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PODCAST

John Vespasian

JOHN VESPASIAN is the author of sixteen books, including “When everything fails, try this” (2009), “Rationality is the way to happiness” (2009), “The philosophy of builders” (2010), “The 10 principles of rational living” (2012), “Rational living, rational working” (2013), “Consistency: The key to permanent stress relief” (2014), “On becoming unbreakable” (2015), “Thriving in difficult times” (2016), “Causality: Aristotle’s life and ideas” (2024), “Foresight: Schopenhauer’s life and ideas” (2024),

science social sciences

All Episodes

5:38

Schopenhauer and the philosophy of education

John Vespasian ·

2025/03/13

Like most great philosophers, Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) considered education as a lifetime activity. Schooling is only the first step, however necessary, and should build at the same time the student’s character, knowledge, and skills. John Vespasian explains that Schopenhauer was very precise in defining the purpose of moral education; the principal purpose is to help students build their self-awareness and self-discipline. Self-awareness enables individuals to perceive the influence of the

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6:46

Opposition to Schopenhauer’s philosophy of education

John Vespasian ·

2025/03/13

There is fierce opposition to the philosophy of education put forward by Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860). The opposition goes beyond little details. It’s essential, fundamental, ferocious, and relentless. John Vespasian explains that Schopenhauer created his own antagonists from the moment that he diverged from the doctrines of Plato (429-347 BC). You can find those doctrines in Plato’s book “The Republic.” Plato employed grandiloquent terms for describing his ideas about education. He spoke about a

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6:24

Schopenhauer and Buddhism

John Vespasian ·

2025/03/13

In the field of ethics, Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) was influenced by Buddhist thought. In particular, Schopenhauer held in high regard the Buddhist concern for suffering, placing empathy and compassion at the centre of his ethical system. John Vespasian explains that, nonetheless, there are fundamental differences between the ideas of Schopenhauer and the Buddhist religion. In his book “The world as will and representation” (1808), Schopenhauer theorised that the universe is driven by the will

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5:52

Differences between Schopenhauer and Buddhism

John Vespasian ·

2025/03/13

The philosophy developed by Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) takes some ethical ideas from Buddhism, but those don’t affect the theory of the will (“life force”), which constitutes the essence of Schopenhauer’s work. John Vespasian explains that Buddhism was created by Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama) in the sixth century before our era. Buddha was born into a Nepalese royal family, grew disillusioned with his aristocratic lifestyle, and began to search for the meaning of life. Some of his ethical views

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7:13

Schopenhauer’s teachings drawn from Buddhism

John Vespasian ·

2025/03/13

The possibility of drawing teachings from Eastern religion didn’t occur immediately to Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860). It does not appear in his early work “About the fourfold root of the principle of sufficient reason” (1808) and only starts to take shape in “The world as will and representation” (1818). John Vespasian explains that Schopenhauer grew acquainted with Buddha’s teachings in the years after 1815. Initially, he read extensively about the life of Siddhartha Gautama, the creator of

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6:32

Key ideas in Aristotle’s teachings on logic and...

John Vespasian ·

2025/03/11

The philosophy of logic and reason developed by Aristotle (384-322 BC) is different from computer logic, religious logic, and other types of logic that have existed in history. John Vespasian explains that there are three distinct features that render Aristotelian logic unique. First, Aristotelian logic is linked to language. In would even specify that it is linked to human language. Humans have ways of thinking that are very different from those of computers. We can place statements in a

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7:18

The superiority of Aristotle’s teachings on logic and...

John Vespasian ·

2025/03/11

John Vespasian explains that there are three aspects that render Aristotelian logic vastly superior to other logical systems. For attaining success in your private and professional life, Aristotle’s logic is indispensable. Let us pass review at the three aspects that make it so effective. First, Aristotelian logic relies on human perception. It does not need extrasensory inputs or religious insights to draw valid conclusions. It only needs facts or statements based on sensory data normally available

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5:16

Morality in Aristotle’s teachings on logic and reasoning

John Vespasian ·

2025/03/11

In contrast to other systems of logic, the one delineated by Aristotle (384-322 BC) understands the importance of purpose and gives a central role in how conclusions are drawn. John Vespasian explains that, when looking at entities and events, Aristotelian logic is not only asking how or why. It looks beyond the obvious and aims at clarifying the context. In his work “Metaphysics,” Aristotle recommended to study entities and events by looking at their constituent ingredients (“material cause”), at

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5:12

Aristotle’s theory of the prime mover

John Vespasian ·

2025/03/11

In his work “Metaphysics,” Aristotle presents the concept of the prime mover. Philosophers have also called it the unmoved mover, the prime cause, the prime mover, or the first cause. All those terms have the same meaning, namely, the idea that there is a single entity responsible for everything that happens. John Vespasian explains that Aristotle (384-322 BC) was not the first philosopher to put forward the theory of a single force driving the cosmos, but he kept the inventor’s glory because he

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5:01

Critique of Aristotle’s theory of the prime mover

John Vespasian ·

2025/03/11

John Vespasian explains that, despite his enormous wisdom, Aristotle (384-322 BC) put forward the theory of the prime mover. He should have soon realized that the theory is false. Maybe he did realise, but the error remained uncorrected in the existing copies of his book “Metaphysics.” According to the prime-mover theory, there has to exist one eternal, intangible entity responsible for all events taking place in the world. Here is the link to the original article:

