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Audiobooks Narrated by Alberto Ghiraldo
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"'The Fading of the Light: A Love Story' is Albert A. Anderson’s touching account of the loss of his wife to Alzheimer’s disease. The poems contained in this collection were a way for him to deal with the effects this incurable illness had not only on his wife, but on him and their nearest and dearest. In publishing this incredibly personal journey, he hopes he can bring some solace to readers in a similar situation, who have to deal with a slow yet inevitable loss.
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Albert A. Anderson, Ph.D., is Professor of Philosophy Emeritus at Babson College in Massachusetts, where he held an endowed chair as Murata Professor of Ethics from 1995 to 2003. He has also held tenured faculty appointments in philosophy at Clark University and Albion College and full-time positions at Bates College and Rhode Island School of Design. He was a founding member of the International Society for Universal Dialogue serving as its president from 1996-2001. He joined Edward Casey in translating from French 'The Phenomenology of Aesthetic Experience' by Mikel Dufrenne (Northwestern University Press). He is president of Agora Publications, Inc., which specializes in translating, adapting, and performing classical philosophical texts. "
"Socrates is on trial for his life. He is charged with impiety and corrupting young people. He presents his own defense, explaining why he has devoted his life to challenging the most powerful and important people in the Greek world. The reason is that rich and famous politicians, priests, poets, and a host of others pretend to know what is good, true, holy, and beautiful, but when Socrates questions them they are shown to be foolish rather than wise.
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Plato lived in Athens, Greece. He wrote approximately two-dozen dialogues that explore core topics that are essential to all human beings. Although the historical Socrates was a strong influence on Plato, the character by that name that appears in many of his dialogues is a product of Plato’s fertile imagination. All of Plato’s dialogues are written in a poetic form that his student Aristotle called 'Socratic dialogue.' In the twentieth century, the British philosopher and logician Alfred North Whitehead characterized the entire European philosophical tradition as 'a series of footnotes to Plato.' Philosophy for Plato was not a set of doctrines but a goal — not the possession of wisdom but the love of wisdom. Agora Publications offers these performances based on the assumption that Plato wrote these works to be performed by actors in order to stimulate additional dialogue among those who listen to them. "
"Aristotle's Poetics is best known for its definition and analysis of tragedy and comedy, but it also applies to truth and beauty as they are manifested in the other arts. In our age, when the natural and social sciences have dominated the quest for truth, it is helpful to consider why Aristotle claimed: 'poetry is more philosophical and more significant than history.' Like so many other works by Aristotle, the Poetics has dominated the way we have thought about all forms of dramatic performance in Europe and America ever since. The essence of poetry lies in its ability to transcend the particulars of everyday experience and articulate universals, not merely what has happened but what might happen and what ought to happen.
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Perhaps the greatest tribute to Aristotle comes from St. Thomas Aquinas who, in the 13th century, simply referred to him as 'the Philosopher' and called him the master of those who know. Born in northeastern Greece, Aristotle went to Athens as a young man to study in Plato’s Academy where he remained for more than 20 years. When Plato died, he left the Academy, and four years later he returned to Macedonia to tutor the king’s son who quickly became Alexander the Great, the ruler of most of the civilized world. Like Plato, Aristotle’s writings extend far beyond what we currently call philosophy, including the natural sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities. "
"The basic principles that Bergson articulates, especially his way of thinking about reality as a dynamic process and his view of human beings as creative and evolving, should be helpful to anyone who seeks to go beyond simply dealing with the practical demands of daily life and consider the nature of things. Of special importance is Bergson’s claim that it is both possible and necessary to know from the inside rather than confining our attention to external perspectives and points of view. Intuition is able to get beyond what is relative and place us inside reality. This essay is, as the title says, an introduction. But if we think there is more to a human being — and even to nature itself — than material structures alone, perhaps the time has come to take a fresh look at Bergson’s essay. In 'An Introduction to Metaphysics,' Bergson traces the demise of metaphysics to the failure of both scientific materialism and dogmatism and to the immense success of a kind of pragmatism that promised liberation from the fruitless battles among various schools of philosophy. He also rejects relativism and criticizes the vacuum that is created when philosophers refuse to inquire about the nature of reality. To avoid metaphysics easily leads to a worldview shaped by unexamined ideas and hidden presuppositions.
