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Professor Kozlowski Lectures

Professor Kozlowski Lectures

By Benjamin Kozlowski

Professor Kozlowski lectures on various subjects in Philosophy, Theology, and the Humanities.

For a list of courses and projects, visit his website at: professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/
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Aquinas - Friendship is Charity

Professor Kozlowski LecturesSep 18, 2021

00:00
01:14:01
D&RN - Introducing Demons

D&RN - Introducing Demons

Today Professor Kozlowski discusses the first two chapters of Dostoevsky's Demons, introduces three of our primary characters, and connects them to their archetypes in 1860s Russian society. Also jokes.

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/ or contact him directly at profbkozlowski2@gmail.com.

Mar 12, 202401:24:42
D&RN - Crime, Punishment, Debts, and Devils

D&RN - Crime, Punishment, Debts, and Devils

Professor Kozlowski attempts to recount the developments in the Russian literary world between 1864 and 1871 (when Demons is written), including a brief summary of Crime and Punishment and its relevance to the literary representation of Russian Nihilism at the time.

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/ or contact him directly at profbkozlowski2@gmail.com.

Mar 06, 202401:12:34
D&RN - Apropos of the Wet Snow

D&RN - Apropos of the Wet Snow

Professor Kozlowski tackles the second half of Dostoevsky's Notes from Underground, with special attention to exploring the references to 1840's Russian literature (and to Chernyshevsky's What is to Be Done?) found throughout this section.

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/ or contact him directly at profbkozlowski2@gmail.com.

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

Feb 29, 202401:33:12
D&RN - Underground

D&RN - Underground

At long last, Professor Kozlowski confronts Dostoevsky's most widely discussed and controversial creation: Notes from Underground. Come for the tortured consciousness of the underground man, stay for the literary skullduggery and speculations about censorship.

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/ or contact him directly at profbkozlowski2@gmail.com.

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

Feb 22, 202401:44:34
D&RN - Chernyshevsky 3

D&RN - Chernyshevsky 3

Professor Kozlowski muses on the Utopian hopes and missing realities of Chernyshevsky's promised revolution at the end of What is to Be Done?

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/ or contact him directly at profbkozlowski2@gmail.com.

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

Feb 15, 202401:30:24
D&RN - Chernyshevsky 2

D&RN - Chernyshevsky 2

Now that we've gotten all the rage sweats cleaned up, it's time for Professor Kozlowski to take a deep dive into Chernyshevsky's convictions and ideology, both to appreciate the merit of those convictions, and to examine the similarities between radical idealism of the 1860s in Russia and in the years since. Hopefully this will be a bit more even-handed than last time, but we're never going to have *no* angry biased grumpiness.

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/ or contact him directly at profbkozlowski2@gmail.com.

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

Feb 07, 202401:34:14
D&RN - Chernyshevsky 1

D&RN - Chernyshevsky 1

Professor Kozlowski offers his first impressions of Chernyshevsky's What is to Be Done? Despite his efforts to be even-handed and charitable, there is still a great deal of hand-wringing, criticism, and outright swearing.

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/ or contact him directly at profbkozlowski2@gmail.com.

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

Jan 24, 202401:21:55
James Bond and Don Juan
Jan 22, 202401:18:02
D&RN - Fathers and Sons 2

D&RN - Fathers and Sons 2

Professor Kozlowski concludes his examination of Turgenev's Fathers and Sons with a deep-dive look at Bazarov's painful relationship with his parents, his ignominious final acts (and death), and Turgenev's complicated relationship with Russian ideology, both within the novel, and as Russia reacted to it.


To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/ or contact him directly at profbkozlowski2@gmail.com.

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

Jan 21, 202401:23:05
The Cold War and the Late Twentieth Century

The Cold War and the Late Twentieth Century

Professor Kozlowski belatedly continues his General Humanities class with a brief-ish (and very insufficient) discussion of the Cold War and the Late Twentieth Century.

