Great courses (DVD)

Title from disc surface

"In the 24 lectures of Understanding the Dark Side of Human Nature, Professor Daniel Breyer takes you on a fascinating philosophical journey into some of the deepest--and darkest--questions that have haunted humanity for millennia. In exploring the dark side of human nature, you won't just explore what it means to be evil; you'll explore humanity's fragile underbelly by investigating such topics as our thirst for vengeance, our tendency toward anger, our inability to do what we know is right, and much more. These are difficult topics, to be sure, and at least for some people, it would be easier to look away, rather than investigate them. But the truth is that unless we honestly confront who we are in all its sordid glory, we'll never fully understand ourselves. We'll never fully appreciate who we really are--or who we might ultimately become." -- Provided by publisher's website

Course number 4189

Program contains twenty-four lectures; the length of each lecture is: approx. 30 min

Lecture notes and program information contained in course guidebook

Lecturer: Professor Daniel Breyer, Illinois State University

DVD

In English; closed-captioned

Disc 1.

What do we mean by the "dark side"? -- Our fundamental nature : good or evil? -- What is evil? -- Moral monsters and evil personhood -- Evil and responsibility -- Sin : original and otherwise --

Disc 2.

Dark thoughts and desires -- Suffering and its causes -- Problem of expectation and desire -- Fear of death -- Existential anxiety and the courage to be -- Goodness of grief --

Disc 3.

Homo necans : why do we kill? -- Nightmares and the dream self -- Varieties of self-deception -- Varieties of ignorance -- Weakness of will -- Luck and the limits of blame --

Disc 4.

Victim blaming and the just-world hypothesis -- Retribution and revenge -- Forgiveness and redemption -- Elimination of anger -- Being peaceful in a troubled world -- Allure of the dark side