God(s)

30 - A Likely Story: Plato's Timaeus

Posted on 23 April 2011

Peter looks at Plato's Timaeus, focusing on the divine craftsman or demiurge, the receptacle, and the geometrical atomism of Plato's elemental theory.

15 comments
47 - God Only Knows: Aristotle on Mind and God

Posted on 25 September 2011

Drawing on the De AnimaOn the HeavensPhysics and Metaphysics, Peter tackles Aristotle’s theory of mind and its relation to his theology.

7 comments
57 - Nothing to Fear: Epicureans on Death and the Gods

Posted on 4 December 2011

Peter considers Epicurus’ attempt to dispel the fear of death and the gods, and along the way looks at the topics of soul, atheism, and philosophy as therapy.

21 comments
62 - We Didn’t Start the Fire: the Stoics on Nature

Posted on 8 January 2012

Peter looks at the Stoic idea of god, a providential fire that pervades nature, and considers their idea of a deterministic and eternally recurring cosmos.

22 comments
88 - Simplicity Itself: Plotinus on the One and Intellect

Posted on 8 July 2012

Plotinus posits an absolutely transcendent first principle, the One. What is it (or isn’t it), and how does it relate to Intellect?

12 comments
104 - Let's Talk Turkey: the Cappadocians

Posted on 25 November 2012

Basil of Caesarea, his brother Gregory of Nyssa, and Gregory of Nazianzus use philosophy to help the poor and to defeat their theological opponents.

6 comments
106 - Double or Nothing: Maximus the Confessor

Posted on 9 December 2012

Maximus the Confessor brings us to the brink of the medieval Byzantine period with his philosophical defense of Christ’s full divinity and full humanity.

25 comments
121 - This is a Test: the Mu'tazilites

Posted on 24 March 2013

A first look at the philosophical contributions of Islamic theology (kalām) and its political context, focusing on the Mu'tazilites Abū l-Hudhayl and al-Naẓẓām.

36 comments
137 - God Willing: the Ash'arites

Posted on 14 July 2013

Al-Ash'arī puts his stamp on the future of Islamic theology by emphasizing God’s untrammeled power and freedom.

35 comments
140 - By All Means Necessary: Avicenna on God

Posted on 4 August 2013

Avicenna’s proof of the Necessary Existent is ingenious and influential; but does it amount to a proof of God’s existence?

56 comments
153 - A Matter of Taste: Ibn ʿArabī and Mysticism

Posted on 8 December 2013

Sufism, the mystical tradition of Islam, unites with philosophy in the work of Ibn 'Arabī.

31 comments
161 - He Moves in Mysterious Ways: Maimonides on Eternity

Posted on 2 February 2014

Peter tests different approaches to interpreting Maimonides, focusing on his discussion of the eternity of the world, which tries to settle the debate by declaring a draw.

15 comments
173 - For the Sake of Argument: Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī

Posted on 27 April 2014

The hugely influential Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī weaves Avicenna and Islamic theology into complex dialectical treatments of time, God, the soul, and ethics.

27 comments
174 - Leading Light: Suhrawardī

Posted on 4 May 2014

Suhrawardī, founder of the Illuminationist (ishrāqī) tradition, proposes a metaphysics of light on the basis of his theory of knowledge by presence.

27 comments
176 - A Man for all Seasons: al-Ṭūsī

Posted on 18 May 2014

Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī’s controversial career sees him adopt and then abandon Ismā'īlism, team up with the Mongols, and offer a staunch defense of Avicenna.

5 comments
183 - Family Feud: Philosophy at Shiraz

Posted on 6 July 2014

Ill-tempered debates in early modern Iran, as we examine the rivalry between Dawānī and the Dashtakīs at Shīrāz.

7 comments
204. A Canterbury Tale: Anselm's Life and Works

Posted on 28 December 2014

Anselm offers more than his famous ontological argument, including a subtle account of human freedom.

6 comments
205. Somebody's Perfect: Anselm's Ontological Argument

Posted on 4 January 2015

The most famous argument in medieval philosophy is Anselm’s proof for the existence of God. But how was it supposed to work?

34 comments
212. Like Father, Like Son: Debating the Trinity

Posted on 22 February 2015

Discussion, debate and denunciation of philosophical attempts to explain the Trinity in Abelard, Richard of St Victor and Bernard of Clairvaux.

8 comments
241. The Shadow Knows: Albert the Great's Metaphysics

Posted on 22 November 2015

Albert the Great’s theory of being and his attempt to explain what changes in the human mind when we come to see God in the afterlife.

2 comments
14. World on a String: The Bhagavad-Gita

Posted on 20 March 2016

The Bhagavad-Gītā or “Song of the Lord” from the Mahābhārata ties its theory of detached action to an innovative conception of the divine.

13 comments
259. Richard Cross on Philosophy and the Trinity

Posted on 31 July 2016

Medieval discussions of the Trinity charted new metaphysical territory, as we see in this interview with Richard Cross.

9 comments
260. Once and for All: Scotus on Being

Posted on 11 September 2016

Duns Scotus attacks the proposal of Aquinas and Henry of Ghent that being is subject to analogy.

15 comments
276. Back to the Future: Foreknowledge and Predestination

Posted on 23 April 2017

Scotus, Ockham, and Bradwardine ask how we can be free if God knows and chooses the things we will do in the future.

15 comments
287. Down to the Ground: Meister Eckhart

Posted on 22 October 2017

The scholastic and mystic Meister Eckhart sets out his daring speculations about God and humankind in both Latin and German.

