The Classroom

Send us a textMemento Mori......Stay With Me!!Support the showThank you for listening.You can contact us @: ericknga7@gmail.com

Send us a Text Message.Support the Show.Thank you for listening.You can contact us @: ericknga7@gmail.com

Send us a Text Message.Support the Show.Thank you for listening.You can contact us @: ericknga7@gmail.com

Guest Teacher Kory Eastvold, Bible conversation.Support the showThank you for listening.You can contact us @: ericknga7@gmail.com

In this episode, Professor Ron takes us on a classical tour of London.Support the showThank you for listening.You can contact us @: ericknga7@gmail.com

In this episode, Professor Ron takes us on a classical tour of Paris.Support the showThank you for listening.You can contact us @: ericknga7@gmail.com

In this episode, Professor Ron takes us on a classical tour of Rome.Support the showThank you for listening.You can contact us @: ericknga7@gmail.com

In this episode, Professor Ron takes us on a classical tour of Athens Greece. Support the showThank you for listening.You can contact us @: ericknga7@gmail.com

In this Plato's dialogue, Socrates engages in a discussion with two prominent Athenians, Laches and Nicias, about the nature and definition of the virtue of courage. The dialogue centers around the question of what courage truly is and whether it can be taught.Support the showThank you for listening.You can contact us @: ericknga7@gmail.com

In this influential work, Thoreau explores the concept of civil disobedience as a means of protesting unjust laws. He argues that individuals have a moral responsibility to resist and disobey unjust laws to bring about social change.The essay, first published in 1849, had a significant impact on future movements advocating for civil rights, nonviolent resistance, and social justice. Thoreau's ideas continue to inspire and provoke critical thinking about the balance between individual rights and responsibilities within society.Thank you for listening.You can contact us @: ericknga7@gmail.com

In this Plato dialogue - Socrates engages Lysis and Menexenus trying to explore the question of what friendship truly is. Thank you for listening.You can contact us @: ericknga7@gmail.com

Socrates explores the meaning of temperance/self-control/moderation. Charmides is a dialogue of Plato, in which Socrates engages a young boy named Charmides in a conversation about the meaning of sophrosyne, a Greek word usually translated into English as temperance, moderation, self-control, or restraint.Thank you for listening.You can contact us @: ericknga7@gmail.com

In the dialogue of Protagoras, Socrates and Protagoras are exploring the idea/question of virtue(highest morality) that can be taught. Protagoras the Sophist who has been running around Athens teaching virtue meet Socrates. Socrates is asking Protagoras if virtue can really be taught.Erick Nganyange and Professor Ron are looking at virtue in our current society.Thank you for listening.You can contact us @: ericknga7@gmail.comTeacher: Ron Cline Student: Erick Nganyange

In this dialogue/conversation, Crito tries unsuccessfully to persuade Socrates to escape from prison after he was sentenced to die, but Socrates insists on obeying the law, a wrong can never be justified, a citizen must uphold the law. One must not even do wrong when one is wronged. " One must "not just live, but live well." Thank you for listening.You can contact us @: ericknga7@gmail.com

Socrates was charged, tried, and convicted of crimes of impiety (introducing a different God than the God ancient Greece believed and worshiped) and corrupting the youth.Before Socrates' trial and execution in 399 BC too much was going on in Athens that most historians believe led to Athenians handing Socrates the death penalty. In this episode professor, Ron Cline goes into the background and events that led to the philosopher's death by poison.Thank you for listening.You can contact us @: ericknga7@gmail.com

In this Plato conversation called Euthyphro, Socrates met Euthyphro outside the court of Athens as Socrates was coming out from hearing charges of impiety against him, and Euthyphro was on his way to court to prosecute his own father for unintentionally killing a murderous hired hand.Since Socrates was accused of impiety and Euthyphro was prosecuting his father for impiety, Socrates was curious to learn from Euthyphro what piety is.

