The History of Philosophy

• 24 lectures, 72 hours
• Delivered and recorded in 1970 and 1972
• These lectures are offered here with permission from Dr. Leonard Peikoff, granted to Carl Barney and Prometheus Foundation on April 20, 2020. 

Presented as two complementary twelve-lecture courses—Founders of Western Philosophy: Thales to Hume and  Modern Philosophy: Kant to the Present—The History of Philosophy covers the whole of western philosophy from its discovery in ancient Greece to the twentieth century, including Objectivism. Dr. Peikoff argues that philosophy is the means by which we can understand any human culture and, more broadly, the history and changing course of a civilization. Philosophy is also a live issue, with real questions and answers that have relevance to everyone today. Through a systematic presentation of the most important figures in western philosophy, Peikoff identifies and evaluates the important questions raised by each figure as well as the evidence that each philosopher presented for his ideas. He analyzes the characteristic approaches and issues in major philosophical schools throughout history and identifies how Objectivism answers the main questions raised by historical thinkers.

Note: The course audio may contain tape hiss, room noise, volume level inconsistencies, and other artifacts present in the original recordings.