Jan 20, 202402:10:38
General Humanities 202 Syllabus SP24

General Humanities 202 Syllabus SP24

Professor Kozlowski introduces his General Humanities students to the peculiar nature of his grading system and the expectations for this semester's course.

Jan 13, 202401:13:52
D&RN - Fathers and Sons 1

D&RN - Fathers and Sons 1

Today Professor Kozlowski discusses the first eighteen chapters of Turgenev's landmark novel, Fathers and Sons - where Turgenev coined the term "nihilism". We'll discuss some of Turgenev's literary legacy, including his relationship to Dostoevsky, as well as examine the way that Turgenev's main character, Bazarov, walks the line between tragically human and ideologically monstrous.

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/ or contact him directly at profbkozlowski2@gmail.com.

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

Jan 11, 202401:38:09
Dostoevsky and Russian Nihilism - Introduction

Dostoevsky and Russian Nihilism - Introduction

Our new series for spring 2024 is on Dostoevsky's Demons and the tumultuous state of the Russian intelligentsia in the 1860s that brought about some of Dostoevsky's most insightful work. Today we set the stage: Professor Kozlowski walks us through the Russian reforms of Peter the Great, the wars of Napoleon and his socio-political legacy, up to the early career of Dostoevsky himself - including the rival factions of Russian intellectuals in the 1850s. Next time - Turgenev's Fathers and Children and the origin of Russian "Nihilism"!


To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/ or contact him directly at profbkozlowski2@gmail.com.

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

Jan 04, 202401:21:05
Pentateuch - Deuteronomy

Pentateuch - Deuteronomy

Professor Kozlowski closes his discussion of the Pentateuch with an examination of Deuteronomy: its disputed authorship, its review of events past, its new laws, and the conclusion to the story of Moses and the Exodus.

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/ or contact him directly at profbkozlowski2@gmail.com.

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

Nov 28, 202301:17:08
Pentateuch - Numbers 16-36

Pentateuch - Numbers 16-36

Professor Kozlowski recounts and explores the latter half of the book of Numbers, including many new complications in the relationship between God and the Israelites as they wander the desert for forty years.

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/ or contact him directly at profbkozlowski2@gmail.com.

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

Nov 22, 202301:16:57
Pentateuch - Numbers 1-15

Pentateuch - Numbers 1-15

Numbers is often maligned as a boring book about censuses and laws. But in this lecture, Professor Kozlowski explains the censuses and laws in terms of the story of God's maturing relationship with his people - the ups and downs and ugly practicalities of any relationship, and how Numbers is actually a compelling account of very human failings and maturation in faith.

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/ or contact him directly at profbkozlowski2@gmail.com.

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

Nov 07, 202301:28:17
Pentateuch - Leviticus 16-27

Pentateuch - Leviticus 16-27

Professor Kozlowski outlines the mixed bag of Levitical laws and prohibitions, taking time to discuss several of the major themes recurring throughout the book, including: the priority on conduct; the mysterious nature of holiness and its strange relationship to cleanliness and sin; and the divine requirements of faith implicit in the structure of holy festivals and sabbath years.

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/ or contact him directly at profbkozlowski2@gmail.com.

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

Nov 01, 202301:26:51
Pentateuch - Leviticus 1-15

Pentateuch - Leviticus 1-15

Professor Kozlowski examines the laws of Leviticus and how they reveal new insights into God's Nature - though perhaps not as much as we might like.

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/ or contact him directly at profbkozlowski2@gmail.com.

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

Oct 28, 202301:35:26
How to Read the Bible

How to Read the Bible

After a run of students asking for advice on learning about Christianity, Professor Kozlowski has decided to write and release his own guide for independently studying and familiarizing oneself with the Bible.

