Law

124 - The Chosen Ones: Judaism and Philosophy

Posted on 14 April 2013

The roots of Jewish philosophy in the Islamic world, focusing on the Rabbinic background in the Mishnah and Talmud, and the thought of early figures like Isaac Israeli.

125 - Reasoned Belief: Saadia Gaon

Posted on 21 April 2013

Saadia Gaon draws on philosophy and Islamic theology to provide a rational account of Jewish belief.

147 - Laying Down the Law: Ibn Ḥazm and Islamic Legal Theory

Posted on 27 October 2013

The development of Islamic law and jurisprudence (fiqh), and the many-sided output of the legal theorist Ibn Ḥazm.

181 - By the Book: Ibn Taymiyya

Posted on 22 June 2014

The controversial jurist Ibn Taymiyya sets forth an originalist theory of law and a searching criticism of the philosophers’ logic.

219. Law and Order: Gratian and Peter Lombard

Posted on 12 April 2015

Gratian and Peter Lombard help bring scholasticism to maturity by systematizing law and theology.

220. Caroline Humfress on the Roots of Medieval Law

Posted on 17 April 2015

A discussion about Roman law and its reception in the medieval period, with ancient law expert Caroline Humfress.

246. What Pleases the Prince: The Rule of Law

Posted on 31 January 2016

Natural law and political legitimacy in thirteenth century thinkers up to and including Thomas Aquinas.

281. Monica Green on Medieval Medicine

Posted on 2 July 2017

An interview with Monica Green reveals parallels between medicine and philosophy in the middle ages.

295. The Most Christian Doctor: Jean Gerson

Posted on 11 February 2018

Jean Gerson’s role in the political disputes of his day, the spread of lay devotion and affective mysticism, and the debate over the Romance of the Rose initiated by Christine de Pizan.

62. Kit Patrick on Philosophy and Indian History

Posted on 18 March 2018

The host of the History of India podcast joins us for the final episode on India.

3. Fertile Ground: Philosophy in Ancient Mesopotamia

Posted on 29 April 2018

Do the cuneiform writings of Babylonian culture show that it had its own philosophy?

310. Purple Prose: Byzantine Political Philosophy

Posted on 21 October 2018

Byzantine political thought from the time of Justinian down to the Palaiologos dynasty wrestles with the nature and scope of imperial power.

316. Just Measures: Law, Money, and War in Byzantium

Posted on 13 January 2019

Legal and economic thought in Byzantium: the sources of the law’s authority, the relation of church and civil law, just price, and just war.

71. In Blyden’s Wake: West African Intellectuals of the Early Twentieth Century

Posted on 7 March 2021

West African intellectuals like J.E. Casely-Hayford (pictured) and Mojola Agbebi build upon Edward Blyden’s ideas at the dawn of the twentieth century.

97. American Dream: Martin Luther King Jr.

Posted on 3 April 2022

The story of Martin Luther King Jr. up to 1963, focusing on the development of his philosophy of nonviolence.

Bonus Episode: Don't Think for Yourself, Chapter 1

Posted on 14 August 2022

Peter reads the first chapter of his new book Don’t Think for Yourself: Authority and Belief in Medieval Philosophy, available from University of Notre Dame Press. Pre-order with the code 14FF20 from undpress.nd.edu, to get a 20% discount!

117. Spear of the Nation: Nelson Mandela and the ANC

Posted on 5 February 2023

The career and ideas of Nelson Mandela up to the time of his imprisonment, in the context of the founding of the African National Congress.