The School of Life
Gustave Flaubert
How is it possible that an author can create sympathy in the minds of readers for characters who behave in ways that we disdain? Gustave Flaubert was able to accomplish such a goal with Madame Bovary. Introduce readers to this...
Macat
An Introduction to Friedrich Nietzsche’s Beyond Good and Evil
Is God is dead? Is there no absolute truth? Do different societies have different concepts of good and evil? Introduce the ideas of Friedrich Nietzsche with a short video analysis of Nietzsche's Beyond Good and Evil.
Macat
An Introduction to Soren Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling
Talk about faith and trust. Imagine Abraham's faith and trust when God directed him to sacrifice his son Isaac. In his Fear and Trembling, Soren Kierkegaard uses the Biblical story of Abraham to talk about faith and the seeming conflict...
Macat
An Introduction to Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s The Social Contract
Introduce viewers to the ideas in The Social Contract with a short video that explains Rousseau's theories of personal and civil liberty, general will, and political authority.
Macat
An Introduction to Samuel Huntington’s The Clash of Civilizations
In 1996, Samuel Huntington predicted that in a post-Cold War world, the primary source of conflict would be due to cultural and religious differences, rather than ideological ones. Introduce The Clash of Civilizations with a short,...
Macat
An Introduction to Plato's The Republic
Introduce The Republic with a short, animated video that focuses on Plato's idea of the need for just, philosopher kings.
Macat
An Introduction to John Stuart Mill's Utilitarianism
If a goal is worthy are any means justified to achieve this goal? Yes, according to John Stuart Mill. Introduce viewers to Mill's concept of Utilitarianism with a short video that used an animated tale of a battle for a city to...
Macat
An Introduction to Gilbert Ryle's The Concept of Mind
What is the connection of the mind and body? How are emotions and behaviors related? Watch a short analysis of Gilbert Ryle's The Concept of Mind to learn more about the ways people make category mistakes when relying on the...
Macat
An Introduction to Henry David Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience
What is right isn't always lawful — and what is lawful isn't always right. Such is the argument of Henry David Thoreau's Civil Disobedience, which contends that it is the duty of the citizen to disobey the authority of the...
Macat
An Introduction to Abraham H. Maslow’s A Theory Of Human Motivation
Abraham Maslow's A Theory of Human Motivation describes the hierarchy of human needs that individuals must meet before they can become self-actualized. A short video analyzes the process with the example of a woman who begins a...
Macat
An Introduction to Leon Festinger's A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance
Why do people continue to do things they know are harmful? A short video analysis of Leon Festinger's A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance discusses the conflict between held beliefs and contradictory information, and the lengths that...
Macat
An Intro to Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Women
Women in modern society are as close to equal rights as they have ever been, thanks to the efforts of early feminists like Mary Wollstonecraft. Her 1792 work, A Vindication of the Rights of Women, advocated for the equal...
Macat
An Introduction to Aristotle's Politics
Are politics a necessary and natural part of society? High schoolers view a brief explanation of Aristotle's Politics to learn more about the ways Greek society — and modern society — form the political world to help citizens...
The School of Life
Plato On: The Forms
A life without forms would be chaotic and unwieldy! Plato asserts the importance of using forms to guide one's life, as well as the value of working toward an ideal life, in the centerpiece of his philosophy.
Macat
An Introduction to Sigmund Freud's The Interpretation of Dreams
Ever wonder why you have that weird recurring dream? A short video explores Sigmund Freud's famous text The Interpretation of Dreams and discusses the ways everyday images and memories can impact one's dreams.
Macat
An Introduction to Gordon Allport’s The Nature of Prejudice
According to Gordon Allport, stereotypes are ingrained in the human brain as a way to reach quick conclusions. His 1979 text The Nature of Prejudice explains that people fill in the gaps of their knowledge with the clues around...
Macat
An Introduction to William James’s The Principles Of Psychology
Is psychology a natural science? A brief video explains William James's theory of psychology as it connects to physiology, known as the James-Lange Theory of Emotion, and his belief that the mind and body work together to create one's...
Macat
An Introduction to Ludwig Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations
Learning the meaning of a new word is different than knowing its definition. Ludwig Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations discusses the importance of context in understanding a word's meaning, as well as the fluidity of...
Macat
An Introduction to Eric Hobsbawm’s The Age Of Revolution
Discover the ways that the exploited class has influenced our modern lives with a short study of Eric Hobsbawm's The Age of Revolution: 1789 - 1848. High schoolers discuss the Marxist perspective of how the Industrial...
Macat
An Introduction to Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One's Own
If you've ever wondered why the majority of historical writers are male rather than female, Virginia Woolf may have an answer for you. A video analysis of A Room of One's Own details Woolf's argument about women's stifled role in...
Macat
An Introduction to Max Weber's Politics as a Vocation
The basis of sociology rests in leadership, followers, and core beliefs driving a society. Max Weber's 20th century work Politics as a Vocation examines the path ahead for Germany after World War I, and posits that it is...
Macat
An Introduction to Emile Durkheim's Suicide
Suicide is one of the most tragic events in human existence, and it is also one of the least understandable phenomena in sociology. Emile Durkheim's 19th century work Suicide is the focus of a short analysis video that connects...
Macat
An Introduction to Thomas Hobbes’s Leviathan
No discussion about the importance of government influence in society is complete without Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes. As explained in a short analysis video, his 17th century work details the restrictions of individual freedom, and...
Macat
An Introduction to Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason
Challenge high schoolers with Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, one of the most prominent — and complex— works of philosophy ever written. High schoolers view a short video that describes the difference between phenomena...