PODCAST · education
Professor Kozlowski Lectures
by Benjamin Kozlowski
Professor Kozlowski lectures on various subjects in Philosophy, Theology, and the Humanities.For a list of courses and projects, visit his website at: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/
Episodes
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HBM - Surrealism
We venture down the rabbit hole of modern art criticism with a shallow dive into the history, inspirations, and major figures of the Surrealist movement - and I subject you to some naked fanboying over some of my favorite artwork. Related readings include Breton's Surrealist Manifesto, Nadia...
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HBM - Nazism and the Occult
Today we discuss some of the most dangerous purveyors and practitioners of occult philosophy - Hitler's Nazis. Using the Extra History series on Nazi Occultism, Hitler's Monsters by Eric Kurlander (and its proof-of-concept essay), and several other perspectives by Umberto Eco, Dan Olson, and...
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HBM - The Golden Dawn
Today we discuss the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the secret magical society that included such luminaries as W. B. Yeats, Dion Fortune, and Aleister Crowley, who went on to shape the twentieth century's perspective of magic, despite the organization imploding spectacularly after barely two...
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Faust Scenes 20-28
Professor Kozlowski concludes his discussion of Goethe's Faust, Part One by discussing the fall of Gretchen/Margareta, and touching briefly on the conclusion of Faust, Part Two for the sake of closure. He managed to do all this without breaking into tears - this time.
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HBM - Blake Into the 20th Century
Today we discuss the influence of William Blake on the 20th Century. By tracing the development of some of Blake's artistic choices, ideas, and themes through the 19th century and into the 20th, we will hopefully see how many of the preoccupations of William Blake, many of which were…
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HBM - Nietzsche and Romanticism
Today we tackle one of the most controversial figures in the history of philosophy, Friedrich Nietzsche. By examining his ideas in the prologue to Thus Spake Zarathustra, "The Four Great Errors" in Twilight of the Idols, and his thoughts on "Peoples and Countries" in Beyond Good and Evil, we hope...
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HBM - Blake the Prophet
CW: Poetic imagery of blood and gore, ravishing, and apocalyptic discussion Today we discuss the works of William Blake that don't usually make it into anthologies and undergraduate curricula - namely "America: A Prophecy," "The [First] Book of Urizen," and "Laocoon" (as well as one EXTREMELY...
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HBM - Blake's Life, Times, and Songs
Today we kick off our discussion of William Blake with a little history catch-up, some discussion of his biography, and a [brief] analysis of the "Songs of Innocence and Experience," and the "Marriage of Heaven and Hell." We'll discuss Blake's religious perspective, his creative interpretation of...
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HBM - Pardise Lost 9-10
Today we finish our discussion of Milton's Paradise Lost with a close examination of Books 9-10. Along the way we'll look at Satan's last chance to make peace with God, his rhetorical strategies to convince Eve to fall, and Milton's relentlessly debilitating portrayal of Eve herself. It's rough,...
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HBM - Paradise Lost 5-8
Today we wrestle with the whole of Raphael's digressions from the central plot of Paradise Lost - the war of the angels in heaven, Milton's recapitulation of Genesis 1 and 2, and some interesting side questions about the Renaissance controversies surrounding the nature of the cosmos, angelic diet...
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HBM - Paradise Lost 3-5
Now that our discussion is officially behind our reading, let's take the opportunity to run through some of the main ideas in Books 3-5 of Paradise Lost, including Milton's (perhaps inconsistent) emphasis on human (and angelic) freedom, Satan's doubts, and the characterization of Eve, God, and Adam.
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HBM - Renaissance Magic and Milton's War
Today we set out many of the topics we'll need to know in our ongoing study of British Magick - including the varieties of Magical practices common among Renaissance thinkers, some of the ideas of especially prominent Renaissance magicians, and the 17th-century British history surrounding John...
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HBM - Paradise Lost 1-2
Today we discuss the opening chapters of Milton's Paradise Lost, to ask ourselves: why do we find Satan so compelling in this poem? We'll discuss the reasons why Satan seems persuasive, as well as Milton's hints that Satan is not trustworthy - and why they don't seem to be sufficient.
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HBM - Apocrypha and Pseudepigraphica
Today we get as close as we're going to get to reading actual magical grimoires and practical magic instruction - we're looking at three famous texts with differing relationships to the Judeo-Christian Canon and theology. Namely, 1. The Book of Tobit, an Intertestimental book included in some...
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HBM - The Story of the New Testament (Canon)
Today we discuss how the New Testament came to be: first, by looking at the historical evidences surrounding Jesus of Nazareth, then by examining the complicated and confusing world of writers and writings that emerged in the first centuries of Christianity's growth, then finally by looking at...
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HBM - Magic and the Old Testament
Today we talk about the Old Testament's complicated relationship to magic. We'll discuss passages that seem to acknowledge the existence of magical or spiritual forces, familiar texts that are fertile ground for magical interpretations, and strange and esoteric prophecies that become the template...
