The Academy Podcast

In this episode we cover Book 3 of the Nichomachean Ethics where Aristotle goes over "Action Theory" and what exactly can be considered a voluntary and desired action versus what cannot. And Aaron crashes out just thinking about it.

And we are back! In this episode we begin to breakdown the definition of virtue for Aristotle, what it consists of, and how does one achieve it. The famous "Golden Mean" is brought up, and we wonder whether or not Aristotle is secretly a hedonist. Please enjoy!

Here we are laying the groundwork to go through Aristotle's "Nichomachean Ethics". In this episode we cover teleology, politics, kinds of goods, the common good, and categories of the sciences in order to establish our future discussions on happiness and virtue. Thank you for listening! Be sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter @academy_podcast.

And so begins a new series on Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics! We begin with a broad introduction on who Aristotle was, what defined him as a philosopher, and the various multitudes of topics we will be covering in this series. Please enjoy as we struggle to cover one of the greatest minds of western philosophical thought!

We finish our coverage of Boethius by discussing Time, God's foreknowledge, predestination, and our limited perspective on fate. theacademypodcast@outlook.com @academy_podcast

Welcome back! In this episode we cover some heavy topics such as: the problem of evil, the ontological status of justice, and the difference between fate and providence. This one was fun to record! Be sure to follow us @academy_podcast

Aaron finally gets to talk about the concept of Anamnesis and the act of memory!

In this episode we give a wide overview of the concept of "Transcendentals". This is a heavy philosophy episode that covers metaphysics in the Middle Ages and the true nature of happiness. This one definitely deserves some note taking.

In this episode of covering Boethius's Consolation of Philosophy, we begin to lay the groundwork for his metaphysics for following episodes. We cover Mistress Fortune, the object of happiness, and the nature of change.

Hello and welcome to our walk through of Boethius' Consolation of Philosophy. In this episode we cover the introduction of Lady Philosophy, the use of Platonic and Stoic philosophies as a means of dealing with pain and anguish, and the initial thesis statement of the work being that unchanging reason governs the universe. There is a lot to cover in this episode to lay a firm foundation for whats to come.

Welcome to our new series where we are covering (Saint) Boethius and his famous work: The Consolation of Philosophy which will serve as our first foray into the philosophy of the Middle Ages. In this episode we talk a lot about the historical and philosophical context in which Boethius is living and writing in; his personal life, various forms of Christianity, the fall of the western Roman Empire, and the merging of Neo-Platonism with Christianity. Its all a fascinating and not as well taught part of the history of philosophy so we hope you enjoy the episode and love the series! Be sure to follow us over @academy_podcast!

Our final episode on J.S Mill's Utilitarianism! In this episode we cover Mill's conception of Justice over the course of history, recap all of his thoughts regarding the makeup of Utilitarianism, provide personal reflections, and briefly talk about our favorite rapper. We are excited to finally tie off another series! Be sure to follow us @academy_podcast on instagram and twitter!

Welcome back! In this episode of the Academy Podcast we begin to expand upon Mill's definition of utilitarianism as we discuss his theory of the mind with associationism, the relationship of utilitarianism to egoism, normativity within ethics, and ask about the role and place of virtue. This one was a lot of fun to record as Aaron tries his best to stop Daniel from taking jabs at Mill's arguments. We hope you enjoy this episode. Please be sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter @Academy_Podcast

In this episode we cover sections I and II of J.S Mill's essay "Utilitarianism". We discuss the definition of Utilitarianism, what constitutes gradations of pleasure, and how he envisions people would know how to seek pleasure. This is a dense episode that gives an overview to J.S Mill's most important contributions to the pleasure-pain principle of ethics.   

And welcome back! We are launching our new series on J.S Mill's essay "Utilitarianism" which is a very important work in the history of philosophy. We go over the historical context in which the essay was written, the biography of Mill himself, the deficiencies in the original iteration, and what Mill was hoping to correct in his essay. We hope you enjoy this series, wherever you listen to us please give us a high rating and leave a comment! 

In our final episode on Notes From Underground we cover the climax and falling action of the Underground Man. Dostoevsky's philosophy of love and redemption is laid bare and the final critique against the philosophy of Rational Egoism is delivered. Please enjoy this final act!

In this episode we cover the rising action of Notes From Underground in which the Underground Man navigates a dinner party with supposed friends and attempts to show the best of himself. Following the debacle that ensues, the Underground Man gives chase to Zerkov and his friends only to happen upon an unlikely character: a prostitute named Liza. This episode covers a lot of ground on both Dostoevsky personally and his philosophy so be sure to sit, listen, and enjoy. Come say hi to us @academy_podcast on both twitter and instagram!

