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No Excuses: Existentialism and the Meaning of Life
- Narrated by: Robert C. Solomon
- Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins
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The Passions: Philosophy and the Intelligence of Emotions
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Conventional wisdom suggests there is a sharp distinction between emotion and reason. Emotions are seen as inferior, disruptive, primitive, and even bestial forces. These 24 remarkable lectures suggest otherwise-that emotions have intelligence and provide personal strategies that are vitally important to our everyday lives of perceiving, evaluating, appraising, understanding, and acting in the world.
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Distilled to its essence, the ancient Greco-Roman philosophy known as Stoicism is a philosophy of personal betterment. Professor Pigliucci, who knows firsthand just how transformative a Stoic approach to life can be, has designed these 25 lessons as an enlightening introduction to the basics of Stoic philosophy and ways to incorporate its lessons into your own life.
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At the end of his career, Albert Einstein was pursuing a dream far more ambitious than the theory of relativity. He was trying to find an equation that explained all physical reality - a theory of everything. Experimental physicist and award-winning educator Dr. Don Lincoln takes you on this exciting journey in The Theory of Everything: The Quest to Explain All Reality. Suitable for the intellectually curious at all levels and assuming no background beyond basic high-school math, these 24 half-hour lectures cover recent developments at the forefront of particle physics and cosmology.
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Needs to be re-recorded
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In this 12-lecture meditation on Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, you'll uncover the clarity and ethical wisdom of one of humanity's greatest minds. Father Koterski shows how and why this great philosopher can help you deepen and improve your own thinking on questions of morality and leading the best life. The aim of these lectures is to provide you with a clear and thoughtful introduction to Aristotle as a moral philosopher.
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A very good synopsis.
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Your Deceptive Mind: A Scientific Guide to Critical Thinking Skills
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No skill is more important in today's world than being able to think about, understand, and act on information in an effective and responsible way. What's more, at no point in human history have we had access to so much information, with such relative ease, as we do in the 21st century. But because misinformation out there has increased as well, critical thinking is more important than ever. These 24 rewarding lectures equip you with the knowledge and techniques you need to become a savvier, sharper critical thinker in your professional and personal life.
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Great book worth a listen but maybe I'm bias.
- By Martin on 2018-01-15
Written by: Steven Novella, and others
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The Passions: Philosophy and the Intelligence of Emotions
- Written by: Robert C. Solomon, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Robert C. Solomon
- Length: 12 hrs and 37 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Conventional wisdom suggests there is a sharp distinction between emotion and reason. Emotions are seen as inferior, disruptive, primitive, and even bestial forces. These 24 remarkable lectures suggest otherwise-that emotions have intelligence and provide personal strategies that are vitally important to our everyday lives of perceiving, evaluating, appraising, understanding, and acting in the world.
Written by: Robert C. Solomon, and others
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Think like a Stoic
- Ancient Wisdom for Today’s World
- Written by: Massimo Pigliucci, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Professor Massimo Pigliucci
- Length: 11 hrs and 10 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Distilled to its essence, the ancient Greco-Roman philosophy known as Stoicism is a philosophy of personal betterment. Professor Pigliucci, who knows firsthand just how transformative a Stoic approach to life can be, has designed these 25 lessons as an enlightening introduction to the basics of Stoic philosophy and ways to incorporate its lessons into your own life.
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Great introduction to stoicism
- By Mingmar on 2023-08-14
Written by: Massimo Pigliucci, and others
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The Great Ideas of Philosophy, 2nd Edition
- Written by: Daniel N. Robinson, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Daniel N. Robinson
- Length: 30 hrs and 11 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Grasp the important ideas that have served as the backbone of philosophy across the ages with this extraordinary 60-lecture series. This is your opportunity to explore the enormous range of philosophical perspectives and ponder the most important and enduring of human questions-without spending your life poring over dense philosophical texts.
-
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Too idiosyncratic for my taste
- By Enrique on 2019-12-08
Written by: Daniel N. Robinson, and others
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The Theory of Everything: The Quest to Explain All Reality
- Written by: Don Lincoln, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Don Lincoln
- Length: 12 hrs and 21 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
At the end of his career, Albert Einstein was pursuing a dream far more ambitious than the theory of relativity. He was trying to find an equation that explained all physical reality - a theory of everything. Experimental physicist and award-winning educator Dr. Don Lincoln takes you on this exciting journey in The Theory of Everything: The Quest to Explain All Reality. Suitable for the intellectually curious at all levels and assuming no background beyond basic high-school math, these 24 half-hour lectures cover recent developments at the forefront of particle physics and cosmology.
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Needs to be re-recorded
- By WTL on 2019-09-17
Written by: Don Lincoln, and others
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The Ethics of Aristotle
- Written by: The Great Courses, Father Joseph Koterski S.J.
