‎The Big Questions of Philosophy - Apple TV

Available on Prime Video

We have all pondered seemingly unanswerably but significant questions about our existence - the biggest of all being, "Why are we here?" Get the tools to follow and create logical arguments while exploring famous philosophers' viewpoints on these important questions. Join Plato, Descartes, Locke, Hume, Kant, Mill, Marx, and many others in an exploration of fundamental questions.

Educational · 2016 · 33 min

Starring David Kyle Johnson

EPISODE 1

How Do We Do Philosophy?

Begin with the big question: What is philosophy? Start by exploring the kinds of problems that philosophy addresses, the way philosophy works, and the distinction between philosophy and opinion. Discover that philosophy is arguably the most important pursuit there is.

33 min · Jan 6, 2016
EPISODE 2

Why Should We Trust Reason?

Hone your philosophical thinking by identifying the categories of fallacious reasoning that ensnare us all. Investigate examples of gut-thinking, confirmation bias, appealing to ignorance, the correlation fallacy, begging the question, and equivocation. Learn how to check your reasoning for flaws.

31 min · Jan 6, 2016
EPISODE 3

How Do We Reason Carefully?

Avoiding fallacious reasoning is just the beginning of philosophical thinking. Go deeper by studying the rules of deduction and induction. In the process, learn Aristotle's three axioms of logic, the difference between truth and validity, common mistakes in logical arguments, and why practically all scientific arguments are inductive.

30 min · Jan 6, 2016
EPISODE 4

How Do We Find the Best Explanation?

Explore the power of abduction, a form of induction also known as inference to the best explanation, that is used not only by philosophers, but also by doctors to make medical diagnoses and scientists to construct theories. Even Sherlock Holmes - the master of deduction - really practiced abductive inference.

32 min · Jan 6, 2016
EPISODE 5

What Is Truth?

Now begin a section devoted to another big question: What is knowledge? Start with the problem of defining truth. Investigate three philosophical theories that attempt to pin down this elusive concept: pragmatism, coherentism, and the correspondence theory.

30 min · Jan 6, 2016
EPISODE 6

Is Knowledge Possible?

Having covered ways of gaining evidence and justifying belief in pursuit of knowledge, now ask: Is knowledge really possible? See what Plato had to say. Then delve into René Descartes' celebrated struggle with this problem, analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of his position.

30 min · Jan 6, 2016

David Kyle Johnson

Host