SEMINARS ON CULTURE AND PHILOSOPHY

A 30-minute video by The Teaching Company is preceded by
background information and followed by discussion. Recent
seminars focussed on mainlines of Western cultural and
philosophical evolution. In March 2008, we initiated lectures
on Buddhism and Hinduism,

Presenters on the videos are prominent scholars selected by the
Teaching Company, and their education and credentials are all
available. Mary Ann Lindsey, a degreed philosopher, and John
Lees lead the discussions.

We devote a lot of time to the historical, political, and cultural
context of the times and events we study. Discussions are lively.
Join us for every session, or come as your schedule permits. We
meet on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of the month from 2 PM to
4 PM at the Unitarian Center.

We meet on May 9 and 23, as set out below and then adjourn
until September. Follow this website for information. And if you
have given us your e-mail address, be alert to e-mails from
John Lees at jlees@cfl.rr.com to keep you up to date.

RECENT PROGRAMMING: 2008

THE ENLIGHTENMENT AND ITS CRITICS
And AN INTRODUCTION TO BUDDHISM

January, 2008
1/11 - David Hume The Epistemology of David Hume.
        (Asking, "How do I know?")
1/25 - Hume’s natural religion plus Adam Smith’s
        “Political Economy”

February
2/8 - Jean Jacques Rousseau's dissent from Enlightenment
        and . . . Immanuel Kant's defense of Metaphysics and
        orthodoxy (the "Copernican Revolution").
2/22 - Kant's moral law and categorical imperative and . . .
          An Introduction to Buddhism

March
3/14 - The Doctrine of Reincarnation and The Story of
        the Buddha.
3/28 - Buddhism “All Is Suffering and The Path to Nirvana

April
4/11 - Theravada Buddhism in South East Asia and
          Mayahana Buddhism in Tibet, China and Japan
4/25 - Buddhism: The Buddhist Monastic Community
       and ext ended discussion

May
5/9 - Buddhism: The Celestial Buddha,and Buddhist Art
       and Architecture
5/23 - Buddhist Philosophy, “Emptiness” and summary of
       the year.

After our May 23 meeting, we will adjourn until September.
You can follow this website for information. And if you have
given us your e-mail address, be alert to e-mails from John
Lees at jlees@cfl.rr.com to keep you up to date.

FURTHER RESOURCES AND INFORMATION

TIMELINE:
Events that were shaping the world
during the lives of these philosophers

HELPFUL TERMS:
What do these terms mean to you?

SOME OTHER MAJOR PHILOSOPHERS
who were covered in earlier seminars:
SØREN KIERKEGAARD provided the conceptual
tools for modern existentialism.
FREDERICK NIETZSCHE, denying the reality of Truth.
ALBERT CAMUS and the concept of The Absurd.
JOHN LOCKE provides the baseline for the
Enlightenment.
GIAMBATISTA VICO and the new Science of History
CHARLES de SECONDAT, BARON de MONTESQUIEU
and Political Thought
BERNARD MANDEVILLE's Worldly Philosophy
BISHOP BERKELEY - Idealism and the
Critique of Enlightenment