BOOK - What Would Plato Say About Our World Today?

Just to show my ignorance, I always thought Socrates was a real Greek.  This discussion taught me that, "he (Plato) creates this character of Socrates."

"What would Plato ask a neuroscientist?" PBS NewsHour 5/23/2014

Excerpt

HARI SREENIVASAN (NewsHour):  Finally tonight, a book that argues for the place of ancient philosophy in the modern world.

Jeff is back with a conversation he recorded recently.

JEFFREY BROWN (NewsHour):  Our next guest tonight, Plato, the Greek philosopher.  Well, not really, but what if he was able to join us, or to visit Google to discuss search engines or study brain scans with the leading neuroscientists?

How would our world look to him?  What insights might he have for us?

Such questions and flight of imagination are tackled in the new book “Plato at the Googleplex: Why Philosophy Won’t Go Away.”

Author Rebecca Newberger Goldstein is a philosopher, novelist, and winner of a MacArthur Award.  She joins us now.

EDUCATION - Funding and Advocating the Humanities

Note that this is a "I want my piece of the pie" issue.

"Report Argues U.S. Is Neglecting, Undervaluing Education in the Humanities" PBS Newshour 6/19/2013

Excerpt

JEFFREY BROWN (Newshour):  Languages, history, philosophy and more, a call for new commitments to the humanities in higher education.

A report to that effect was issued today by a congressionally-mandated panel of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.  It comes at a time when much focus has been on the need for the U.S. to nurture more graduates who specialize in science, technology, math, and engineering.  It also comes amid lower funding for research in the humanities and a drop in interest in civics courses.

Two members of the panel join us now, co-chair Richard Brodhead, president of Duke University, and actor and writer John Lithgow.

 
 

Watch A Call for New Commitment to the Humanities on PBS.
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