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HBM - Virgil, Rome, and Translation
Today we discuss the text, context, and legacy of Virgil's Aeneid. We'll talk about its role as the preeminent poem of Western literature, its value as propaganda to Augustus Caesar, and the myths and legends that shaped it. We'll also examine the changing face of religion and mythology in the...
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HBM - Ancient Greek Mythology and Magic
Today we discuss Hesiod's Theogony and The Homeric Hymn to Demeter, not necessarily for the stories, but to understand how the Greeks conflate their understanding of magic, myth, religion, and history.
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HBM - Logical Fallacies and Writing Technique
Today we take our first look at the study of nonsense with a discussion of logical fallacies - some familiar and well-worn, and some that I dare to invent and name like I'm a real bigshot scholar. We'll also talk about my expectations for good writing - which makes sense in a class about writing....
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History of British Magick - Syllabus Lecture
Professor Kozlowski introduces his students to the ins and outs of his Studies in Arts and Humanities class for Fall of 2026.
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History of British Magick - Introduction
At long last, we begin our study of British Magick with an introductory lecture about what you can expect from the series, our goals and parameters for the study, and how we will structure the lectures. So it begins. If you wish to be initiated into the greater mysteries of magickal thinking - or...
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Propaganda in a Liberal Democracy
Today we discuss Jason Stanley's How Propaganda Works - a book I've been reading on-and-off since the History of Social Thought class, but which seems more important and relevant every day. Please support my work through Patreon Check out our sister channel: Professor Kozlowski Lecture Notes…
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Professor Kozlowski Lecture NOTES?!
Shamelessly promoting our new paid sister channel, Professor Kozlowski Lecture Notes, where you can find our discussions of V for Vendetta, Watchmen, Sandman, and all the rest of our forthcoming research into "A Brief History of British Magick" and beyond. You can also listen along by joining the...
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A Statement of Intent in 2026
Today Professor Kozlowski does some long-overdue housekeeping. We'll talk about our ambitions for the future, specifically our project on The History of British Magick for the summer of 2026, and how we might get paid doing it - as well as the usual pleas for Patreon subscriptions and other...
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Biblical Politics - A Primer
The Bible is a long, difficult text with many apparent conflicts, especially when it comes to a believer's responsibilities to secular government. Here we will look at the seven most obvious models of political participation in the Bible, and try to reach a theology of Godly government. This...
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Faust Scenes 10-19
Professor Kozlowski finally reaches plot development in Goethe's Faust, Part One. He discusses Margareta as a character, Faust's (and the audience's) relationship to her, and the looming sense of destruction hanging over everyone. What could go wrong?
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Gatsby's party sucked.
Professor Kozlowski, introvert and buzzkill extraordinaire, poops on that most famous of lavish, extravagant parties: the one thrown by Gatsby in Chapter 3 of The Great Gatsby. A century of interpreters have mythologized this party as a symbol of doomed American innocence and romance - an…
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History of Social Thought - Debrief
Professor Kozlowski wraps up his study of political philosophy by discussing the ups and downs of the project, summarizing some of the most important findings, and musing about the future (which will hopefully contain less Hobbes). If you're interested in Professor Kozlowski's other online…
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Language and Propaganda
Professor Kozlowski concludes his series on political philosophy with a look at the nature of propaganda and its (often-unnoticed) effect on language. By examining the ideas of George Orwell's "Politics and the English Language," Harry Frankfurt's "On Bullshit," and Jason Stanley's How Propaganda...
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Place and Cosmopolitanism
Today Professor Kozlowski investigates a grab bag of other political perspectives, including the radical Utilitarianism of Peter Singer's "Famine, Affluence, and Morality," the Cosmopolitanism prescribed by Martha Nussbaum, and the Native American perspectives on land, community, and…
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Care
The Ethics of Care presents one of the most cogent and effective alternatives to liberal government theory current today. It is revolutionary, empathetic, inclusive, and compelling. Today, Professor Kozlowski outlines the theory and practice of the Ethics of Care (as presented in Held's The…
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Activism
Professor Kozlowski examines some of the most famous political activists of the twentieth century. Remember that all opinions expressed in this lecture are opinions, both for the speaker and the readings cited, and that you should trust the research, not the authority of the researcher. Today's...
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Communism and Anarchism
Professor Kozlowski continues testing the limits of algorithmic censorship with a discussion of Communism and Anarchism. No references to the Cookbook here, but we are going to look deeply at some widely varied ideas underlying Anarchist thought, and their justifications for fighting against the...
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Liberalism
Professor Kozlowski continues his idiotic life choices by reading and critiquing the neo-liberal political philosophy discussion surrounding John Rawls' A Theory of Justice. We'll talk about what Liberalism is, its dominance in the discussion of political philosophy, and its assumptions and blind...
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Fascism and Totalitarianism
Today, Professor Kozlowski tackles the preeminent development in political philosophy of the twentieth century - and spectre overhanging the twenty-first: Fascism and Totalitarianism. We'll examine Italian Fascism with Mussolini's own "The Doctrine of Fascism" as well as Umberto Eco's 2001 essay...
