The Thinking Reed

In this first episode on Rene Descartes, we explore the beginnings of his response to crisis of skepticism -- the great philosophical challenge of his time.  We look more closely at how skepticism had developed since Montaigne and begin to explore how Descartes' will respond to this challenge in his first major publication, The Discourse on the Method.  Enjoy!

In this episode we look at Montaigne's most well known essay, "The Apology for Raymond Sebond."  In this rambling essay Montaigne seeks to defend his own version of skepticism.  But does it work?  I offer reasons why I think skepticism ultimately fails to either be coherent or to be a sustainable philosophy for life.  Enjoy!

In this episode we cover an introduction to skepticism -- the view that denies we can ever truly know something -- and how it came to impact Montaigne's thought.  Skepticism is not a simple perspective: there were disagreements among the early skeptics as to what it means to be skeptical.  We explore the beginnings of skepticism in the ancient Greek and Roman world and the particular type of skepticism that would come to deeply influence Montaigne.  Enjoy!

In this episode we take up the ever so familiar idea of "the self" or "personality" and discover in Montaigne the beginnings of our own modern understanding of this topic.  What does it mean to "be yourself" or to "know yourself"?  A great deal f modern thought rests on how we think about the self.  Could it be, then, that Montaigne was the first modern philosopher?  Enjoy!

In this episode we take a look at wonderfully interesting life of Michel de Montaigne.  He lived in late 16th century France, one of the most tumultuous times in European history.  The Protestant Reformation and the Copernican Revolution were creating upheavals in nearly every area of life.  Montaigne sought peace by returning to his quiet family home and it was there that he would write his famous Essays that explored such things as pleasure, death, and even witches and cannibals!  I hope you enjoy this episode.

Cicero once remarked that philosophy is learning how to die.  In this episode, our first on Michel de Montaigne, we take up his famous essay on this comment from Cicero.  What is the most important question we could ever ask?  For Montaigne, it is the question of death, because in that question he thinks we find the secret to a happy life.  Enjoy!

In this episode I interview Dr. Graham Tomlin, one of the world's leading experts on Pascal and author of the book, Blaise Pascal: The Man Who Made the Modern World.  We discuss everything from Pascal's transformative experience in "the night of fire" to his Wager to how you can thank Pascal for the existence of busses and wrist watches!  I hope you enjoy this fascinating interview.

In this episode we consider one of the most famous arguments for God: Pascal's "Wager."  But is it an argument for God's existence?  What exactly is Pascal doing with the Wager?  And what are some ways we misunderstand it?  Enjoy!  

In this episode we consider Pascal's thoughts on whether there is such a thing as non-rational knowledge.  He famously stated that "the heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing."  But what did he mean by this?  Join me as we explore this fascinating aspect of Pascal's thought.  Enjoy!

In this episode we explore Pascal's thoughts on the vulnerability of reason.  How do we know we are being rational?  Are we as rational as we think?  Pascal's thoughts on this topic are fascinating and insightful.  Enjoy!

In this episode we explore Pascal's famous statement that all of our problems come from our inability to sit alone quietly in a room.  Why does he say this?  Why do we love distractions?  Why would we do anything to get away from being alone with our thoughts?  Enjoy!

In this episode we look more closely at the most important experience of Blaise Pascal's life -- his "Night of Fire" vision.  This experience is the gateway to understanding his great philosophical work, the Pensées.  Enjoy!

In this episode we take up the life of Blaise Pascal and the world in which he lived.  It was a time of religious conflict, of major shifts in scientific and philosophical understanding, and at the center of it all was the brilliant Pascal.  Our goal in this episode is to set a context for upcoming episodes focusing on Pascal's philosophical masterpiece, the Pensées.  Enjoy!  

In this episode the podcast itself is introduced, along with a short reflection on Pascal's famous statement that man is "a thinking reed."