Sadler's Lectures
Lectures on classic and contemporary philosophical texts and thinkers by Gregory B. Sadler
I'm that YouTube Philosophy Guy! Find more than 3,000 videos in my main channel. Support my video and podcast work! https://www.patreon.com/sadler or https://www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM
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I have a second podcast, Mind & Desire, publishing original episodes on a variety of topics in philosophy, which you can find here - https://gregorybsadler.substack.com/podcast
Learn more about this podcast channel - https://youtu.be/qRvL0gqlyrw and https://gregorybsadler.substack.com/p/the-sadlers-lectures-podcast
Due to popular demand - and with the work underwritten by my Patreon supporters - I have been converting my videos into MP3 files listeners can listen to anywhere they want!
I have a second podcast, Mind & Desire, publishing original episodes on a variety of topics in philosophy, which you can find here - https://gregorybsadler.substack.com/podcast
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 25, 2026 • 11min
From The Eight Capital Vices To The Seven Deadly Sins - Introducing The Topic - Sadler's Lectures
In this invited lecture at Marist College, hosted by the Catholic Studies Program as part of their Marcelin Lecture Series, I narrate some of the key points and developments in the story of how we ended up with the current list of the Seven Deadly Sins, which are: Gluttony, Lust, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, and Pride. Originally, these start out as the Eight Capital Vices, a list which includes sadness, acedia, and vainglory, and which does not include envy. So, how did we end up with the list we know today?
The story involves Christian monks in the Egyptian desert, Benedictine monks, a reluctant pope, poets, scholastic professors, confessors, and mystics, and ranges over a millennium of thinkers and texts. In the process, I discuss some of the key players: Evagrius Ponticus, John Cassian, Gregory I, Alcuin, Peter Lombard, Thomas Aquinas, and Dante Alighieri
This portion of the talk introduces the topic and discusses briefly how the conceptions of eight capital vices and seven deadly sins become so important within western culture.
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You can find over 3500 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler

Jan 24, 2026 • 33min
Soren Kierkegaard's Philosophical Fragments As Gilsonian Christian Philosophy - Sadler's Lectures
This is the recording of my presentation of my paper, "Kierkegaard’s Philosophical Fragments as Gilsonian Christian Philosophy," during the International Etienne Gilson Society satellite session at the American Catholic Philosophical Association 2015 conference. The recording also includes some lively discussion in the Q&A portion following my reading of the paper.
In the paper, I discuss key features of Gilson's conception of Christian philosophy developed during the 1930s debates about the topic, examine why Kierkegaard would seem to be an unlikely prospect for Gilsonian Christian philosophy, but then argue that Kierkegaard's work Philosophical Fragments actually does fit Gilson's conception of Christian philosophy quite well.
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
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Jan 22, 2026 • 11min
Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologiae - Does Love Wound The Lover? - Sadler's Lectures
This lecture discusses key ideas from the medieval Christian philosopher and theologian Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologiae, 1st part of the 2nd part, question 28 "The Effects Of Love", and examines his discussions in article 5, which centers on a question raised not only by literary tropes but also by the Song of Songs. Does the passion of love in some way wound or harm the lover? Thomas notes that love produces a "melting" or receptiveness in the lover, which if the object of love is present can lead to enjoyment, but if not can lead to strong desire and to the sadness of languor.
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 can find over 3500 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler
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Jan 21, 2026 • 15min
Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologiae - Zeal As An Effect Of Love - Sadler's Lectures
This lecture discusses key ideas from the medieval Christian philosopher and theologian Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologiae, 1st part of the 2nd part, question 28 "The Effects Of Love", and examines his discussions in article 4, which centers on the question of "zeal" (zelus in Latin, zēlos and zēlotupia in Greek) and whether it is or is not an effect of love. The answer to this depends on what sense of "zeal" we have in mind, and that depends on whether the person feel love of concupiscence or love of friendship.
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 can find over 3500 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler
Purchase Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologiae - amzn.to/2ITcKYQ