Specifically, he recommends the following options, according to the length of one's commitment, or successively, as a way to gradually improve one's knowledge:

1/10 of the Bible (2 Weeks - 1 Month):

OT: Genesis 1-25, Exodus 1-20, Ecclesiastes, Daniel 1-6, Jonah; NT: Luke, Romans

1/4 of the Bible (1-3 Months):

OT: Genesis, Exodus 1-20, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Joel, Amos; NT: Matthew, John, Romans, 1 Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, Hebrews

1/2 of the Bible (3-6 Months):

OT: Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, Ezra, Nehemiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Daniel; NT: Luke, Acts, Galatians, Ephesians, Revelation

Professor Kozlowski also discusses why this approach might appeal to some students, and recommends other Christianity-related readings useful to students trying to understand Christian teaching, such as:

Mere Christianity, by C. S. Lewis

The Confessions, by Augustine of Hippo

Little Pilgrim's Progress by Helen L. Taylor

Please feel free to share this with any students you know exploring Christianity for themselves, and don't hesitate to e-mail me at profbkozlowski@gmail.com if you have any questions, or if you want to discuss Christianity or your personal faith.

Oct 17, 202301:26:20
Pentateuch - Exodus 31-40

Pentateuch - Exodus 31-40

The golden calf episode in Exodus 32-34 is one of the most important passages in the Bible, and one of the least understood or discussed. Today, Professor Kozlowski closely examines this microcosmic story exploring the nature of sin, God's character, and how to properly debate (and even win arguments against) God.

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/ or contact him directly at profbkozlowski2@gmail.com.

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

Oct 10, 202301:48:08
Pentateuch - Exodus 15-30

Pentateuch - Exodus 15-30

After one of the most famous and exciting stories in the entire Bible comes...a bunch of laws and a famously boring series of chapters detailing the specific construction of the tabernacle. And yet, Professor Kozlowski has a lot to say about these passages, notably including his hermeneutic of Biblical law and how Jews (and Christians) should (and should NOT) apply these laws and principles to their live in a modern, pluralistic democracy. Keep in mind that I don't know how to access any comments you post on Spotify, so if you have any personal attacks to level at me, try e-mail instead.

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/ or contact him directly at profbkozlowski2@gmail.com.

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

Oct 03, 202301:52:05
WWT - Phaedo and Myth

WWT - Phaedo and Myth

Today, since Professor Kozlowski is feeling a bit sick, he has uploaded his World Wisdom Traditions lecture, in a true return-to-pandemic-origins! Today he's discussing the underworld/afterlife myth in Plato's Phaedo (107c-118a), including discussion of how myth relates to philosophy, how Plato uses myth in his dialogues, and how that will inform the class going forward.

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/ or contact him directly at profbkozlowski2@gmail.com.



Sep 28, 202301:30:44
Pentateuch - Exodus 1-14

Pentateuch - Exodus 1-14

Professor Kozlowski tackles "The Greatest Story Ever Told": The Exodus of Israel from Egypt.

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/ or contact him directly at profbkozlowski2@gmail.com.

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.


Sep 26, 202301:35:10
Pentateuch - Genesis 23-50

Pentateuch - Genesis 23-50

Professor Kozlowski tackles the messy and enigmatic one-two punch of the Jacob and Joseph narratives in the back half of Genesis, with emphasis on the weird and difficult passages like Jacob's complicated polygamous love life, his equally-strange relationship with God, and the apparently-nonsensical story of Judah and Tamar. We'll also look at the themes and implications suggested by these stories, as a way of preparing for the big show of the Exodus in the coming weeks.

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/ or contact him directly at profbkozlowski2@gmail.com.

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

Sep 19, 202301:12:42
Pentateuch - Genesis 4-22

Pentateuch - Genesis 4-22

Today Professor Kozlowski discusses the complicated, post-lapsarian world of early Genesis. He confronts some of the big ticket Genesis stories like Cain & Abel, Noah, and the Tower of Babel, as well as a deep examination of the story of Abraham, and his interpretation of Sodom and Gomorrah's destruction. Along the way he'll examine some of the most controversial discussions surrounding these passages, including the use of Ham's genealogy as a justification for slavery, and whether or not the destruction of Sodom should be seen as a condemnation of homosexuality. It'll be another long one, but there's no shortage of important things to discuss!

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/ or contact him directly at profbkozlowski2@gmail.com.

