Eternalised

Zen is a form of Buddhism. It originated in China, when Buddhism spread from India to China and was strongly influenced by Taoist philosophy.    Zen literally means “meditation”. Zazen or “seated meditation” is the primary practice of the Zen Buddhist tradition. Unlike religion, Zen does not mention God, it does not try to explain how the world was created and what happens after death. &...

This episode explores Dostoevsky's Raskolnikov presented in Crime and Punishment and Nietzsche's concept of the Übermensch.   Raskolnikov’s pride separates him from society, he sees himself as a sort of “higher man”, indeed an Übermensch, a person who is extraordinary and thus above all moral rules that govern the rest of humanity, and so he cannot relate to anyone of the ordinary people &...

Nietzsche frequently laughs and he especially recommends laughing at oneself. He does not speak of just any laugh, but of a laugh that comes from the depths of man. It is from that depth that one must learn to laugh the superhuman laugh. This laughter arises from the state of anguish and suffering.    Indeed, comedy must be included within the very art that Nietzsche proclaims is: “the highest tas...

This episode explores the concept of The Absurd of Camus, Kierkegaard, and Dostoevsky as well as the differences between these three existentialists.    Camus defined the Absurd as: "The conflict between the human tendency to seek inherent value and meaning in life, and the human inability to find any meaning in a purposeless, meaningless, and irrational universe, with the ‘unreasonable silen...

This episode focuses on the four stoic virtues: courage, justice, temperance, and wisdom. Stoicism is a philosophy most popularly associated with Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius.    The supreme goal being “living in agreement with nature”, allowing us to flow through life smoothly and with inner peace, flourishing as individuals and fulfilling our own human nature, achieving eudaimonia, com...

There are some good reasons to believe that Nietzsche was interested in Eastern philosophy during his lifetime, especially in Buddhism and Hinduism.     Both Hinduism and Buddhism are of interest to Nietzsche not in themselves, but as alternative positions from which to continue his attack on Christianity.     Although Nietzsche considers these philosophies as nihilistic (wrongly), he does indicat...

Albert Camus was a prolific French-Algerian philosopher and author who contributed to the rise of the philosophy known as Absurdism. He is also considered to be an existentialist. This video explores his main ideas: The Absurd, Revolt and Rebellion, as well as his most notable works: The Stranger (or The Outsider), The Myth of Sisyphus, The Rebel, The Plague, and The Fall. In the Greatest Philosop...

Jean Paul Sartre is one of the key figures in the philosophy of Existentialism, which emphasises the existence of the individual or human subject who faces existential angst in an apparently absurd world.    This episode explores his main ideas including: Nausea, the Absurdity of the World, Existence precedes Essence, Freedom, Bad Faith and The Look, among others.  Sartre had a great influence on...

As well as a philosopher, Fyodor Dostoevsky is most popularly known as a Russian novelist. His works explore human psychology in the troubled socio-political atmosphere of 19th century Russia. His novels had a great impact on psychology, especially of people who lose their reason, who are nihilistic, or who become insane or commit murder.  He is considered as one of the greatest psychological nove...

Søren Kierkegaard was a profound and prolific 19th century writer and philosopher in the Danish Golden Age of intellectual and artistic activity. He wrote about how we choose to live and what it means to be alive, centred in the individual or “existing being”. He is regarded as the father of Existentialism. The stress of subjectivity is one of Kierkegaard’s main contributions.  His concept of anxi...

In the Greatest Philosophers In History series we do an in-depth exploration of the most fundamental ideas and views on life of the greatest philosophers in human history. Friedrich Nietzsche was a German philosopher of the 19th century. He is regarded as one of the most revolutionary thinkers in Western philosophy and intellectual history. He was a cultural critic of his era, of traditional Europ...

The Art of War is a book attributed to Sun Tzu, who is revered as a legendary historical military figure, as well as a philosopher, and whose real name is Sun Wu.    “The supreme Art of War is to subdue the enemy without fighting” – Sun Tzu.   The Art of War is not only concerned with modern warfare, but also spreads and influences the mindset of people in politics, games, and business. It present...

George Orwell depicts what a world could possibly look like under an authoritarian regime in his dystopian novel 1984, coining neologisms such as Big Brother, Thoughtcrime and Doublethink.     Published in 1949, it remains highly influential in popular culture, and you have probably heard about the term Orwellian before.   However, it is often misinterpreted, especially in...

Psychedelics are the great mystery of mother nature, a way to open a portal and tap into a hidden consciousness. Find out what these mysterious and ancient plants and fungi are, their current role in society, their effects and benefits on the treatment of depression, anxiety and more, as well as their consciousness expanding capability.   “Psychedelics are illegal not because a loving governm...

Taoism is a philosophy attributed to Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu. The basic thing in the whole philosophy is the conception of Tao or "The Way", the natural order of the universe which one must discover to realise the potential for wisdom.    And "Wu wei”, meaning “effortless action" or "action-less action", describing a state of flow that is characterised by great ea...

Everyone carries a shadow. Find out how to discover and integrate your shadow, unleash your potential: your authenticity, creativity, energy, and personal awakening. The shadow can be described as the unknown dark side of the personality. The shadow forms part of a projection, you deny the existence of all the things you despise in yourself, while attributing them to others. So, whatever qualities...

This video focuses on what are regarded as the four major Jungian Archetypes: The Self, the Persona, the Shadow, and the Anima/Animus.  Few people have had as much influence on modern psychology as Carl Jung.  He was a practicing psychiatrist and is regarded as the founder of analytical psychology or Jungian analysis.  Jung’s analytical psychology essentially gave birth to the empirical science of...

Stoicism is unlike any other philosophy in the world. A pragmatic philosophy that has gained rapid popularity in modern times. It teaches self-control and fortitude as a means for overcoming destructive emotions.   A big challenge in today's highly technological era is people seeking attention, feeling ashamed or lack self confidence.    This ancient philosophy, teaches you, among m...