Protestantism gave birth to profound skepticism across Europe, leading to a search for certainty and a new authority that could rule in the place of Scripture or the Church. The new authority? Reason, and reason alone.

At the root of modernity is a revolution in Christianity itself, one that renews and deepens its atheism and begins to destroy the medieval Christian world, preparing the ground for a new world: the modern. Another name for modernity? Protestantism.

Two great atheist revolutions have transformed the world. The second, and most recent, was Marxism. But the first was an ancient philosophy that destroyed the gods of the ancient world, and has been a god-killing movement ever since.

As antisemitic attacks increase across the world, it's important to understand why antisemitism is so pervasive. Far from being simply an issue of prejudice and injustice, antisemitism is a major philosophical problem that lies at the roots of Christianity, and thus Western culture. 

Series 1, Origins: How Philosophy Remade Science and Religion

Exploring a scarcely known tradition of philosopher-magicians, this episode puts magic and truth at the center of ancient philosophy.

No single person has shaped history more than an obscure Jewish teacher who was executed by the Roman empire. Today, we know him as a god, a myth, a savior. In fact, he was the greatest philosopher of his time: Jesus of Nazareth.

Becoming Human: Origins Samuel Loncar, Ph.D. (Yale)

Socrates is perhaps our most famous philosopher. But his life and death defy our dominant ideas of reason and religion. By paying the ultimate price for his philosophy, Socrates became the West's first great religious martyr, changing his world, and ours.

Becoming Human: Origins Samuel Loncar, Ph.D. (Yale)

This episode exposes modern myths about philosophy, religion, and science. To see the truth about ourselves and our culture, we need to recognize Socrates for who he really was: a religious revolutionary.

Becoming Human: Origins Samuel Loncar, Ph.D. (Yale)