HoP 108 - George Boys-Stones on the Greek Church Fathers
George Boys-Stones joins Peter to discuss philosophy in the Bible and the Greek Fathers.
Episodes
History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps
Peter Adamson, Professor of Philosophy at the LMU in Munich and at King's College London, takes listeners through the history of philosophy, "without any gaps". www.historyofphilosophy.net
Episodes
HoP 107 - Practice Makes Perfect - Christian Asceticism
Christian ascetics like Antony, Macrina and Evagrius create a new ethical ideal by pushing the human capacity for self-control to its limits.
HoP 106 - Double or Nothing - Maximus the Confessor
The early Byzantine thinker Maximus uses Aristotle to defend the orthodox view of Christ's two natures
HoP 105 - Naming the Nameless - the Pseudo-Dionysius
A mysterious author calling himself Dionysius fuses Neoplatonism with Christianity
HoP 104 - Let's Talk Turkey - the Cappadocians
Basil of Caesarea, his brother Gregory of Nyssa, and Gregory of Nazianzus use philosophy to help the poor and to defeat their theological opponents
HoP 103 - Fall and Rise - Origen
Origen of Alexandria weaves Platonic ideas into new and controversial theological ideas
HoP 102 - Please Accept Our Apologies - the Greek Church Fathers
Irenaeus, Clement and Justin Martyr consider the relevance of philosophy for Christianity
HoP 101 - Father Figures - Introduction to Ancient Christian Philosophy
An overview of what the Church Fathers contributed to ancient philosophy
HoP 100 - Michael Trapp and Caroline Humfress on Ancient Culture and Philosophy
A special double interview celebrates reaching 100 episodes by looking at the cultural status of philosophy in the ancient world
HoP 099 - Richard Sorabji on the Commentators
Richard Sorabji joins Peter to discuss the ancient commentators on Aristotle
HoP 098 - For a Limited Time Only - John Philoponus
John Philoponus refutes Aristotle’s and Proclus’ arguments for the eternity of the universe, and develops new ideas in physics.
HoP 097 - A Tale of Two Cities - The Last Pagan Philosophers
Julian the Apostate and the philosophers of Athens and Alexandria try to keep pagan philosophy alive in the late Roman empire
HoP 096 - Dominic O'Meara on Neoplatonism
Dominic O'Meara speaks with Peter about political philosophy and mathematics in Neoplatonism
HoP 095 - Anne Sheppard on Ancient Aesthetics
Anne Sheppard joins Peter to discuss aesthetics from Plato to Proclus
HoP 094 - The Platonic Successor - Proclus
Proclus displays late Neoplatonism in all its glory
HoP 093 - Pythagorean Theorems - Iamblichus
Iamblichus fuses Platonism with pagan religious conviction and sets the agenda for Neoplatonism in generations to come.
HoP 092 - King of Animals - Porphyry
Porphyry defends vegetarianism and the harmony of Plato and Aristotle
HoP 091 - James Wilberding on Nature and Neoplatonism
James Wilberding joins Peter to examine what Plotinus and Porphyry contributed to the philosophy of nature
HoP 090 - A Decorated Corpse – Plotinus on Matter and Evil
Plotinus struggles to explain the presence of suffering, evil and ugliness in a world caused by purely good principles – and tells us what role we should play in that world.
HoP 089 - On the Horizon - Plotinus on the Soul
For Plotinus, Soul is on the border between the physical and intelligible realms. Can he convince us to identify ourselves with its highest part?
HoP 088 - Simplicity Itself - Plotinus on the One and Intellect
Plotinus posits an absolutely transcendent first principle, the One. What is it (or isn’t it), and how does it relate to Intellect?
HoP 087 - A God is My Co-Pilot - the Life and Works of Plotinus
Peter introduces Plotinus, the greatest philosopher of late antiquity and the founder of Neoplatonism
HoP 086 - Serafina Cuomo on Ancient Mathematics
How did the mathematics of figures like Euclid and Archimides relate to ancient philosophy? Peter finds out in an interview with Serafina Cuomo
HoP 085 - Sky Writing - Astronomy, Astrology, and Philosophy
Ptolemy uses philosophy in the service of studying the stars, while philosophers of all persuasions evaluate the widespread practice of astrology.
HoP 084 - Silver Tongues in Golden Mouths - Rhetoric and Ancient Philosophy
Themistius, Quintilian, Lucian and other authors tell us about the connections between rhetoric and late ancient philosophy
HoP 083 - Not Written in Stone – Alexander of Aphrodisias
Alexander of Aphrodisias writes the greatest ancient commentaries on Aristotle and tries to demolish the Stoic teaching on fate
HoP 082 - Lost and Found – Aristotelianism after Aristotle
Peter looks at the history of Aristotelianism up the time of the Roman Empire and the beginning of commentaries on his works
HoP 081 - Jan Opsomer on Middle Platonism
Jan Opsomer helps Peter to understand principles, Plato interpretation, and Plutarch in a wide-ranging discussion of Middle Platonism
HoP 080 - Delphic Utterances - Plutarch
Plutarch was a historian, a priest of Apollo, and a Platonist
HoP 079 - To the Lighthouse - Philo of Alexandria
Philo of Alexandria uses Platonism to understand the Bible of Moses