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Exiting The Cave

Exiting The Cave

By Greg Gauthier

Philosophy essays, debates, discussions, and other explorations.
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CHANNEL ANNOUNCEMENT: Exiting The Cave Is Moving

Exiting The CaveJan 02, 2022

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01:15
CHANNEL ANNOUNCEMENT: Exiting The Cave Is Moving

CHANNEL ANNOUNCEMENT: Exiting The Cave Is Moving

I am no longer using Anchor.FM or any other third-party service as a platform for my content. If you want to continue with the Boethius podcast series, or any of the other things I podcast, then please go have a look at my personal blog, where I've begun hosting all my audio content.

The blog: https://gmgauthier.com/post/

The podcast: https://gmgauthier.com/podcast/


This account will remain open for the next few months, but will eventually be deleted. So, save these links somewhere.

Jan 02, 202201:15
Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 4, Chapter 3 - What Good and Evil Deserve
Jan 10, 202115:10
Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 4, Chapter 2 - The Evil Are Powerless
Dec 27, 202030:52
Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 4, Chapter 1 - The Problem of Evil Restated
Dec 13, 202010:28
Short Reads: Boethius Sidebar - Who Is Lady Philosophy?
Dec 06, 202021:12
Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 3, Chapter 12
Nov 29, 202028:33
Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 3, Chapter 11
Nov 22, 202031:52
Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 3, Chapter 10
Nov 15, 202039:03
Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 3, Chapter 9
Nov 08, 202023:23
Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 3, Chapter 8
Nov 01, 202009:14
Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 3, Chapter 7
Oct 25, 202020:43
Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 3, Chapter 6

Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 3, Chapter 6

Philosophy Tells us why Glory is a poor substitute for true happiness. 

Also, a segment from a Paula Gooder lecture, on the question of glory. You can find the original lecture here

If you'd like to get these podcasts in first-release, please visit my Locals Community page, and subscribe! Your subscription will also entitle you to participate in the curated discussion. Sign up now, to join in the discussion.

Oct 18, 202018:42
Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 3, Chapter 5
Oct 11, 202016:52
Plato, Parmenides, and the Theory of Forms - An Analysis

Plato, Parmenides, and the Theory of Forms - An Analysis

In this podcast, I will be outlining the theory of Forms, beginning with why Plato might have concocted the theory in the first place, moving next to what exactly the theory is and how it works, and finishing up with an analysis of the criticisms of the Forms offered by Parmenides (primarily), and a few others since. 

For all the snide dismissals of Plato's theory, nobody has ever bothered to explain to me why the Forms are no longer taken seriously, or how they’ve been shown to be disreputable. The point of the podcast is to answer for myself those 'why' and 'how' questions. In order to be confident of why I ought to either accept or reject this theory, I need to understand the theory, and to understand it, I need to portray it to myself, as closely as possible as Plato would have portrayed it to himself. Along the way, I hope you find this useful as well.

Oct 06, 202049:37
Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 3, Chapter 4
Oct 04, 202013:23
Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 3, Chapter 3
Aug 02, 202013:20
Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 3, Chapter 2
Jul 26, 202022:31
Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 3, Chapter 1

Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 3, Chapter 1

Philosophy prepares Boethius for his turn toward the truth. 

If you'd like to get these podcasts in first-release, please visit my Locals Community page, and subscribe! Your subscription will also entitle you to participate in the curated discussion. Sign up now, to join in the discussion.

Jul 19, 202012:54
Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 2, Chapter 8
Jul 12, 202015:46
Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 2, Chapter 7
Jul 05, 202024:50
Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy - The Music Of The Consolation
Jun 28, 202021:57
Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 2, Chapter 6
Jun 21, 202016:02
Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 2, Chapter 5
Jun 14, 202027:22
Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 2, Chapter 4
Jun 07, 202027:05
Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 2, Chapter 3
May 31, 202010:42
Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 2, Chapter 2
May 24, 202015:16
Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 2, Chapter 1
May 17, 202016:17
Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 1, Chapters 6 and 7.
May 10, 202016:54
Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 1, Chapter 5.

Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 1, Chapter 5.

Boethius' final prayer of lamentation.

If you'd like to get these podcasts in first-release, please visit my Locals Community page, and subscribe! Your subscription will also entitle you to participate in the curated discussion. Sign up now, to join in the debate.

May 03, 202015:31
Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 1, Chapter 4.
Apr 26, 202023:03
Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Book 1, Chapter 3
Apr 19, 202012:52
Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Chapters 1 and 2.

Short Reads: The Consolation of Philosophy, Chapters 1 and 2.

Hello, and welcome to the first in a new series of Exiting The Cave short reads, made available exclusively to my Locals community. If you want to continue listening, you can sign up at this link: https://exitingthecave.locals.com

This feature begins with a series on "The Consolation of Philosophy", by Anicus Manlius Severinus Boethius. Each episode will consist of a reading of one or two chapters in sequence, followed by a brief commentary offering a few insights into the text. Boethius' chapters are very short. Each consists of a single section of verse, followed by a passage of narration. So, each episode is likely to be around 15 minutes long. There are a total of 5 books, or 39 chapters. So, this series should last us a while, given one reading per week!

