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450+ Free Video Courses to Learn and Teach About Philosophy

By Megan Cooper on April 1, 2020

a painting of a group of ancient Greek men standing around listening to a man in the center lecture about philosophy

Raphael's 1509-1511 fresco, “The School of Athens” (Photo: Public Domain)

Philosophy, which at its heart seeks to understand the seemingly unanswerable questions of the universe, has been intertwined with the fabric of human civilization since humanity’s beginning. In fact, classical philosophy of the ancient world was so revered by western society that translating Greek and Roman texts developed into a fundamental element of academic study. Despite this historical ethnocentrism of philosophical study, these lingering thoughts that captivate humans about beauty, free will, the innate goodness of humanity, etc. have transcended into modern life.

Philosophy professors Liz Jackson and Tyron Goldschmidt helped create a crowdsourced collection of digital philosophy classes and lectures available to the public for free. This google spreadsheet originally began with 200 videos compiled by the two academics (who teach at Australian National University and the University of Rochester, respectively) and quickly grew to have over 450 once it was opened for public contribution. This incredible resource is useful not only for philosophy professors wanting to supplement their teachings in-class or online, but also for those interested in pondering the “big” questions of life and human nature.

Spanning antiquated teachings from Aristotle and Plato to contemporary lectures on ethics in the workplace, this list offers anyone the perfect balm to their philosophical itch. Watch experts discuss feminist teachings from Judith Butler and Communist foundations with Karl Marx. Listen to lectures exploring existentialism of the 19th and 20th centuries and take notes from professors investigating the Stoics of the ancient world. You can even add your own favorite digital lecture to the diverse list for others to view. Ultimately, you can unravel the secrets of philosophical thinking using the varied video lectures Jackson and Goldschmidt's list provides.