Intellectual Stimulation?

[mrgnash]

I'm always on the lookout for online audio/visual materials related to philosophy, politics, history, and most especially psychology/psychoanalysis. I know of a few good sites with online radio or video broadcasts, such as abc.net.au/radio bbc.co.uk/radio4 Frontline (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/) the Jungian Podcast (http://jungian.libsyn.com/index.php), Studio360 (http://www.studio360.org/), the Carter-Jenkins Centre (http://www.thecjc.org/) and Shrink Rap Radio (http://www.shrinkrapradio.com/); but would love to hear of any others than members here might know about :) Also, is there an American equivalent of the BBC/ABC?

[Spr0k3t]

The best American equivalent of BBC is BBC. Most of the American news casts here are garbage... they can't report a story without putting some political spin or close to home smashing on it. The most accurate news casting you will find in America is The Onion (that's how sad it is).

If you have access to it, Mensa has some very interesting takes on psychoanalysis. If you want a fantastic laugh, look around for scientology's takes on psychology.

[diskotek]

BBc is nice...
few years ago i found nice pdf books on jean baudriallard, michel foucault, roland barthes... just search names that you would like to read. i don't read big pdf books, i only download them from journals and print'em all. they are not free but if you find a nice university with a nice subscriptions..that would be great and free :D

edit: sorry i ddint mentioned any podcasts :( i'm not somuch into them as well ..uhhh...i need to taste them. but reading english is easier than listening mostly :(

psychoanalysis: i think revised psychoanalysis is pretty nice like slavoj zizek, lacan and also louis althusser. apart from psychoanalysis ,but i strongly recommend neo-marxist school like frankfurt school. but yeah you need to know bit about what is marxism .

[mrgnash]

The best American equivalent of BBC is BBC. Most of the American news casts here are garbage... they can't report a story without putting some political spin or close to home smashing on it. The most accurate news casting you will find in America is The Onion (that's how sad it is).

I don't watch much news, and the only news I do watch is PBS's Newshour; it's the only one I've found that covers topics at the appropriate depth, and presents multiple (if not always representative) points of view.


If you have access to it, Mensa has some very interesting takes on psychoanalysis. If you want a fantastic laugh, look around for scientology's takes on psychology.

I don't have access to Mensa, for the simple reason that I don't test well enough on the standardised intelligence scale. I have reservations about the validity of such a scale, and with the testing procedures themselves; but perhaps that is not a surprise given my performance :P



BBc is nice...
few years ago i found nice pdf books on jean baudriallard, michel foucault, roland barthes... just search names that you would like to read. i don't read big pdf books, i only download them from journals and print'em all. they are not free but if you find a nice university with a nice subscriptions..that would be great and free :D

edit: sorry i ddint mentioned any podcasts :( i'm not somuch into them as well ..uhhh...i need to taste them. but reading english is easier than listening mostly :(
psychoanalysis: i think revised psychoanalysis is pretty nice like slavoj zizek, lacan and also louis althusser. apart from psychoanalysis ,but i strongly recommend neo-marxist school like frankfurt school. but yeah you need to know bit about what is marxism .

Thanks, I'll have a look for those ;) Slavoj isn't a psychoanalyst by the way, but he does employ some of Lacan's theories in his cultural criticism. Lacan, Bion, Anna/Sigmund Freud, Kristeva, Klein, Horney, and Irigaray are probably my biggest influences, but I also find some aspects of Jung useful as well. Marxism is something I've read into a little bit, and also have a degree of sympathy for (as a Trekkie, if nothing else :P ) but its ifocus on economic matters leaves me cold... I'm more a 'change wrought from within' kinda guy, although I do envisage some sort of anarchic social structure as being the most desirable one. On that note though, you might find Erich Fromm's work interesting, as he had a foot in both the psychoanalytic and Marxist camps.

[diskotek]

yes right, slavoj and other i mentioned are not psychoanalysts. they are just using frame of it for their different kind of theories. lucia iriagrat, julia kristeva: nice to hear these names in ubuntuforums :)

classical marxism mostly focuses on economic structure: that's was why i recommended frankfurt school or louis althusser. they are pulling back to marxism in different places. hehe that's neo-marxism & post-marxism

i need to look up for psychoanalysis as well; i just read freud and some adler/jung on psychology. it's very great theory and related with many many field.

