Philosophy
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Nations and empires
Chastising little brother
Why did Japanese Confucians enthusiastically support Imperial Japan’s murderous conquest of China, the homeland of Confucius?
Shaun O’Dwyer
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Stories and literature
Do liberal arts liberate?
In Jack London’s novel, Martin Eden personifies debates still raging over the role and purpose of education in American life
Nick Romeo
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Rituals and celebrations
A beginner’s guide to a joyful Persian tradition of spring renewal and rebirth
3 minutes
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Stories and literature
Terrifying vistas of reality
H P Lovecraft, the master of cosmic horror stories, was a philosopher who believed in the total insignificance of humanity
Sam Woodward
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Thinkers and theories
A man beyond categories
Paul Tillich was a religious socialist and a profoundly subtle theologian who placed doubt at the centre of his thought
Ted Farris
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Political philosophy
The battles over beginnings
Niccolò Machiavelli’s profound insights about the violent origins of political societies help us understand the world today
David Polansky
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Love and friendship
After his son’s terrorist attack, Azdyne seeks healing – and his granddaughter
25 minutes
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Values and beliefs
A Zen Buddhist priest voices the deep matters he usually ponders in silence
5 minutes
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Religion
Hear from blasphemes, sceptics and free-thinkers in this ‘tour of medieval unbelief’
52 minutes
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Art
The irreverent duo who thumbed their noses at the Soviet Union and the US art world
11 minutes
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Ethics
Ethics has no foundation
Ethical values can be both objective and knowable – torture really is wrong – yet not need any foundation outside themselves
Andrew Sepielli
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Metaphysics
Purposeful universe
Neither atheism nor theism adequately explains reality. That is why we must consider the middle ground between the two
Philip Goff
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Values and beliefs
How traditions progress
The colourful Swiss sport of stone putting illuminates Aristotle’s insights into the shortcomings of conservative thought
Daniel Kranzelbinder
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Love and friendship
Loved, yet lonely
You might have the unconditional love of family and friends and yet feel deep loneliness. Can philosophy explain why?
Kaitlyn Creasy
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The ancient world
Meet the absentee gods and nefarious spirits of ancient Mesopotamia
6 minutes
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Religion
How Jewish leaders in the US are fighting abortion bans on religious grounds
24 minutes
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Values and beliefs
How the plight of holy cows is used to radicalise teenagers in small-town India
24 minutes
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Human rights and justice
Beyond obscenity
A century after the trial against ‘Ulysses’, we must revisit the civil liberties arguments of its defender, Morris Ernst
Brett Gary
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Religion
From God’s shoes to satellites in heaven – children weigh in on religion
8 minutes
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Stories and literature
Myths from Earth’s edge – what the Icelandic sagas reveal about Norse morality
57 minutes
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Art
Why European artists shifted their focus from power to peasants in the 16th century
5 minutes
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Religion
Miracles not magic
It took a tremendous effort to distinguish early Christianity from the finely tuned world of pagan beliefs and rituals
Martha Rampton
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Virtues and vices
Be what you hope for
In the face of global challenges, Augustine offers a way between the despair of pessimism and the presumption of optimism
Michael Lamb
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Philosophy of religion
How a devout Catholic philosopher approaches the problem of evil
8 minutes