What we’re about
CURRENT READING LIST: Google Spreadsheet
Welcome! As the name suggests, this group aims to explore the history of ideas through some of the most influential texts in science, philosophy and literature. Each month we will choose a text or topic to read/research and discuss. The group is open to everyone and is intended as an informal way of engaging with some of the key ideas that have shaped our societies and cultures down through the centuries. No prior understanding of any of the texts or ideas is required and newcomers are always welcome!
It is not a requirement to have read the assigned text to join in the discussion. For those with less time, I will post links to abridged versions, as well as short videos and podcasts providing a general overview of the topic.
Members are welcome to suggest texts/topics and share links to resources such as study guides, podcasts, documentaries, etc.
Upcoming events (1)
See all- Praise of Folly by Erasmus discussionCostigan's Pub, Cork
Erasmus of Rotterdam (c. 1466-1536) is one of the greatest figures of the Renaissance humanist movement, which abandoned medieval pieties in favour of a rich new vision of the individual's potential. Praise of Folly, written to amuse his friend Sir Thomas More, is Erasmus's best-known work. Its dazzling mixture of fantasy and satire is narrated by a personification of Folly, dressed as a jester, who celebrates youth, pleasure, drunkenness and sexual desire, and goes on to lambast human pretensions, foibles and frailties, to mock theologians and monks and to praise the 'folly' of simple Christian piety. Erasmus's wit, wordplay and wisdom made the book an instant success, but it also attracted what may have been sales-boosting criticism.
Text...
I would highly recommend the album listed below which contains a nice mix of music and narration.- Text https://archive.org/details/erasmusinpraiseo00erasiala/
- Audio https://archive.org/details/folly_erasmus_0811_librivox
- Album (with Music & Narration) https://open.spotify.com/album/4Qnw72dAByBiGNe1MSZGaK
Video...
- Michael Sugrue: Literature of the Renaissance: Erasmus, In Praise of Folly https://youtu.be/po7QCNVnIzw?feature=shared
- PhilosophyTunes: How Foolishness Helps Relationships https://youtu.be/IVtWMv9yYZY?feature=shared
Podcasts...
- In Our Time: Erasmus https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01bmlsy
- The Partially Examined Life: Erasmus Praises Foolishness Part 1 https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2022/10/17/ep302-1-erasmus/
- The Partially Examined Life: Erasmus Praises Foolishness Part 2 https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2022/10/24/ep302-2-erasmus/
- The Partially Examined Life: Erasmus Praises Foolishness Part 3 https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2022/10/29/preview-ep302-3-erasmus/
Other Resources..
- Standford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Desiderius Erasmus https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/erasmus/
- Course Hero: In Praise of Folly (Study Guide) https://www.coursehero.com/lit/In-Praise-of-Folly/
