The Great Ideas of Philosophy, 2nd Edition

A Hard Review to Write

This is one of the hardest reviews I have written. I have struggled with deciding how to judge this course. There are aspects that I really enjoyed. The professor is clearly brilliant and knows the material very well. If anything, the professor's brilliance and knowledge of the material may be too good because many, but not all, of the lessons are taught at higher than a beginner's level. I took this course to fill a gap in my education. During college, Introduction to Philosophy was an elective course that I never managed to work into my schedule. I have enjoyed using the Great Courses to fill in gaps in my education by taking the classes that I simply did not get around to in college. So, I was hoping for Philosophy 101. This course, though, was more like Philosophy 201 or 301. Throughout, the professor used terminology that he did not adequately define or assumed the listener already understood. Despite the professor being highly knowledgeable and a quality presenter, his failure to explain terminology made following portions of the course very difficult. My opinion is not completely negative, and I certainly learned some things from the course. I particularly enjoyed the last ten lessons where he summarized different philosophical approaches to topical areas such as medical ethics, legal theory, justifications for war, aesthetic judgments and the existence of God.

180 of 189 people found this review helpful

Drink Deeply...

It will not take long for the listener to realize that Professor Robinson is one smart cookie. I worked it out less than two minutes in as the narrator reeled off his accomplishments: Ph.D in Neuropsychology, positions at prestigious universities, author of seventeen(!) books- even by the standards of Great Courses teachers, Robinson is in a class above.

This man will make you THINK. All of these lectures are packed with content. Now, you don't need a grounding in philosophy before going in, but you do need to give your undivided attention. When I listened to this while walking, commuting or doing chores, I'd often find my mind slipping away only to jump back after he's moved on. When I come back to these lectures, I'll be bringing a pen and a notebook.

Here are some passages to help get the vibe of the course:

"Now, just as for Protagoras, one, two, three and four are not mere numbers. Neither can it be a coincidence that the harmonic structure of music should have, as it's reliable effect on our auditory system, that is, that we should hear as harmonious what in fact is governed by the mathematical laws of harmony. Why is it that the perfect fifth sounds the way it does?"

"...Let me stay with materialism for a moment, it is useful to point out that defenses of it often rely on evidence gathered by methods that presuppose the validity of the claim. Namely, methods suited to identify and quantify matter, or material things. There tends to be a certain circularity, even a vicious circularity, between the ontological position we take and the methods that we employ to vindicate, or confirm, or as we like to say, objectively test it. This will be apparent in more than one major theory considered in subsequent lectures..."

"...It is a credit to Socrates' lasting genius that he understands the interconnectedness of these questions, that the problem of knowledge, the problem of conduct, and the problem of governance are various phases of the same kind of problem, and that problem is how we come to know ourselves, and realize our humanity in the course of a lifetime..."

"...and I'm going to pause here to make clear just what it means to be a radical empiricist, and to be the radical William James, for it is this that gives power and consistency to the entire range of James' thought. Now, the usual adoption of, or concession to, empiricistic philosophies is a hedged one. The apologist is likely to say something along these lines, 'Well of course, a lot of the things we know we know as the result of experience, there are some things we can't know by way of experience, this being sort of abstract Leibnizian, Cartesian sorts of things, and anyway the senses really can deceive us from time to time, but by and large I'm certainly willing to use my senses in most of the ordinary business of life." Now this, I say, is a position that is as boring as it is probably faultless. It most assuredly is not the position of a radical empiricist..."

"...In just about every area of expertise, there are achievements that simply cannot be defined in words, but only exhibited in the performance itself. So from an ontological point of view, the question must arise whether our conceptions of reality are also shaped by intuitive and tacit modes of knowing, with skepticism arising as a result of the inability to articulate or justify the grounds..."

"...Now I want to make point that I think is at once controversial and commonsensical, and those two can go hand-in-hand. The resources of the law, in matters of this kind, very often seem far more developed, far more supple, more protean, more capable of finding controlling maxims on the basis of the thick record of juridical reasoning than does the book of moral philosophy itself..."

As the poet says, "A little learning is a dangerous thing/ Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring." If you're interested, here's a nice deep well for you.

46 of 48 people found this review helpful

An Excellent Introduction to Western Philosophy

Would you listen to The Great Ideas of Philosophy, 2nd Edition again? Why?

Yes. It contained a number of ideas worth thinking about more and/or revisiting.

What other book might you compare The Great Ideas of Philosophy, 2nd Edition to and why?

From Socrates to Sartre, by T. Z. Lavine. Both books attempt to cut a large swathe through western philosophical thought; Lavine's work tends to go more in depth, however, since it deals with fewer philosophers.

13 of 13 people found this review helpful

Great overview with some degree of detail

I found this to be a thought-provoking and interesting overview of many of the major philosophers and their respective reasonings and arguments. This isn't a scant overview where you get a handful of minutes on profound thinkers, you get a little bit more than - usually at least one full lecture and often more when the philosopher or philosophy is refered back to in later lectures.