Welcome to season 2 of the classroom. In this season we will be discussing Plato's Dialogues and trying to understand the mind of Socrates. Socrates was a Greek philosopher from Athens who is credited as the founder of Western philosophy and among the first moral philosophers of the ethical tradition of thought, whose way of life, character, and thought exerted a profound influence on Western philosophy. Socrates never wrote a word, all we know about him is through his student/follower Plato. Plato was a philosopher during the 5th century BC. He was a student of Socrates and later taught Aristotle. He founded the Academy, an academic program that many consider being the first Western university.In this episode professor, Ron Cline gives us a little bit of introduction to 5th century Ancient Greece, Plato, and Socrates. 

In this final episode on the US Constitution, Erick Nganyange and Professor Ron Cline are discussing the Bill of Rights,  and Amendments 11 - 27 of the US Constitution.

In this episode, Erick Nganyange and Professor Ron Cline continue their discussion of the US Constitution. The discussion is on  Articles 2-7.

In this episode, Erick Nganyange and Professor Ron Cline discusses preamble and article one of the US constitution.Article 1 of the constitution is clear in terms of the power and functions of the congress and how should congress behave.   

In late 1786, 77 delegates were invited to meet in Philadelphia in May of 1787.  With authorization from the continental congress, these delegates had one task,  to revise the articles of confederation. The date of the meeting was set to May 14th, 1787. Due to transportation difficulties, only 2 delegates were in Philadelphia on May 14th, the rest of the delegates were slowly rolling in between May 15 - May 24. By May 24th, enough delegates were present to start the task of revising The Articles of confederation.  James Madison, the ring leader, set the meeting in motion on May 25, 1787. The meeting was held in a small room today called Independence Hall in Philadelphia.  After the agenda of the meeting was fully known, only 55 delegates remained in Philadelphia. 22 delegates decided not to participate. Some of them left as soon as they realized that the task changed from revising the Articles of Confederation to completely writing a new constitution, which was overthrowing the government. The State of Rhode Island refused to send any delegate to Philadelphia.   The meeting was highly secretive, the public didn't know what those men were up to, until it was all done. Some consider what those 55 men did in Philadelphia in 1787 was treason. 

John Stuart Mill was born on May 20th, 1806, in London. His father James Mill was determined to mold John into a well‐​educated leader. John was given an extremely rigorous education from a young age. He learned Greek at the age of three, Latin at eight, and read Plato's dialogues in the original language before his tenth birthday.His book "On Liberty"; Published  in 1859, is a plea to find a balance between the state and individual. John Stuart Mill believed individual freedom has to be protected  at all cost and should never be restrained unless there is a threat of a physical harm. He states that “the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.”

In January 1776 Thomas Paine anonymously released a pamphlet called common sense. Common sense was a radical and impassioned call for America to free itself from British rule and to set up an independent republican government.  Paine's pamphlet was in plain language and it spoke directly to the common people and mass audience in the American colonies.In this episode Professor Ron Cline and Erick Nganyange are discussing common sense pamphlet and the life of Thomas Paine. 

In 1789  French people overthrew their monarchy and took control of the government. The French revolution was no different than any other revolutions. French people wanted to completely change their social and political system and to create a new system.  Through it all they killed each other at the highest rate and destroyed their way of living.An Englishman, and a political thinker Edmund Burke, was watching the French revolution unfold from a distance. His friend from France wrote  to him inquiring his opinion on the situation. In 1790 Burke gave his opinion on the matter by releasing the book  "Reflection on the revolution in France". Professor Ron Cline and Erick Nganyange are discussing the French Revolution and Edmund Burke.

On June 11, 1776, the second continental congress appointed a five-guy committee to draft the declaration of independence. The men were Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingstone, and John Adams. Eventually, it was a one-man job and Thomas Jefferson ended up being the main author of the document. It took Jefferson less than 30 days to complete and submit the final draft to the continental congress. Jefferson was only 33yrs old. In this episode, professor Ron Cline and Erick Nganyange are discussing the key parts of the declaration of independence. 

