Sadler's Lectures

This lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient Stoic philosopher Seneca's work, On The Happy Life

It focuses specifically on he Stoic definitions of the greatest goods that he provides early on in the work. Seneca writes;

"Happy, therefore, is the life in agreement with its own nature. And there is no other way for this to come about than if the intellect is, first, healthy and in unending possession of its own health; next, strong and energetic; then, enduring most nobly, fitted to the times, caring for its body, and for the things that pertain to the body, without anxiety; then, attentive to the other things that equip life, without admiring any of them, and ready to use the gifts of fortune and not be their slave . . .

Our good can also be defined in a different way—that is, the same proposition can be grasped with different words. Just as one and the same army is spread out more widely one moment and compacted more tightly the next, and it either arcs with the middle part curving out into wings or is arranged in a straight front, but no matter how it has been ordered it has the same strength and the same will to stand up for the same cause—so the definition of the highest good can sometimes be spread out and extended, and at other times be compressed and collected into itself.

It will be the same thing, then, if I say, “The highest good is the mind looking down on the things of fortune, joyous in virtue,” or, “the mind’s undefeated strength, well versed in the ways of the world, calm in action, with much humanity and concern for those with whom it has contact.” One may also define it in such a way as to say that that human being is happy to whom nothing is good or bad except a good or bad mind; who is a cultivator of the morally good,” content with virtue; who is neither buoyed up nor broken by changes in fortune; who knows that there is no greater good than that which he can give to himself; to whom true pleasure will be scorning pleasures.

One may, if you wish to range further, translate it into one and another form, without endangering or damaging its power. After all, what prevents us from saying that the happy life is a free, upright, fearless, and stable mind, placed beyond fear and beyond desire, to whom the only good is what is morally good, the only bad thing, disgrace, and the rest are a worthless swarm of things that neither subtract anything from the happy life nor add anything to it, coming and going without any increase or diminution of the highest good?"

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This lecture discusses key ideas from the 18th century philosopher Immanuel Kant's work of ethics, The Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals.

Specifically it examines his discussion of the analogy he provides in that work between the Thing-In-Itself (Ding-in-sich) and the free human being, who exists both as a phenomenal and a noumenal being

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 - www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM

You can find over 3,000 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler

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This lecture discusses key ideas from the 18th century philosopher Immanuel Kant's work of ethics, The Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals.

Specifically it examines his discussion of the distinction and relation between three key faculties of the human being, which Kant terms reason, understanding, and sense

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 - www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM

You can find over 3,000 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler

Purchase Kant's Groundwork for The Metaphysics of Morals - amzn.to/2ZXPYGr

This lecture discusses key ideas from the 18th century philosopher Immanuel Kant's work of ethics, The Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals.

Specifically it examines his discussion of how categorical imperatives are possible.

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 - www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM

You can find over 3,000 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler

Purchase Kant's Groundwork for The Metaphysics of Morals - amzn.to/2ZXPYGr

This lecture discusses key ideas from the 18th century philosopher Immanuel Kant's work of ethics, The Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals.

Specifically it examines his discussion of the distinction between three modes of presenting what he terms the "principle of morality" - one focused upon universality of the maxim of one's will, one on treating human beings as ends not just as means, and another focused upon a possible kingdom of ends.

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 - www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM

You can find over 3,000 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler

Purchase Kant's Groundwork for The Metaphysics of Morals - amzn.to/2ZXPYGr

This lecture discusses key ideas from the 18th century philosopher Immanuel Kant's work of ethics, The Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals.

Specifically it examines his discussion of what he calls "heteronomy" in moral theories other than his own. He examines empirical principles of morality, which include moral feeling and individual happiness, and rational principles of morality, which include perfection or divine command.

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 - www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM

You can find over 3,000 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler

Purchase Kant's Groundwork for The Metaphysics of Morals - amzn.to/2ZXPYGr

This lecture discusses the science fiction and fantasy author, Ursula K. Leguin's book, Tales From Earthsea, the fifth of six Earthsea books

It focuses specifically on the story "Dragonfly", and focuses specifically on how Dragonfly whose true name is Irian (but not just that) finally finds her place at the end of the story, resolving the crisis of her admittance to Roke contrary to its rule, and advancing towards a resolution of the crisis that has been troubling Roke

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

You can find over 3,000 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler

Purchase Tales From Earthsea - https://amzn.to/46O2nwS

This lecture discusses the science fiction and fantasy author, Ursula K. Leguin's book, Tales From Earthsea, the fifth of six Earthsea books

It focuses specifically on the story "Dragonfly", and focuses specifically on the two crises at Roke Isle depicted and partly resolved in the story. The first and immediate crisis is what to do with Irian, who has been admitted to the Great House by the Master Doorkeeper, against the rule of Roke, which forbids women to study there. The second is a longer-brewing crisis, stemming from the absence of an archmage, the king Lebannen having crowned himself, dragons coming eastward, and the Master Summoner Thorion attempting to take power over Roke

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

You can find over 3,000 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler

Purchase Tales From Earthsea - https://amzn.to/46O2nwS

This lecture discusses the science fiction and fantasy author, Ursula K. Leguin's book, Tales From Earthsea, the fifth of six Earthsea books

It focuses specifically on the story "Dragonfly", and focuses specifically on the interactions between the young, not-quite wizard from Roke, Ivory, and the main character of the story, Dragonfly (whose true name is Irian). Ivory proposes to Dragonfly that she go to Roke and enter disguised as a man. He also wants and attempts to seduce her

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

You can find over 3,000 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler

Purchase Tales From Earthsea - https://amzn.to/46O2nwS

This lecture discusses the science fiction and fantasy author, Ursula K. Leguin's book, Tales From Earthsea, the fifth of six Earthsea books

It focuses specifically on the story "Dragonfly", and focuses specifically on the interactions between the local witch Rose and the Dragonfly, centering mainly on their conversations about magic, power, and names, on Rose's giving Dragonfly her true name Irian, and on their conversations about Roke, mages, men and women.

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

You can find over 3,000 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler

Purchase Tales From Earthsea - https://amzn.to/46O2nwS