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Conservatism
Professor Kozlowski invites the wrath of the Internet by proposing to discuss Conservatism. To do that, we'll explore the history of conservative thinking (and American Conservatism in particular) from Burke's Reflections on the Revolution in France and Romanticism (including Nietzsche's...
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Marx - Communism 101
The Communist Manifesto is one of the most influential and divisive works of political philosophy. Yet it almost seems quaint and harmless in a modern world of global Capitalist reach, and more rhetorical than scientific compared to the more systematic and explanatory Capital. Is Marx's theory of...
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Marx - Capitalism 101
At long last, Professor Kozlowski tackles that most divisive of all political thinkers: Karl Marx. Today we'll talk about the legacy of Marx (especially in the USA), and take our first steps to understanding Marxist views of capitalism through Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations and excerpts from…
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PHIL 236 FA25 History of Social Thought Syllabus Lecture
Professor Kozlowski introduces his new course - History of Social Thought - with a lecture walking through the syllabus and describing the responsibilities and expectations of the course.
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Mill - Utilitarianism and On Liberty
Today we confront the primary moral philosophy presented as a challenge to Kant's Deontology: Utilitarianism. We'll read Chapter 1 of Bentham's "An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation" as well as a sizable portion of Mill's On Liberty - which is remarkably NOT Utilitarian…
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Kant - Perpetual Peace and Deontology
Professor Kozlowski tackles the preeminent philosopher of Enlightenment philosophy: Immanuel Kant. In this lecture, we'll discuss the basic principles underlying Deontological Ethics (including an explanation of the Categorical Imperative), before moving on to appreciate the wry dark humor and...
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The American Experiment
Professor Kozlowski finally reaches the American Experiment. Today we discuss the Declaration of Independence, several of the Federalist Papers (and the response by the mysterious "Brutus"), the American Constitution, and the legend of Hiawatha the Unifier*. Along the way we will discuss the...
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Montesquieu and Rousseau
Professor Kozlowski tackles the French Enlightenment with excerpts from Montesquieu and Rousseau. The first is an orderly, encyclopedic thinker trying to categorize and classify every element of political philosophy; the second may well be a proto-Anarchist masquerading as an Enlightenment...
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Hobbes and Locke
In a fit of spite, Professor Kozlowski condenses his discussion of landmark British political philosophers Hobbes and Locke - forerunners of the American constitution - into a single joint lecture. We'll compare and contrast the two states of nature proposed by these thinkers, examine their...
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Machiavelli and the Muqaddimah
Professor Kozlowski ventures into the modern era of political philosophy with a look at two titans of early-Renaissance era political philosophy: Ibn Khaldun, the great Islamic historian and proto-sociologist/economist writing in the post-Mongol Invasion Abassid Caliphate, and Machiavelli, the...
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Medieval Christian Political Philosophy
Today Professor Kozlowski takes on the political philosophy of the Medieval (and early modern) Christian world, as a cross-section of ideas and interpretations made by Christian political philosophers. Our readings for today hail from: City of God by Augustine of Hippo Summa Theologica by Thomas...
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Politics and the Bible
Professor Kozlowski embarks on yet another discussion of politics and the Bible. Here we will look at the basic outline of the gospel, as well as key passages from Genesis, Deuteronomy, Judges, 1 Samuel, Matthew, Acts, and 1 Timothy that illuminate the Biblical perspective on politics and...
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Roman Political Philosophy
Today Professor Kozlowski takes on the Roman Empire - its legacy (historical and mythological), its organization, and the ideas of some of its most influential thinkers: Cicero and Polybius. Many great political thinkers take Rome as the closest thing to a perfect government ever created -...
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Eastern Political Philosophy
Professor Kozlowski presents a woefully inadequate look at some key ideas in the political philosophy of China and India, specifically: Lao-Tzu's Tao Te Ching The Analects of Confucius Mo-Tzu The Laws of Manu Along the way we'll talk about the differences between Eastern and Western attitudes...
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Aristotle - Politics
CW: Slavery (but not racism); Tyrannical Tactics, w/ examples from Hitler, Stalin, etc. Today Professor Kozlowski turns from Plato's Republic to the other great masterpiece of Greek political philosophy - Aristotle's Politics. Typical of Aristotle, we'll discuss his basic assumptions about...
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Professor Kozlowski Lectures have?
Professor Kozlowski Lectures currently has 310 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Professor Kozlowski Lectures about?
Professor Kozlowski lectures on various subjects in Philosophy, Theology, and the Humanities.For a list of courses and projects, visit his website at: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/
How often does Professor Kozlowski Lectures release new episodes?
Professor Kozlowski Lectures publishes regularly with 310 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
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You can listen to Professor Kozlowski Lectures on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Professor Kozlowski Lectures?
Professor Kozlowski Lectures is created and hosted by Benjamin Kozlowski.
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