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

Sep 12, 202302:34:50
Pentateuch - Genesis 1-3

Pentateuch - Genesis 1-3

Hooray! It's finally time to actually read and discuss the Bible! But only a little bit, since the first three chapters of Genesis apparently warrant an entire two-and-a-half-hour discussion all by themselves. Today Professor Kozlowski discusses the tensions between Genesis 1 and Genesis 2, the characteristics of God and His created universe, as emphasized and explored in these passages, as well as the manifold interpretations and struggles between these texts, other mythological traditions, and scientific teaching. Along the way he'll discuss many of the controversies and issues springing from these passages, many of which will become more prominent later in the series. Kind of a lot of pontificating for some two-and-a-half pages of Bible, but it is some of the most important and controversial writing ever put to paper.

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/ or contact him directly at profbkozlowski2@gmail.com.

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

Sep 05, 202302:28:51
Pentateuch - Introduction

Pentateuch - Introduction

But didn't we introduce the Pentateuch LAST WEEK? Nope. Old Testament "Introduction" is a formal term encompassing all of the scholarship surrounding authorship, provenance, textual criticism & history, and other non-content related questions about the text (largely because Old Testament "Criticism" sounds blasphemous in Christian circles). Today Professor Kozlowski confronts some of the most important questions surrounding the Pentateuch and its composition - and why most of those arguments and questions are either lazy, tautological, or impertinent to its relevance as a foundational religious text.

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/ or contact him directly at profbkozlowski2@gmail.com.

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.


Aug 28, 202302:34:24
Pentateuch - Hermeneutics

Pentateuch - Hermeneutics

Professor Kozlowski kicks off his discussion of the Pentateuch with a rousing discussion of How to Read! Not joking. It's Hermeneutics time, folks. Time to talk about How to Read the Bible, and just how wildly controversial that topic alone has become, as well as the presuppositions and assumptions he'll take into this text as we approach it in the coming weeks.

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/ or contact him directly at profbkozlowski2@gmail.com.

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

Aug 22, 202301:45:53
Notes - Lightning Round!

Notes - Lightning Round!

In this rapid-fire explanation and conclusion to the informal research notes series, Professor Kozlowski discusses the newly-finalized reading list for his World Wisdom Traditions class: what texts are included, why they are included, what texts have been omitted, why they have been omitted, and the underlying motivations governing these decisions. The result is a skeletal syllabus: one that anyone could follow to learn the course material, and the final fruits of his research labors these past months.

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/ or contact him directly at profbkozlowski2@gmail.com.

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

Jul 28, 202301:32:01
Notes on Radhakrishnan's "Sourcebook in Indian Philosophy" 2

Notes on Radhakrishnan's "Sourcebook in Indian Philosophy" 2

Professor Kozlowski continues his study of Hindu Philosophy in Radhakrishnan's Sourcebook in Indian Philosophy by studying the schools of interpretation and commentary springing from the Sutras of the last centuries B.C. and first centuries A.D. in Hindu thought. Among others he'll discuss the logical methodology of the Nyaya, the discipline of meditation in the Yoga Sutra, and the interpretive tradition of Vedanta, which synthesizes the Upanishads into a cogent philosophical system. Along the way, he'll confront the legacy and philosophy of Radhakrishnan himself, muse about how to introduce these ideas to students, and wildly mispronounce many names.

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/ or contact him directly at profbkozlowski2@gmail.com.

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

Jul 17, 202301:30:29
Notes on Radhakrishnan's "Sourcebook in Indian Philosophy" 1

Notes on Radhakrishnan's "Sourcebook in Indian Philosophy" 1

Professor Kozlowski pivots from researching and discussing Native American philosophy to Hindu philosophy in this informal discussion. Here he'll discuss: 1. The differences and difficulties in researching Hinduism and its related disciplines and traditions; 2. The foundational texts underlying Hinduism (from the Vedas through Buddhism) and their rough development; 3. The basic philosophical tenets of these texts and how they have matured and changed over time; 4. Applications for his classroom; 5. Further research. There's a lot to discuss, and only so much time to discuss it!

