History of Philosophy Audio Archive

In this engaging conversation, Chris Hedges interviews Sheldon Wolin, a distinguished Princeton political scientist known for his insights on democracy. They dive into the concept of inverted totalitarianism, which depicts a democracy seemingly governed by corporate interests rather than the people. Wolin distinguishes between classical and modern forms of totalitarianism, critiques the impact of capitalism on democratic foundations, and discusses challenges to civic engagement. The conversation urges for grassroots movements to combat corporate influence and re-establish genuine democratic principles.

Come join my Patreon! https://patreon.com/HemlockPatreon In this conversation with environmental ethicist Guillermo Zapata we discuss the role of indigenous philosophy in shaping our approach to environmental problems, the most pressing threats emerging from climate change, and how we can resist the encroachment of corporate and political interests that are contrary to rational and urgent action of climate change and the Sixth Mass Extinction. -//- Citations Indigenous philosophy and Rousseau/Enlightenment: The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56269264-the-dawn-of-everything French philosopher who conceived technology as an organism: Jacques Ellul https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Ellul#On_technique Dutch microplastics study: https://phys.org/news/2022-03-scientists-microplastics-blood.html All rainwater is poison: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-62391069 The Green Scare 1990s: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Scare Sheldon Wolin concept “Inverted Totalitarianism” is developed in his book “Democracy Incorporated." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheldon_Wolin#Fate_of_democracy  Guest Reading Recommendations: Braiding Sweetgrass - Robin Wall Kimmerer: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17465709-braiding-sweetgrass Right Story, Wrong Story - Tyson Yunkaporta: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199122606-right-story-wrong-story Sand Talk - Tyson Yunkaporta: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45449501-sand-talk How to Do Nothing - Jenny Odell https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42771901-how-to-do-nothing Indigenizing Philosophy through Land - Brian Burkhart: https://msupress.org/9781611863307/indigenizing-philosophy-through-the-land/

Come join my Patreon! https://patreon.com/HemlockPatreon Indeed, the truth that many people never understand, until it is too late, is that the more you try to avoid suffering, the more you suffer, because smaller and more insignificant things begin to torture you, in proportion to your fear of being hurt. The one who does most to avoid suffering is, in the end, the one who suffers the most: and his suffering comes to him from things so little and so trivial that one can say that it is no longer objective at all. It is his own existence, his own being, that is at once the subject and the source of his pain, and his very existence and consciousness is his greatest torture. This is another of the great perversions by which the devil uses our philosophies to turn our whole nature inside out, and eviscerate all our capacities for good, turning them against ourselves. -Thomas Merton, The Seven Storey Mountain, 1948 The Rainer Maria Rilke text that Merton references is Letter Seven from "Letters to a Young Poet" https://genius.com/Rainer-maria-rilke-letter-seven-annotated Later Merton cites Rilke's "Book of Hours" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_Hours -//- Original Reference (Titled “Rilke and his search for God”) - https://merton.bellarmine.edu/s/Merton/page/AVnovices Publication Date - February 2nd, 1966 Thomas Merton - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Merton

Come join my Patreon! https://patreon.com/HemlockPatreon When we are the victims of illusion, we do not feel it to be an illusion but a reality. It is the same perhaps with evil. Evil when we are in its power is not felt as evil but as a necessity, or even a duty…. Imaginary evil is romantic and varied; real evil is gloomy, monotonous, barren, boring. Imaginary good is boring; real good is always new, marvelous, intoxicating. -Simone Weil, Gravity and Grace, 1947 Presented by Sr. Ann Astell at the University of Notre Dame's de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture. -//- Original Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X3vuOiFYKc Publication Date - August 25th, 2014 Notre Dame's de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture - https://www.youtube.com/@ndethics Simone Weil - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simone_Weil

Come join my Patreon! https://patreon.com/HemlockPatreon According to Max Planck, ‘Anybody who has been seriously engaged in scientific work of any kind realizes that over the entrance to the gates of the temple of science are written the words: Ye must have faith. It is a quality which the scientist cannot dispense with.’ And he continued: ‘Science cannot solve the ultimate mystery of nature. And that is because, in the last analysis, we ourselves are part of nature and therefore part of the mystery that we are trying to solve. -Iain McGilchrist, The Master and His Emissary -//- The Master and His Emissary - https://a.co/d/2gDbuCW The Matter with Things - https://a.co/d/2jJVXZg Original Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REB7GOxX5Mk Dr. McGilchrist's YouTube Page - https://www.youtube.com/@DrIainMcGilchrist

