Philosophy

Lecture 4. First Perceptions In lecture four, we turn to understanding the remarkable cognitive capacities of humans, tracing development from basic sensory experiences in infancy to sophisticated adult reasoning and knowledge. We explore how children progress from simple sensations to integrated perceptions, concept formation, language, and complex narratives, forming the basis for scientific and philosophical […]

Lecture 3. Nature & Super-Nature In lecture three, we explore natural and supernatural concepts in religious and philosophical contexts, examining four definitions of religion that emphasize supernatural powers beyond nature and humanity. We analyze two major arguments for God’s existence—the cosmological and teleological arguments—alongside the argument from evil, which challenges an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-good God

Lecture 2. The Essential Questions In lecture two, we look at fundamental metaphysical questions, beginning with the Ship of Theseus paradox to examine identity and change, then covering core concepts like being, existence, identity, change, space, and time. We consider major positions on whether existence can be explained or simply affirmed, whether identity is intrinsic

Lecture 1. Origins of Reality In our introductory lecture, Dr. Hicks poses philosophical questions about the origin of reality by examining three competing narratives: the Big Bang theory, Hindu creation stories, and the Judeo-Christian Genesis account. We examine how they reflect differing metaphysical views—physicalism vs. spiritualism, monism vs. dualism, progress vs. regression—and contrasting approaches to

A course by Stephen R.C. Hicks, Ph.D., Professor of Philosophy. Eight lectures on fundamental questions about reality, causality, space and time, knowledge, mind and body, and volition. We work through the big questions — and the debates over the best answers to them — guided by claims and insights from major philosophers including Plato, Aristotle,

Lecture 3. Morals & Human Nature Dr. Hicks examines how views of humans—as naturally destructive and conflictual (via the myth of Gyges and Freudian psychology) or cooperative and productive—shape ethics and business practices. “Lifeboat scenario” claims about resource scarcity influence moral decisions and highlight the tension between social Darwinism and altruistic sacrifice in zero-sum situations,

In a short 1995 essay, “The Gnostic,” published when he was co-founder of Russia’s National Bolshevik Party, Russian philosopher Alexander Dugin urges young Russians to drink “The wine of socialist revolution, the joy of rebellion against the forces of fate, and the sacred, berserker passion for total destruction of all that was black”. To do