Ideas Matter

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: ideasmatterpod@gmail.com

"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. Contact the show on Instagram or Twitter @ideasmatterpod 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 (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)

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.   Purchase 'Philosophy and Real Politics' (2008): https://amzn.to/3F2XFi7 (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)   View more at ideasmatterpod.com   Follow the show on Instagram @ideasmatterpod    Please rate, share and follow the podcast! 

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! Watch on Youtube here Follow the show on Instagram @ideasmatterpod Don't forget to rate and share the episode!

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! Follow the show on Instagram and Youtube @ideasmatterpod This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ideasmatter.substack.com

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 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ideasmatter.substack.com

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 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ideasmatter.substack.com

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 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ideasmatter.substack.com

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 ideasmatterpod@gmail.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ideasmatter.substack.com

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 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ideasmatter.substack.com