The Declaration of Independence is the most iconic/controversial document in the American history.  Penned by Thomas Jefferson in 1776, the document didn't just declare what America was about at the time of independence, it also declared what America posterity will be about.  In order to understand this document, we want to understand how America came to be America. In this episode of the birth of a Nation, professor Ron Cline and Erick Nganyange are discussing the status of America from 1730 - 1774. What was America like and how was the relationship between America colonies and Great Britain at that time? And what was the tipping point for the colonies? 

The Declaration of Independence is the most iconic/controversial document in the American history.  Penned by Thomas Jefferson in 1776, the document didn't just declare what America was about at the time of independence, it also declared what America posterity will be about.  In order to understand this document, we want to understand how America came to be America. In this episode, professor Ron Cline and Erick Nganyange are discussing America from the year 1620 - 1730 and the conflict that led colonies to separate themselves from Great Britain.  

The Declaration of Independence is the most iconic/controversial document in American history.  Penned by Thomas Jefferson in 1776, the document didn't just declare what America was about at the time of independence, it also declared what America's posterity will be about.  In order to understand this document, we want to understand how America came to be America.  In this first episode of the Declaration of Independence series, professor Ron Cline and Erick Nganyange are discussing step by step the birth of America before Christopher Columbus and Thomas Jefferson. We will try to answer the question of when, and how did the land that we know today as The United States of America came to be? 

In this episode, Erick Nganyange and Professor Ron Cline discuss the book “On the Social Contract” by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, published in 1762. Jean-Jacques Rousseau was born in the independent Calvinist city-state of Geneva in 1712, he was one of the most important political thinkers of the 18th century.  Erick and Professor Ron are discussing Rousseau's influential work "On the social contract".  In this book, Rousseau argues for a political system based on a social contract agreed upon by a general will of the people.  Erick and Professor Ron are discussing some of Rousseau's ideas; social contract, state of nature, freedom, civil society, private property, law, and partial association (churches, book clubs, knitting clubs, etc).

 In this episode, Erick Nganyange and Professor Ron Cline discuss the impact of John Locke's book “second treatise of government”. John Locke was a British philosopher, Oxford academic, and medical researcher. In his book, Second Treatise of Government (1689),  Locke places sovereignty into the hands of the people.  The student and Professor are discussing Locke's ideas on the state of nature, state of war, slavery, and dissolution of Government. 

In this episode, Erick Nganyange and Professor Ron Cline discuss presidential power; executive orders, Proclamations, Pardons, and Signing Statements. The difference between them, historic background of it and what the constitution says about them. We will discuss the good, the bad and the ugly of it.  What did the framers of the constitution intend and thought of them?

In this episode, Erick Nganyange and Professor Ron Cline discuss the book “Leviathan” by Thomas Hobbes, published in 1651. Hobbes was the first philosopher to write in English on the subject of political philosophy, also was the first one to directly argue for a social contract.In this masterpiece(leviathan), a 17th century English Philosopher Thomas Hobbes argued the idea of a state of nature, covenant, and social contract. He argues that absolute Monarchy was the best and maybe only way to achieve peace and security in a civil society. We will dive into the key concepts in the book. Professor will explain the relevance of this book in the world we are living in today. 

In this episode, Erick Nganyange and Professor Ron Cline discuss the most famous/infamous book “The Prince” by Niccolo Machiavelli. Published in 1532, five years after his death.Niccolo Machiavelli, was an Italian Renaissance diplomat, philosopher, and writer. Born in 1469, died in 1527.  Why Machiavelli did not want to publish this book while he was still living? What impact did the book have when it was published in 1532? What impact the book has today? What can we learn from this 400yr old book?  Machiavelli believed for a ruler, "it was better to be widely feared than to be greatly loved; a loved ruler retains authority by obligation while a feared leader rules by fear of punishment". What did he mean by that?

Welcome to this introduction episode, where the student(Erick) and his professor(Ron) discuss the ins and outs of the podcast and what you should expect. Also, the Professor goes into detail breaking down the main subject of the podcast: What is political philosophy? how it started and why you should care about it. How does political philosophy affect our lives? Why have some books on this subject been around for 2500yrs?