TED-Ed
Plato’s Allegory of the Cave
What is reality, knowledge, and the meaning of life? Discover Plato's response to these bold questions in his "Allegory of the Cave" and explore this famous historical thinker's vision of an ideal society as he saw it within the...
Crash Course
Greeks and Persians
Considering the evolution of democracy and civilization to this day, is there any reason to believe the Persians should have defeated the Greeks in the Persian War? Why could the legacy of Ancient Greece be considered "profoundly...
Khan Academy
Correction Calendar Notation
Salman Khan corrects an incorrect calculation from the previous video. It was wrong because there was no actual year zero. He discusses correctly determining the year based on the common AD, BC, or BCE abbreviations.
TED-Ed
The Meaning of Life According to Simone de Beauvoir
Meet Simone de Beauvoir, teacher, writer, feminist. Perhaps best known as an existential philosopher, her views on what it means to be a woman upended the post World War II intellectual theatre.
TED-Ed
The Philosophy of Cynicism
Diogenes of Sinope was a cynic, the first of that line of philosophy, advocating for rejecting materialism, vanity, and conformity. While the meaning of the label cynic has changed over the centuries, the core ideas of rejecting...
TED-Ed
What “Machiavellian” Really Means
Is Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince a directive to autocrats to rule by any means necessary, or a warning about the ways free citizens can be dominated by rulers? A short video suggests that Machiavelli's famous work might have been...
Crash Course
The Scientific Methods: Crash Course History of Science #14
How do we know what we know? Examine the asker of this, and many other questions, during the 14th installment in a 15-part History of Science video series. The narrator explains the important contributions made by Galileo, Bacon, and...
Crash Course
Alchemy: Crash Course History of Science #10
If the word alchemy makes you think of wizards gathered around bubbling cauldrons, you're not completely wrong! Introduce scholars to the history of chemistry during part 10 of a 15-part History of Science series. The video takes viewers...
Crash Course
Medieval China: Crash Course History of Science #8
Medieval Chinese scientists were the masters of invention! Explore the wonders of the Far East through the eighth installment in a 15-part History of Science series. The resource covers contributions to science and technology by dynasty,...
Crash Course
The Medieval Islamicate World: Crash Course History of Science #7
The Medieval Islamicate World was truly a world of wonders! Clocks with gears, armillary spheres ... and robots that played music? Journey to ancient Baghdad, the center of science and math with the seventh video in a History of Science...
Crash Course
Plato and Aristotle: Crash Course History of Science #3
Biology, cosmology, philosophy ... Plato and Aristotle had theories about them all! How did these ancient scholars shape the science of today? The third video in the History of Science series compares and contrasts the ideas of the famed...
Crash Course
India: Crash Course History of Science #4
Ever wonder where the ideas of land management and forestry came from? Welcome to ancient India! Travel back in time using a video, the fourth in the History of Science series. The narrator describes the relationship between science and...
Macat
An Introduction to Aristotle's Metaphysics
Metaphysics explores concepts of reality and being. A video summary provides an introduction to Aristotle's Metaphysics. Clear narration and creative animation help viewers understand the deep concepts presented in the text.
Macat
An Introduction to James Ferguson’s The Anti-Politics Machine
Economic development and politics are intricately connected. As part of a larger series about the world's greatest ideas, an engaging video takes this into consideration when exploring James Ferguson's The Anti-Politics Machine. The...
Macat
An Introduction to Kant's Religion within the Boundaries of Mere Reason
When you look at the word around you, it can be difficult to believe in the benefits of living a virtuous life. A video summary of Immanuel Kant's Religion within the Boundaries of Mere Reason addresses those benefits as part of a...
Macat
An Introduction to Elizabeth Anscombe’s Modern Moral Philosophy
Does moral obligation only make sense in the presence of divine authority? A video summary of "Modern Moral Philosophy" by Elizabeth Anscombe, part of a larger playlist about the world's greatest ideas, provides an overview of a newer...
Macat
An Introduction to Ernst Gellner’s Nations and Nationalism
Does a nation define a culture or members of a single political unit? A video summary of Ernst Gellner's Nations and Nationalism, part of a larger playlist about the world's greatest ideas, shares Gellner's definitions of nations and...
Macat
An Introduction to Richard Dawkins’ The Selfish Gene
Are people inherently selfish? A video summary of Richard Dawkins' The Selfish Gene discusses how biology plays a role in selfishness. Part of a larger playlist the summary incorporates graphics and relevant examples to help make the...
Macat
An Introduction to Arjun Appadurai's Modernity at Large
How does St. Patrick's Day connect to cultural globalization? A video summary of Arjun Appadurai's Modernity at Large, part of the a larger playlist, discusses how new cultures have been created around the globe. Through graphics...
Macat
An Introduction to C.S. Lewis' The Abolition of Man
How important are universal values? An engaging installment of a larger playlist includes a summary of C.S. Lewis' The Abolition of Man, one that explores this very question and allows for high schoolers to reflect on their own lives,...
The School of Life
Machiavelli’s Advice for Nice Guys
Scholars analyze the concepts of success, ethics, and Machiavelli's philosophy with an enlightening video. The narrator explains the main theories of Machiavelli in an easy-to-understand method and makes use of visual aids to enhance...
The School of Life
Philosophy - Jacques Derrida
Deconstruction, aporia, and logocentrism. Three terms used by Jacques Derrida to describe his key ideas, marked a pivotal change in philosophic thinking. Introduce viewers to Derrida with a short video that deconstructs his rejection of...
The School of Life
Philosophy - Ludwig Wittgenstein
Why does communication between people go wrong? According to Ludwig Wittgenstein, it's because the words we use make pictures in our minds but do not create the same picture in the minds of our listeners. Introduce young philosophers to...
Macat
An Introduction to Soren Kierkegaard’s Sickness Unto Death
How can despair be hopeful? Introduce young philosophers to the ideas of Danish Soren Kierkegaard with a video from a philosophy video playlist.