History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps

HoP 393 - The World Doesn’t Revolve Around You - Copernicus

27 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How revolutionary was the Copernican Revolution?

HoP 392 - John Sellars on Lipsius and Early Modern Stoicism

12 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

John Sellars returns to the podcast to discuss Lipsius' work on Seneca and the early modern Neo-Stoic movement.

HoP 391 - Everything is Mine and Nothing - Lipsius and the Revival of Stoicism

27 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Justus Lipsius draws on Seneca and other Stoics to counsel peace of mind in the face of political chaos, but also writes a work on how such chaos can ...

HoP 390 - Born to Be Contrary - Toleration in the Netherlands

13 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Amidst religious conflict in the Netherlands, Dirck Coornhert pleads for religious toleration and freedom of expression.

HoP 389 - The Acid Test - Theories of Matter

30 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Schegk, Taurellus, Gorlaeus, and Sennert revive atomism to explain chemical reactions, the composition of bodies, and the generation of organisms.

HoP 388 - Just Add Salt - Paracelsus and Alchemy

16 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Paracelsus adapts the tradition of alchemical science for use in medicine, and in the process overturns the scientific theories of Aristotle and Galen...

HoP 387 - Helen Hattab on Protestant Philosophy

02 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Helen Hattab on the scope and impact of scholastic philosophy among Protestants.

HoP 386 - Perhaps Not Wrong - Cornelius Agrippa

19 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Was Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa a dark magician, a pious skeptic, or both?

HoP 385 - I Too Can Ask Questions - Protestant Scholasticism

05 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In a surprise twist, some Protestant thinkers embrace the methods of scholasticism, and even find something to admire in the work of Catholic authors ...

HoP 384 - We Are Not Our Own - John Calvin

21 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

John Calvin's views on predestination and the limits of human reason.

HoP 383 - Slowly But Surely - Huldrych Zwingli

07 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Swiss theologian Zwingli launches the Reformation in Switzerland, but clashes with Luther and more radical Protestants.

HoP 382 - No Lord but God - the Peasants’ War and Radical Reformation

24 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Faced with massive political upheaval and the rise of the Anabaptists, Luther argues for a socially conservative version of the Reformation.

HoP 381 - More Lutheran than Luther - Philip Melanchthon

10 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Luther’s close ally Melanchthon uses his knowledge of ancient philosophy and rhetoric in the service of the Reformation.

HoP 380 - Take Your Choice - Erasmus vs Luther on Free Will

26 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Erasmus clashes with Martin Luther over the question whether our wills are free or enslaved to sin.

HoP 379 - Lyndal Roper on Luther

12 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How radical was Luther? We find out from Lyndal Roper, who also discusses Luther and the Peasants' War, sexuality, anti-semitism, and the visual arts....

HoP 378 - Faith, No More - Martin Luther

01 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How Luther’s doctrine of justification by faith alone and his attack on the Church relate to the history of philosophy.

HoP 377 - One Way or Another - Northern Scholasticism

18 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Trends in Aristotelian philosophy in northern and eastern Europe in the fifteenth century, featuring discussion of the “Wegestreit” and the nomina...

HoP 376 - Books That Last Forever - Erasmus

04 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The “learned piety” of Desiderius Erasmus, the greatest figure of northern humanism.

HoP 375 - Paul Richard Blum on Nicholas of Cusa

20 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Learned ignorance, coincidence of opposites and religious peace: Paul Richard Blum discusses the central ideas of Nicholas Cusanus.

HoP 374 - Opposites Attract - Nicholas of Cusa

06 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The radical negative theology of Nicholas of Cusa, and his hope of establishing peace between the religions of the world.

HoP 373 - Lords of Language - Northern Humanism

23 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Rudolph Agricola, Juan Luis Vives and other humanist scholars spread the study of classical antiquity across Europe and mock the technicalities of sch...

HoP 372 - Strong, Silent Type - the Printing Press

09 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The impact of the printing press on the history of philosophy, and its role in helping to trigger the Reformation.

HoP 371 - European Disunion - Introduction to the Reformation

25 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How humanism and scholasticism came together with the Protestant Reformation to create the philosophy of 15-16th century Europe.

HoP 370 - Ingrid Rowland on Rome in the Renaissance

11 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For our finale of the Italian Renaissance series we're joined by Ingrid Rowland, to speak about art, philosophy, and persecution in Renaissance Rome. ...

HoP 369 - The Harder They Fall - Galileo and the Renaissance

28 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Did Galileo’s scientific discoveries grow out of the culture of the Italian Renaissance?

HoP 368 - Boundless Enthusiasm - Giordano Bruno

14 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Giordano Bruno’s stunning vision of an infinite universe with infinite worlds, and his own untimely end.