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Henri Bergson was born in the year that Darwin published the Origin of the Species. He could not have imagined the philosophical impact of evolutionary theory, which is now so great that Bergson’s philosophy, which emphasizes 'creative evolution,' is experiencing a significant revival. The basic principles that Bergson articulates, especially his way of thinking about reality as a dynamic process and his view of human beings as creative and evolving, should be helpful to anyone who seeks to go beyond simply dealing with the practical demands of daily life and consider the nature of things."
"Whitehead presented these three lectures at Princeton University in 1929. Although 85 years have passed, his central thesis and his analysis remain remarkably current. The scientific materialism that Whitehead opposed with such vigor continues to dominate in academic circles, and even now those who question that worldview are often accused of being anti-scientific. This is especially true in discussions of the nature of the human mind and its relation to the body (particularly the brain). It is hard to find a contemporary thinker with a better perspective on the nature and role of natural science than Whitehead who, with Bertrand Russell, published the 'Principia Mathematica' in 1910; who taught logic and mathematics at Trinity College of Cambridge University; who taught philosophy of science at University College London; and who was professor of philosophy at Harvard University beginning in 1924. Whitehead’s cosmology is far from anti-scientific, but he does explain why scientific method and technological practice alone are not able to provide a comprehensive understanding of the full range of human thought and experience. This work explains what we must do to achieve such a comprehensive understanding.
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Whitehead, with Bertrand Russell, published the 'Principia Mathematica' in 1910; he taught logic and mathematics at Trinity College of Cambridge University; he taught philosophy of science at University College London — with special emphasis on the conceptual impact of contemporary physics; and he was professor of philosophy at Harvard University, beginning in 1924, where he taught metaphysics. Whitehead’s cosmology is far from anti-scientific, but he does explain why scientific method and technological practice alone are not able to provide a comprehensive understanding of the full range of human thought and experience. "
"René Descartes is often described as the first modern philosopher, but much of the content of his 'Meditations on First Philosophy' can be found in the medieval period that had already existed for more than a thousand years. Does God exist? If so, what is his nature? Is the human soul immortal? How does it differ from the body? What role do sense experience and pure reason play in knowing?
Descartes stands out from his predecessors because of the method he developed to treat these and other fundamental questions. Drawing on his study of mathematics, he searches for a way to establish absolutely certain conclusions based on indubitable premises. His importance in modern philosophy lies in the challenge he offers to every subsequent thinker in philosophy and science.
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The French philosopher Descartes is often called the 'Father' of modern philosophy in the West. His Discourse on Method presents the reason why: his method of inquiry. He was the quintessential 'rationalist,' subjecting all sense experience as doubtful and untrustworthy. Rather than relying on external authority (whether from other people or from God), Descartes demands nothing less than absolute certainty that begins with the self and proceeds step by step with the rigor of logical and mathematical precision. Even though he claims that he has proved the existence of God and explained God’s nature, even that core tenet must be established through rigorous logical argument. No subsequent philosopher is able to ignore this bold and challenging foundation for all thinking. Those who become his disciples as well as those who reject his way of thinking are all under his spell. Many think they have broken that spell only to find that he has shaped them in ways that are not easy to escape."
"Art is the creative manifestation of essences. In order to understand the relation between art and reality, we need a philosophical guide. The best way to comprehend how the creative act of imagining enables the mind to seek reality is to employ the kind of dialectical thinking that Plato used in his dialogues. Beginning with the shadows on the wall of the cave in which each person dwells, that process gradually enables us to grasp the essences that are manifested in individual works of art. Without a philosophical guide, we are likely to encounter only a blur of images in the visual arts, a cacophony of sounds in music, a whirl of activity in the theater, and chaos in the building of cities. It is too much to expect a set of final answers to any serious question about what is true, good, or beautiful. If we abandon the quest for reality, we settle for too little. Plato’s dialectical approach offers a path between Scylla and Charybdis.
