Red Letter Philosophy

In this episode we continue our elucidation of beauty. We discuss Plato's view that love then is a ladder between the ideal and the material, between God and man; evidence of another world, a higher reality.

Valentine's Day marks a time or season; a time for love. One of the earliest soliloquies on love comes from Socrates. In one of Plato's great dialogs, The Symposium, Socrates gathers with some friends for a dinner party - really more a drinking party. They contemplate the nature of love. In today's episode we contemplate the beginning of Socrates' soliloquy on love.

Beautiful women, beautiful days, beautiful plays: The manifestations of beauty are many. But what is it that makes all beautiful things beautiful? What is the one among the many? In this episode we contemplate the nature of beauty with the help of Plato's The Symposium.

In episodes 8 & 9, we looked at what the nature of beauty says about us (philosophical anthropology), and what the nature of beauty says about the world (something moves behind the scenes). In this episode we encounter the greatest philosopher of all time, Socrates, as we seek the true nature of beauty.

In our last episode we laid out the thesis that we need beautiful things, even more than we need things with a use. In this episode we see that the light of beauty illuminates more than he whom it shines upon. Beauty not only strengthen us against the world, the flesh, and the devil, but can transform us; allowing us to see more than meets the eye.

The demon Screwtape, in C. S. Lewis's book The Screwtape Letters, says, "Music and silence—how I detest them both!" In this episode we look at how the Christmas season stands for those things the demons hate, namely, silence and music. It's the music of Christmas, the logic of Christmas, the Logos, that the demonic noise is meant to drown out.

From Aristotle to Camus, wisdom has taught us that our destinies are related to our identities.  Our pursuit of beauty reveals a truth about our natures (our identities), namely, that we are not animals.

It is science that is beautiful, not beauty that is scientific.  This is why beauty cannot be found in a test tube (as we discussed in the previous episode).  In this episode we look at the nature of beauty and confront one of the deep paradoxes of philosophy, namely, that there is nothing more useful than the useless.

In this episode we celebrate Thanksgiving in the light of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. The story of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles is reminiscent of the stories of Flannery O'Connor and the Coen Brothers. Their sorties are often violent, taking a sober look at the human condition and evil. But there is a moment in the story when grace - the the hand of God - breaks into one's life. Gratitude,...

In this episode we look at attempts to explain beauty away scientifically and evolutionarily. We ask the question, what is it about beauty that sets it apart? What is it about beauty that makes it a special kind of special? We suggest that it's an awareness of something that cannot be captured in a test tube.

Beauty is strange; being both objective and subjective.  Our experience of beauty suggests that not everything real can be understood scientifically.  Beauty cannot be found in a test tube, and yet it is objective.  Perhaps Plato is right?  Perhaps the experience of beauty is key to perceiving another reality, a higher world?

Is there any evidence that we survive death? Today we examine that question through the work of ICU physician Lauren Bellg. Happy Halloween.

Is there art that makes one deeper? Is there is art, or faux art, that makes one shallower? In other words, Is there a high culture? Join us as we discuss beauty and why it matters in this episode of Red Letter Philosophy.

Is Chesterton right when he says that, "Art, like morality, consists of drawing the line somewhere?" Join us as we walk to the edge of the line in this episode of Red Letter Philosophy.

Is beauty in the eye of the beholder? Can beauty be a completely subjective thing? Beauty and meaning explored in this episode of Red Letter Philosophy.

On September 11th, we remember the individuals who died, the individuals who were maimed, the individuals who suffered. But we should also heed the words of Pascal, we should not avert our eyes from the radiant light of evil. On today's show we discuss the mystery of evil.

Could you give a reason, an explanation, or a description to illuminate your intuitions regarding art and beauty?  What is it that makes something beautiful?  What is it that makes something artful?  Why does it matter?  Art, beauty, and the meaning of life on this episode of Red Letter Philosophy.

In 1966, Bruce Brown created a film titled, "The Endless Summer". The film has been called charming, uncomplicated, and strange. Brown's movie continues to fascinate and puzzle decades after its release. It is not political. It is not trendy. It is existential (in the best sense). We can all relate to surfers like Mike Hynson and Robert August, and film maker Bruce Brown, because they throw off th...

The Grand Canyon is a place where the line between life and death, the line between this world and the next world, grows thin. The Grand Canyon is a reminder that life is serious business. Don't take yourself seriously, but take life very seriously. In this episode we contemplate a compelling Summer read: "Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon".

Since at least the time of Plato, and almost certainly before that, some of the greatest and most insightful thinkers have been convinced that there is more to this world than meets the eye. G. K. Chesterton wrote that, "The human house is a paradox, for it is larger inside than out." In other words, things are not always what they seem. The world within may be more vast than the world without. In...

The sea without and the sea within, like mind and body, or reason and imagination, presents us with two realities. And if Kreeft is right, neither can be reduced to the other, but neither do they exist separately. This makes our world much stranger than we may realize.

Peter Kreeft, in his second book on the sea and surf, writes that, "the sea herself is the most poetic thing on earth (except perhaps a woman's face), and a breaking wave is the most poetic thing on the sea, and riding it is the most poetic thing you can do with it." In this episode of the Red Letter Philosophy we continue to ponder the sea without and the sea within.

Thomas Sowell, writes that, "the American Revolution was not simply a rebellion against the King of England, it was a rebellion against being ruled by kings in general. That is why the opening salvo of the American Revolution was called 'the shot heard round the world." Join us today for a brief reflection on the meaning of the 4th of July.

Summer is upon us. Time for a little relaxation: the beach, the breeze, and a good book.  Philosopher Peter Kreeft writes that, "a typical book on the sea will tell you what causes storms, but it will not tell you what causes our fascination with storms.  They can tell you how the wind raises waves.  But they don't tell you how the waves without raise waves of wonder within."  Join us as we contem...

This episode is not a usual episode. Think of this as more of an announcement. Permanence is the illusion of every age, and so it is for us. We are changing the name of the show.