Open Yale Courses

PLSC 114 - Lecture 8 - The Mixed Regime and the Rule of Law: Aristotle, Politics, IV

The lecture discusses Aristotle’s comparative politics with a special emphasis on the idea of the regime, as expressed in books III through VI in Politics. A regime, in the context of this major work, refers to both the formal enumeration of rights and duties within a community as well as to the distinctive customs, manners, moral dispositions and sentiments of that community. Aristotle asserts that it is precisely the regime that gives a people and a city their identity.

PSYC 123 - Lecture 4 - Biology, Nutrition and Health II: What Helps Us and Hurts Us

Professor Brownell reviews the challenges inherent in research assessing the link between diet and health, and the challenges of basing a diet upon different dietary recommendations. Fundamental information on nutrition is presented, as well as how our current diet suggests we are eating too much or too little of different classes of sugars and fats.

PLSC 114 - Lecture 7 - The Mixed Regime and the Rule of Law: Aristotle, Politics, I, III

The lecture begins with an introduction of Aristotle’s life and works which constitute thematic treatises on virtually every topic, from biology to ethics to politics. Emphasis is placed on the Politics, in which Aristotle expounds his view on the naturalness of the city and his claim that man is a political animal by nature.

PLSC 114 - Lecture 6 - Philosophers and Kings: Plato, Republic, V

In this last session on the Republic, the emphasis is on the idea of self-control, as put forward by Adeimantus in his speech. Socrates asserts that the most powerful passion one needs to learn how to tame is what he calls thumos. Used to denote “spiritedness” and “desire,” it is associated with ambitions for public life that both virtuous statesmen as well as great tyrants may pursue. The lecture ends with the platonic idea of justice as harmony in the city and the soul.

PLSC 114 - Lecture 5 - Philosophers and Kings: Plato, Republic, III-IV

The discussion of the Republic continues. An account is given of the various figures, their role in the dialogue and what they represent in the work overall. Socrates challenges Polemarchus’ argument on justice, questions the distinction between a friend and an enemy, and asserts his famous thesis that all virtues require knowledge and reflection at their basis.

PSYC 123 - Lecture 3 - Biology, Nutrition and Health I: What We Eat

This lecture focuses on how people measure nutrition and what it means for health. Professor Brownell reviews methods to track food intake, from a population level to an individual level, emphasizing methods and measurement error as well as portion underestimation. The definition of a calorie and how it is measured are also discussed, as well as people’s changing relationships with macronutrients and micronutrients in food and with water.

PLSC 114 - Lecture 4 - Philosophers and Kings: Plato, Republic, I-II

Lecture 4 introduces Plato’s Republic and its many meanings in the context of moral psychology, justice, the power of poetry and myth, and metaphysics. The Republic is also discussed as a utopia, presenting an extreme vision of a polis–Kallipolis–Plato’s ideal city.

PSYC 123 - Lecture 2 - Food Then, Food Now: Modern Food Conditions and Their Mismatch with Evolution

This lecture explores how the mismatch between evolution and the current food environment has changed people’s relationship to food. Ancient societies had a vastly different food environment compared to modern day societies, which was characterized by unpredictable food supply, the threat of starvation, and a high priority to bank energy. The human brain evolved for this ancient food environment, which creates challenges in the modern food environment where people have unfettered access to the high sugar, high fat, high variety foods that they are programmed to find appealing.

PLSC 114 - Lecture 3 - Socratic Citizenship: Plato, Crito

In the Apology, Socrates proposes a new kind of citizenship in opposition to the traditional one that was based on the poetic conception of Homer. Socrates’ is a philosophical citizenship, relying on one’s own powers of independent reason and judgment. The Crito, a dialogue taking place in Socrates’ prison cell, is about civil obedience, piety, and the duty of every citizen to respect and live by the laws of the community.

PLSC 114 - Lecture 2 - Socratic Citizenship: Plato, Apology

The lecture begins with an explanation of why Plato’s Apology is the best introductory text to the study of political philosophy. The focus remains on the Apology as a symbol for the violation of free expression, with Socrates justifying his way of life as a philosopher and defending the utility of philosophy for political life.

You are here