Conclusion: Reviewing the Western Tradition (Part 2)

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Dr. Michael Sugrue earned his BA at the University of Chicago and PhD at Columbia University.

[@WBF_III]

Dr. Sugrue continues to be a treasure to us. I listened to his voice while I walked my dog today in the cool, rainy morning. I always return to his lectures when I need a clear mind.

[@patinrm]

It is an incredible achievement to summarize Western philosophical tradition in this way. R.I.P dear professor. You will be always a good voice to hear.

[@Damascene749]

This lecture series should be persevered in case of human collapse

[@nobodynowhere7163]

I’m speechless at this incredible summary of Western Civilization. We are lucky to have people like Prof. Sugrue.

[@shirzadalipour199]

Professor Sugrue taped 5 courses for the teaching company back in the '90s.+ two lectures for another course thereof: 1992: Great Minds of the Western Intellectual Tradition, 1st Edition.....1993: Great Authors of the Western Literary Tradition, 1st edition 13 lectures....1998 Bible and the Western Culture: 17 lectures.....1998Great Minds of the Western Intellectual Tradition, 2nd edition some 20 talks, ....1998 Plato, Socrates and the Dialogues and 2 lectures for the long course: History of the United States 1st edition. He was the most active figure of the Teaching Company back in 90s-second only to professor Arnold Weinstein of Brown University

[@christiansather8438]

Yet they refuse to give him a Wikipedia article. Not that it’s a huge deal. He’s a hidden gem

[@shirzadalipour199]

@@christiansather8438 who decides on having a Wikipedia? I mean does it need permission or what? Why is it such a big deal?

[@SageStudiesGunnarFooth]

@@shirzadalipour199 Wikipedia is now a woke racket.

[@shirzadalipour199]

@@SageStudiesGunnarFooth Sorry to hear that. But Mike is Mike, wiki or no wiki he is the crown jewel of our times

[@CatnamedMittens]

Where do I find those lectures?

[@jf94877]

45:00 ‘… that hope might be a virtue’ … powerful and calculated ending! Bless you!

[@TarlNelson]

I had the same thought

[@thattimestampguy]

1:16 Continuity between Greece and Rome 1:37 “Great Genius lay in Practical Matters.” • Architecture • Military • Citizenship • Law 2:28 Roman Culture • Aristocratic • Superior-Inferior • Achievement over Pity 3:28 Roman Philosophy • Epicureanism • Skepticism 4:27 5:19 • Roman Stoicism “Discipline Your Appetites.” 6:48 Sculptures derived from Greece 1,000 Years of Greeko-Roman Culture 7:19 Rome is waning in 313 CE 8:11 Christianity, a religion of slaves, appeal to the underclass 9:03 Rome was a Warrior Empire “The Romans were in the War Business for 800 Years.” *Western European Middle Age Christianity* 10:00 400-1400 CE 11:47 _Everyman_ Christian Democracy 13:58 Sculptures of the Middle Ages • Statues of Saints • Suits of Armor 15:35 The Cathedral, Stained-Glass Windows, Stone *Breakdown of Middle Ages* 17:28 Heresy 19:03 Islamic Learning + Aristotle thanks to Aquinas 19:47 Black Death 21:30 Machiavelli, from Eternal Justice to Worldly RealPolitik 23:45 Humaneity 24:15 Paganism 26:00 Revival And Reformation and Religious Wars • German population -1/3 • Catholics, Protestants, Heratics Killed Each Other *The Enlightenment* 29:09 Natural Science, Technology, Economics, “The Age of Machines” “The Age of Reason” 30:29 (Francis Bacon) , Galileo, and Issac Newton, Montesquie, Locke, Kant 31:32 _Robinson Crusoe_ 32:38 Imperialism and Socialism 33:47 DeHumanization and Hardship • Generations of Oppression • Low-Wage City Employees 35:19 Romanticism 36:14 Beethoven 1st vs Beethoven 9th

[@starcrafttube]

This should be in the description

[@lolsup9817]

Beethoven not Bethoven

[@TheGringoSalado]

Peace be with you brother! 🙏🙏

[@cheri238]

I am now listening to this one again. Since I did not leave comments the first time I listened to this lecture is because I did not know how. I could not spell correctly because I was not tech savey with cell phones. Again, I thank you Professor Sugrue for all your lectures and your daughter who has helped you.

