This lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th century philosopher, novelist, and essayist Albert Camus' work The Myth of Sisyphus Specifically it examines one of the sketches or examples that he provides in the second part of his work, illustrating one particular "ethics of quantity" that remains consistently engaged with the absurd. This one centers around the fictional figure of Don Juan, reinterpreted by Camus. He engages in a seemingly endless series of seductions of women throughout...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the 20th century philosopher, novelist, and essayist Albert Camus' work The Myth of Sisyphus Specifically it examines his discussion in part 2, which develops a sort of ethics confronting the absurd in human existence. This ethics would be developed within the scope of a person's life, and would not be reducible to universal rules or principles. To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler If you'd like to make a direct...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient Middle Platonist philosopher and biographer Plutarch's essay How To Tell A Flatterer From A Friend This episode focuses specifically on the importance of moderating, or placing some limits on frankness of speech (in ancient Greek, parrhesia) within the scope of genuine friendship. These include advice to avoid approaches that are likely to be insulting to the person being criticized, since frankness has room for graciousness. Frank criticism...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient Middle Platonist philosopher and biographer Plutarch's essay How To Tell A Flatterer From A Friend This episode focuses specifically on how flatterers engage in imitation of, rather than genuine, frankness of speech with the people that they want to deceive into thinking they are actually friends. Plutarch identifies several ways in which the seeming frankness of flatterers differs from that of friends, and notes a particularly problematic...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient Middle Platonist philosopher and biographer Plutarch's essay How To Tell A Flatterer From A Friend This episode focuses specifically on the importance of frankness of speech (in ancient Greek, parrhesia) within genuine friendship. Plutarch argues that we all need friends not only to be pleasant to us and praise us, but also to point out where we are going wrong in our attitudes, words, and actions. He provides advice about how and when we...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient Middle Platonist philosopher and biographer Plutarch's essay How To Tell A Flatterer From A Friend This episode focuses specifically on his discussion of a number of tricks and techniques that more sophisticated flatterers use to attempt to imitate friendship. Among these are using a fake frankness of speech, imitating similarities with the person targeted, pretending to share the same problems or deficits, praising the person wrongly for...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient Middle Platonist philosopher and biographer Plutarch's essay How To Tell A Flatterer From A Friend This episode focuses specifically on the role that similarity plays in generating and sustaining real friendships between people, and the deliberate and deceptive imitations of similarity on the part of flatterers. He also notes that flatterers will imitate negative characteristics and actions, whereas friends will generally share similarities...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient Middle Platonist philosopher and biographer Plutarch's essay How To Tell A Flatterer From A Friend This episode focuses specifically on his discussion of assistance, services, ministering, and courtesies that flatterers and friends provide. Merely providing these or not does not allow us to distinguish flatterers from friends, so we need to look to other characteristics, such as the eagerness that a person shows, the moral quality of the...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient Middle Platonist philosopher and biographer Plutarch's essay How To Tell A Flatterer From A Friend This episode focuses specifically on one area in which we can tell flatterers from genuine friends, namely their attitudes and behavior towards other flatterers and towards our genuine friends. Flatterers will be envious of other flatterers and compete with them, and they will attempt to isolate their target from genuine friends. Real friends,...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient Middle Platonist philosopher and biographer Plutarch's essay How To Tell A Flatterer From A Friend This episode focuses specifically on criteria we can use to tell flatterers from friends. Early on in the work, Plutarch considers three potential criteria, namely whether a person gives pleasure to the other person, whether a person gives praise to the other person, or whether a person does services and courtesies to the other person. None of...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient Middle Platonist philosopher and biographer Plutarch's essay How To Tell A Flatterer From A Friend This episode focuses specifically on the vulnerabilities to flatterers and flattery that we have within our own selves and characters. These stem from our own excessive self-love (philautia) which makes us liable to be flatterers of our own selves, and renders us liable to listen to those who confirm what we would like to think about ourselves,...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the work of the 20th century novelist and short story writer, Franz Kafka, "The Metamorphosis" This lecture discusses different modes of alienation or estrangement within the story, largely but not solely concerning the character Gregor Samsa. He is already somewhat alienated in economic and social terms at the start of the story, and more so as the story goes on, but he is even more so in terms of the Samsa family dynamics and in relation to his own...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the work of the 20th century novelist and short story writer, Franz Kafka, "The Metamorphosis" This lecture discusses the responses and attitudes towards Gregor on the part of different minor characters in the short story, namely the cook and servant-girl who respond to Gregory with horror, the lodgers who pretend to be disgusted by him but really are just taking advantage of the situation, and the charwoman who exhibits a kind of rough friendliness...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the work of the 20th century novelist and short story writer, Franz Kafka, "The Metamorphosis" This lecture discusses two of the other important characters in the story, Gregors mother and father, simply referred to Mrs. and Mr. Samsa. Both of them are aged and in bad health, and dependent upon Gregor, at the start of the story. Mrs. Samsa remains prone to fainting spells, but does take thought about her son and takes on work that can be done in the...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the work of the 20th century novelist and short story writer, Franz Kafka, "The Metamorphosis" This lecture discusses the character Grete, who is Gregor's younger sister. At the beginning of the story, she is a teenager with minimal responsibilities and some musical talent. As she comes to take care of her brother after his metamorphosis, she takes on more responsibility and agency. By the end of the story, she argues that the creature is no longer her...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the work of the 20th century novelist and short story writer, Franz Kafka, "The Metamorphosis" This lecture discusses the circumstances of Gregor's family, the Samsas. Initially, they are all dependent upon Gregor for their income, paying down debts, and even the decision-making around the house. As Gregor discovers after his transformation and losing his job, his father does have some money set aside, and his family members are all capable of taking on...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the work of the 20th century novelist and short story writer, Franz Kafka, "The Metamorphosis" This lecture discusses the transformation or metamorphosis (Verwandlung) that Gregor Samsa experiences at the very beginning of the story, but also throughout the narrative. As it turns out it is not simply his physical form that is changed, but also his own capacities and possibilities, his relationships with other people, his senses and desires, and even his...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the work of the 20th century theologian, social philosopher, and civil rights activist, Martin Luther King Jr.'s sermon "Unfulfilled Hopes" It discusses the analysis he provides of three different characteristic responses to the tragic element of life, that dreams remain unrealized, hopes unfulfilled, and that cries for a solution go unanswered. Two of these responses, those of bitterness and withdrawal, are negative and motivated by anger and hate. The...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient philosopher Plato's dialogue, the Gorgias. This lecture focuses specifically on a set of points that Socrates makes in his conversation with Gorgias, outlining a common dynamic that tends to produce anger and even lead to abusive language between people who are discussing or exploring a subject matter together. When subject matters or topics are difficult to define, people will accuse each other of being unclear or incorrect in what they say....

This lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient philosopher Plato's dialogue, the Gorgias. This lecture focuses specifically on a passage in the conversation between Socrates and the host of the evening's conversations, Callicles. After Callicles has told Socrates that philosophy is fine for children and young men, but that a mature man ought to leave it behind, Socrates ironically tells Callicles that he is certain to get a good assessment of his character from Callicles. Socrates claims...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the work of the 20th century novelist and short story writer, Franz Kafka, "On Parables" This lecture discusses the terminology used in the story, the distinction between the words of the wise which are parables and the needs and cares of our daily lives, and a metaparable that this short story ends on. Here is the story in its entirety: Many complain that the words of the wise are always merely parables and of no use in daily life, which is the only...

This lecture discusses the 20th century poet, novelist, and philosopher, Rainer Maria Rilke's work Letters to a Young Poet, and examines in particular advocation of trusting (halten) in what is difficult, and trusting in things. The range of "things" includes those of nature, even the smallest things, but also matters like love and death To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler If you'd like to make a direct contribution, you can do so here -...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient philosopher and biographer Plutarch's short work On Having Many Friends. This episode focuses specifically on the reasonings he provides for the impossibility or impracticability of having many friends (poluphilia) in any genuine sense of the term. Some of these stem from the difficulties involved in doing justice to all of our relationships. Others arise from the variance we are bound to encounter among the people we would like to call...

This lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient philosopher and biographer Plutarch's short work On Having Many Friends. This episode focuses specifically on his advice that, if we want to have good friendships, we need to try and test people before becoming fully friends with them. This echoes advice given earlier by authors like Cicero, Aristotle, and Seneca. Unfortunately, Plutarch says, many people make friends first, and then come to regret their commitment to people whose characters...