HoP 367 - Brian Copenhaver on Renaissance Magic

28 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Our guest Brian Copenhaver joins us to explain how Ficino and other Renaissance philosophers thought about magic.

HoP 366 - The Men Who Saw Tomorrow - Renaissance Magic and Astrology

14 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ficino, Pico, Cardano, and other Renaissance thinkers debate whether astrology and magic are legitimate sciences with a foundation in natural philosop...

HoP 365 - Spirits in the Material World - Telesio and Campanella on Nature

31 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Was the natural philosophy of Bernardino Telesio and Tommaso Campanella the first modern physical theory?

HoP 364 - Guido Giglioni on Renaissance Medicine

17 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Guido Giglioni, who speaks to us about the sources and philosophical implications of medical works of the Renaissance.

HoP 363 - Man of Discoveries - Girolamo Cardano

03 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The polymath Girolamo Cardano explores medicine, mathematics, philosophy of mind, and the interpretation of dreams.

HoP 362 - Just What the Doctor Ordered - Renaissance Medicine

20 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Connections between philosophy and advances in medicine, including the anatomy of Vesalius.

HoP 361 - The Measure of All Things - Renaissance Mathematics and Art

06 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The humanist study of Pythagoras, Archimides and other ancient mathematicians goes hand in hand with the use of mathematics in painting and architectu...

HoP 360 - Dag N. Hasse on Arabic Learning in the Renaissance

22 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Dag Nikolaus Hasse on the Renaissance reception of Averroes, Avicenna, and other authors who wrote in Arabic.

HoP 359 - There and Back Again - Zabarella on Scientific Method

08 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jacopo Zabarella outlines the correct method for pursuing, and then presenting, scientific discoveries.

HoP 358 - Of Two Minds - Pomponazzi and Nifo on the Intellect

25 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Pietro Pomponazzi and Agostino Nifo debate the immortality of the soul and the cogency of Averroes’ theory of intellect.

HoP 357 - David Lines on Aristotle's Ethics in the Renaissance

11 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with David Lines on the role of Aristotle in Renaissance ethics.

HoP 356 - I’d Like to Thank the Lyceum - Aristotle in Renaissance Italy

27 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Aristotle’s works are edited, printed, and translated, leading to new assessments of his thought among both humanists and scholastics.

HoP 355 - Town and Gown - Italian Universities

13 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The blurry line dividing humanism and scholastic university culture in the Italian Renaissance.

HoP 354 - Greed is Good - Economics in the Italian Renaissance

26 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Leon Battista Alberti, Benedetto Cotrugli, and Poggio Bracciolini grapple with the moral and conceptual problems raised by the prospect of people gett...

HoP 353 - The Good Place - Utopias in the Italian Renaissance

12 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Tommaso Campanella’s “The City of the Sun” and other utopian works of the Italian Renaissance describe perfect cities as an ideal for real life ...

HoP 352 - The Teacher of Our Actions - Renaissance Historiography

28 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Bruni, Poggio, Machiavelli, and Guicciardini explore political ideas and historical method in works on Roman and Italian history.

HoP 351 - Quentin Skinner on Machiavelli

14 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Leading Machiavelli scholar Quentin Skinner joins Peter to discuss morality, history, and religion in the Prince and the Discourses.

HoP 350 - The Sentence - Machiavelli on Republicanism

31 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Peter celebrates reaching 350 episodes by explaining a single sentence in Machiavelli's "Discourses."

HoP 349 - No More Mr Nice Guy - Machiavelli

17 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Machiavelli’s seminal work of political advice, "The Prince," tells the ruler how to be strong like a lion and cunning like a fox.

HoP 348 - The Sweet Restraints of Liberty - Republicanism and Civic Humanism

03 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Did “civic humanism” really make republicanism a newly dominant political theory in the Italian Renaissance?

HoP 347 - Bonfire of the Vanities - Savonarola

19 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The prophetic preacher Girolamo Savonarola attacks pagan philosophy and puts forward his own political ideas, before coming to an untimely end.

HoP 346 - Cecilia Muratori on Animals in the Renaissance

05 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Cecilia Muratori, an expert on the surprisingly modern ideas about non-human animals that emerged in the Renaissance.

HoP 345 - What a Piece of Work is Man - Manetti and Pico on Human Nature

22 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Pico della Mirandola and Giannozzo Manetti praise humans as the centerpiece of the created world. But what about the other animals?

HoP 344 - The Count of Concord - Pico della Mirandola

08 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Pico della Mirandola argues for the harmony of the ancient authorities, draws on Jewish mysticism, and questions the value of humanist rhetoric.

