Empedocles on Love and Strife
Empedocles was a philosopher, wandering poet and shamanic healer who claimed the entire universe was underpinned by the forces of Love and Strife.
Blogs
Lucy and the Rocket Dog, forthcoming in French
My book, Lucy and the Rocket Dog, forthcoming in French in 2022.
Deng Xi, the Philosopher Who Argued From Both Sides
Deng Xi was a lawyer and philosopher associated with the so-called "School of Names". He was skilled in debate and frequently caused confusion by simultaneously arguing opposite viewpoints.
Anaxagoras on the Gunkiness of Reality
The Presocratic philosophers are famously strange; but Anaxagoras, who saw the universe as essentially gunky, is one of the strangest.
Anna Ezekiel on Günderrode, Identity and Doing Philosophy Differently
Philosopher Anna Ezekiel talks about Karoline von Günderrode, and about the German philosopher's distinctive philosophy of free will, identity and death.
Navigating Wisdom with Aristotle (Wisdom #2)
In this class, we're exploring Aristotle's ideas of theoretical and practical wisdom, heading on perilous Atlantic sea voyages, and asking about what it means not just to know stuff, but also to act wisely.
Jing Jiang on Politics, Gender and Weaving
Jing Jiang is one of the earliest women in Chinese recorded history to engage in philosophical debate. She was a thinker with a keen grasp of politics, and a considerable skill in argument.
Parmenides on Truth and Opinion
Parmenides is one of the most elusive and enigmatic of all early Greek philosophers. Could he really have been arguing that nothing ever changed?
Anaximander and the Boundlessly Creative Universe
The philosopher Anaximander was born in the trading port of Miletus in 610 BCE, and is said to have become a student of the philosopher Thales. His philosophy explored questions of creation and destruction in nature.
Plato: Organist to the Beasts
A story from a 13th century Persian text about music, harmony, philosophy, catatonic animals, and the beef between Plato and Aristotle.
Gārgī Vācaknavī, the Eloquent Philosopher
Gārgī Vācaknavī was a philosopher who is said to have lived in India around 700 BCE, and whose skill in debate was legendary.