The Great Philosophers EP01 ⟩ “Myles Burnyeat on Plato”
Details
Welcome to the climax of philosophical audiovisual history. Herein you will see and hear the divine Bryan Magee, the philosopher’s philosopher, practicing his spellbinding conversational magick on 15 of the world’s most eminent philosophers—drawing out their best insights in higher relief than ever before or since.
This milestone BBC2 production hails from 1987—the same year as Full Metal Jacket, Evil Dead II, and The Princess Bride. Yes, it’s that old. And yet! 6 x 6 years later, these talks still remain the unsurpassed hybrid miracles of depth and clarity that they were when first broadcast.
Magee starts our journey at the beginning—with the pre-Socratics, pioneers of metaphysical substance hunting. He then swiftly ascends to Socrates, whose focus on moral questions completely revolutionized the Western philosophical project.
Our exploration is bushwhacked by none other than Myles Burnyeat, Professor of Ancient Philosophy at the University of Cambridge. His focus: Plato. Plato, who at the age of thirty-one, after the death of Socrates, set out on his own philosophical path. Plato, founder of the Academy and author of over two dozen dialogues, seamless blender of philosophy and literature.
Together, we will sample the buffet of Plato’s literary legacy, examining his dialogues’ philosophical depth as well as their enjoyable dramatic quality. We will look at his arguments, his pedagogical method, and his literary style—unparalleled in all of Greek literature.
Even in anti-intellectual America, Plato is a household name.
Join Britain’s greatest Classicist in the kitchen with its most angelic conversation partner, philosophical generalist, and idea chef as we discuss Plato’s dialogues, their dramatic quality, and their lasting impact on philosophy and literature.
METHOD
Please watch the episode before the event. We will then replay a few short clips during the event to refresh our memories for debate and discussion. A high-def version of this episode with remastered audio and enriched subtitles can be found here:
Study materials for all events, past and present, including amazingly insightful tables, lists, summaries, articles, and tons of downloadable resources … such as the book version of this series (hint: purple icon in the “THORR Media Vault”) can be found here:
OUR CURRENT SERIES
Bryan Magee’s The Great Philosophers (1987) is a series of unparalleled philosophical dialogues. In them, the world’s greatest philosophical interlocutor interrogates the greatest philosophers of his day about the greatest philosophers of all time … in chronological order.
Check out the upcoming episodes here.