The first episode covers both chapters one and two, of Book one. I am making this episode available to all comers to the Exiting the Cave community page, to provide a taste of what awaits those who are generous enough to support what I do

Apr 04, 202020:20
Aristotle 101: Substance In the Categories

Aristotle 101: Substance In the Categories

Transcript: https://exitingthecave.com/aristotle-101-substance-in-the-categories/

The Categories is Aristotle’s first attempt to outline a theory of being, in addition to the work’s central focus, which is to provide an account of the ways in which we think about being, and beings. In total, there are ten categories of thought about being, but the core of his theory of being begins with the first category. This is what he called “substance”. This essay will summarize Aristotle’s conception of substance as he presents it in The Categories, briefly explain what distinguishes substance from the other categories, and offer some additional thoughts about the metaphysics of being, in relation to Aristotle’s mentor, Plato.

Mar 16, 202018:52
Aristotle 101: The Four Causes

Aristotle 101: The Four Causes

Transcript Here.

In the Physics, Aristotle says that we aim at understanding, which he says is to be able to give a full account of “the how and the why of things coming into existence and going out of it”. In other words, to understand something is to be able to give an explanation of how and why a thing changes. That explanation is what Aristotle means by ‘cause’. Today, thinking of explanation in terms of causes is not an alien notion. But, when we do this, we are typically only thinking in one narrow scientific sense of the term. Aristotle, however, describes a theory of causal explanation in both the Physics and the Metaphysics that includes four separate categorical senses of the term. Aristotle insists that a complete explanation will appeal to all four of these kinds of cause. In this answer, I will briefly describe the four causes, and attempt to explain why the fourth, ‘final’ cause is primary in Aristotle’s theory.

Feb 27, 202012:48
Is There A God? Part 1: Preparing to ask the first question

Is There A God? Part 1: Preparing to ask the first question

Transcript: https://exitingthecave.com/preparing-to-ask-the-first-question/

This post is my first foray into the question of whether or not there is a God. Before I can begin to attempt an answer, I need to explore a deeper question. Namely, what is the nature of this question? What exactly are we asking, when we ask this question? I want to suggest that this question is best understood as a fundamental choice, and that the choice is not simply one of satisfying an ontological preference, but one of universal significance. The way one answers this question will define one’s entire life, indeed all life. It will condition the content of all of one’s relationships, and predispose the outcome of every subsequent choice. It will frame every subsequent question you will ask yourself, from the nature of morality and history, to the kinds of activities you engage in, day to day. This choice lies at the center of everything it means to exist, and to be human. Which fork of the dilemma you choose, is therefore, the most important choice you will ever make.

Feb 21, 202020:55
John Holroyd, Judging Religion: A Dialogue For Our Time - Author Interview
Nov 10, 201901:35:41
On Cultural Knowledge and Discipline

On Cultural Knowledge and Discipline

We're being robbed of our capacity for expression in more ways than just overt censorship. In the name of "liberation" from an ostensible "oppression" we are stripped of access to our cultural heritage, and denied the opportunity to learn the rules and principles that governed the creation of new art in previous generations. This is dangerous, and we ought to reject this.

Jun 30, 201933:39
The Struggle Between the Public and the Private

The Struggle Between the Public and the Private

The role of the private sphere of life has been drastically eroded and diminished over the last twenty-five years, by the exploitation of network technology in the form of social media -- and the public scrutiny of private life doesn't stop with Twitter or Facebook. Everywhere, network connected devices are collecting data about your activities, your choices, your relationships, your habits, and your preferences. Doorbells, televisions, stereo systems, building security systems, and of course, computers and now the ubiquitous smartphone, all have microphones, cameras, GPS trackers, 'call home' beacons, and various other means of generating and vomiting data about you, to massive commercial institutions that are more than willing to hand that information over to political institutions, or even to openly publicize it for no other reason than to increase the potential for revenue generation. All digital  records are fair game for exploitation. Emails, purchase receipts, government documents, video recordings, audio recordings, private chats, even files stored on local hard disks -- if they're connected to the internet, they're "public" in some sense enough to skirt legal limits. If your mother notes your birthday on her Facebook page, your birthdate is public record. If your girlfriend breaks up with you and rants about it on Twitter, your relationship status is public record. If you add your friends to your snapchat address book, your friends contact information is public record. What's more, if it's public, the automatic assumption is that it is fodder for not just commercial, but political action. Celebrity is now an abundant commodity, diluted across the entire population of internet-connected citizens, whether it wants that status or not. If you have a phone number, you are as much a celebrity as Megan Markle. The only difference, is that not everyone has heard of you yet. Where does this leave the status of the sphere of the private? When the only barrier left between public and private, is mere ignorance of your presence in this new ubiquitous public sphere, can it really be said that there is a private sphere anymore? 

Jun 09, 201930:49
Terrorism, Power, and the Example of Christ
Mar 31, 201920:29
What Is Freedom? Artur Schopenhauer and The Freedom Of The Will

What Is Freedom? Artur Schopenhauer and The Freedom Of The Will

Transcript: 

https://exitingthecave.com/a-conversation-with-artur-schopenhauer-on-his-conception-of-freedom/

The following is a dialogue between myself and Artur Schopenhauer, in which I basically try to interrogate the text as if I were talking directly to Schopenhauer, in an interview or discussion. All of Dr. Schopenhauer’s responses below come from the text of his essay, either as direct quotes or as slight rephrasing, in order to fit them into the flow of a conversation. It should be noted that I have not read World As Will And Representation (written before this essay), and that I have only a cursory knowledge of Schopenhauer’s biography. So, it is likely that additional context might have made this more insightful. In any case, this is meant only to offer an engaging way to consider the basic ideas contained within this essay, not as a serious critique of Schopenhauer, as such. I hope you enjoy it…

Mar 17, 201921:23
The Allegory of the Cave - What it is, and what it means.
Mar 03, 201935:58