[23meg]

CTheory (http://www.ctheory.net/) has been a favorite of mine for years. Arthur and Marilouise Kroker have put immense effort into maintaining it, as well as creating much of its content.

[mrgnash]

yes right, slavoj and other i mentioned are not psychoanalysts. they are just using frame of it for their different kind of theories. lucia iriagrat, julia kristeva: nice to hear these names in ubuntuforums :)

classical marxism mostly focuses on economic structure: that's was why i recommended frankfurt school or louis althusser. they are pulling back to marxism in different places. hehe that's neo-marxism & post-marxism

i need to look up for psychoanalysis as well; i just read freud and some adler/jung on psychology. it's very great theory and related with many many field.

Ok then, I'll check out Althusser, thanks ;)


CTheory has been a favorite of mine for years. Arthur and Marilouise Kroker have put immense effort into maintaining it, as well as creating much of its content.

I can see why it's a favourite. There's some great content here, particularly the pdf books - thanks a lot!

[diskotek]

wow ctheory.net seem so nice. i think i can lost here! thank you very much for sharing...

[kanem]

The best American equivalent of BBC is BBC. Most of the American news casts here are garbage... they can't report a story without putting some political spin or close to home smashing on it. The most accurate news casting you will find in America is The Onion (that's how sad it is).
Never heard National Public Radio (NPR) (http://www.npr.org/)? I actually prefer it to the BBC.

[mrgnash]

Never heard National Public Radio (NPR) (http://www.npr.org/)? I actually prefer it to the BBC.

Thanks for that -- just what I was looking for :)

I really would have expected a lot more participation in this thread, given the abundance of clever people on this forum. At any rate, here are a few other sites of interest:

Free Associations (http://human-nature.com/free-associations/index.html) -- Lots of interesting articles and even a few full PHD theses on psychoanalytic topics.

KCRW (http://www.kcrw.com/) - Seems somewhat similar to the aforementioned BBC/ABC/NPR.

Richard Dawkins.net (http://richarddawkins.net/home) -- Lots of links to interesting audio/visual materials, such as debates and interviews on the role of science in culture, the validity (or lack thereof) of religious doctrine, and the ethical significance of Darwinian evolution, etc. etc.

Keep 'em coming folks!

[23meg]

Mentat Wiki (http://www.ludism.org/mentat/) -- very much in line with the thread title: "This wiki is a collaborative environment for exploring ways to become a better thinker."

paulgraham.com (http://www.paulgraham.com/) -- profound essays by the inventor of the Bayesian filter

UBUWEB (http://www.ubu.com/) - A huge collection of avantgarde / outsider art and related things, all freely available

[mrgnash]

Mentat Wiki (http://www.ludism.org/mentat/) -- very much in line with the thread title: "This wiki is a collaborative environment for exploring ways to become a better thinker."

paulgraham.com (http://www.paulgraham.com/) -- profound essays by the inventor of the Bayesian filter

UBUWEB (http://www.ubu.com/) - A huge collection of avantgarde / outsider art and related things, all freely available

Love the first one, and +1 for the Dune reference ;)

Here's another one: New York Public Library - Live (Audio Files) (http://www.nypl.org/research/chss/pep/audio.cfm) - Lots of interesting content here, I particularly enjoyed the 'debate' (more like slaughter :P ) between Christopher Hitchens and Al Sharpton.

[nubutu]

Have a go at Zmag.org

If you like thoughtful cinema you can watch some Tarkovsky and Bergman movies, for instance.

If you like, as I'm sure, reading, you could try "Godel, Escher, Bach: an eternal golden braid".

PS. BBC does not represent my idea of intellectual stimulant. Besides having some good contents it still does not go out of the commonly accepted borders of opinion. Leaving in a western country as I do only makes this realization somewhat hard to grasp.

[Ender Black]

dang... based on the thread title I was expecting porn-stars solving for pi.....

[mrgnash]

*** Unbecoming retort removed ***

[nubutu]

>If the BBC is mainstream crap, then Zmag.org is a moral miasma of misinformed and ideologically lopsided Chomskyite claptrap.

