The Self Under Siege: Philosophy In The Twentieth Century

by Rick Roderick

This set of 8 lectures examines from a philosophical perspective the self under siege from the start of modernity to the beginnings of the postmodern age in the late twentieth century.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, History, Audiobook, Theory, Politics

Audio Cassette

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Rick Roderick (1949–2002) was an American professor of philosophy, best known for his lectures for The Teaching Company.

Roderick was born in Abilene, Texas on June 16, 1949, son of (by his own description) a "con-man" and a "beautician". He was a teacher of philosophy at several universities, where he was much revered by many students for a Socratic style of teaching combined with a brash and often humorous approach. His breakthrough into wider circles came with his engagement with The Teaching Company where he recorded several memorable lecture series. Rick Roderick died on January 18, 2002 from a congestive heart condition.

Reviews

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved his recorded lectures and was heart-broken when I learned that he had died. I will listen to his interesting lectures again. People this good should never die, like good actors or musicians or writers.

[Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This guy is my spirit animal

Btw you can watch these lectures on YouTube

[Millicent Swinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite part of this lecture series is when he harangues people who use exercise bikes, but the whole thing is good.

[Florian Blümm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the single most important course on philosophy I've encountered so far and maybe ever. The lecture follows a very modern approach to a very pragmatic kind of applied philosophy contemplating 21st century life, where the "self is under siege".

Actually the lecture was recorded in the 1990s. But its appeal and relevance have only increased in the internet age. Some of the examples seem outdated, but are remarkably spot on when translated into internet parlance.

The lecturer Rick Roderick is wonderfully relatable and straightforward as an arrow. He can really drive home the urgency of his teachings both with his personal experience and common examples from daily life. His Texan accent takes time getting used to.

This is the followup lectur of Rodericks other courses ("Nietzsche" and "Values") and builds on them. If you can only listen to one of them, make it this one.

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rick Roderick is a lot of fun and certainly explains the likes of Foucault, Derrida and Baudrillard in far more accessible and entertaining ways than I am used to. The lectures' lengths of 45 minutes each is quite limiting though, especially with the digressions about StairMasters and Nintendo consoles which didn't need to be repeated as much as they were.

It's the sort of lecture series I'd recommend a lot to novices but am unlikely to return to myself.

[Amina Halilovic · Rating 5 out of 5]

i heave listened to this set of lectures every couple of years for the past 20 years. they are extremely important, inspiring and entertaining. they reignite my thinking and make me reconsider everything i believe and know about the world. they make me happy to be alive and to be able to think. when i listen to them they remind me of who i was when i was 20 and 28 and 30 and 35.
i love how prof. roderick makes everything sound so banal and how he explains to me that it is my business to think and decide what the world is and what i am in it. i love to imagine what he would have to say on our world today, he would have so much fun with this world. i absolutely love these lectures and intend to listen to them for the rest of my life.

[Diocletian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good lecture series on some of the most influential philosophers of the modern era. The most interesting lecture was the last one, on Jean Baudrillard and "hyperrealism", a word meaning a simulation or fiction that becomes more real than what it was meant to emulate. A very scary thought, but one that likely has more truth for our future than we would like to admit.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lecturer is a bit quirky, but entertaining.

[Arash Kamangir · Rating 5 out of 5]

حظ محض بردم.

[Jesús Dávila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heidegger, Sartre, Marcuse, Habermas, Foucault, Derrida... all very interesting thinkers but poorly presented in these lectures.

I had a very hard time getting past his Texan accent, other than that Mr. Roderick is an ok lecturer (at best).