Jan 19, 2026 • 12min
Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologiae - Ecstacy As An Effect Of Love - Sadler's Lectures
This lecture discusses key ideas from the medieval Christian philosopher and theologian Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologiae, 1st part of the 2nd part, question 28 "The Effects Of Love", and examines his discussions in article 3, which centers on whether or not ecstasy is something that love produces as an effect. For Thomas as it turns out, it all depends on how we understand that term. If we have in mind an affective state that in some way sets them outside their normal rational faculties, then this does occur in some cases. But if we mean something more literal, being placed outside ourselves in some way, ecstasy is indeed an effect of love, in particular the love of friendship
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 can find over 3500 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler
Purchase Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologiae - amzn.to/2ITcKYQ

Jan 18, 2026 • 13min
Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologiae - Mutual Indwelling As An Effect Of Love - Sadler's Lectures
This lecture discusses key ideas from the medieval Christian philosopher and theologian Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologiae, 1st part of the 2nd part, question 28 "The Effects Of Love", and examines his discussions in article 2, which centers on the question whether mutual indwelling (mutua inhaesio) is an effect of love. Thomas considers several arguments that seem to rule against this being the case, then distinguishes between how it can be understood with respect to the apprehensive and appetitive powers, and how the latter works with love of concupiscence and love of friendship.
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 can find over 3500 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler
Purchase Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologiae - amzn.to/2ITcKYQ

Jan 17, 2026 • 14min
Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologiae - Union As An Effect Of Love - Sadler's Lectures
This lecture discusses key ideas from the medieval Christian philosopher and theologian Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologiae, 1st part of the 2nd part, question 28 "The Effects Of Love", and examines his discussions in article 1, which centers on the question whether union is or is not an effect of love. Thomas considers several arguments against union being an effect of love, and then clarifies the ways in which love does produce union between the one loving and the one loved in some respect
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 can find over 3500 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler
Purchase Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologiae - amzn.to/2ITcKYQ

Jan 15, 2026 • 21min
Motive, Moral Discourse, and Conflict in George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire
This is the recording of my presentation at the Mid-Atlantic Popular & American Culture Association 2011 conference, applying Aristotelian moral theory to reading George R.R. Martin's series Song of Ice and Fire.
In it, I argue that Martin articulates a essentially neo-Aristotelian view of human nature, characters, development, ethos and moral qualities, referencing selected events, characters, dialogues, monologues, and decisions from the narrative,
I focus upon four aspects of a neo-Aristotelian view of moral life, character, and discourse, namely:
community as sharing (koinonia) but also locus of conflict over moral qualities and judgments
motivational interplays between interests, desires, loyalties, and common goods
ethos reflected in both individual characters and houses
characters’ choice and development as matters of better or worse practical reasoning towards and about the variety of human goods.
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 can find over 3,500 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler
You can get Martin's 5 volumes of the Song of Ice and Fire here - https://amzn.to/4sNAaRC

Jan 14, 2026 • 21min
David Hume, The Natural History Of Religion - Comparison Of Polytheism and Monotheism
This lecture discusses key ideas from the 18th century philosopher and essayist David Hume's essay The Natural History Of Religion.
It focuses specifically on sections 9-15, where Hume brings his work to a close by comparing polytheism and monotheism, as he understands them, against each other, not just in terms of their belief systems but their effects upon cultures and societies in which they play important roles.
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 can find over 3,500 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler
You can get Hume's Natural History Of Religion here - https://amzn.to/49oomNH

Jan 12, 2026 • 10min
David Hume, The Natural History Of Religion - The Development Of Monotheism
This lecture discusses key ideas from the 18th century philosopher and essayist David Hume's essay The Natural History Of Religion.
It focuses specifically on sections 6-8, where he discusses the development of monotheism (which he calls "theism") out of polytheism, attempting to provide a naturalist perspective on the matters.
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 can find over 3,500 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler
You can get Hume's Natural History Of Religion here - https://amzn.to/49oomNH