Come join my Patreon! https://patreon.com/HemlockPatreon Think about the strangeness of today's situation. Thirty, forty years ago, we were still debating about what the future will be: communist, fascist, capitalist, whatever. Today, nobody even debates these issues. We all silently accept global capitalism is here to stay. On the other hand, we are obsessed with cosmic catastrophes: the whole life on earth disintegrating, because of some virus, because of an asteroid hitting the earth, and so on. So the paradox is, that it's much easier to imagine the end of all life on earth than a much more modest radical change in capitalism. -Slavoj Zizek, 2005 citing Frederic Jameson. Happy Labor Day, you disgusting proles (I love you) -Will -//- Original YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgPqk8-HPGQ&t=1380s Pervert's Guide to Cinema: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYuI4SFw4g0  Frederic Jameson: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fredric_Jameson Slavoj Zizek: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavoj_%C5%BDi%C5%BEe

Come join my Patreon! https://patreon.com/HemlockPatreon A Portuguese Jew living in Holland, Spinoza was excommunicated because of the unorthodox view he took of God. Spinoza wrote in the rationalist style of a geometric proof to develop his idea of God as the infinite, indwelling cause of all things, a unified causal system that is virtually synonymous with nature. In this system, there is no free will, for all things are necessary and inevitable, and all objects, including humans, are part of God's active self-expression. Our minds can participate in the eternity of God by focusing on natural laws and the way all things follow from God or nature. Human fulfillment is possible, he believed, only by rejecting our finite, flawed selves and identifying with the eternal within us. Spinoza believed that by doing so we can love God with an immediate devotion without asking anything in return. Script authored by Spinoza scholar J. Thomas Cook. Enjoy. -//- https://philpeople.org/profiles/j-thomas-cook https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baruch_Spinoza https://archive.org/details/thegiantsofphilosophy

Come join my Patreon! https://patreon.com/HemlockPatreon The tyrant dies and his rule is over; the martyr dies and his rule begins. -Soren Kierkegaard, 1848 For Kierkegaard, truth is a subjective reality which we must live, not simply something to consider and discuss. His self-consciousness and self-examination highlight the practical demands of existence, and he opposes the speculative thinking of philosophical idealists (especially Hegel). Kierkegaard urges the reader to commit to make choices about how to live. In Either/or, he concentrates on sensual indulgence versus duty, the avant garde versus tradition. Fear & trembling dramatically distinguishes between ethical and religious existence, based on the biblical story of Abraham. We must choose to be a "knight of infinite resignation" (giving up hope for this life). Kierkegaard says much of life's meaning depends not on external conditions, but on our internal choices about relating to them. -George Connell, author of the script. Enjoy. -//- https://www.researchgate.net/profile/George-Connell https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%B8ren_Kierkegaar https://archive.org/details/thegiantsofphilosophy

Come join my Patreon! https://patreon.com/HemlockPatreon Thomas Aquinas is the smartest man who ever lived - with the sole exception of Jesus Christ. -Peter Kreeft, Professor of Philosophy at Boston College St. Thomas Aquinas is known for producing history’s most complete system of Christian philosophy. In the late thirteenth century, this quiet, reflective Dominican scholar combined the work of Aristotle with Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and pagan thought to reconcile reason and faith. He believed we can know that God exists but not what God is like. Thomas concluded that mortal happiness is uncertain but immortal happiness is the ultimate end of life; beatitude is to pass beyond death to "see the face of God." His thought continues to exert a powerful influence on Catholic philosophy today.  -Kenneth L. Schmitz, author of this recording's script. (1922-2017) Enjoy. -//- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_L._Schmitz https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Kreeft https://archive.org/details/thegiantsofphilosophy

Come join my Patreon! https://patreon.com/HemlockPatreon David Hume (1711-1776) has been called "the greatest philosophical mind in the English language" by Cornel West, and is one of the most influential philosophers of the Enlightenment era. In this lively and fully-acted performance, Hollywood actor Charlton Heston narrates an overview of Hume's life, philosophy, and influence as described by noted Hume scholar Nicholas Capaldi, current professor emeritus of Loyola University. This recording is remastered from a set of cassette recordings called "The Giants of Philosophy" first published in 1990 and available now on Internet Archive. Enjoy -//- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hume https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Capaldi https://archive.org/details/thegiantsofphilosophy