7 comments
288. Men in Black: the German Dominicans

Posted on 5 November 2017

Dietrich of Freiberg, Berthold of Moosburg, John Tauler and Henry Suso explore Neoplatonism and mysticism.

4 comments
291. Alle Maner of Thyng Shall be Welle: English Mysticism

Posted on 17 December 2017

Julian of Norwich’s Shewings and the Cloud of Unknowing lay out challenging paths to knowledge of, and union with, God.

3 comments
57. Learn by Doing: Tantra

Posted on 7 January 2018

Philosophy is put into practice in Kashmir Śaivite Tantra and Buddhist Tantra.

2 comments
296. Morning Star of the Reformation: John Wyclif

Posted on 25 February 2018

John Wyclif refutes nominalism and inspires the Lollard movement, which anticipated Reformation thought with its critique of the church.

2 comments
300b. The Relevance of Medieval Philosophy Today

Posted on 6 May 2018

Peter King, Catarina Dutilh Novaes, and Russ Friedman discuss their approaches to medieval philosophy and its contemporary relevance.

11 comments
4. Pyramid Schemes: Philosophy in Ancient Egypt

Posted on 13 May 2018

Ancient Egyptian figures and writings including the Pyramid Texts, Imhotep, and the "first monotheist" Akhenaten reflect on the nature of things and questions of morality.

9 comments
304. Behind Enemy Lines: John of Damascus

Posted on 1 July 2018

John of Damascus helps to shape the Byzantine understanding of humankind and the veneration of images, despite living in Islamic territory.

16 comments
305. Andrew Louth on John of Damascus

Posted on 15 July 2018

Peter is joined by Andrew Louth for a discussion of John of Damascus and his theological use of philosophy.

1 comments
9. In You I Take Shelter: Zera Yacob

Posted on 22 July 2018

The 17th century Ethiopian rationalist Zera Yacob, hailed as the first modern Africana philosopher.

2 comments
18. One to Rule Them All: God in African Philosophy

Posted on 23 December 2018

Is traditional African religion in some sense monotheist, despite the worship of many divinities?

6 comments
319. Georgia on My Mind: Petritsi and the Proclus Revival

Posted on 24 February 2019

The Neoplatonist Proclus gets mixed reviews from Christians, as Nicholas of Methone refutes him but the Georgian philosopher Ioane Petritsi helps to revive his thought.

3 comments
320. People of the South: Byzantium and Islam

Posted on 10 March 2019

Intellectual exchange between Christians and Muslims, and the later flowering of Syriac literature including the philosopher Bar Hebraeus.

0 comments
323. Through His Works You Shall Know Him: Palamas and Hesychasm

Posted on 21 April 2019

Gregory Palamas and the controversy over his teaching that we can go beyond human reason by grasping God through his activities or “energies”.

7 comments
325. Platonic Love: Gemistos Plethon

Posted on 19 May 2019

Was Gemistos Plethon, the last great thinker of the Byzantine tradition, a secret pagan or just a Christian with an unusual enthusiasm for Platonism?

8 comments
326. Istanbul (Not Constantinople): the Later Orthodox Tradition

Posted on 2 June 2019

When the Byzantine empire ended in 1453, philosophy in Greek did not end with it. In this episode we bring the story up to the 20th century.

10 comments
36. Sons of Africa: Quobna Ottobah Cugoano and Olaudah Equiano

Posted on 29 September 2019

Quobna Ottobah Cugoano and Olaudah Equiano advance the goals of the abolitionist movement through a groundbreaking political treatise and an influential autobiography.

8 comments
64. God is a Negro: Henry McNeal Turner

Posted on 29 November 2020

A late 19th-century churchman tries to explain how slavery fit into God’s plan and decide whether the future for African Americans lies in Africa or America.

1 comments
371. European Disunion: Introduction to the Reformation

Posted on 25 April 2021

How humanism and scholasticism came together with the Protestant Reformation to create the philosophy of 15 - 16th century Europe.

6 comments
374. Opposites Attract: Nicholas of Cusa

Posted on 6 June 2021

The radical negative theology of Nicholas of Cusa, and his hope of establishing peace between the religions of the world.

9 comments
375. Paul Richard Blum on Nicholas of Cusa

Posted on 20 June 2021

Learned ignorance, coincidence of opposites and religious peace: Paul Richard Blum discusses the central ideas of Nicholas Cusanus.

0 comments
377. One Way or Another: Northern Scholasticism

Posted on 18 July 2021

Trends in Aristotelian philosophy in northern and eastern Europe in the fifteenth century, featuring discussion of the “Wegestreit” and the nominalist theology of Gabriel Biel.

0 comments
378. Faith, No More: Martin Luther

Posted on 1 August 2021

How Luther’s doctrine of justification by faith alone and his attack on the Church relate to the history of philosophy.

4 comments
384. We Are Not Our Own: John Calvin

Posted on 21 November 2021

John Calvin's views on predestination and the limits of human reason.

10 comments
113. A Fighting God: Black Theology

Posted on 11 December 2022

After Albert Cleage and James Cone propose a liberatory interpretation of Christianity, William R. Jones wonders whether God is a white racist. We also follow Black Theology among “Womanist” authors and in South Africa.

2 comments
120. Redemption Songs: Reggae and Rastafari

Posted on 19 March 2023

How the Rastafari movement grew from trends within Africana philosophy, and then passed into global popular culture in the music of Bob Marley and other reggae artists.

1 comments