HoP 343 - As Far as East from West - Jewish Philosophy in Renaissance Italy

23 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jewish philosophers in Renaissance Italy, focusing on Leone Ebreo’s Dialogues of Love, the Averroism of Elijah del Medigo, and Italian Kabbalah.

HoP 342 - Denis Robichaud on Plato in the Renaissance

09 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Denis Robichaud on how, and why, Plato was read in the Italian Renaissance.

HoP 341 - True Romance - Theories of Love

26 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Ficino describes a “Platonic” love purified of sexuality, prompting a debate carried on by Pico della Mirandola, Pietro Bembo, and Tullia d’Arag...

HoP 340 - Footnotes to Plato - Marsilio Ficino

12 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Marsilio Ficino’s revival of Platonism, with a focus on his proofs for the soul’s immortality in his magnum opus, the Platonic Theology.

HoP 339 - I’d Like to Thank the Academy - Florentine Platonism

29 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The blossoming of Renaissance Platonism under the Medici, who supported the scholarship of Poliziano, Ficino, and Pico della Mirandola.

HoP 338 - All About Eve - the Defense of Women

15 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Refutation of misogyny in Moderate Fonte and Lucrezia Marinella.

HoP 337 - More Rare Than the Phoenix - Italian Women Humanists

01 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Cassandra Fedele, Isotta Nogarola, and Laura Cereta seek fame and glory through eloquence and learning.

HoP 336 - We Built This City - Christine de Pizan

17 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Christine de Pizan's political philosophy, epistemology, and the refutation of misogyny in her "City of Ladies".

HoP 335 - Sabrina Ebbersmeyer on Emotions in Renaissance Philosophy

03 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Sabrina Ebbersmeyer about the relation of emotion to reason and the body, and panpsychism, in the Renaissance.

HoP 334 - Chance Encounters - Reviving Hellenistic philosophy

20 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The rediscovery of Epicurus, Lucretius, and Sextus Empiricus spreads challenging ideas about chance, atomism, and skepticism.

HoP 333 - Difficult to Be Good - Humanist Ethics

06 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Humanists from Bruni and Valla to Pontano and Castiglione ask whether ancient ethical teachings can still help us learn how to live.

HoP 332 - Jill Kraye on Humanism

22 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jill Kraye returns to the podcast to discuss the nature of humanism, its relation to scholasticism, and its legacy.

HoP 331 - Literary Criticism - Lorenzo Valla

08 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Lorenzo Valla launches a furious attack on scholastic philosophy, favoring the resources of classical Latin.

HoP 330 - Republic of Letters - Italian Humanism

28 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Coluccio Salutati and Leonardo Bruni combine eloquence with philosophy, taking as their model the refined language and republican ideals found in Cice...

HoP 329 - Greeks Bearing Gifts - Byzantine Scholars in Italy

14 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Bessarion and George Trapenzuntius, rival scholars from the Greek east who helped inspire the Italian Renaissance.

HoP 328 - Old News - Introduction to the Italian Renaissance

30 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

A first look at the themes and figures of philosophy in the Italian Renaissance.

HoP 327 - Michele Trizio on Byzantine and Latin Medieval Philosophy

16 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The series on Byzantium concludes as Michele Trizio discusses the mutual influence of Byzantium and Latin Christendom.

HoP 326 - Istanbul (Not Constantinople) - the Later Orthodox Tradition

02 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

When the Byzantine empire ended in 1453, philosophy in Greek did not end with it. In this episode we bring the story up to the 20th century.

HoP 325 - Platonic Love - Gemistos Plethon

19 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Was Gemistos Plethon, the last great thinker of the Byzantine tradition, a secret pagan or just a Christian with an unusual enthusiasm for Platonism? ...

HoP 324 - United We Fall - Latin Philosophy in Byzantium

05 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Thomas Aquinas finds avid readers among Byzantines at the twilight of empire, and is used by both sides of the Hesychast controversy.

HoP 323 - Through His Works You Shall Know Him - Palamas and Hesychasm

21 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Gregory Palamas and the controversy over his teaching that we can go beyond human reason by grasping God through his activities or “energies”.

HoP 322 - Do the Math - Science in the Palaiologan Renaissance

07 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Mathematics and the sciences in Byzantium, focusing on scholars of the Palaiologan period like Blemmydes and Metochites.

HoP 321 - Judith Herrin on Byzantium and Islam

24 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Judith Herrin joins us to talk about competition and mutual influence between Islam and Byzantium.

HoP 320 - People of the South - Byzantium and Islam

10 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Intellectual exchange between Christians and Muslims, and the later flowering of Syriac literature including the philosopher Bar Hebraeus.