[@alchemelixor5508]

Incredibly succinct conclusion

[@cheri238]

@@alchemelixor5508 Thank you❤️

[@historicusjoe121]

Another brilliant lecture. To see the foresight and dare I say predicted state of the world today in 2023, listen very carefully to Sugrue's last two minutes of this lecture.

[@joequinn3234]

I was at P-ton in the 90s and wish I had taken one of your lectures, Professor! I wish I could go back in time and do so but thank God for KZbin!

[@tinfoilhatscholar]

That's awesome. I was guessing at a date for these lectures, and thinking it's circa 92'. Sound about right?

[@peacecrafttrue]

The age of ego indeed. Multiplied by the internet, the vanity press and global commons flooded all genres with content. Sub-sub-sub-sub-genres no longer communicating a sound or style but unbridled individuality. The sheer volume of content makes it difficult to properly digest art digitally and most of it is empty calories. I'm so grateful for these lectures, they've been a delight. Thank you.

[@steivshore4844]

This is the saddest lecture I've watched! After listening to all the lectures in the playlists, I've matured so much and see the world in different lights. I feel an joyful emptiness similar to watching the last episode of your favorite tv series. Thank you professors ❤

[@fran7947]

Yes, my day just got better

[@historicusjoe121]

Here's the thing with watching these fantastic lectures by Dr Sugrue; don't get up and go get a coffee or something to eat because if you do without pausing the video, you will surely miss something interesting.

[@corqMcc]

So rich in new ideas to absorb, and elegantly delivered. I’m binging every episode.

[@babynataliya]

I’d really like hear what Prof. has to say about today world!

[@nareshdekkapati7709]

Very good lectures. Thanks for the Michael you tube.

[@bakikurti9358]

Only respect, dear professor

[@iammsmorales]

I'm not saying I'm in love with this man's mind... but it is quite stunning ❤️‍🔥

[@philharmonic2251]

I wish I could like this video and the rest of this series more than once

[@tinfoilhatscholar]

Thank you professor. I appreciate you.

[@javadrahmani7386]

Love his ending remarks

[@rijzone]

Prof Sugrue ended this lecture similar to how stand-up comedians end their special, a beautiful call-back

[@cerdic6586]

Love the charming introductory music to these lectures.

[@benperrin3433]

Unbelievable content. First time I’ve ever paid to watch a KZbin clip. Worth every cent. Thank you.

[@crazymadmadmanyeah6526]

I pray at the altar of Michael Sugrue

[@Mai-Gninwod]

Golfmao

[@dr.michaelsugrue]

One of the very few things I am certain of Is that I am human, all too human. Let God be God.

[@clivehammerson8171]

The Anti Anti Christ. C’mon admit it

[@dr.michaelsugrue]

Two wrongs don't make a Christ.

[@b0tfr0mbl0ck7]

So close to 100k subscribers, crazy how this channel has grown.

[@historicusjoe121]

It has grown. But, to me, Dr Sugrue is still the best kept secret in the world. His knowledge and eloquence made palatable to the layman is beyond reproach.

[@mysticstylus]

Thank you Dr. Sugrue

[@bishop7954]

Please keep uploading your archive of lectures! These are astoundingly informative.

[@dimelo58]

This dude is so well read he can paint you a clear picture of history with his words.

[@TheVikingquest]

great conclusion, just loved the references - and also what it taught me about romanticism and science from a humanistic perspective. I must admit I'm not well read at all on this and when u whispered "don´t underestimate the effect literature can have..." I laughed a lot. Maybe I should read Robinson Crusoe in English - check for the capital letters - thanks!. As a former religious major university student I have read a lot about how christianity was spread, and therefore thoroughly enjoyed your conclusion on its effect on the individual as a lost focal point - your insight and passion are astounding!. Christianity is now viewed as an almost downgrading heritage among us , and maybe the postmodernists (I deny any responsibility for this) were right: the modern religion can only be a fundamentalist oneI

[@LucaReolon]

thank you for one more brilliant lecture

[@kristiyaniliev4002]

99 100. We are all waiting, aren't we?

[@nothanks800]

This is amazing! Thank you!

[@ShreddedASMR]

Thank you!!!

[@khuzaimahhaleem4994]

Would watching all the lectures on this channel, all of them, be equal to a BA in Philosophy?

[@zuhayrkhan7103]

I wish he was able to give an updated speech now with the incorporation of the internet. It seems to me that his optimistic hope for a global centralization of culture is currently not happening. Western culture seems to be dominating global culture and while yes, it comes with the benefits of rationality and technology. It is at the cost of individual morality and this is prevalent with our egotistical, hyper sexual, and self-centric society in the West.