In this episode, Daniel and Aaron have a free-wheeling discussion on the first half of the "Proposition of Wet Snow" which is the second part of Notes From Underground. They discuss the main plot points and talk about drunkenness, homeless people, cringe humor, high school, and the desire to no longer be self-conscious. We hope you enjoy the looser format. Please feel free to follow us @academy_podcast on Twitter or Instagram if you would like to interact with us!

In this episode we cover a broad definition of existentialism, the philosophy of Søren Kierkegaard, and how they both relate (and don't relate) to the thoughts of Dostoevsky and the Underground Man. We give a more precise treatment to all of the interplay between these thoughts swirling around in the book in order to provide some precise definitions and much needed philosophical context. Also, Daniel learns to ramble.

Welcome in! In this episode we begin our discussion covering the first half of Notes From Underground by Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky. We go over his arguments against rational egoism, thoughts on existentialism, and the desire for choice present within the human spirit. Nietzsche and Camus are also brought up to lend even more thought on the spitefulness and inertia found within the underground man. This was a far more free-form discussion than other episodes and super fun to record!

Welcome to our series on Notes From Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky, the first fictional work we are covering. Jumping right into modern philosophy, we give a brief biography on Dostoevsky, go over the influences and context of the novel, and have a discussion on existentialism, rational egoism, and nihilism. 

Welcome back. In this episode we finish off our series on Epicurus with a more free form discussion on some more interesting yet specific points of Epicureanism. We finally bid a kind farewell to Mr. Atoms, you will be missed.

With Daniel coming on as a brand new co-host, this latest episode seeks to cover Epicurean ethics and his unique brand of hedonism. Listen to Daniel constantly disrupt the conversation in his first episode as we explore the difference between kinetic and catestematic pleasure, natural and unnatural pleasures, and the is-ought problem. We hope you enjoy this episode, please leave a positive review wherever you listen to us!

In this episode of the Academy Podcast, Aaron does a solo episode to cover the Epicurean conception of the soul, the gods, and how it pertains to his ethics. Surprise! They are made of ATOMS!

In this solo episode we go over some important changes coming to the podcast in the near future as well as talk about our intentions going forward. We hope you have enjoyed our discussions so far and will continue to enjoy the rest of the series as it comes out. Please feel free to reach out to us over twitter, instagram, or email us at theacademypodcast@outlook.com.

PLEASE EXCUSE THE AUDIO QUALITY! In this next episode covering Epicureanism we continue to discuss the importance of the atom, how it is composed, and its importance in understanding the soul and knowledge. Finally, after being forced to record another episode about atoms, Austin begins to understand and appreciate their importance to this more obscure ancient Greek thinker. We hope you enjoy this latest episode, please stay tuned in for upcoming changes to the show!

And we're back! In our first episode recorded long distance, we begin to tackle to philosophy of Epicureanism. In this episode we discuss the ancient view of atoms, the senses, physics, and the material universe. All of which will lay the foundation for Epicurean views on knowledge and ethics. This episode was tough to get into but it came out very interesting so we hope you love it! Not to be confused with "The Atom Shop" -- a microtransaction store in Fallout 76.

Hello and welcome back! We are excited that you could join us wherever you're listening. In this episode we introduce the philosopher Epicurus who laid the foundation of empiricism and an ethics of hedonism. In this episode we cover his biography, discuss his school “The Garden”, and introduce the concepts we will be exploring in the coming series. Please enjoy and share us with your friends!

Happy Birthday Stephenie! We pick up where we left off in the last discussion to finish off our coverage on the Discourses. The conversation centers around the ancient conception of freedom and virtue ethics as well as the consequences of holding such beliefs. The conversation then moves in a new direction as Austin and Aaron compare the modern conception of freedom with that of the Stoics and debate on whether or not Stoicism has any place in present society. We hope you love this episode and enjoyed this book series.

We are officially back from hiatus as Aaron returns from basic training to find the country shut down due to a new pandemic. However, that doesn't stop us from teaching philosophy and you learning it. So in this episode we cover a few big topics like the Stoic conception of God, Stoicism as a philosophy of religion, Stoic theory of the soul, and causal determinism. This one is a lot of fun!

Merry Christmas (and Happy Birthday Steph)! Welcome to a brand new series of the Academy Podcast  where we will be covering The Discourses by Epictetus. In this episode  we give a brief overview of the history of Epictetus and Stoicism. We  also lay the foundational beliefs of the Stoics for future discussions.  Please be sure to leave a high rating and share us with your friends.  Enjoy.

Our very last episode on Plato's Republic. The last book contains two sections: the theory of art and the myth of Er. Respectively they deal with Plato's theory of aesthetics and his views of the afterlife and cosmology. We end up arguing over the Theory of Art for most of the episode but we still think you will enjoy this conclusion as we reflect back on the coverage of our very first book. Please enjoy and share our podcast with those around you.

