Blaise Pascal - Pensees

Friend of the show Greg Sadler joined us for a look at Frank Herbert's Dune series. We discuss nomadology, war machines, imperceptibility, eternal recurrence, materialism, and much more.

Dr. Sadler is currently an adjunct professor at Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, Editor of Stoicism Today, the producer of the Half Hour Hegel series, and the president of our local SOPHIA (Society of Philosophers in America) chapter. but you might be more familiar with his YouTube channel, Gregory B. Sadler, with over 120k subscribers.

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Greg Sadler - Speculative Heretics of Dune

This lecture discusses the 16th century philosopher, theologian, and mathematician, Blaise Pascal, and focuses on his work, the Pensees. 

Specifically it discusses the power imagination exercises over the faculty of reason in human beings. Pascal thinks that imagination plays a much greater role in human affairs and matters, and that it isn't reasonable to give reason priority all of the time. This is discussed primarily in section 82 in the Brunschvicg edition.

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Pascal Pensees - The Power Of Imagination Over Reason - Sadler's Lectures

In this panel discussion Michael Ly, Burlington CFO, and Dr. Denise Dunbar, Faculty Member Oplerno, talk about the Future Of Higher Education

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Dr. Gregory Sadler joined me in the studio and we attempted a discussion about philosophy.   It turns out that it's good for you.  get a hold of some ideas ad take them for a spin.  After we shut off the microphones Dr. Sadler revealed that it's impossible to understand every idea in philosophy, and that's okay.

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I explore some of the contours of what a BLR (Beyond Left and Right) political philosophy might look like, and in particular try to answer the charge that it is a (potentially) reactionary philosophy ("reactionary" is not good, if you haven't heard the term).

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Ep. 16: Is BLR Reactionary?

This lecture discusses the 16th century philosopher, theologian, and mathematician, Blaise Pascal, and focuses on his work, the Pensees.  Specifically it discusses his views on the "two infinites" - the infinitely great and the infinitely small (the latter of which, in his view still contains a great amount of stuff) - and their implications for human beings.

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If you'd like to make a direct contribution, you can do so here - www.paypal.me/ReasonIO - or at BuyMeACoffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM

You can find over 1500 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler

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Blaise Pascal, Pensees - The Two Infinites - Sadler's Lectures

This lecture discusses the 16th century philosopher, theologian, and mathematician, Blaise Pascal, and focuses on his work, the Pensees.  Specifically it discusses what "tyranny" - including but going beyond the political sense - consists in. In his view, the basis of tyranny is the desire to dominate beyond one's own area of legitimate value, competence, or scope.

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 - www.paypal.me/ReasonIO - or at BuyMeACoffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM

You can find over 1500 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler

Purchase Blaise Pascal's Pensees - https://amzn.to/2wwn6bS

Blaise Pascal, Pensees - What Tyranny Consists In - Sadler's Lectures

This lecture discusses the 16th century philosopher, theologian, and mathematician, Blaise Pascal, and focuses on his work, the Pensees.  Specifically it discusses his advice about how to get a person to accept criticism or correction. Pascal notes that nobody wants to be told he or she is simply wrong about an issue, but people are willing to admit that their view of matters is one-sided.


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 - www.paypal.me/ReasonIO - or at BuyMeACoffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM

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Purchase Blaise Pascal's Pensees - https://amzn.to/2wwn6bS

Blaise Pascal, Pensees - Correcting By Revealing One-Sidedness - Sadler's Lectures

This lecture discusses the 16th century philosopher, theologian, and mathematician, Blaise Pascal, and focuses on his work, the Pensees.  Specifically it discusses his distinction between two different mindsets or perspectives, the "intuitive mind" (l'esprit de finesse)  and the mathematical mind (l'esprit de géométrie).  Both of these have to do with how persons perceive and understand "axioms" or basic principles relevant to a subject matter.

