 20th century Analytic philosopher, Thomas Nagel's essay "Sexual Perversion", and focuses upon a number of sexual desires, practices, and relationships commonly viewed as sexual perversions in the time and culture that Nagel was writing, and Nagel's own views on whether and why they are or are not sexual perversions. These all have to do with their deviation from the paradigm he develops earlier in the article of a fully developed sexual relationship involving subjects feeling and acting upon desire mutually. To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler or...

This lecture discusses the 20th century Analytic philosopher, Thomas Nagel's essay "Sexual Perversion", and focuses upon Nagel's depiction of what he calls the paradigm case of mutual sexual desire, which involves perceiving the other person sexually, through desire, but also reacting to their desire as well. This involves embodiment as well on the part of both people, and a set of interactions that are to some degree involuntary but also spontaneous and chosen. To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler or Buy Me A Coffee - buymeacoffee.com/a4quydwom If you'd...

This lecture discusses the 20th century Analytic philosopher, Thomas Nagel's essay "Sexual Perversion", and focuses upon the portion of his article where Nagel begins setting out his conception of a full sexual relationship between two people. Sexual attraction and desire is, according to Nagel, directed ultimately towards individuals not just types who happen to have a particular characteristic. He will adopt some of Sartre's analysis of interpersonal relations between subjects, but reject Sartre's rather pessimistic conclusions about the impossibility of any genuinely fulfilling mutual relationship between two people. To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www...

This lecture discusses the 20th century Analytic philosopher, Thomas Nagel's essay "Sexual Perversion", and focuses upon what Nagel calls a "skeptical challenge" to the very notion that there is something that can meaningfully be called "sexual perversion". One way of articulating this is to say that sexual desire is simply an appetite like any other, which can take many forms, directions, and objects, so we cannot effectively distinguish anything like a perversion in sexuality. Nagel draws an analogy between hunger, eating, and food, and argues that we can certainly distinguish a range of what he calls "gastronomic perversions". If this...