- Narrated by: Father Joseph Koterski S.J.
- Length: 6 hrs and 9 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this 12-lecture meditation on Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, you'll uncover the clarity and ethical wisdom of one of humanity's greatest minds. Father Koterski shows how and why this great philosopher can help you deepen and improve your own thinking on questions of morality and leading the best life. The aim of these lectures is to provide you with a clear and thoughtful introduction to Aristotle as a moral philosopher.
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A very good synopsis.
- By Amazon Customer on 2019-08-21
Written by: The Great Courses, and others
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Your Deceptive Mind: A Scientific Guide to Critical Thinking Skills
- Written by: Steven Novella, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Steven Novella
- Length: 12 hrs and 39 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
No skill is more important in today's world than being able to think about, understand, and act on information in an effective and responsible way. What's more, at no point in human history have we had access to so much information, with such relative ease, as we do in the 21st century. But because misinformation out there has increased as well, critical thinking is more important than ever. These 24 rewarding lectures equip you with the knowledge and techniques you need to become a savvier, sharper critical thinker in your professional and personal life.
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-
Great book worth a listen but maybe I'm bias.
- By Martin on 2018-01-15
Written by: Steven Novella, and others
Publisher's Summary
What is life? What is my place in it? What choices do these questions obligate me to make? More than a half-century after it burst upon the intellectual scene - with roots that extend to the mid-19th century - Existentialism's quest to answer these most fundamental questions of individual responsibility, morality, and personal freedom has continued to exert a profound attraction.
Now, in a series of 24 probing and thoughtful lectures, you can enrich your own understanding of this unique philosophical wave, the visionary thinkers it brought together to ponder and debate these questions, and the prominent role it still plays in contemporary thought.
"Existentialism is, in my view, the most exciting and important philosophical movement of the past century and a half," says Professor Solomon. "Fifty years after the French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre gave it its identity and 150 years after the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard gave it its initial impetus, it continues to win new enthusiasts and, in keeping with its still exciting and revolutionary message, vehement critics." Plumbing both sides of the debate, these lectures examine a wide range of Existentialist thought. You'll be exposed to the religious approach of Kierkegaard; the bold fiction of Camus; the warrior rhetoric and often-shocking claims about religion and morality posed by Nietzsche; the radical and uncompromising notion of freedom championed by Sartre; and the searching analysis of human historicity and finitude offered by Martin Heidegger. And you'll encounter the reluctance - often angrily expressed - of many of Existentialism's major figures to be thought of as part of any philosophical movement or even as intellectual allies!
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
What listeners say about No Excuses: Existentialism and the Meaning of Life
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- Jm
- 2020-03-08
Teaching excellence!
Professor Robert Solomon knits diverse philosophical perspectives into an excellent and engrossing series of lectures.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Amanda
- 2023-02-18
Very well organized and easy enough to understand
It’s a good starting point summary of the main ideas and works in existential philosophy.
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- Anonymous User
- 2022-10-28
the problem is with the edits in the audiobook
i absolutely cannot stand the annoying song and fake clapping that wrap around every chapter. It is so unnecessary. the perform was great and the content was good but the audio edit really ruined it for me
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- Amazon Customer
- 2022-06-27
Tedious
I expected this to be fascinating but it was almost the opposite. Not my cup of tea. I came away not even sure what Existentialism means. I struggled to finish.
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- Amazon Customer
- 2021-01-21
Well worth the time
Plays like a tight knit story with a compelling plot. Wished the characters were developed more fully, though the prof did a good job showing the connections among them. I recommend the course.
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- Gary
- 2015-07-24
Good for even a non-existentialist
I don't like existentialism philosophy, but I liked this lecture series. It allowed me to understand other philosophers through the lens of Existentialism, and I got to understand Kant, Schopenhauer, and learn learn more about Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and Heidegger. I liked the hour and a half he devoted to Heidegger so much, I ended up buying "Being and Time" from Amazon.
I would strongly recommend watching the BBC production of the play "Huis Clos" ("In Camera", or also called "No Exit") freely available on YouTube before or after listening to this lecture. I did and am glad for the understanding it brought. The heart of this lecture series is really Jean-Paul Sartre and a lot of what he thinks is within this highly watchable and freely available play.
Even if you think Existentialism is passe (a word the lecturer uses), and you don't particularly like Existentialism this lecture has more than enough to keep you entertained. As with almost all of these Great Course series, I don't know of anything else where I get as much value for my one credit, and because of this series I'm violating one of my rules and plan on reading a difficult book because this series has piqued my interest that much in Heidegger.
