Aquinas: Faith and Reason

Can faith and reason truly work together? In this episode of Philosophy for Beginners, we explore the thought of Thomas Aquinas, the medieval scholar who sought harmony between Aristotle’s philosophy and Christian theology.

Aquinas argued that reason could uncover truths about the natural world, while faith revealed mysteries beyond reason’s reach. His Summa Theologica became a cornerstone of Western philosophy and theology, shaping debates on ethics, law, and the nature of God.

Join us as we uncover how Aquinas united faith and reason — and why his vision continues to influence philosophy, religion, and culture today.

Produced by Selenius Media and The Artificial Laboratory

In this episode of Philosophy for Beginners, we turn to Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592), the French nobleman who withdrew from public life to a tower filled with books and invented a new form of philosophy: the essay. Montaigne believed that wisdom comes not from building grand systems but from examining ordinary experience with honesty and doubt. He wrote about friendship, death, custom, and the body with candor that still feels startlingly modern. By asking “What do I know?” Montaigne taught that humility and skepticism can be virtues, and that philosophy should help us live well rather than argue endlessly.

Produced by Selenius Media – Music by The Artificial Laboratory.

Title: Niccolò Machiavelli – The Morality of Power

In this episode of Philosophy for Beginners, we leave the humanist gentleness of Erasmus and step into the sharp world of Florentine politics with Niccolò Machiavelli. Civil servant, diplomat, dramatist, and author of The Prince and Discourses on Livy, Machiavelli has been remembered as ruthless and cunning — but his deepest concern was the survival of the state. What does it really take to hold power, to govern effectively, to preserve liberty against invasion and corruption? We explore his hard-eyed honesty about human nature, his vision of virtù and fortuna, and his enduring challenge: can morality and politics ever truly align?

Produced by Selenius Media – Music by The Artificial Laboratory.