One thing does not follow the other. But for something people may find more acceptable you can try Le Monde Diplomatique, which you probably know of.

>Also, note that the thread calls for intellectual stimulation, not arrogance.

Don't take offence, it's my style, seriously.

PS. One more: "Literary Theory: an introduction", by Terry Eagleton, great for those who don't have a strong humanities background, like myself.

[mrgnash]

*** Post deleted in the interest of not contributing to a further veering away from the original purpose of this thread ***

[ThinkBuntu]

I'm always on the lookout for online audio/visual materials related to philosophy, politics, history, and most especially psychology/psychoanalysis. I know of a few good sites with online radio or video broadcasts, such as abc.net.au/radio bbc.co.uk/radio4 Frontline (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/) the Jungian Podcast (http://jungian.libsyn.com/index.php), Studio360 (http://www.studio360.org/), the Carter-Jenkins Centre (http://www.thecjc.org/) and Shrink Rap Radio (http://www.shrinkrapradio.com/); but would love to hear of any others than members here might know about :) Also, is there an American equivalent of the BBC/ABC?
The best visual is a book. Your library has thousands for free, and for the time they fill, they're very cheap. Compare with purchasing a DVD. It may cost as much as any new hard-back at your local store, but it only occupies your time for two hours. Not to mention that the book will be far more stimulating.

Both have the power to trick you into opinions though, so be careful.

[H.E. Pennypacker]

The best American equivalent of BBC is BBC. Most of the American news casts here are garbage... they can't report a story without putting some political spin or close to home smashing on it.

That is largely accurate, but you can't beat NPR/PBS. They're top-notch!

[blah blah blah]

http://www.mtv.com/
http://www.e-journals.org/
http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=psychology+OR+psychoanalysis&hl=en&lr=&btnG=Search
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_scientific_journals#Psychiatry

[blah blah blah]

If you like, as I'm sure, reading, you could try "Godel, Escher, Bach: an eternal golden braid".

I think he might be better of with his recent book I Am a Strange Loop.

[mrgnash]

Here's another one, The Point of Inquiry (http://www.pointofinquiry.org/) -- podcast for the Center of Inquiry.

And a note to some of the previous posters: you are more than welcome to recommend books to me; I am an unabashed bibliophile. That, however, was not the purpose I had in mind when I created this thread. I had hoped that people would contribute internet resources for intellectually stimulating audio/visual material. It is not that I am averse to reading, or that I never considered it as an activity I might undertake in order to expand my mental horizons; but rather, that I appreciate the unprecedented global public access to scholarly discussions, debates, seminars and lectures that the internet affords. Of course Google Books and Questia are wonderful tools for research as well, but when it's time for a bit of an R&R, but you don't want to simply set your brain to 'suspend', then you're better off with something like a video or audio recording, the contents of which you can imbibe in a more passive fashion. Not only that, but for those who do read widely, it is fascinating to see some of the authors of the works you were either inspired or infuriated by (either reaction is equally valuable), debating the contents thereof with those holding contrary divergent views, or merely giving voice, and texture, and life to the words you pored over. I think it beats watching videos of animal mishaps involving lawnmowers of Youtube anyway.

[herbster]

Good links in this thread. I didn't see:

Fora.tv (http://www.fora.tv)

mentioned. There's some good stuff on there.

[Pumalite]

Psychoanalysis: it's more fun to practice it than to read about it. As for books that are fun to read: The Tao of Physics, The Masters of Woo Li, The Teachings of Don Juan, A Separate Reality, Zen Mind, Beginners Mind, The Moon and 5 pennies, Servidumbre Humana, etc, etc

[mrgnash]

Good links in this thread. I didn't see:

Fora.tv (http://www.fora.tv)

mentioned. There's some good stuff on there.

Nice :D Thanks for the add.

[sw1995]

"Countdown with Keith Olberman" is pretty much the best thing we have going for us. He is our savior.

-S

[mrgnash]

Hay Festival Archive (http://www.hayfestival.com/archive/default.aspx) - Download exclusive performances from some of the finest minds in the world. (Not entirely free I'm afraid, but they have lots of interesting stuff)

Seattle Channel (http://www.seattlechannel.org/) - All sorts of stuff.

