The London Lecture Series

The Royal Institute of Philosophy•www.royalinstitutephilosophy.org

What is mental health? Can we make sense of psychosis? What’s the connection between mental health and concepts including race & evolution?

Explore these questions, among others, through the lens of philosophy at the 2023/4 London Lectures.

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Episodes

The First Person in Buddhism with Nilanjan Das

In classical South Asian philosophy, as in common sense, most thought that the first-person pronoun “I” stands for the self, something that persists through time, undergoes conscious thoughts and experiences, and exercises control over actions. The Buddhists accepted the “no-self” thesis: they denied that such a self is substantially real. This gave rise to a puzzle for these Buddhists. If there is nothing substantially real that “I” stands for, what are we talking about when we speak of ourselv...

Apr 29, 2022•1 hr 19 min•Season 1Ep. 5

Japanese Philosophers on Plato’s Ideas with Noburu Notomi

Plato has been one of the most important philosophers in the West and is now read all over the world. He has undergone a lot of research in academia, but Noburu Notomi suspects that modern readers have missed some essential factors in analyzing Plato’s texts and thoughts. In order to correctly understand his central theory of Ideas and reconsider the potential of Plato’s philosophy in the modern world, Notomi discusses the reactions of four Japanese philosophers of the twentieth century to Plato...

Apr 22, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 4

Philosophical Storytelling with Helen de Cruz

Philosophers enjoy telling stories. Sometimes the stories are very short, but they can be long and detailed as well, for example in the form of utopian narratives by More, Cavendish and others. Why do philosophers invent such stories, and what do they want to accomplish with them? Helen de Cruz argues that existing accounts of thought experiments cannot easily explain the range and variety of thought experiments. In her view, philosophical thought experiments are not merely prettily dressed up a...

Apr 15, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Season 1Ep. 2

The Philosophy of Green Finance with Joanna Burch-Brown

Self-described ‘hippie eco-philosopher’ Joanna Burch-Brown takes us on a deep dive into the philosophy of green finance and a step closer to addressing climate change, by way of a lively tale of philosophy going banking. Joining the discussion is Sean Edwards, chairman of the International Trade and Forfaiting Association Annual Conference. Joanna Burch-Brown is a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at University of Bristol. Her work has focused on issues of contested heritage and public memory. She i...

Apr 15, 2022•55 min•Season 1Ep. 3

How to Change Your Mind with Leah Kalmanson

The methods of philosophy may be associated with practices such as rational dialogue, logical analysis, argumentation, and intellectual inquiry. However, many philosophical traditions in Asia, as well as in the ancient Greek world, consider an array of embodied contemplative practices as central to the work of philosophy and as philosophical methods in themselves. Leah Kalmanson surveys a few such practices, including those of the ancient Greeks as well as examples from Jain, Buddhist, and Confu...

Apr 15, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 1

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