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/ or contact him directly at profbkozlowski2@gmail.com.

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.



Jul 11, 202301:50:59
Notes on Erdoes, Jennings, et al.

Notes on Erdoes, Jennings, et al.

Professor Kozlowski wraps up his discussion of Native American philosophy with a lightning round of books he's skimmed, partially-read, or hopes to read in the future, including:

  • Erdoes and Ortiz - American Indian Myths and Legends
  • Spencer and Jennings - The Native Americans
  • Miller and Taube - The Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/ or contact him directly at profbkozlowski2@gmail.com.

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.



Jul 03, 202301:19:58
Notes on Silko's "Ceremony"

Notes on Silko's "Ceremony"

Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony was highly recommended by Cordova in her previously-discussed book on Native American philosophy, How it Is. Today, Professor Kozlowski discusses the book at some length: how it does and does not fit into his study, how it encapsulates much of what he has found in Native American scholarship, and how it connects to his own, personal, experiences and understanding of the world.

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/ or contact him directly at profbkozlowski2@gmail.com.

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.


Jun 26, 202301:45:38
Notes on "American Indian Thought" ed. Anne Waters

Notes on "American Indian Thought" ed. Anne Waters

American Indian Thought (edited by Anne Waters) is perhaps the primary sourcebook for Native American Philosophy today, but it's a strange, discordant book without a clear guiding structure or organization beyond "philosophy-adjacent writings by Native Americans". Today Professor Kozlowski discusses some of the essays in the book, and contemplates its use in his upcoming class, in the broader effort to research and understand Native American perspectives, and in his responsibilities as person, professor, and citizen.

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/ or contact him directly at profbkozlowski2@gmail.com.

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

Jun 20, 202301:55:37
Notes on V. F. Cordova's "How It Is"

Notes on V. F. Cordova's "How It Is"

Having decided to spend the summer researching (rather than trying to produce polished lectures), Professor Kozlowski begins to report his research in this first informal "notes" lecture on V. F. Cordova's How It Is. Cordova was the first Native American scholar to receive a Ph.D in philosophy, and this book seems as good an entry point as any into the complicated world of Native American philosophy and scholarship. In this entry, Professor Kozlowski outlines his expectations for the class (as well as for these "notes" going forward), discusses the obstacles he's found as he tries to enter the world of Native American scholarship, and confronts some key ideas and problems in Cordova's book.

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/ or contact him directly at profbkozlowski2@gmail.com.

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

Jun 10, 202302:26:47
The Company We Keep

The Company We Keep

Professor Kozlowski concludes (perhaps prematurely) his discussion of the Ethics of Literature by delivering a broad-strokes summary of Wayne C. Booth's The Company We Keep: An Ethics of Fiction, along with some musing on the series' diverse and complicated conclusions, and thoughts about future projects.

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

Jun 06, 202301:41:22
John Gardner's War on Nihilism

John Gardner's War on Nihilism

There are few matters in art criticism (and life) closer to Professor Kozlowski's heart than the mental/spiritual war against capital-N Nihilism - retaining hope in the face of despair, remaining positive in the face of relentless negativity, and perpetually adjusting one's perspective to acknowledge the value of the good things in the world, even when plans go awry and things fall apart. That conviction lies hand-in-hand with his reading of John Gardner's On Moral Fiction, which casts artists in the role of warriors against the dark, explicitly comparing art to Thor's Hammer, beating back the forces of evil. In this lecture, Professor Kozlowski explores Gardner's stark, martial metaphors, assesses the fine distinctions between moral and immoral art, and applies these findings to the art world today.

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

Jun 02, 202301:58:28
On Moral Fiction 1

On Moral Fiction 1

Professor Kozlowski discusses the first half of John Gardner's On Moral Fiction: "Premises on Art and Morality", where we'll identify some of the current philosophical ideas undermining the possibility of moral fiction in the 1970's (and today), examine those issues in many writers contemporary to Gardner, and think about the ways that modern media is equally evasive of or troubled by these problems.

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.