Happy Birthday, Stephenie! Our tenth episode and second to last on our full coverage of Plato's Republic. In this episode we discuss Plato's hatred of democracy and the city-soul dichotomy from previous episodes. This also happens to be Plato's final argument stating the case for living a just life before he concludes with the myth of Er.

And we're back! We are now nearing the end of the Republic so our conversations continue to go over the finer details of Plato's philosophy. In this episode we cover what kind of education is necessary to make a philosopher. How does the study of math, music, and astronomy allow us to know the forms. And why is the practice of dialectic so important to philosophy for Plato. The conversation eventually turned into a hard look into the nature of education today versus the classical definition. Please enjoy!

After failing to cover the entirety of the Forms in one episode, we have returned to the discussion to go over Plato's metaphors of the Sun, the dividing line, and the Cave. We expand upon the general understanding of these allegories and the conversation turns from a talk on philosophy to a deep discussion on faith, the soul, immortality, divinity, and revelation. In this episode we peel back the deeper layers of Platonic philosophy and expose a deeply religious and reverential system of thought. We hope you enjoy.

Welcome back! We have finally reached our coverage of The Forms, one of Plato's most important and controversial contributions to the field of philosophy. In this episode we lay the groundwork for why Plato believes in these universal concepts which he calls The Forms. We talk at great length about the realm of opinion or Doxa, the difference between a sight lover and a philosopher, the argument of opposites, and generally dismantle any previously held understanding of the Forms you may have had!

Here we are at our sixth episode on Plato's Republic and we have finally arrived at the section regarding the Philosopher King. We will be breaking up our coverage of the Philosopher King into three distinct episodes: what makes a philosopher king, the forms and their contemplation, and how the philosopher should be educated. This episode we cover the qualities of what makes a philosopher, what distinguishes the philosopher from other people, and is the philosopher king even possible. We also explore Plato's hatred of democracy and talk a little on modern politics. Please listen and enjoy!

Hello and welcome to Episode V of our continued coverage of Plato's Republic. This week we take on Plato's statements about women, the family, children, and sex. We cover a wide variety of topics like sexism, the common good, the purpose of sex, and the philosophy of embodiment. Also, Aaron struggles not to fat shame and gets passionate about a marriage that he doesn't have. Is Plato a Marxist feminist far ahead of his time? Or is he another patriarchal male from ancient times? Probably neither, enjoy. Please subscribe to all of our platforms to get all of this great content!  

In this episode we cover the four virtues which Plato says are necessary for both the good state as well as the good individual; wisdom, courage, self-discipline, and justice. We define each of these in detail and lay the foundation for Plato's ethical philosophy. The second part of this episode covers the psychology of the Platonic soul, the soul of three parts which contains reason, spirit, and appetites represented by the head, the heart, and the stomach respectively. This is certainly just an introduction to the Platonic theory of the soul and is definitely a topic we will revisit! As always, please be sure to subscribe, leave a good rating, and share with your friends.

Hope your last week was well, here is the third installment on our coverage of Plato's Republic. In this episode we focus in on the transition between book III and IV of the Republic. We discuss Plato's mythical lie for the basis of his society, the necessity of a good education, introduce the concept of the soul, and talk about whether good men need rules. This episode digs a bit further into a smaller section of the book so there is a lot of good material in this episode.  If you would like to support the Academy Podcast please subscribe to our show and leave a positive rating. Feel free to email us directly at theacademypodcast@outlook.com with any questions or feedback you may have. You can also follow us on Instagram and Twitter @academy_podcast for any and all additional content! 

Welcome once again to the Academy Podcast! In this week's episode, we discuss books II and III of Plato's Republic. We go over the origins of Plato's fictional society, introduce the Guardian class in the Republic, define thumos (spirit), and give an introduction to Plato's philosophy on education. It was a fantastic discussion and we know you will enjoy it! If you would like to support the Academy Podcast please subscribe to our show and leave a positive rating. Feel free to email us directly at theacademypodcast@outlook.com with any questions or feedback you may have. You can also follow us on social media at the following links for additional content!  

Welcome to the Academy Podcast! Today Austin and Aaron discussed book I of Plato's Republic. In this discussion, Austin and Aaron introduced the main dialogue of the book, present the virtue of the elderly, and define important terms such as techne (skill in craft), episteme (theoretical knowledge) and eudaimonia (complete happiness), and how they relate to Plato's view of Justice. We hope you enjoy this episode! If you would like to support the Academy Podcast please subscribe to our show and leave a positive rating. Feel free to email us directly at theacademypodcast@outlook.com with any questions or feedback you may have.You can also follow us on social media at the following links for additional content!

Join us as we discuss the historical background of Plato's Republic.

Hello and welcome to the Academy Podcast! Thank you for checking us out. We are a philosophy podcast that aims to unpack the ideas presented in great philosophical works. This episode is just a brief introduction into what we are all about and what we hope to accomplish for all of our listeners. Thanks for stopping by and please share us with your friends.