Philosophy Lectures and Online Courses | The Great Courses Daily

Secret Societies: Trotskyites Versus the Comintern

November 3, 2020

Trotskyites severely opposed Joseph Stalin, and this led to the rise of different factions with the communist party. Eventually it led to the decline of communism. […]

An image illustrating a secret agent or a spy in the early 1900s

Secret Societies: Activities of Key Communist Operatives in the Early 1900s

November 3, 2020

In the early 20th century, numerous secret communist operatives operated at various levels. These operatives played a major role in furthering the goal of communism in the US and in Europe. […]

Image showing secret meeting in an underground chamber

Secret Societies: Rise of the Communist International

November 2, 2020

By the early 1920s, communists had taken a stronghold in the United States with a with a many loyal members. This eventually led the FBI into acting against them. […]

Why Does Evil Exist? Three Major Theories Help Us Understand

December 1, 2017

Why does evil exist? Particularly in the last 100 years or so, thinkers have made repeated attempts, directly and indirectly, to come to grips with this very question. […]

Photo of an aged bronze statue of Confucious

The Pedagogy of Confucius

July 5, 2017

Almost everyone is familiar with the name Confucius, but not as many are familiar with the impact his philosophy has made on the world at large. Confucius’s concepts of how life should be experienced, the dynamics between citizen and government, the structure of family, and his views on how to operate in an increasingly turbulent society remain relevant hundreds of years after his death. They formed the philosophical backbone of East Asian civilization as well as influencing the Western world in innumerable ways […]

Man sitting at the dock in twilight, thinking about the meaning of life. Lake, headland with church and hills in the background

The Meaning of “The Meaning of Life”

April 22, 2017

When asking the question “What is the meaning of life?”, you may want take a step back, reflect and begin by asking, “What is meant by the phrase ‘the meaning of life’”? […]

statue of the Greek philosopher Socrates

What Was Greek Philosophy Before Socrates?

April 21, 2017

Greek philosophy is divided into the period before and after the life of Socrates. Starting with the Ionians, the earliest philosophers are now known as the “Presocratics”. The question is, what was their role in defining Western Philsophy as we know it today? […]

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