Philosophy (2016)

What is Philosophy?
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February 8, 2016 • 10m

Today Hank begins to teach you about Philosophy by discussing the historical origins of philosophy in ancient Greece, and its thre...Read more

How to Argue - Philosophical Reasoning
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February 16, 2016 • 9m

Before we dive into the big questions of philosophy, you need to know how to argue properly. We’ll start with an overview of philo...Read more

How to Argue - Induction & Abduction
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February 22, 2016 • 10m

We continue our look at philosophical reasoning by introducing two more types: induction and abduction. Hank explains their streng...Read more

Leonardo DiCaprio & The Nature of Reality
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February 29, 2016 • 9m

Today Hank gains insight from that most philosophical of figures...Leonardo DiCaprio. In this episode, we’re talking about the pro...Read more

Cartesian Skepticism - Neo, Meet Rene
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March 7, 2016 • 10m

This week Hank introduces skepticism, exploring everything from the nature of reality through the eyes of a 17th century philosoph...Read more

Locke, Berkeley, & Empiricism
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March 15, 2016 • 9m

This week we answer skeptics like Descartes with empiricism. Hank explains John Locke’s primary and secondary qualities and why Ge...Read more

The Meaning of Knowledge
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March 21, 2016 • 10m

On today’s episode...CATS. Also: Hank talks about some philosophy stuff, like a few of the key concepts philosophers use when disc...Read more

Karl Popper, Science, & Pseudoscience
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March 28, 2016 • 8m

The early 1900s was an amazing time for Western science, as Albert Einstein was developing his theories of relativity and psycholo...Read more

Anselm & the Argument for God
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April 4, 2016 • 9m

Today we are introducing a new area of philosophy – philosophy of religion. We are starting this unit off with Anselm’s argument f...Read more

Aquinas & the Cosmological Arguments
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April 11, 2016 • 10m

Our unit on the philosophy of religion and the existence of god continues with Thomas Aquinas. Today, we consider his first four a...Read more

Intelligent Design
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April 25, 2016 • 9m

Last week we introduced Thomas Aquinas’s four cosmological arguments for the existence of god; today we introduce his fifth argume...Read more

What Is God Like?
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May 2, 2016 • 10m

Today we are moving on from the existence of God to look at the philosophical debate surrounding the traditional divine attributes...Read more

The Problem of Evil
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May 9, 2016 • 10m

After weeks of exploring the existence of nature of god, today Hank explores one of the biggest problems in theism, and possibly t...Read more

Anti-Vaxxers, Conspiracy Theories, & Epistemic Responsibility
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May 16, 2016 • 9m

Today we explore what obligations we hold with our personal beliefs. Hank explains epistemic responsibility and the issues it rais...Read more

Indiana Jones & Pascal's Wager
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May 23, 2016 • 9m

Today we conclude our unit on Philosophy of Religion and Hank gets a little help from Indiana Jones to explain religious pragmatis...Read more

Existentialism
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June 6, 2016 • 8m

Now that we’ve left behind the philosophy of religion, it’s time to start exploring what other ways might exist to find meaning in...Read more

Perspectives on Death
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June 13, 2016 • 9m

Today we are talking about death, looking at philosophical approaches from Socrates, Epicurus, and Zhuangzi. We will consider whet...Read more

Batman & Identity
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June 20, 2016 • 9m

Hank explores different ways of understanding identity – including the Indiscernibility of Identicals, and essential and accidenta...Read more

Personal Identity
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June 27, 2016 • 8m

Today Hank is building on last week’s exploration of identity to focus on personal identity. Does it in reside in your body? Is it...Read more

Arguments Against Personal Identity
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July 11, 2016 • 9m

How can Daenerys Targaryen help us understand personal identity? Find out as Hank continues our exploration of personal identity, ...Read more

Personhood
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July 25, 2016 • 9m

Now that we’ve started talking about identity, today Hank tackles the question of personhood. Philosophers have tried to assess wh...Read more

Where Does Your Mind Reside?
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August 1, 2016 • 9m

Today we continue our unit on identity by asking where the mind resides. Hank explains the mind-body problem and several approache...Read more

Artificial Intelligence & Personhood
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August 8, 2016 • 9m