This lecture discusses the 20th century Analytic philosopher, Thomas Nagel's essay "Sexual Perversion", and focuses upon the initial clarifications Nagel thinks needs to be made about the concept of sexual perversion before going on to examine it in further detail. He makes three positive clarifications, which are what we calls general conditions the concept must meet. He also makes two negative clarifications as well, namely that the concept does not have any connection with sexual reproduction as such, and that social disapprobation or custom do not have any bearing on it. To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient philosopher Plato's dialogue, the Lysis, focused on the nature of love and friendship This lecture focuses specifically on the end of the dialogue, which ends in aporia, the interlocutors considering themselves to be friends, but not being able to arrive at a satisfactory account of what friendship is or how it arises and works. They do consider one promising idea, however, which is that friendship in some way is between those who have an affinity or affiliation with each other (oikeios). To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient philosopher Plato's dialogue, the Lysis, focused on the nature of love and friendship This lecture focuses specifically on the portion of the text right after Socrates and his interlocutors seem have reached some sort of solid understanding of friendship, namely that it is between the good and the neutral on account of the bad. Socrates then sees a complication in this, and begins to explore this "on account of" or "because" in terms of things or people that we value for their own sake, and those that we value instrumentally. To support...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient philosopher Plato's dialogue, the Lysis, focused on the nature of love and friendship This lecture focuses specifically on a dialectical examination at the heart of the dialogue, bearing on determining how friendship works, and who can be friends with each other. Socrates considers whether good, bad, or neutral people can be friends with each other, and what the basis for friendship is. He will end up eliminating a number of the possible combinations of friends, and settle upon friendship as taking place between the good and the neutral on account of the...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient philosopher Plato's dialogue, the Lysis, focused on the nature of love and friendship This lecture focuses specifically on he early discussion between Socrates and Menexenus about the connections between love or desire and friendship, aiming at determining who has to feel love towards the other. They waver between the view that friendship requires both the lover and loved person to love each other mutually, or that it can be more of a one-way street. To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler If you'd like...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient philosopher Plato's dialogue, the Lysis, focused on the nature of love and friendship This lecture focuses specifically on Socrates' dialectic with the youth Lysis bearing upon whether or not his parents love him very much (sphodra philei), which would then imply that they wish him to be very happy (eudaimonistaton), and seemingly would conflict with the fact that they do not allow him to do what he wishes to with most matters, or to rule himself, but actually place other people including slaves in authority over him. Socrates and Lysis together work...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient philosopher Plato's dialogue, the Lysis, focused on the nature of love and friendship This lecture focuses specifically on some of the points made in the beginning of the dialogue, where Socrates tells Hippothales that he can tell that he is deeply in love with somebody. Ctesippus reveals this to be Lysis, and tells Socrates that not only does Hippothales constantly talk about Lysis, he is also composing poems and speeches to and about Lysis, which he then subjects his friends to. Socrates says that what he is really interested in with these...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the Renaissance-era philosopher, critic, and essayist Michel De Montaigne's work Essays, specifically his essay On Repentance (Du Repentir). This one focuses on Montaigne's own explanations about why he tends not to feel repentance, and has only a few regrets. A significant part of this stems from several somewhat unusual aspects of his own mindset. He acknowledges that he can desire to be completely different, even condemn himself objectively, but this shouldn't be called "repentance" any more than grieving that he isn't an ideal person (or someone close). To support my ongoing work, go to...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the Renaissance-era philosopher, critic, and essayist Michel De Montaigne's work Essays, specifically his essay On Repentance (Du Repentir). This one focuses on his discussions, running through much of the essay of the repentance that other people, from his observation of them, exhibit genuinely, exhibit in stereotyped or false ways, or don't exhibit at all. He also discusses the relationship between vices and sins or wrong actions, people's habits, judgements, and reason, and whether or not they feel repentance. To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler If...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the Renaissance-era philosopher, critic, and essayist Michel De Montaigne's work Essays, specifically his essay On Repentance (Du Repentir). This one focuses on the remarks and reflections he provides about his more general project in writing and publishing his Essays. He tells us that he provides an account of the human being and the human condition, primarily by drawing upon his knowledge of his own self and his observations of other people and the world. In fact, any sufficiently reflective person can provide a locus for thinking through moral philosophy. At the same time, he...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the Renaissance-era philosopher, critic, and essayist Michel De Montaigne's work Essays, specifically his essay "On Solitude" (De la Solitude). It discusses the last portion of that essay, where he examines three main sets of motivations for retiring into solitude: religion, pleasure, and ambition. The first of these he acknowledges to be something great, but admits that it isn't something he can relate to. Pleasure is a legitimate reason for going into retirement, and Montaigne provides a number of principles and considerations for making one's solitude as pleasant as it can be. Ambition in his...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the Renaissance-era philosopher, critic, and essayist Michel De Montaigne's work Essays, specifically his essay "On Solitude" (De la Solitude). It discusses how people might best cultivate solitude in the later portions of their life, when they withdraw from many of their active involvements, duties, and relationships, and learn to be on their own. One needs to determine what occupations will be enjoyable for oneself and avoid those that will just bring troubles and cares. To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler If you'd like to make...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the Renaissance-era philosopher, critic, and essayist Michel De Montaigne's work Essays, specifically his essay "On Solitude" (De la Solitude). It discusses the first portion of the essay, where he tells us that nothing is more insociable and sociable as a human being, the one by our vice, and the other by our nature. Our vices prevent us from actually enjoying solitude from other human beings, since we are unable to be a good friend or companion to ourselves. Montaigne advocates learning how to be on our own by improving our own character. To support...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the Renaissance-era philosopher, critic, and essayist Michel De Montaigne's work Essays, specifically his essay On Fear (De la Peur), in which he discusses that emotion, noting that he isn't a natural scientist, so that he won't be investigating the causes of fear, but taking a more phenomenological attitude towards the emotion. He notes that fear can take our judgement away or astray, and admits that what he fears the most is fear itself. He also discusses a number of characteristic effects of fear, which include flight, fight, and freezing, or even dying. To support...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the Renaissance-era philosopher, critic, and essayist Michel De Montaigne's work Essays, specifically his essay "On Sadness" (De la Tristesse), where Montaigne begins by noting that he does not like or value this emotion, but is also not often subject to it either. By contrast, it seems that many people in the world do value it and even associate it with wisdom, virtue, and conscience. Montaigne discusses several stories about people who at first do not express their sadness at a great loss befalling their family, but then do so with people they presumedly are...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the Renaissance-era philosopher, critic, and essayist Michel De Montaigne's work Essays, specifically his essay "That Difficulty Increases Desire" (Que Nostre Desir S'accroit par la Malaisance), which begins by invoking a principle and practice from the Skeptic school, that every argument, position, or "reason" has its contrary. Montaigne considers one position briefly, that our pleasure or joy in a good depends on our feeling of security in its possession, and then examines a number of reasons and examples for the opposed position, that our desire and appreciation of a good we are attracted to is...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the Renaissance-era philosopher, critic, and essayist Michel De Montaigne's work Essays, specifically his essay "On Democritus and Heraclitus" It focuses upon his critical contrast of these two thinkers and the temperaments or attitudes towards life they represent, one of laughter and disdain, the other of sadness, compassion, and taking human affairs seriously. It ends with the claim that what is the specific property of human beings is being laughable and able to laugh. He also discusses several other matters, including his general approach in his Essays, and how we can look at the relations...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the Renaissance-era philosopher, critic, and essayist Michel De Montaigne's work Essays, specifically his essay On Not Judging Us Happy Until After Death (Qu'Il ne Faut Juger de Nostre Heur, Qu'apres la Mort), in which he begins by considering the famous advice given by the Athenian wise man Solon to Croesus, king of Lydia until he was deposed by Cyrus of Persia, namely not to judge any person happy until after their death. Montaigne notes that many people do experience shifts in their condition due to fortune, and provides examples from history and his own...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th and 21st century philosopher and moral theorist, Alasdair MacIntyre's essay "Is Patriotism A Virtue?" It focuses upon the fifth and final part of the article, where MacIntyre discusses the implications of both liberal universal morality and the morality of patriotism being morally dangerous, having valid criticisms of each other, and being both in part wrong. To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler If you'd like to make a direct contribution, you can do so here - www.paypal.me/ReasonIO - or at BuyMeACoffee...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th and 21st century philosopher and moral theorist, Alasdair MacIntyre's essay "Is Patriotism A Virtue?" It focuses upon the fourth part of the work where he brings a morality of patriotism and a liberal universalist morality into dialectical engagement with each other. Looking earlier at criticisms liberal morality had levied against patriotism, he had called patriotism a "source of moral danger". Continuing on, it becomes clear that a liberal, universalizing morality is also such, so that both of them turn out to be "morally dangerous phenomena". To support my ongoing work, go to...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th and 21st century philosopher and moral theorist, Alasdair MacIntyre's essay "Is Patriotism A Virtue?" It focuses upon he fourth part of the piece, where MacIntyre suggests that the morality of patriotism and liberal morality should be brought into dialectical engagement with each other. He begins by noting some of the criticisms that can be and typically are brought against proponents of patriotism by proponents of liberal, universalizing morality, which leads to the conclusion that patriotism can be a source of moral danger. To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site...