HoP 319 - Georgia on My Mind - Petritsi and the Proclus Revival

24 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The Neoplatonist Proclus gets mixed reviews from Christians, as Nicholas of Methone refutes him but the Georgian philosopher Ioane Petritsi helps to r...

HoP 318 - Oliver Primavesi on Greek Manuscripts

10 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Peter's Munich colleague Oliver Primavesi tells us how Greek manuscripts are used to establish the text of authors like Aristotle. 

HoP 317 - Made by Hand - Byzantine Manuscripts

27 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Without handwritten copies produced by Byzantine scribes, we would know almost nothing about ancient philosophy. How and why were they made?

HoP 316 - Just Measures - Law, Money, and War in Byzantium

13 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Legal and economic thought in Byzantium: the sources of the law’s authority, the relation of church and civil law, just price, and just war.

HoP 315 - Wiser Than Men - Gender in Byzantium

30 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The role of women in Byzantine society and the complex attitudes surrounding eunuchs: did they make up a “third gender”?

HoP 314 - Katerina Ierodiakonou on Byzantine Commentaries

16 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

A chat about commentaries on Aristotle from Byzantium with guest Katerina Ierodiakonou.

HoP 313 - Queen of the Sciences - Anna Komnene and her Circle

02 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Princess Anna Komnene makes good use of her political retirement by gathering a circle of scholars to write commentaries on Aristotle.

HoP 312 - Past Masters - Byzantine Historiography

18 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The larger meaning of history in the chronicles written by Michael Psellos, Michael Attaleiates, Anna Komnene, and Niketas Choniates.

HoP 311 - The Elements of Style - Rhetoric in Byzantium

04 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Psellos and other experts in rhetoric explore how this art of persuasion relates to philosophy.

HoP 310 - Purple Prose - Byzantine Political Philosophy

21 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Byzantine political thought from the time of Justinian down to the Palaiologos dynasty wrestles with the nature and scope of imperial power.

HoP 309 - Hooked on Classics - Italos and the Debate over Pagan Learning

07 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The trial of John Italos and other signs of Byzantine disquiet with the pagan philosophical tradition.

HoP 308 - Dominic O'Meara on Michael Psellos

23 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Dominic O'Meara speaks to Peter about Michael Psellos, focusing especially on his political philosophy.

HoP 307 - Consul of the Philosophers - Michael Psellos

09 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Psellos and his attitude towards pagan philosophy and the political life.

Bonus Episode - Glenn Adamson on Material Intelligence

11 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Peter's twin brother Glenn Adamson discusses the philosophical implications of craft.

HoP 306 - Collectors’ Items - Photius and Byzantine Compilations

29 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Photius, “the inventor of the book review,” and other Byzantine scholars who preserved ancient learning.

HoP 305 - Andrew Louth on John of Damascus

15 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Peter is joined by Andrew Louth for a discussion of John of Damascus and his theological use of philosophy.

HoP 304 - Behind Enemy Lines - John of Damascus

01 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

John of Damascus helps to shape the Byzantine understanding of humankind and the veneration of images, despite living in Islamic territory.

HoP 303 - Don’t Picture This - Iconoclasm

17 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Is it idolatry to venerate an icon of a saint, or of Christ? The dispute leads the Byzantines to ponder the relation between an image and its object. ...

HoP 302 - On the Eastern Front - Philosophy in Syriac and Armenian

03 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Eastern Christian philosophy outside of Constantinople, focusing on translation and exegesis in the languages of Syriac and Armenian.

HoP 301 - The Empire Strikes Back - Introduction to Byzantine Philosophy

20 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We begin to look at the third tradition of medieval philosophy, in which the heritage of classical antiquity is preserved and debated by the Byzantine...

HoP 300b - The Relevance of Medieval Philosophy Today

06 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Peter King, Catarina Dutilh Novaes, and Russ Friedman discuss their approaches to medieval philosophy, and its contemporary relevance.

HoP 300a - The Relevance of Ancient Philosophy Today

22 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Rachel Barney, Christof Rapp, and Mark Kalderon join Peter to discuss the importance of ancient philosophy for today's philosophers.

HoP 299 - Robert Pasnau on Substance in Scholasticism

08 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Bob Pasnau joins Peter to discuss ideas about substance from Aquinas down to the time of Locke, Leibniz and Descartes.

Africana Philosophy Announcement

06 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

New paperbacks and a new series!

HoP 298 - Renaissance Men - Ramon Llull and Petrarch

25 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The Renaissance ideals of humanism and universal science flourish already in the medieval period, in the works of Petrarch and Ramon Llull.

HoP 297 - The Prague Spring - Scholasticism Across Europe

11 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

New ideas and and new universities in Italy and greater Germany including Vienna and Prague, where Jan Hus carries on the radical ideas of Wyclif.