What we’re about
CURRENT READING LIST: Google Spreadsheet
Welcome! As the name suggests, this group aims to explore the history of ideas through some of the most influential texts in science, philosophy and literature. Each month we will choose a text or topic to read/research and discuss. The group is open to everyone and is intended as an informal way of engaging with some of the key ideas that have shaped our societies and cultures down through the centuries. No prior understanding of any of the texts or ideas is required and newcomers are always welcome!
It is not a requirement to have read the assigned text to join in the discussion. For those with less time, I will post links to abridged versions, as well as short videos and podcasts providing a general overview of the topic.
Members are welcome to suggest texts/topics and share links to resources such as study guides, podcasts, documentaries, etc.
Upcoming events (1)
See all- The Birth of Tragedy by Friedrich Nietzsche discussionCostigan's Pub, Cork
This landmark work of criticism is fuelled by Nietzsche's enthusiasms for Greek tragedy, the philosophy of Schopenhauer and the music of Wagner, to whom the book was dedicated. Nietzsche outlined a distinction between two central forces in art: the Apolline, representing beauty and order, and the Dionysiac, a primal or ecstatic reaction to the sublime. He believed the combination of these states produced the highest forms of music and tragic drama, which not only reveal the truth about suffering in life, but also provide a consolation for it. Impassioned and exhilarating in its conviction, The Birth of Tragedy has become a key text in European culture.
Text...
- eBook https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51356
- Audio https://librivox.org/birth-of-tragedy-by-friedrich-nietzsche/
Podcasts...
- Philosophize This! Nietzsche and Critchley on the tragic perspective https://www.philosophizethis.org/podcast/episode-201-transcript-bkx3e-37rkx-bpl83-ysc9b-kkg62-rk7n2-8j6gw-p837t-fwc2c-armek
- The Partially Examined Life: Nietzsche on Tragedy and the Psychology of Art https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2015/07/06/ep119-1-nietzsche/
- In Our Time: Tragedy https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p005464v
- In Our Time: Wagner https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00548gv
Video...
- Genius Of The Modern World: Friedrich Nietzsche https://youtu.be/_poZE8833t4?feature=shared
- Academy of Ideas: Nietzsche and Dionysus: Tragedy and the Affirmation of Life https://youtu.be/w9zSQ2uGCoI?feature=shared
Other Resources...
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Friedrich Nietzsche https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/nietzsche/
- SparkNotes: The Birth of Tragedy: Friedrich Nietzsche https://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/birthoftragedy/
