Historical Context
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In this episode, Peter Adamson of King’s College London discusses the life story and writings of Plato, focusing on the question of why he wrote dialogues.
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Peter introduces the Hellenistic philosophical schools – the Cynics, Epicureans, Stoics, and Skeptics – and asks how they responded to earlier thinkers.
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Peter introduces philosophy in late antiquity, when Aristotelianism and Platonism made a comeback, and pagan philosophy developed alongside Judaism and Christianity.
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Peter introduces Plotinus, the greatest philosopher of late antiquity and the founder of Neoplatonism.
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Peter surveys Christian philosophy in the Roman empire, looking ahead to major figures like Origen and Augustine.
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The rise of Islam creates a new context for philosophy not only among Muslims, but also Jews and Christians.
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The roots of Jewish philosophy in the Islamic world, focusing on the Rabbinic background in the Mishnah and Talmud, and the thought of early figures like Isaac Israeli.
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Despite war, the demands of patronage, and intellectual rivalry, Avicenna (Ibn Sīnā) manages to become the most influential of all medieval philosophers.
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A look at the culture and historical context that made possible a flowering of philosophy among Muslims and Jews in al-Andalus (Muslim-controlled Spain and Portugal).
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An introduction to later developments in philosophical theology, sufism, and Illuminationism, focusing on the reception and critique of Avicenna.
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Peter launches the series of podcasts on philosophy in medieval Latin Christendom with a look ahead at what’s to come.
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Alcuin leads a resurgence of interest in philosophy and the liberal arts at the court of Charlemagne.
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The emergence of universities in Paris, Oxford, Bologna and elsewhere provide the main setting for medieval philosophy in the 13th century and beyond.
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In this introduction to the series, Peter Adamson and Jonardon Ganeri propose that Indian philosophy was primarily a way of life and search for the highest good.
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A whirlwind tour of philosophical literature in India.
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The Vedic period sets the historical context of the Upaniṣads, Buddhism and Jainism.
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Two rounds of condemnations at Paris declare certain philosophical teachings as heretical. But what were the long term effects?
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An introduction to philosophy in the 14th century, focusing on two big ideas: nominalism and voluntarism.
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A whirlwind tour of developments in Indian philosophy after Dignāga and a few words about the contemporary relevance of the tradition.
See the India timeline here on the site for the various names mentioned in this episode.
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The host of the History of India podcast joins us for the final episode on India.
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We kick off the new series by explaining the scope and meaning of "Africana philosophy."
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We begin to look at the third tradition of medieval philosophy, in which the heritage of classical antiquity is preserved and debated by the Byzantines.
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Is it idolatry to venerate an icon of a saint, or of Christ? The dispute leads the Byzantines to ponder the relation between an image and its object.
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Without handwritten copies produced by Byzantine scribes, we would know almost nothing about ancient philosophy. How and why were they made?
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Oliver Primavesi tells us how Greek manuscripts are used to establish the text of authors like Aristotle.
Prof Primavesi runs the Munich School of Ancient Philosophy together with Christof Rapp and Peter Adamson.
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Historian Judith Herrin joins us to talk about competition and mutual influence between Islam and Byzantium.
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An introduction to Africana philosophical thought as it emerged from the modern experience of slavery and colonization by Europeans.
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When the Byzantine empire ended in 1453, philosophy in Greek did not end with it. In this episode we bring the story up to the 20th century.
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The series on Byzantium concludes as guest Michele Trizio discusses the mutual influence of Byzantium and Latin Christendom.
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A first look at the themes and figures of philosophy in the Italian Renaissance.
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Bessarion and George Trapenzuntius, rival scholars from the Greek east who helped inspire the Italian Renaissance.
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In an age of revolutions and revolutionary ideas, the Haitian Revolution of 1791-1804 stands out as the most radical of them all.
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By exploring the work and activities of W.E.B. Du Bois around the turn of the twentieth century, we introduce some of the themes of our coverage of that century.
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How humanism and scholasticism came together with the Protestant Reformation to create the philosophy of 15 - 16th century Europe.
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The impact of the printing press on the history of philosophy, and its role in helping to trigger the Reformation.
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An interview on the nature of religious tolerance, and the forms it took during the Reformation and in the thought of early modern thinkers like Locke and Leibniz.
Maria Rosa Antognazza is Professor of Philosophy at King's College London.
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The historical context of English philosophy in the sixteenth century, with particular focus on Thomas Cranmer, and the role of religion in personal conscience and social cohesion.
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John Knox polemicizes against idolaters and female rulers, while the humanist George Buchanan argues more calmly for equally radical political conclusions.
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A leading expert on the history of the Reformation joins us to explain the very different stories of England and Scotland in the 16th century.
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How the Counter-Reformation or Catholic Reformation created a context for philosophy among Catholics, especially in Spain, Portugal, and Italy.
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How religious persecution and censorship shaped the context of philosophy in Catholic Europe in the sixteenth century.
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Iberian expeditions to the Americas inspire scientists, and Matteo Ricci’s religious mission to Asia becomes an encounter between European and Chinese philosophy.
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The historical context of classical Chinese philosophy, and how ancient Chinese historical works themselves became works of philosophy.
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What were ancient Chinese philosophical texts written on? How did writing relate to orally transmitted wisdom? How were texts read and used? And what even counted as a “text” in ancient China?
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An introduction to Kongzi, the founder of Confucianism, and to the text that has come to represent his thought, the Lunyu (Analects).