[@dialaskisel5929]

Perhaps it is my own bias speaking, but it seems that the root of this lack of balance in our western culture goes back to the conflict between the traditions of Athens and Jerusalem. They have been at odds too long to reconcile, forcing most people to choose between Rationalistic Materialistic Hedonism and Moralistic Spiritualistic Dogmatism, instead of trying to find ways to synthesize or moderate the two traditions out for the betterment of both.

[@RNCM_Philosophy]

Please feel free to have a look at our discussion with Dr Sugrue at the Royal Northern College of Music, where he talks with us about modern issues.

[@Laura-ev2bw]

@Michael Ransom Yes it seems that the emphasis has been put on learning how to use tools (like the internet which has ready-made answers) rather than to teach kids to THINK (using logic and rationality). I think that thinking is the creative element in learning and when it is excluded, kids decide from a young age that they don't like learning and they fall into more hedonistic forms of sense-gratification that drive them for life. I do agree that it is a part of human nature, but it is being exacerbated by the failure to let kids flourish. We are depriving the world of those could-have-been creative geniuses who never find their stride in a system of rote memorization. Perhaps this is why technology is slower to progress today. Creativity is not encouraged in school, and neither is cross-disciplinary education, which could create breakthroughs.

[@Jay-ft3xh]

Incredibly naive. Not even related, yet incorrect on all measures.

[@SageStudiesGunnarFooth]

@@Jay-ft3xh you think western society today is less egotistical, closed-minded, hedonistic, and materialistic than it used to be..?

[@frankbongio]

Liked before I pressed play!

[@benperrin3433]

Thanks

[@Gofori020]

Wow, what a summary!

[@h.astley2113]

bravo

[@chemicalimbalance7030]

This is when education used to be education and not ideology

[@shirzadalipour199]

By the way, Is there a video course for the 1998 course titled: Plato, Socrates and the Dialogues also by professor Sugrue? I realize that 3 videos have already been uploaded into the 1998 Great Minds Course. These 3 lectures have been incorporated into the course. Originally, they belong to the "Plato,Socrates and the Dialogues" course. Therefore, the course must have been videotaped. If that course is available to anyone, please upload it. Thanks

[@janebullard9256]

FYI the audio for that whole course is on audible

[@shirzadalipour199]

@@janebullard9256 I have already devoured the course 3 times 9 years ago. I just want the video. I have go 342 courses from the great courses..

[@bishop7954]

Thank you for the continued uploads Dr Sugrue.. I'd like to know if you are currently working on anything & if you'll be releasing it to the public. I'm interested in hearing where your thoughts are now.

[@dr.michaelsugrue]

If my health allows, in September I will return to writing "History Lessons", a history of the world.

[@bishop7954]

@@dr.michaelsugrue my prayers are with you! I'm looking forward to what you have for us.

[@timangar9771]

Wow!

[@Aeon490]

Almost at 100k subscribers

[@zoesofia8775]

Hi Dr. Sugrue, wondering if you have any recommendations for books that cover world history. I am sure the ideal approach is to read the literature from each time, and to make my own conclusions on the different periods of Western thought. However, I would love to read something like the expanded book equivalent of these concluding lectures. Alternatively, wondering if you have any thoughts on how to better understand the through-line of human history when it can be overwhelming. How do you "zoom out" and make connections?

[@dr.michaelsugrue]

The most important history book of the 20th century is McNeill, Plagues and Peoples.

[@jason8434]

The historian William McNeill wrote an essay review 25 years after the publication of his book The Rise of the West. He criticized his own sweeping misinterpretations of world history and revises his central thesis that civilizations evolve based on sharing and diffusion. The essay offers a much more nuanced portrait of what world history means. You can find the essay online.

[@jamessheffield4173]

What about the Bloudy Tenent by Roger Williams on the freedom of religion? Blessings.

[@ninstar8165]

43:55 Elementary, my dear Watson!

[@dayviate9810]

Thank you for the awesome lecture!!! I was wondering are the audios for these lectures available anywhere to download legally?

[@sapientum8]

if they are publicly accessible on youtube, you can assume that they can be downloaded legally.

[@jeffgonshak4010]

All this “Conclusion” in the titles has me worried we’re near the end. Please don’t let it be true, Genevieve!