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196 people found this helpful
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- Rich
- 2015-10-09
Broad, Thorough and Highly Engaging
The Great Courses captured a jewel of a lecture series with Professor Solomon's work. Solomon puts the focus on five European philosophers: Camus (French, 20th C.), Kierkegaard (Danish, 19th C.), Nietchze (German, 19th C.), Heidegger (German, 20th C.) and Sarte (French, 20th C.). Common threads of individualism, passion and freedom ties the work of all these philosophers together. Solomon's lectures are clear, in-depth, and fascinating.
This was the first title in my Audible collection (30+ titles) that I immediately listened to again once finished. The second listening I took notes, there was good information in nearly every minute of the recording. After finishing the course, I learned Dr. Solomon passed away in 2007 while vacationing with his wife (a fellow Philosophy professor) in Europe. I never knew him personally, but this recording seems to be a fitting tribute to a man who clearly cared about his philosophies and teachings. (The companion PDF authored by Solomon is excellent as well).
The remainder of the review will be scratch notes on the lectures. If you are interested in exploring beyond the Greeks in the realm of Philosophy, if you've ever felt frustrated with the "herd mentality" of society, or if you've ever wondered where the world of emotions/passions fit in our age of reason, this title doesn't disappoint.
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* Albert Camus: Emotions and thoughts do not depend upon each other, as illustrated in "The Stranger." Perhaps emotions precede reason, in contrast to the Greeks. Guilt exists just by our being human. Your perspective is more important than "the benign indifference of the universe." The Myth of Sisyphus: he becomes one with his rock, refusing to accept the absurdity of the situation. Reason begets absurdity. "You get the war you deserve" as illustrated in The Plague. Philosophical suicide is dismissing the absurd and prioritizing a future utopian life. The utopian future trivializes the life you are living right here right now. The Fall illustrates a character that thinks too much, challenging Socrates' notion that the unexamined life is not worth living. Is pride a blessing (the Greeks) or a curse (the Christians)? The character can't overcome his guilt of reflection. (Mother Teresa offered as contrast: "I focus only on the person that I am with.")
* Soren Kierkegaard: Fear and Trembling. Subjective truths; leaps of faith. Trying to prove God exists is pointless. Keep subjectivity and objectivity separate. "I want a truth that I can live and die for." His truth was Christianity. He abhorred those who thought Christianity was their birthright or function of hometown. Passionate commitment: seems like an oxymoron but for Kierkegaard it's the decision and action that follows a passion that are important. Hegel's historical vs. existential dialectic. His planes of existence: aesthetic, ethical and spiritual. Boredom (aesthetic) and burnout (ethical) leaves only the spiritual.
* Friedrich Nietzsche. The public's misperception of "God is Dead." Relative truths exist, but perhaps no absolute truth. An immoralist: ethics are a matter of self virtue, not Kant's rationalism, not an order of God. Judge yourself, not others--aligns with Aristotle. Virtue is beautiful. Master/slave morality. Slave morality has eclipsed master morality, for the worse. Wealth, education and strength are looked down upon. Slave morality sees those as evil and focuses on self-denial. Proto-characters. Perspectivism. Birds of prey will never be lambs. Talents may exist, but must be self-realized. "Become who you are." The Will--universal by Schopenhauer. Nietzsche doesn't believe in free will/the ability to pull away from all the world. "There is just action; consciousness is overrated." Our control is used to cultivate new automatic actions. "Give style to your character; it is a great art." Nietzsche's test for living properly: if you had to live your life over and over ad infinatum, would you? Ubermensch is free of resentment, but aspiring to uber is not realistic. Goethe's life was near ideal: creative, spiritual. Will to power is self-mastery, not control. Will to power/Self-esteem is feeling energized by your own ideas. Will to power is a passionate life, in contrast to the Greeks. Martyrs are more motivated by their own righteousness than by the infinite afterlife. Love is control. Pity is superiority. Attachments to ideals and aspirations are what life is all about. Schopenhauer says life is nothing, Nietzsche disagrees.
* Martin Heidegger. Believes that the conscious and the world are not separate entities. Lines between realism and idealism are blurred. "Dasein." Our first thoughts are not "who am I," but "here is the world I am in." To think about the hammer makes it no longer a hammer. Authenticity: taking a hold of yourself, not Das Mann self. A return to your historicity after authenticity to avoid alienation. We've been thrown into the world. We never live in the present. This understanding leads to dasein. Acorns are not dasein: they have potential, but not perspective. Conscious says we could be more authentic, which gives rise to guilt. "Being unto death:" a recognition that leads to resolutions. Nazi ties: very controversial.
