Evil and Suffering
Posted on
Peter considers Epicurus’ attempt to dispel the fear of death and the gods, and along the way looks at the topics of soul, atheism, and philosophy as therapy.
Posted on
Plotinus struggles to explain the presence of suffering, evil and ugliness in a world caused by purely good principles – and tells us what role we should play in that world.
Posted on
The Book of Job provokes Saadia, Maimonides, Ibn Tibbon and Gersonides to reflect on why God allows suffering.
Posted on
The Four Noble Truths of the Buddha, and the function they are supposed to play in our lives.
Posted on
Yoga as presented by Patañjali offers a practical complement to the Sāṃkhya theory of the cosmos and the self.
Posted on
Julian of Norwich’s Shewings and the Cloud of Unknowing lay out challenging paths to knowledge of, and union with, God.
Posted on
An interview about the status of nonhuman animals in ancient Indian philosophy and literature.
Posted on
New ideas and and new universities in Italy and greater Germany including Vienna and Prague, where Jan Hus carries on the radical ideas of Wyclif.
Posted on
Do the cuneiform writings of Babylonian culture show that it had its own philosophy?
Posted on
Peter King, Catarina Dutilh Novaes, and Russ Friedman discuss their approaches to medieval philosophy and its contemporary relevance.
Posted on
Demands for ma’at (justice or truth) and a confrontation with the soul, in the Tale of the Eloquent Peasant and Dispute Between a Man and his Ba.
Posted on
Egyptologist Richard Parkinson joins us to talk about the context and meaning of the Eloquent Peasant and other literary works of ancient Egypt.
Posted on
Is traditional African religion in some sense monotheist, despite the worship of many divinities?
Posted on
Special forms of knowledge and the explanation of misfortunes in African tradition.
Posted on
A late 19th-century churchman tries to explain how slavery fit into God’s plan and decide whether the future for African Americans lies in Africa or America.
Posted on
Justus Lipsius draws on Seneca and other Stoics to counsel peace of mind in the face of political chaos, but also writes a work on how such chaos can be avoided.
Posted on
A Renaissance queen supports philosophical humanism and produces literary works on spirituality, love, and the soul.
Posted on
After Albert Cleage and James Cone propose a liberatory interpretation of Christianity, William R. Jones wonders whether God is a white racist. We also follow Black Theology among “Womanist” authors and in South Africa.
Posted on
Cornel West joins us to look back on the development of his thought and the many authors who have inspired him.