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 - www.paypal.me/ReasonIO - or at BuyMeACoffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM

You can find over 1500 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler

Purchase Blaise Pascal's Pensees - https://amzn.to/2wwn6bS

Blaise Pascal, Pensees - The Intuitive And Mathematical Minds - Sadler's Lectures

This lecture discusses the 16th century philosopher, theologian, and mathematician, Blaise Pascal, and focuses on his work, the Pensees.  Specifically it discusses about how self-love (amour propre) renders human beings averse to acknowledging the truth about themselves, others, and the world.  Self love makes us prefer a false self-image to the truth of who we are, and we pressure others to lie to us about who we are what qualities we possess (or lack).

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 - www.paypal.me/ReasonIO - or at BuyMeACoffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM

You can find over 1500 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler

Purchase Blaise Pascal's Pensees - https://amzn.to/2wwn6bS

Blaise Pascal, Pensees - Self-Love And Aversion To Truth - Sadler's Lectures

: In this ninth episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler examine a common image of concentric circles used to understand relationships with other people towards whom we might have affection, care, or moral obligations.  The smallest circle is that of close friends and family, while the largest extends to all humanity, and potentially beyond.

They discuss how differing philosophical and wisdom traditions, including Stoicism, Buddhism, and Utilitarianism have used this image, and developed practices designed to help us develop attitudes of justice and benevolence towards other beyond the circles we most typically focus upon.

They also examine a common issue that arises when considering circles of community - to what extent should a person focus on their nation or political community as the most important?  Should their focus instead be on all people, or on people closer to them?

They end the show by introducing a very helpful philosophical practice derived from several schools of Buddhism, Metta or "loving-kindness" meditation, which employs the conception of circles.

Show Music is by Scott Tarulli

Wisdom for Life: Circles of Care and Concern

In this tenth episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler examine a common matter in everyday life - lying. What is a lie, and what counts as "lying"?  Can lying ever be something good, right, required, or even just all right?

They discuss different ways we can classify and understand lies, including the distinction between white, black, and blue lies.  Moral theories help us to understand and evaluate the rightness or wrongness of lies - and why they are right or wrong, good or bad - and they examine lying through the rigorous deontological lens of Immanuel Kant, and the more forgiving utilitarian lens of Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill.

They also examine a common issue that frequently arises.  What about people who embellish stories?  Are they lying?  And is that embellishment morally bad, or is it something that contributes to enjoyable communication

They end the show by introducing a very helpful philosophical practice designed to help people develop an understanding of what kinds of lies or deception they engage in, and why they do it, so they can make better choices about these matters 

Show Music is by Scott Tarulli

Wisdom for Life:  Is Lying Ever Good?  2020-05-23

In this thirteenth episode of the Wisdom for Life radio show, hosts Dan Hayes and Greg Sadler discuss the Social Contract, a classic philosophical concept that plays a key role in American politics and everyday ethics, and which also bears on recent nationwide protests over police misconduct and aggression.

They discuss first what the social contract is and whether or not it has been broken for many Americans, referencing the recent short talk given by Kimberly Jones.  They also look at what ideas from classical social contract theory - found in Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and John Rawls can be useful for understanding our present situation

They also discuss who has been systematically excluded from the social contract, examine a few of the key points that Charles Mills discusses in The Racial Contract, and look at the features Nicholas A Christakis outlines for a better social contract.

They end the show by discussing a practice that listeners could engage in - trying to imagine a new social contract that would be equitable and just for all.

Kimberly Jones "How We Can Win" video - https://youtu.be/llci8MVh8J4
Charles Mills, The Racial Contract - https://amzn.to/3ea6rM1
Nicholas A Christakis, Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society - https://amzn.to/2BZj9id

Show Music is by Scott Tarulli - https://www.scotttarulli.com/

Wisdom for Life: The Social Contract Today

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Pascal Pensees - The Power Of Imagination Over Reason - Sadler's Lectures

Sadler's Lectures

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