Immanuel Kant's Philosophy - Bryan Magee & Geoffrey Warnock (1987)

#philosophy #kant #bryanmagee #epistemology

[Philosophy_Overdose]

Yes, this is a reupload. I wanted a version with higher audio quality. I’ll still leave the previous video up as unlisted, so as to not break any external links with it. Sorry about any inconvenience!

[christopherlees]

I love the style of these discussions. There’s no music, no noise at all, no sound, just too old guys having a very high-level discussion. If this was on nowadays, I’d make tea and set time aside every week for this and it would be my special time.

[pxp]

I wish TV today was like this. We have declined greatly.

[BobACNJ]

Bryan Magee is a national treasure. Thank you, Philosophy Overdose. His program was/is amazing.

[jmeden]

This is incredible coverage of the great Kant.

One thing about Kant’s moral theory that bears reiteration: If you don’t adopt principles of moral action, then you are bound not only to violate the categorical imperative, but also to fall prey to your own ever changing whims and impulses.

Hence, “moral conduct” in Kant’s terms is meant to place the individual person in the driver’s seat so that she may deliberately shape her own life.

It’s a beautiful vision of morality, not just a technical argument penned by a long gone German philosopher.

[willieluncheonette]

" I am reminded of a great German philosopher, Immanuel Kant. He is a specimen of those people who are absolutely in the mind. He lived according to mind so totally that people used to set their watches, whenever they saw Immanuel Kant going to the university. Never — it may rain, it may rain fire, it may rain cats and dogs, it may be utterly cold, snow falling … Whatever the situation, Kant will reach the university at exactly the same time all the year round, even on holidays. Such a fixed, almost mechanical … He would go on holiday at exactly the same time, remain in the university library, which was specially kept open for him, because otherwise what would he do there the whole day? And he was a very prominent, well-known philosopher, and he would leave the university at exactly the same time every day.

One day it happened … It had rained and there was too much mud on the way — one of his shoes got stuck in the mud. He did not stop to take the shoe out because that would make him reach the university a few seconds later, and that was impossible. He left the shoe there. He just arrived with one shoe. The students could not believe it. Somebody asked, “What happened to the other shoe?”

He said, “It got stuck in the mud, so I left it there, knowing perfectly well nobody is going to steal one shoe. When I return in the evening, then I will pick it up. But I could not have been late.”

A woman proposed to him: “I want to be married to you” — a beautiful young woman. Perhaps no woman has ever received such an answer, before or after Immanuel Kant. Either you say, “Yes, ” or you say, “No. Excuse me.” Immanuel Kant said, “I will have to do a great deal of research.”

The woman asked, “About what?”

He said, “I will have to look in all the marriage manuals, all the books concerning marriage, and find out all the pros and cons — whether to marry or not to marry.”

The woman could not imagine that this kind of answer had ever been given to any woman before. Even no is acceptable, even yes, although you are getting into a misery, but it is acceptable. But this kind of indifferent attitude towards the woman — he did not say a single sweet word to her. He did not say anything about her beauty, his whole concern was his mind. He had to convince his mind whether or not marriage is logically the right thing.

It took him three years. It was really a long search. Day and night he was working on it, and he had found three hundred reasons against marriage and three hundred reasons for marriage. So the problem even after three years was the same.

One friend suggested out of compassion, “You wasted three years on this stupid research. In three years you would have experienced all these six hundred, without any research. You should have just said yes to that woman. There was no need to do so much hard work. Three years would have given you all the pros and cons — existentially, experientially.”

But Kant said, “I am in a fix. Both are equal, parallel, balanced. There is no way to choose.”

The friend suggested, “Of the pros you have forgotten one thing: that whenever there is a chance, it is better to say yes and go through the experience. That is one thing more in favor of the pros. The cons cannot give you any experience, and only experience has any validity.”

He understood, it was intellectually right. He immediately went to the woman’s house, knocked on her door. Her old father opened the door and said, “Young man, you are too late. You took too long in your research. My girl is married and has two children.” That was the last thing that was ever heard about his marriage. From then on no woman ever asked him, and he was not the kind of man to ask anybody. He remained unmarried."

[arthurgreene]

I’ve watched a lot of philosophy videos on youtube and this is the best. Very exciting actually.

[growyourgood]

These are so very helpful, thank you for posting. Magee's questions and clarifications provide scaffolding for clear understanding.

[abramcz]

I know I am being a dumb yank but I will never cease being entertained by how Magee pronounces the word "philosophy."

[eryy]

I assume this was a television program. I'd be interested if these types of discussions still take place on TV.

[demiurge]

another Xmas for contemplation. here after going through Magee’s excellent book, confessions of a philosopher, in my home town, near Dardanelles..21 December, Thursday, 2023..

[jcookodessatx]

Came for the Kant, stuck around for Sir Geoffrey Warnock's Molly Bloom impression

[TheBigFella]

I could listen to Bryan Magee all day.

[DC-zise]

Immanuel Kant is like the Einstein of philosophy. Immense and almost meteoric impact.
Funnily enough... Einstein was deeply immersed in reading Kant when he was 13.

[darkarts]

Bryan Magee facts, was 57 here. Was the Labour MP for Leyton from 74, defected to the SDP in early 80s. Lost his seat in 83. Died in 2019.

[murugaiyannatarajan]

A wonderful discussion inspiring the listeners!

[ewbell]

I am an observer, a philosopher only to my grandkids. That established, it seems both Heisenberg's scientific results and Godel's mathematical proofs generally lend credence to the philosophy of Kant.

[debpalm]

Thanks for your content. Appreciate it.

[mattb]

The categorical imperative only works with people who have a common bond

[foresight]

Listening to philosophy is very liberating. Philosophy is virtuous because from which I can live a virtuous life. I dare to say this because I am religious philosophical.