[mrgnash]

Guardian Unlimited Podcast Blog (http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/podcasts/)

[urukrama]

Do you know this blog? http://cc-gems.blogspot.com/

You might find something of interest there.

[mrgnash]

Do you know this blog? http://cc-gems.blogspot.com/

You might find something of interest there.

No I didn't. That's awesome, thanks :D

[mrgnash]

Butterflies and Wheels (http://butterfliesandwheels.com/)

About:


Butterflies and Wheels has been established in order to oppose a number of related phenomena. These include:

1. Pseudoscience that is ideologically and politically motivated.
2. Epistemic relativism in the humanities (for example, the idea that statements are only true or false relative to particular cultures, discourses or language-games).
3. Those disciplines or schools of thought whose truth claims are prompted by the political, ideological and moral commitments of their adherents, and the general tendency to judge the veracity of claims about the world in terms of such commitments.

[FNM]

Some of my favorite podcasts:

UC Berkeley Webcasts (http://webcast.berkeley.edu/)
The Skeptics Guide to the Universe (http://www.theskepticsguide.org/)
The Atheist Experience (http://www.atheist-experience.com/)
New Scientist Podcast (http://www.newscientist.com/podcast.ns)
Astronomy Cast (http://www.astronomycast.com/)
Real Time with Bill Maher (http://www.hbo.com/billmaher/)

Also, Project Gutenberg (http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page) is a great resource for free books and audio books.

[rubengs]

http://roundtable.kein.org/v2v

Great place with videos of academical debates.

[inversekinetix]

You might not know this one, something I stumbled upon ages ago, really really cool.

http://viscog.beckman.uiuc.edu/djs_lab/demos.html


I bet it gets you.

[mips]

Nice thread, bookmarked it ;)

[Griffiss]

Here are some of my favourite audiovisual intellectual stimulants:

broodsphilosophy (http://broodsphilosophy.wordpress.com/2006/06/15/online-videos-of-philosophical-lectures/) - large collection of videos of conferences, lectures etc. with a philosophical and neuroscientific theme

Beyond Belief (http://thesciencenetwork.org/BeyondBelief/) conference - very good

Princeton public lectures (http://www.princeton.edu/WebMedia/lectures/) - loads of stuff here. I like particularly the ones by Penrose and Jared Diamond

[23meg]

Here's a big one:

http://www.ted.com/

[strangeattractor]

I'm surprised that no one has yet mentioned the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). They have a bunch of podcasts at http://www.cbc.ca/podcasting/

The CBC podcasts include:

CBC Ideas: How to Think About Science
http://www.cbc.ca/podcasting/includes/thinkaboutscience.xml

CBC Listener's Choice:
http://www.cbc.ca/podcasting/includes/listenerschoice.xml

TVOntario is another Canadian public broadcaster. They have some podcasts, including their Big Ideas lecture competition series.
http://www.tvo.org/TVOspecial3/WebObjects/TVOMedia.woa?bigideasfeed

Librivox makes public domain audiobooks. I have enjoyed several of those, including dramatized plays of William Shakespeare.
http://librivox.org/

For more recent fictional audiobooks, there is Podiobooks.com
http://www.podiobooks.com/

I also enjoy the following podcasts:

The Long Now Foundation Seminars on Long-Term Thinking
http://www.longnow.org/projects/seminars/podcast.php

The NPR Planet Money Podcast
http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast.php?id=510289

Stanford's Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders Podcast
http://www.stanford.edu/group/edcorner/uploads/podcast/EducatorsCorner.xml

Canadian Voices Podcast
http://www.harropcountry.libsyn.com/rss

The Future and You
http://www.thefutureandyou.libsyn.com/rss

National Arts Center Orchestra Podcast
http://radio.nac-cna.ca/podcast/NACOcast/NACOcast.xml

Sunday Baroque Conversations
http://www.sundaybaroque.org/podcasts/podcasts.xml

Odyssey Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing Workshop
http://www.sff.net/odyssey/odysseypodcasts.xml

[MikeTheC]

"That was a stirring reply, Citizen G'Kar. And while it's true that all answers are replies, not all replies are answers."

Δv ≨ c ≨ Δv