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The Modern Intellectual Tradition: From Descartes to Derrida cover art

The Modern Intellectual Tradition: From Descartes to Derrida

Written by: Lawrence Cahoone, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Lawrence Cahoone
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Publisher's Summary

What is reality? Ask yourself whether you can actually know the answer, much less be sure that you can know it, and you've begun to grapple with the metaphysical and epistemological quandaries that have occupied, teased, and tormented modern philosophy's greatest intellects since the dawn of modern science and a century before the Enlightenment.

These 36 lectures are the perfect introduction to the basics of modern and contemporary Western approaches to the philosophies of both reality (metaphysics) and knowledge (epistemology), right through the end of the 20th century. Led by Professor Cahoone, you'll partake in an engaging intellectual journey that encompasses prominent figures from all the major traditions of Western philosophy.

You'll explore the ideas behind modern philosophy's most important movements, including dualism, rationalism, empiricism, idealism, existentialism, and postmodernism. You'll plunge into the thought of some of philosophy's most important thinkers, including Descartes, Locke, Spinoza, Hume, Kant, Hegel, Peirce, Nietzsche, James, Wittgenstein, Heidegger, Rorty, and Derrida, learning how many of them were in fact considered radicals, their views appreciated far less in their own era than in later ones.

And you'll gain a clear sense of how each of these movements and thinkers fits into philosophy's broader progression, often pushing philosophy in dramatically new directions right up to the present day, as well as how philosophy is intimately related to a multitude of other disciplines.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2010 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2010 The Great Courses

What listeners say about The Modern Intellectual Tradition: From Descartes to Derrida

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    4 out of 5 stars

Superficial discourse on deep ideas

This is perhaps one of the best, if not the best, way of going through that much material in this short amount of time. Dr. Cahoone's ability to speak both for thesis and antithesis simultaneously is absolutely brilliant. During the last two lectures, I found his almost magical synthesis of all major views barely short of a miracle. Thank you everyone who made this happen!

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7 people found this helpful

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  • Jp
  • 2018-12-09

Pedantic.

i am still listening, but it is a tough dlog. Lecturer skips anything normal people admire about these philosophers. I am not a student of philosophy.but have read a number of books about them. This series is not at all inspiring.

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3 people found this helpful

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Informative, well performed

If you want a general understanding of western philosophy’s evolution in the last four centuries, this is a great resource. Complicated and difficult concepts are explained in the most understandable possible way. It takes serious listening though, I had to constantly take notes in order to remember the content.

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2 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars

An impressive, sweeping survey.

Four stars would have been a little harsh considering the task at hand here. Prof Cahoone's cursory treatment and dismissal of Marx irked me, no doubt influenced by the political context of the time he recorded this.

Times sure have changed.

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2 people found this helpful

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  • Zac
  • 2020-09-27

Great lecture series!

Unfortunately, they ignored Deleuze. It was cool to get into Phenomenology, Whitehead, Wittgenstein, and Derrida.

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1 person found this helpful

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Providing a historical context

Thank you for this thorough treatment of modern philosophical traditions. It provides an ample context to ponder contemporary angst. The role of culture , language (signs) and identity in epistemology is ripe with potential to unpack today’s socio-political realities. Couldn’t help but wonder what post modernists and pro modernists would say about the frustrating ‘alternative facts’ justification for political stances. I greatly appreciate Dr. Calhourn’s efforts to illuminate and trace a spiral of progress over time.

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enlightening

This is a terrific survey of the strongest arguments of Western thought. It's definitely a college course,, not a book. It calls for further reading, and demanded continual focused attention. But the Prof is good enough at lecturing to just enjoy it and pick up what you can.

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Great Summary

Everyone should listen to this at least as an introduction to modern philosophy from which they can jump off to specific literature like Beyond Good and Evil by Nietzsche with a proper philosophical context now understood. Furthermore, if one has developed their own philosophy, this resource is great at reminding one of the arguments it must stand up to and the context within which it exists. Frankly, everyone should listen to this and come back to it when it's impression has faded.

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Truly wonderful

What an impressive review of the modern intellectual tradition. The lecturer did an amazing job at walking the listener through various complicated ideas and, in doing so, allowed the listener to experience the richness of human thought on these subjects.

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Engaging and in depth

Cahoone does a great job summarizing the modern philosophical tradition. Effortlessly linking past modules in an engaging and clear manner.

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