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5:35

Aristotle’s thoughts on human nature

John Vespasian ·

2025/03/11

The great Aristotle (384-322 BC) presented his thoughts on human nature in his three books “Eudemian Ethics,” “Nicomachean Ethics,” and “Politics.” He wrote or dictated them in the last period of his life after he had started his own school (“the Lyceum”) in Athens. What is Aristotle’s key idea on human nature? John Vespasian explains that Aristotle defined humans as “rational animals.” Compared to all other creatures, humans are the only ones that possess the ability to reason and choose their

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7:28

Opponents to Aristotle’s thoughts on human nature

John Vespasian ·

2025/03/11

The optimism found in Aristotle’s view of human nature has been rarely shared by other philosophers. While Aristotle (384-422 BC) regarded humans as rational captains of their destiny, most thinkers in history have considered humans as deficient creatures driven by instincts and social pressure. John Vespasian explains that Aristotle’s predecessor and teacher Plato (429-347 BC) gave his views on human nature in his books titled “The Republic” and “Phaedo.” In “The Republic,” Plato theories about the

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7:04

Critique of Aristotle’s thoughts on human nature

John Vespasian ·

2025/03/11

Many philosophers have attacked Aristotle’s conception of human beings as rational and self-directed, capable of setting goals and making plans to achieve them, and driven to achieve happiness. John Vespasian explains that Aristotle (384-322 BC) presented his thoughts on human nature in his works “Eudemian Ethics,” “Nicomachean Ethics” and “Politics.” All of them were written or dictated in the years 335-321 BC after Aristotle had opened The Lyceum, his school in Athens. The optimism in Aristotle’s

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7:09

Modern attacks against Aristotle’s thoughts on human...

John Vespasian ·

2025/03/11

It’s unfortunate that modern philosophers have devoted vast efforts to attacking the self-confident and optimistic views put forward by Aristotle (384-322 BC) on human nature and life’s purpose. John Vespasian explains that Aristotle conveyed his main premise in his works “Politics,” “Eudemian Ethics” and “Nicomachean Ethics,” namely, that it is the essence of human beings to be rational. In contrast to all animals, we can think, assess facts, develop theories, draw our own conclusions, and test

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7:14

Aristotle’s theory of virtue and character development

John Vespasian ·

2025/03/11

In contrast to thinkers preaching altruism and self-sacrifice, the theory of virtue developed by Aristotle (384-322 BC) aims at the achievement of happiness. John Vespasian explains that Aristotle regarded character development as a tool for facilitating happiness. Aristotle wrote two treatises presenting his theory of virtue and character development, namely, the “Nicomachean Ethics” and the “Eudemian Ethics.” He wrote or dictated those two works in the years between 335 BC and 321 BC, while he was

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6:47

Schopenhauer and Indian philosophy

John Vespasian ·

2025/02/27

The influence of Indian religion on Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1960) falls within a growing interest of Western thinkers in Eastern culture. John Vespasian explains that, in the field of art, such a tendency has been named “Orientalism” and is observable particularly amongst French painters. In the period 1810-1820, Schopenhauer became acquainted with Indian philosophy by reading its foundational texts, that is, the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. Those give an outline of the three key concepts in

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8:54

Differences between Schopenhauer and Indian philosophy

John Vespasian ·

2025/02/27

When Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) studied Indian or Hindu philosophy, he didn’t restrict himself to the foundational texts. John Vespasian explains that Schopenhauer read the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita but those lack the subtle interpretations made by Hindu thinkers across the centuries. Schopenhauer adopted early in his career some Hindu tenets and conveyed them, in his own words, in his book “The world as will and representation” first published in 1818. For instance, Schopenhauer wrote

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5:50

Schopenhauer’s views on religion

John Vespasian ·

2025/02/27

Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) deployed large efforts to study Christianity and Eastern religions. John Vespasian explains that Schopenhauer's goal was to draw the best ethical advice from religion. Although Schopenhauer devoted long years to studying religion, his theory of the will (“life force”) has no direct connection to religion and his ethics are equally far from divinities and devotionals. The key idea in Schopenhauer’s philosophy is that the world is governed by the will, that is, a blind,

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6:20

Schopenhauer’s philosophy of art and beauty

John Vespasian ·

2025/02/27

Artistic contemplation plays a major role in the philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860). John Vespasian explains that art conveys reality in an immediate manner, enabling humans to grasp crucial elements without need of complex explanations. According to Schopenhauer, artistic contemplation enables people to escape the dire influence of the will (“life force”) and increase their self-awareness. In his books “The world as will and representation” (1818) and “Parerga and Paralipomena” (1851),

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5:14

Criticism of Schopenhauer’s philosophy of art and beauty

John Vespasian ·

2025/02/27

Despite his efforts to develop a coherent philosophy of art and beauty, Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) missed essential elements. John Vespasian explains that Schopenhauer's aesthetics theory is incomplete because it defines beauty as harmony and symmetry, that is, he exclusively refers to aspects perceivable by the senses. Why is Schopenhauer’s art theory incomplete? Because it is leaving out major art forms. His arguments about harmony and symmetry are applicable to paintings, sculpture,

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