May 17, 202301:47:51
Derrida to Literature

Derrida to Literature

Professor Kozlowski interprets Derrida's "This Strange Institution Called Literature" according to his own idea of Derrida's philosophical program, perhaps against the "stable" interpretation propagated by self-proclaimed Derrideans. Is this a valid act of interpretation, worthy of its own elevation to stability? May any act of interpretation be considered "less" or "more" valid than any other act of interpretation? Is the assumption of validity a vestige of phallogocentric modern philosophy? These and other questions.

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.



May 15, 202301:54:31
The Romantic Manifesto 2

The Romantic Manifesto 2

Professor Kozlowski concludes his discussion of Ayn Rand's The Romantic Manifesto by examining Rand's confused description of Romanticism, her curious application of Romantic ideals to popular, commercial art, and her examination of the pedagogical function of art, especially for children. Can we reconcile the valuable insights of Rand artistic philosophy with her hostile, narrow view of what constitutes great art?

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.


Apr 11, 202301:42:17
The Romantic Manifesto 1

The Romantic Manifesto 1

Professor Kozlowski embarks on his discussion of Ayn Rand's The Romantic Manifesto with an examination of Ayn Rand's controversial legacy, philosophy, and career, before moving on to discuss her philosophy of art and literature, and making a case for her perspicacious take on art's power and effect.

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

Apr 04, 202301:56:40
The Situation of the Writer in 2023

The Situation of the Writer in 2023

Professor Kozlowski returns to Sartre's What is Literature? to address Sartre's discussion of the situation of the writer in 1947, and expand on his observations there to discuss how that situation - and how literature itself - has changed in 2023.


To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

Mar 21, 202302:12:48
What is Literature? 1

What is Literature? 1

Professor Kozlowski examines Sartre's phenomenological/aesthetic treatise: What is Literature? Along the way, he'll address issues of artistic commercialization, the role of art and literature in class conflict, and how one's historical and cultural moment changes the way a writer interacts with the world.

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at:    https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be    able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

Mar 11, 202301:51:23
An Experiment in Criticism

An Experiment in Criticism

Professor Kozlowski takes on C. S. Lewis' An Experiment in Criticism to examine the ethical responsibilities of the audience to a work of art or literature, and to discuss how the world of criticism has changed in fifty years.  Among other topics, he'll discuss: bad-faith criticism, criticism from marginalized perspectives, intrinsic and extrinsic criticism, and Lewis' own problems with elitist gatekeeping and inflammatory criticism for self-aggrandizement.

Suggested supplementary readings include:

Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island

C. S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Conrad's Heart of Darkness and Achebe's "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness"

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at:   https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be   able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

Feb 22, 202301:55:24
The Responsibility of the Artist

The Responsibility of the Artist

Professor Kozlowski wrestles with one of the thorniest issues in the discussion of literature ethics: how do we reckon with bad people who make great art?  Jumping off from Maritain's The Responsibility of the Artist, he attempts to lay out an explanation of 1) How realistic and compelling depictions of evil in art and literature don't have to be necessarily immoral; 2) How it may be possible for bad people to make compelling, powerful, and impeccably moral art; 3) Where and when it is appropriate to support good art by bad artists, and when it is utterly immoral.  It may not be perfect, but it is an attempt to make sense of this complicated issue.

Suggested supplementary readings include:

Andre Gide's The Immoralists

Francois Mauriac's The Viper's Knot

David Foster Wallace's "This is Water"

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at:  https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be  able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

Feb 15, 202302:01:58
Dehumanization and Propaganda

Dehumanization and Propaganda

Oh boy.  Today Professor Kozlowski is talking about Ortega y Gasset's 1925 essay "The Dehumanization of Art", which observes that contemporary art movements (like early modernism in literature, or abstraction and dada in visual art) are "dehumanizing", or de-prioritizing human experience in favor of artifice itself.  But he's actually going to talk about the political dimension of art and literature - how politicians in WWI, WWII, and the Cold War co-opted art and artists to serve propagandist purposes, and whether or not art can be successfully separated from its political dimension.  Today espionage, skullduggery, and military agendas meets philosophy, aesthetics, and art criticism.

