Great Minds - Introduction to the Problems and Scope of Philosophy

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Dr. Michael Sugrue earned his BA at the University of Chicago and PhD at Columbia University.

[robinsonholloway]

He was an amazing teacher - best I ever had - I took a one semester class on Victorian Literature from him - and vividly remember every single class. We read a book a week, everything from Origin of the Species to Jane Eyre, and every single person in the class showed up READY every single week. Our final class was supposed to be an exam, but the week before he said that clearly we all had demonstrated a command of the subject matter over the course of the semester and didn't need to be tested, so we should just read The Importance of Being Earnest instead.

[gaborborbely]

This series is the single biggest proof that YouTube can also make good to humans. Thank you so much for this invaluable content!

[jordantheconjurer]

Rest in Peace Dr! I just encountered you in my life and now I can't believe your gone. Eternally grateful for your lectures and knowledge, it has transformed my understanding of everything for the better

[cheri]

Professor Michael Sugrue will be remembered always.
🙏❤️

[nareshdekkapati]

Sir, Excellent lecture.keep these lectures on you tube for the benefit of future generations.
13.9.23.India.

[Dimebag]

Dr. Sugrue, the best of the best. I can't thank you enough for uploading these gold standard lectures, it means a lot to me and people like myself. Keep going and all the best!

[derrickparra]

The type of professor you'd ditch class to go and listen to.

[thattimestampguy]

0:28 The Last 3, 000 Years of Human Thought. Loving Wisdom, Passion for Knowledge.
1:18 Terminology
Theory of Nature, Physics
Theory of Ideas, Metaphysics
2:58 Ontology - On Being, Kinds of
4:24 Logic - On Truth,
5:02 Epistemology - Speech/Reasoning/What can I know about? How do I know I know?
6:47 Who is knowing?
8:03 Aesthetics, what is beautiful?
9:05 Ethics- Right & Wrong, Obligations, Appropriate Behaviors
10:15 Politics

12:01 The Past Thinkers lived in times we never have

13:20 What Is?
1. Nature, objects, matter, visible, material
14:49 2. Nature + Divine
16:23 Greek Metaphysics
Plato’s Forms
18:15 Platonists & Christians agree on this 19:25 Bedrock 20:27

20:48 Ontology, Greco-Judea Braid
1. Athens 2. Jerusalem
22:09 Rationalism Athens
Socrates - Inquiry 🧐 22:59 Discourse
23:58, 24:49 New Testament written in Greek
Logos - Rational Discourse, Word
27:45 Mythos - More than a Story

26:16 Authoritative, Fundamental, Word

Telling Moral Truth
Indirectly, Ambiguously

29:13 The Perfect Athenian
30:18 Job - The True Believer 32:21
34:14 Faith While Under Burden

35:12 Prometheus - Titan, 🔥 Divine Rebel 36:47 Hubris, Pride, Defiant

39:31 Rationality, Emotion, Illumination, Psyche/Soul/Mind
40:19 Engagement can edify in unique ways

Intellectual diet of examples
42:02 Open Mind, Hold Conviction & Attack It, Challenge your Knowledge
“Steel Sharpens Steel.”
43:25 Do I believe this?
What favors this belief?
What does not?

[Nick-qfvt]

Sugrue himself must be one of the greatest lecturers in the intellectual tradition. He cuts through academic jargon and elitist word salad and explains complex topics in a simple way (or if it cannot be explained simply, he guides you along the complex path so you can comprehend it).

Not only that, but he presents ideas through an objective lens, and if he does have any judgements, saves them for the end of the lecture.

[nightoftheworld]

42:03 *Dialectic of Athens and Jerusalem* “So what I would plead for here is first of all an _open mind._ A willingness not just to be edified by hearing a philosopher telling you what you already believe. What I’m asking you is to have the courage not just to hold the convictions that you do, but the courage to attack your convictions, to call your convictions into question. To ask yourself: _suppose I’m completely wrong, suppose the other set of assumptions or the other set of conclusions is the real one? How would I know? Am I really certain about what I think I know?_

If you do that seriously, if you sincerely apply yourself to the tradition of Athens and to the tradition of Jerusalem, I think you will maximize what a course of lectures in the history of Western philosophy can potentially offer you.”

[piaraskelly]

I just came across Prof Sugrue recently. Amazing content from an amazing thinker and teacher. So grateful it is available. RIP.

[andrewbacon]

These lectures are providing me with such wisdom, I feel paralyzed with what to do with it. I want to tell all those I love to listen to this series, but I fear that so few would understand the awesome irony of the long arc of history we all find ourselves in. God bless YouTube. I await the Philosopher King (Tyrant).

[JRC_]

The amount of clarity woven throughout these lectures is astounding.

[rodnee]

I just discovered Michael's lectures TODAY! And I'm now in my third one. Absolutely entertaining delivery with a transparency that is rare.

[samd]

Every person on earth should be hearing these amazing lectures.

[wicklunda]

It would be wonderful if someone could go through these and do complete playlists in sequential order. There is so much richness and depth to these flawless lectures!

[Wbjpen]

Dr. Sugrue, I've been watching at least one lecture a day after work at my trade and it has given me such a pleasurable new perspective in how I see the world and my place in it. You've given me the language and context for some of the thoughts and questions I have and I'm able to express them to others and myself more coherently instead of fumbling for synonyms. I greatly admire how carefully you place your words and how much attention you put on giving the audience their best chance at interpreting the knowledge you have to give. I thank you for gifting us these videos.

[craighamaimbo]

Put all the 63 lectures together, I want to swallow them like a SpongeBob, just know you have a student who met you halfway.thank you so much for this Free knowledge and all I need is bundles and my ears.

[apian]

Thank you for sharing these for free ❤

[noahlupu]

Because of you professor Michael, I finally started to understand and like philosophy and its importance to understand thought processes and how to infer and deduce knowledge