* Jean-Paul Sarte. Writes for responsibility; turns down Nobel prize. Human nature is found under stress. Sarte says screw making up excuses for yourself for any predicament. We are free in that we always have choices to make, no matter the situation--he should know, he was a Nazi prisoner. How do citizens see the moutain they live by? Threats to freedom are often internal. Choices lead to emotions. You decide whether to forget or dwell. "We all get the war we deserve." Consciousness is freedom, spontaneous and nothingness: like a beam of light that dynamically molds what it sees. Emotions structure consciousness, not an escape behavior. Being for itself, in itself, for others. Self is an accumulation of external actions. Transcendence: overreaching facts and the present, wanting to be God. My birthday is not a fact (re: fake ids). "Bad faith"--a stiff waiter. Sarte attacks Freud for not taking responsibiliy. Being for others--the play 'no exit.' We only know ourselves through other people. We may appear bad in one instance, but we also are being for ourselves so don't have to be judged. Leads to moral education. Being for others cannot be ignored. Facticity, transcendence and being for others always in tension, in contrast with Aristotle's society. This guilt is secular original sin. Hell is other people: the play No Exit. Wife abuser, female socialite and working class lesbian. Death makes us pure facticity. Seeing someone else in our private desert.
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157 people found this helpful
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- Kim Drnec
- 2014-08-01
Brilliant Life changing
Where does No Excuses: Existentialism and the Meaning of Life rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
For non-fiction it is one of the best I've listened to. Clear, interesting.
What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?
It explains a complicated subject surrounded by much colloquial mystery simply. It also gives philosophical reasons why we really don't have excuses and why doing what we need to do just is...so get on with it!
What does Professor Robert C. Solomon bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Intonation and some personal comments that give thoughtful support
What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?
A clear explanation of what this philosophy actual is and how it really applies to normal modern life
Any additional comments?
It changed my life and when I start over thinking things, wondering why something is, I listen to parts of it and feel much better about what choices I have and that I just need to get on with it. Being human isn't as complicated as we make out sometimes!
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39 people found this helpful
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- Robert S. Gordon
- 2018-09-18
Want to understand existentialism?
If you really want to understand Existentialism, don't bother with this series.
After listening to and enjoying several other Great Courses series on philosophy (The Big Questions of Philosophy and Sci-Phi: Science Fiction as Philosophy by David K. Johnson, and The Great Ideas of Philosophy by Daniel Robinson), I am profoundly disappointed with this one.
In these lectures, the professor came off as a grad student who hasn't prepared, cribbing his lectures out of someone else's textbook. What's even worse, is that his biases are painfully obvious and can be summed up in a single sentence, "If it's not Christian, it's not true."
That's a particularly egregious prejudice to have when the world's expecting you to give a credible introduction to Camus or Sarte, to say nothing of other luminaries in this school, who are essentially ignored.
If you're looking for thought-provoking material, Audible is *loaded* with better grist than this.
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35 people found this helpful
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- SpiderGrrl
- 2018-08-21
Degradingly Pro-Right-Wing Christian
The term "lifestyle" has been "corrupted" by "California overuse"? WTH? And he then provides a smarmy and, in his eyes, proper example of a lifestyle choice: joining the Marines.
This is NOT a lecture series on Existentialist thought. It's a lecture series on how to bend a targeted few modern philosophers and writers through a very Christian lens.
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35 people found this helpful
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- Midland
- 2015-06-24
Imagine...
Imagine, some type of, virus, attacked the transcript, of this, audiobook, and inserted commas unnecessarily every few words… this is how, this narrator, reads....
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32 people found this helpful
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- Max Osterhaus
- 2013-08-07
Loved it!
A nuanced and careful look at some pretty fiery characters. The professor has a nice cadence and clear speech (rare in philo profs!). I wanted more when he finished!!
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23 people found this helpful
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- Madeleine
- 2014-04-13
Wonderful Survey of the Evolution of a Philosophy
This was an incredibly compelling audio course. I appreciated Prof. Solomon's inclusion not only of philosophical thinkers but also writers like Camus, Hesse, Dostoyevsky and Kafka. Their inclusion helps greatly to bring the elements of the philosophy out of dry generalities and into the real of human experience.
I highly recommend this course for anyone interested in existentialism, but also for a richer look at the works of writers mentioned above.
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22 people found this helpful
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- Meira
- 2018-09-03
Disappointing
When I chose this book, I hoped to discover the views of existentialist philosophers on the topic of the meaning of life, which is the book's title. Instead, I heard vague information delivered in random format. For example, the cited existentialists are consistently referred to using only their last names, and historical references are few, so that experts, events, and relationships are ambiguous. These deficiencies are exacerbated by the narrator's repetition of insignificant details, delivered through an apathetic narration.
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18 people found this helpful
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- Diego
- 2015-02-08
Made want to read Camus!
But he lost me on Heidegger...
Seriously, great course! The professor conveys passion for the subject and yet the critique is balanced and understandable.
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16 people found this helpful