Peter Bolland

No two names are more associated with the influential ethical theory of Utilitarianism that Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) and his protégé John Stuart Mill (1806-1873). Attempting to bring scientific rigor to the messy business of morality, Bentham and Mill left a lasting legacy in the way we govern and legislate our collective decisions, and navigate our personal moral calculations. Learn how Utilitarianism made modern rights movements possible, including women’s rights, animal rights, and the rights of LGBTQ+ people. Whether you know it or now, you may already be a utilitarian.

Algerian-born philosopher Albert Camus (1913-1960) firmly rejected the label “existentialist” his whole life. Nevertheless, his work stands as its most heartfelt expression. Through the rubble of the Russian revolution, WWII, the Holocaust, and the nuclear bomb, Camus helps us chart a course toward a life of meaning and value. Life, Camus argues, is fundamentally absurd, and we will not find any meaning or purpose in it, other than that which we impose upon it ourselves. Join us for a study of Camus’s bracing but ultimately inspiring work.

If empathy is the ability to understand and feel the feelings of another, how is it different from sympathy? Is empathy innate or is it learned? Was our capacity for empathy selected by Darwinian evolution as a desirable trait that enhances our survival? Or was empathy built into human nature by a benevolent Creator? Why do some people seem to have so little of it, while others effuse empathy through their every pore? What role does the consciousness of empathy play in the establishment of moral norms, and even our political stances? And what’s up with Narcissists and psychopaths? Join us for this fascinating and timely investigation into the nature of empathy.

Any discussion of Existentialism begins with Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855). Weary to his bones of the pointless and ineffectual ramblings of Western philosophy, Kierkegaard turns his incisive gaze on the subjective, personal realm. The meaning of life cannot be explained by grand and allegedly objective metaphysical systems—it is only to be found in the subjective details of our own personal choices and actions. Watch how Kierkegaard explodes the malaise and superficiality of 19th century European culture and sets into motion the intellectual revolution of Nietzsche, Sartre, Camus, and all who follow him.

Here is where "The Great Philosophers" series begins. In “The Great Philosophers” series we explore the most influential luminaries in the history of Western philosophy, from Socrates to Sartre. And it all began with Socrates (470-399 BCE), the “gad fly” of Athens, teacher to so many, including the young Plato who would go on to devote his career to writing the most important philosophical dialogues in the Western canon, nearly all featuring his long-dead teacher Socrates. Against a backdrop of moral relativism, destructive self-interest, and political chaos (sound familiar?) we find Socrates cajoling his fellow Athenians, and us, to devote our energies instead to the care of our soul.

While for some “Marxist” is a dirty word, we would be hard-pressed to find a more impactful philosopher than Karl Marx (1818-1883). Who was Marx? What was happening around him? What did he really think of capitalism? What was his analysis of history? As a Jewish atheist, was what his concept of ultimate reality? And most importantly, what was his vision for the future? His passionate advocacy for economic justice and worker’s rights got him driven out of Germany, then France; so he lived out his life in poverty in London. To this day, Marxist reforms of capitalism (the 8-hour day, trade unions, profit sharing) and a Marxist critique of art, culture, philosophy, sociology, and a host of other concerns keeps his work in the mainstream.

Ever since the dawn of time humanity has had a deeply spiritual relationship with the natural world. Our interrelationships with the land, the water, the plants, and animals has informed our arts, inspired our religions, and given us literally everything we have and everything we are. And in the American experience this deep inter-being has given birth to wave after wave of expression in philosophy, poetry, painting, photography, and even legislation – the creation of the National Park System. Join us we explore the voices and visions of the spirit of nature.

One of the most compelling figures in all of philosophy, Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) ushers in the modern world by shattering the paradigms of the old. A brilliant scholar and misanthropic outsider, Nietzsche left behind a sprawling, literate body of work that ignited and set aflame the twentieth century. In his merciless critiques of both traditional philosophy and contemporary morality Nietzsche’s infamous utterance “God is dead” and his notoriously misused notion of the Ubermensch (superior human) changed philosophy forever.

Algerian-born philosopher Albert Camus (1913-1960) firmly rejected the label “existentialist” his whole life. Nevertheless, his work stands as its most heartfelt expression. Through the rubble of the Russian revolution, WWII, the Holocaust, and the nuclear bomb, Camus helps us chart a course toward a life of meaning and value. Life, Camus argues, is fundamentally absurd, and we will not find any meaning or purpose in it, other than that which we impose upon it ourselves. Join us for a study of Camus’s bracing but ultimately inspiring work.