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 a matter that arises early in the letters. The marquis complains that he has not found adult life as e...

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, provid...

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...

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 o...

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 marri...

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 relation...

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 Patreo...

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 ani...

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 cultiva...

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 vir...

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 n...

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 perve...

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 para...

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 th...

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....

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 obj...

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 c...

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 on...

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...

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...

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...

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 wi...

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 Hipp...

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 acknowl...

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. H...