Today Hank explores artificial intelligence, including weak AI and strong AI, and the various ways that thinkers have tried to def...Read more

Determinism vs Free Will
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August 15, 2016 • 10m

Do we really have free will? Today Hank explores possible answers to that question, explaining theories like libertarian free will...Read more

Compatibilism
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August 22, 2016 • 8m

As we continue explore free will, today Hank considers a middle ground between hard determinism and libertarian free will: compati...Read more

Language & Meaning
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August 29, 2016 • 9m

Today we start our unit on language with a discussion of meaning and how we assign and understand meaning. We’ll cover sense and r...Read more

Netflix & Chill
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September 12, 2016 • 9m

Last week we talked about language and meaning. Today, Hank explores some of the things that complicate meaning and how we get aro...Read more

How Words Can Harm
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September 19, 2016 • 10m

Content warning: today’s episode contains language that some viewers might find upsetting and that may not be viewable in all sett...Read more

Nonexistent Objects & Imaginary Worlds
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September 27, 2016 • 9m

Today we transition between units on language and aesthetics with a discussion of nonexistent and imaginary objects. Is it possibl...Read more

Aesthetic Appreciation
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October 3, 2016 • 9m

Today we are talking about art and aesthetic appreciation. What makes something an artwork? Can art really be defined? Is aestheti...Read more

Aesthetics
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October 17, 2016 • 10m

How do art and morality intersect? Today we look at an ethically questionable work of art and discuss R. G. Collingwood’s view tha...Read more

Metaethics
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October 25, 2016 • 9m

We begin our unit on ethics with a look at metaethics. Hank explains three forms of moral realism – moral absolutism, and cultural...Read more

Divine Command Theory
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October 31, 2016 • 9m

As we venture into the world of ethics, there are a lot of different answers to the grounding problem for us to explore. One of th...Read more

Natural Law Theory
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November 7, 2016 • 9m

Our exploration of ethical theories continues with another theistic answer to the grounding problem: natural law theory. Thomas Aq...Read more

Kant & Categorical Imperatives
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November 14, 2016 • 10m

Our next stop on our tour of ethics is Kant’s ethics. Today Hank explains hypothetical and categorical imperatives, the universali...Read more

Utilitarianism
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November 21, 2016 • 10m

Our next stop in our tour of the ethical lay of the land is utilitarianism. With a little help from Batman, Hank explains the prin...Read more

Contractarianism
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November 28, 2016 • 9m

Today we explore the penultimate ethical theory in this unit: contractarianism. Hank explains Hobbes’ state of nature, implicit an...Read more

Aristotle & Virtue Theory
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December 5, 2016 • 9m

This week we explore the final ethical theory in this unit: Aristotle’s virtue theory. Hank explains the Golden Mean, and how it e...Read more

Moral Luck
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December 12, 2016 • 9m

Can two people who make the same bad decision bear different levels of moral responsibility? Today, we try to address this questio...Read more

What Is Justice?
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December 19, 2016 • 10m

In today’s episode, Hank asks you to consider all the ways people talk about justice and what we really mean when we use that word...Read more

Discrimination
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January 10, 2017 • 9m

Is it OK to discriminate? Do you do it? Is it always wrong or are there cases where it can be acceptable? Today we’re talking thro...Read more

Non-Human Animals
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January 16, 2017 • 9m

Today we are taking all the things we have learned this year about doing philosophy and applying that to moral considerations rega...Read more

Family Obligations
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January 23, 2017 • 9m

Today we are investigating our moral obligations to our parents and our families. Do we owe our parents anything as adults? Would ...Read more

Poverty & Our Response to It
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January 30, 2017 • 8m

We’re picking up where we left off last time, exploring the “ethics of care” and how it applies to extreme poverty. Are we respond...Read more

Assisted Death & the Value of Life
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February 6, 2017 • 9m

As we wrap up Crash Course Philosophy, we’re using the things we’ve learned to explore big issues like the value of life. Today, w...Read more

What Is a Good Life?
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February 13, 2017 • 9m

In our final episode of Crash Course Philosophy, we consider what it means to live a good life. We’ll look at the myth of Sisyphus...Read more