Peter Bolland

Here is where "The Great Philosophers" series begins. In “The Great Philosophers” series we explore the most influential luminaries in the history of Western philosophy, from Socrates to Sartre. And it all began with Socrates (470-399 BCE), the “gad fly” of Athens, teacher to so many, including the young Plato who would go on to devote his career to writing the most important philosophical dialogues in the Western canon, nearly all featuring his long-dead teacher Socrates. Against a backdrop of moral relativism, destructive self-interest, and political chaos (sound familiar?) we find Socrates cajoling his fellow Athenians, and us, to devote our energies instead to the care of our soul.

While for some “Marxist” is a dirty word, we would be hard-pressed to find a more impactful philosopher than Karl Marx (1818-1883). Who was Marx? What was happening around him? What did he really think of capitalism? What was his analysis of history? As a Jewish atheist, was what his concept of ultimate reality? And most importantly, what was his vision for the future? His passionate advocacy for economic justice and worker’s rights got him driven out of Germany, then France; so he lived out his life in poverty in London. To this day, Marxist reforms of capitalism (the 8-hour day, trade unions, profit sharing) and a Marxist critique of art, culture, philosophy, sociology, and a host of other concerns keeps his work in the mainstream.

Ever since the dawn of time humanity has had a deeply spiritual relationship with the natural world. Our interrelationships with the land, the water, the plants, and animals has informed our arts, inspired our religions, and given us literally everything we have and everything we are. And in the American experience this deep inter-being has given birth to wave after wave of expression in philosophy, poetry, painting, photography, and even legislation – the creation of the National Park System. Join us we explore the voices and visions of the spirit of nature.