The Professor clearly has mastery over his course and it's a pleasure to have had he opportunity to sit in on his classes while in my car, or on my lawn mower.... or layed out on the couch/floor.

I definitely recommend this as a great starting point and believe it will push you to consider or read/listen to more writings/lectures on the subject or, at least, on a particular philosophy or philosopher.

4/5 stars represents something I'd possibly listen to again - and I very well may - probbaly selectively based upon interest in a particular lecture or two. Trying to get away from LOVING everything I hear - but I'm frequently failing. This one slips to just shy of 5 because it didn't have me so 'eager' to continue listening at every breath of my day.

Thanks,
Will

75 of 80 people found this review helpful

A Rather "Spatial" Take on Philosophy

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

There is no doubt that Robinson is extremely learned. He's also a little self-impressed. His style can sometimes catapult you into the stars, or drive you nuts, depending on how well you're paying attention. Now, if your looking for a linear take on the history of philosophy, where the lecturer lays everything out according to a strict chronology and a "cause and effect" approach, you would probably do better with another overview. Yet if you're interested in being pulled through 2,500 years of thought according to an extremely erudite professor, who has, mind you, some eccentricity thrown in for good measure, than you will appreciate this approach. In other words, Robinson likes to go for the big ideas. And he likes to spend a lot of time building up to those big ideas. If you're patient and can follow his near-prose style of speaking, it does pay off. And, to his credit, he's working very hard to set things up so you can have your own epiphany with the ideas, which is what great philosophy professors should do. But then again, sometimes you just want the facts, and you want them laid out clearly and concisely. I sometimes found myself thinking "this is amazing," and other times, I found myself thinking, "ok, yeah, yeah, yeah, think I'll forward to the next lecture now." In all he gave me some great insight, some "great ideas," but I did feel it was a lot of work sometimes, and a lot of highs and lows.

What did you like best about this story?

Robinson is smart as hell and passionate, and this comes across in many of the lectures. He seems to do a little bit better with modern philosophy, starting with Bacon.

You're best off finishing a lecture if you happen to start it.

60 of 66 people found this review helpful

Terrific exploration of philosophical ideas

If you could sum up The Great Ideas of Philosophy, 2nd Edition in three words, what would they be?

Articulate, nuanced, explanatory

What did you like best about this story?

Philosophy is the greatest subject matter to which humans turn their attention, and Professor Robinson pinpoints knowledge, conduct and governance as the three great themes of human history and experience, then explores these in a way that draws the listener in. This man knows and loves his subject.

What about Professor Daniel N. Robinson’s performance did you like?

He is erudite without being pompous, and very easy to listen to. His tone is discursive, with the light and shade generally found in conversation but not in reading -- he doesn't give the impression that he is reading out his lecture notes.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

yes - but good luck! 60 lectures. Extraordinary value.

Any additional comments?

Get this one if it's the only course you buy.

31 of 35 people found this review helpful

Treat Yourself

If you are looking for an immensely thought-provoking, thorough, and accessible look at the major aspects if philosophy, you can't beat this. The 60 lectures were worth every minute.

10 of 11 people found this review helpful

Introduced me to philosophy

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I bought this for leisure and I found it to be thoroughly educational, inspirational and most importantly fun to listen to

22 of 26 people found this review helpful

Disorganized and unstructured

This is a long and interesting course, but has many shortcomings. Here are my thoughts on this course:
1- This is not a traditional course. It is not organized or structured like other Great Courses. I found that many lectures introduced ideas that have nothing to do with the lecture's theme. Also, I struggled to find a theme at all for many of the lectures. This is a discussion, not a course.
2- Despite the above, I found the discussion to be interesting. It was engaging and thought provoking, but to me It just wasn't a good way to learn about the great ideas of philosophy. The ideas were too unstructured and random for me to capture and learn coherently.
3- The professor is eloquent and knowledgeable,but has a tendency to complicate ideas by using unclear language. At times, I felt the ideas to be very simple but the language used to explain them is twisted and exaggerated.
4- The professor, being a Christian, emphasized Christian philosophy. I was hoping for a fair or equal review of all religion philosophies, and those philosophical views that might question religions.

20 of 24 people found this review helpful

Not much integration

I bought this course as an introduction to philosophy in general, and that is what I'm basing my review on.

The professor doesn't try very hard to integrate the thoughts of each lecture into a bigger conceptual scheme. I felt very isolated from one lecture to the next. The lectures are good enough in content, and would be great if you just wanted to turn on a lecture here or there to hear some random topic in philosophy talked about by an educated person. But as an intro to philosophy it falls short.

If you're looking for a conceptual scheme dealing with the progression of philosophy and giving a more comprehensive intro, I highly recommend the "Great Minds in the Western Intellectual Tradition" from the Great Courses.

7 of 8 people found this review helpful