Suggested supplementary readings include:

Familiarize yourself with early 20th-century art movements and artists, such as:

Cubism (esp. Picasso)

Abstraction (esp. Klee, Kandinsky, and Jackson Pollock)

Dada (esp. Hoch and Duchamp)

Surrealism (esp. Dali and Magritte)

Finks: How the CIA Tricked the World's Best Writers by Joel Whitney

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

Feb 07, 202301:56:10
What is Art? 2

What is Art? 2

Professor Kozlowski wrestles with his own potentially-perverted artistic sensibilities by confronting Tolstoy's overall thesis on the function and definition of good art, as well as trying to assess, deconstruct, and make sense of Tolstoy's sometimes seemingly-contradictory and erratic artistic judgments by redefining them according to contemporary wisdom and categories of understanding.

Suggested supplementary readings include:

Tolstoy's own short stories, especially "God Sees the Truth, But Waits" and "The Prisoner of the Caucasus"

Beethoven's 9th Symphony (and Piano Sonata Op. 101)

Wagner's Ring Cycle

John Charles Dollman's "The Temptation of Saint Anthony"

Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov

Nietzsche's Thus Spake Zarathustra, The Case of Wagner and Beyond Good and Evil

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at:     https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be   able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

Feb 01, 202301:53:44
What is Art? 1

What is Art? 1

Professor Kozlowski tackles the first half of Tolstoy's aesthetic masterwork (?) What is Art? to isolate and examine (1) Tolstoy's grievances with art in the late nineteenth century (and (1b) how much of that applies to contemporary artistic criticism), (2) the failings in other aesthetic systems at the time, (3) Tolstoy's own (admittedly-ambiguous and problematic) principles of artistic merit, and (4) how Tolstoy's targets (including Baudelaire, Impressionism, Shakespeare, and Beethoven's 9th Symphony) fare under his criticism.  There's a lot to unpack and a lot to talk about, so strap in and get ready for another convoluted discussion about art!

Suggested supplementary readings include:

Baudelaire, Verlaine, and Mallarme (translations included in Tolstoy's Appendices)

Wagner's Ring Cycle (we'll talk about it more next week)

Turgenev's The Hunting Sketches (for an example of peasant-oriented Russian literature)

Genesis from the Bible (one of the few artworks Tolstoy frequently holds up as exemplary)

Revisit some 19th century art movements like Romanticism, Realism, and Impressionism.

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at:    https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be  able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

Jan 26, 202301:47:13
Tolstoy Essays on Art

Tolstoy Essays on Art

Professor Kozlowski reads a wide variety of Tolstoy's essays on art, including his "Schoolboys and Art," "Introduction to Semyonov's Peasant Stories," "Introduction to the Works of Guy de Maupassant," "On Art (NOT the same as What is Art?)," and "Afterword to Chekov's 'Darling'".  Through these writings, we'll track the development of Tolstoy's thoughts on art, including his normative definition of art, the three criteria Tolstoy employs to discuss art, and how he applies these aesthetic principles to the work of Maupassant and Chekov.

Suggested supplementary readings include:

Anna Karenina - we'll be returning to this one often

Tolstoy's "Master and Man"

Semyonov's "The Servant"

Three stories by Guy de Maupassant: "Boule de suif", "A Piece of String," and "Solitude"

Chekov's "Darling"

Dickens' Oliver Twist - for baseline knowledge of Dickens' preoccupations

Numbers 23-24 (The story of Balaam and Balak is Tolstoy's favorite metaphor for misguided artists)

To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/

And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at:   https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

Jan 17, 202301:49:21
TTW SP23 Syllabus

TTW SP23 Syllabus

Professor Kozlowski introduces his online section of Troy and the Trojan War for Spring 2023, explaining the rough outline of the course, the expectations for conduct, grading procedures, and general advice for student performance.  Non-students need not listen.

Jan 12, 202301:31:56