[@posthegemony944]

Don Quixote was the main character the whole time.

[@benquinneyiii7941]

The Mandate of Heaven

[@coolhandphilip]

His final statement, however, is a reference to Pandora's box; or it is a reference to St. Paul. Mythos has the power to bring the world together; logos, not so.

[@SageStudiesGunnarFooth]

But Christ is the logos, and hasn’t Christianity historically brought people together?

[@coolhandphilip]

@@SageStudiesGunnarFooth I was using "logos" in the manner Sugrue was using it, to stand in for the tradition of Athens; just as I was using "mythos" to stand for the tradition of Jerusalem (even though in truth Divine Revelation is by no means a myth). So my comment was meant to interpret Sugeue (hinging on the equivocal meanings of the word "hope") as implying that reason alone cannot unite the globe, only Christianity can do that.

[@kaimarmalade9660]

The point though is that Mythos without Logos is just a return to the Dark Ages. If the Western program of intellectual growth is successful it will synthesize the Mythos of our being with the necessary rationality that the modern world demands of us. It would be better to live in the world of Smith than the Romantics. Best would be a world that affords to us Smith's great wealth stemming from rationality with enough, "leeway" given as to not stifle our inquiries into what Wittgenstein so famously described as, "unspeakable." To the great astonishment of the Western intellectual tradition rationality and spirituality are actually complimentary and not diametric opposites.

[@jason8434]

It seems rational to me to conclude that the human species doesn't want to be united. Liberal democracy is the best it has come up with to acknowledge this fact. People in other societies don't want to be saved and united.

[@coolhandphilip]

@@jason8434 Or perhaps we have diverse notions of what a political unity might entail. For what it's worth I think the Medieval idea of diverse nations with their own laws (logoi) within a united Christendom (mythos) is an intriguing model, as long as the rule of subsidiarity is respected; though history shows, this tends not to be the case, the tendency toward centralization is too strong.

[@benquinneyiii7941]

To be commanded must be obeyed

[@benquinneyiii7941]

Fire escape

[@straightballin172]

Intelligent

[@GuitarBard96]

yeahhhh boi

[@ayrtonlorenzety64764]

Where is Eugene Weber?

[@johnlively7174]

RIP

[@brianmaguire6814]

The concept of there being no individual and looking at everything through God's eye during that time is new to me and fascinating on what it did to the future. Have you and your friends recently discussed the same old "concepts" at work today, and why they seem to stick around? I know you spoke on the loss of the humanities, but what about forces that won't leave despite proven failures? Also, the church managed to out do itself in regards to indulgences by diddling little boys for centuries and covering it up. Lol

[@stuarthicks2696]

Nietzsche breaks the two western moral systems down to Rome vs. Judea.

[@christinemartin63]

How about the debt that ancient Greece--and therefore Western Europe--owes to Egypt? Why did Thales, Pythagoras, and Plato spend years in Egypt (esp Pythagoras--the bulk of his life!)? Doesn't sound like they were there on summer vacation. What did they learn there and then "expropriate" to call their own? Inquiring minds want to know--and historians need to tell us.

[@Charmagh110]

37:40

[@chasepalumbo2929]

Goddamn this dude gives me jimmy neutron moment after jimmy neutron moment

[@ripsirwin1]

This is amazing but how do you not mention Marx and the Russian Revolution?

[@nhatnamphan9694]

1. History is christianity 's history 2. Republich by religion war 3. The age of machine lead modern Grateful ❤

[@benquinneyiii7941]

Concrete

[@not_emerald]

In the end you say we live in an age that doesn't care about science, the age of the ego. But what about the 2020s? Science is not only used to define what people have been doing in their personal lives but it is unquestionable - it's Science, after all. The economist F. A. Hayek was against what he baptized scientism, and wrote extensively about it in the 50s, I think. Maybe thar's the reaction to modernism, but I feel like his criticism is very useful in 2022.

[@dionysian222]

I think our age is that of anxiety, doubtful of everything and only claims science when it serves our will to power. For example let me direct you to our hospitals, you’ll find people cursing doctors for either giving them a diagnosis or not giving them the diagnosis they want. Science is a tool.

[@user-ce2le8ml9y]

Europe was doing better before Christianity and Islam entered the scene

[@benquinneyiii7941]

Like German

[@benquinneyiii7941]

Fi fis

[@benquinneyiii7941]

Egg

[@leebarry5686]

Your conclusion on Christianity is problematic