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Albert A. Anderson, Ph.D., is Professor of Philosophy Emeritus at Babson College in Massachusetts, where he held an endowed chair as Murata Professor of Ethics from 1995 to 2003. He has also held tenured faculty appointments in philosophy at Clark University and Albion College and full-time positions at Bates College and Rhode Island School of Design. He was a founding member of the International Society for Universal Dialogue serving as its president from 1996-2001. He joined Edward Casey in translating from French 'The Phenomenology of Aesthetic Experience' by Mikel Dufrenne (Northwestern University Press). He is president of Agora Publications, Inc., which specializes in translating, adapting, and performing classical philosophical texts. "
"John Stuart Mill’s 'On Liberty' was first published in 1859. In the 21st century this text confirms Socrates’ claim that 'it is only the life of true philosophy that scorns the life of political ambition' (Plato’s Republic, 521). Mill’s thinking about freedom in civic and social life examines fundamental principles shared among conservative, liberal, and radical politicians. The life of true philosophy stands outside the political battles that are rampant in society and seeks the political wisdom that is necessary for a good life in any age. 'On Liberty' should be read alongside the classic documents that declare the basic nature and importance of human freedom and liberty such as the 'U.S. Declaration of Independence' (1776), the French 'Rights of Man' (1789), 'The Declaration of Sentiments at the Seneca Falls Convention' (1848), and the 'United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights' (1948). When the officials of any government seek to change the laws that regulate individual liberty or when rhetoricians seek to change public opinion about what individuals should or should not be allowed to say or do, Mill’s 'On Liberty' serves as an antidote to the poisons of excessive intrusion into the lives of individuals.
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Mill was born in London, the son of James Mill, a Scotsman who came to England and joined with Jeremy Bentham to develop utilitarianism. Today John Stuart Mill is also known as one of the major proponents of utilitarianism, but the depth of his philosophical thinking goes far beyond the disputes among ethical theorists. In spite of his criticism of some aspects of Immanuel Kant’s philosophy, his ethical position eventually embraces Kant’s most basic concepts: autonomy and universality. Mill contributed to logic, philosophy of science, epistemology, economics, psychology, politics, and ethics. He was also an early proponent of the rights of women. "
"These works articulate the most fundamental principles of Kant’s ethical and political world-view. 'What is Enlightenment?' (1784) and 'Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals' (1785) challenge all free people to think about the requirements for self-determination both in our individual lives and in our public and private institutions. Kant’s 'Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals' is dedicated to the proposition that all people can know what they need to know to be honest, good, wise, and virtuous. The purpose of Kant’s moral philosophy is to help us become aware of the principles that are already contained within us. Innocence and dependence must be replaced with wisdom and good will if we are to avoid being vulnerable and misguided. According to Kant, freedom of thought leads naturally to freedom of action. When that happens, governments begin to treat human beings, not as machines, but as persons with dignity. Immanuel Kant begins 'Toward Lasting Peace' by contrasting the realism of practical politicians with the high-minded theories of philosophers who 'dream their sweet dreams.' His opening line provides a grim reminder that the only alternative to finding a way to avoid the war of each against all is the lasting peace of the graveyard. The advent of total war and the development of nuclear weapons in the twentieth century give Kant’s reflections an urgency he could not have anticipated. Kant published this work in 1795, during the aftermath of the American Revolution and the French Revolution. The high hopes of the European Enlightenment had been dampened by the Reign of Terror in which tens of thousands of people died, and the perpetual cycle of war and temporary armistice seemed to be inescapable. Kant’s essay is best known as an early articulation of the idea of a league of nations that could bring 'an end to all hostilities.' Today The United Nations continues to pursue that dream, but lasting peace still seems to be wishful thinking.
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No modern philosopher is more important than Immanuel Kant. His works extend from epistemology and metaphysics to aesthetics, ethics, and political philosophy. His 'Critical Philosophy' is developed in three major works: 'The Critique of Pure Reason,' 'The Critique of Practical Reason,' and 'The Critique of Judgment.' A German speaker, he was born in Prussia, an area that is now part of Poland. He never travelled more than 50 miles from his home in Königsberg, but his influence has since pervaded every aspect of Western culture."
