Macat
An Introduction to Leon Festinger's A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance
Why do people continue to do things they know are harmful? A short video analysis of Leon Festinger's A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance discusses the conflict between held beliefs and contradictory information, and the lengths that...
The School of Life
Why Socrates Hated Democracy
What would our country look like if only the educated could vote? Modern democracy is not an intellectual democracy, but a democracy by birthright — much to the chagrin of Socrates. An informative video briefly discusses the...
Macat
An Intro to Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Women
Women in modern society are as close to equal rights as they have ever been, thanks to the efforts of early feminists like Mary Wollstonecraft. Her 1792 work, A Vindication of the Rights of Women, advocated for the equal...
The School of Life
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
While Fyodor Dostoyevsky experienced more difficulty and suffering than he did happiness, his point of view reveals aspects of humanity that are essential to the way we relate to each other now. A thorough and rich video...
Macat
An Introduction to Sigmund Freud's The Interpretation of Dreams
Ever wonder why you have that weird recurring dream? A short video explores Sigmund Freud's famous text The Interpretation of Dreams and discusses the ways everyday images and memories can impact one's dreams.
Macat
An Introduction to John Rawls’s A Theory of Justice
Justitia, the Roman symbol of justice, is traditionally pictured as blindfolded, holding a sword in one hand and a balance scale in the other to represent that idea that justice should be independent of wealth, power, or status. But how...
The School of Life
Philosophy - Plato
Some of the best advice for society, relationships, and personal growth was written nearly 3,000 years ago. High schoolers learn more about Plato's four ideas for reaching eudaimonia, or "fulfillment," in an explanatory video.
Macat
An Introduction to Gordon Allport’s The Nature of Prejudice
According to Gordon Allport, stereotypes are ingrained in the human brain as a way to reach quick conclusions. His 1979 text The Nature of Prejudice explains that people fill in the gaps of their knowledge with the clues around...
Macat
An Introduction to William James’s The Principles Of Psychology
Is psychology a natural science? A brief video explains William James's theory of psychology as it connects to physiology, known as the James-Lange Theory of Emotion, and his belief that the mind and body work together to create one's...
Macat
An Introduction to Ludwig Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations
Learning the meaning of a new word is different than knowing its definition. Ludwig Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations discusses the importance of context in understanding a word's meaning, as well as the fluidity of...
Macat
An Introduction to Eric Hobsbawm’s The Age Of Revolution
Discover the ways that the exploited class has influenced our modern lives with a short study of Eric Hobsbawm's The Age of Revolution: 1789 - 1848. High schoolers discuss the Marxist perspective of how the Industrial...
Macat
An Introduction to Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One's Own
If you've ever wondered why the majority of historical writers are male rather than female, Virginia Woolf may have an answer for you. A video analysis of A Room of One's Own details Woolf's argument about women's stifled role in...
Macat
An Introduction to Max Weber's Politics as a Vocation
The basis of sociology rests in leadership, followers, and core beliefs driving a society. Max Weber's 20th century work Politics as a Vocation examines the path ahead for Germany after World War I, and posits that it is...
Macat
An Introduction to Emile Durkheim's Suicide
Suicide is one of the most tragic events in human existence, and it is also one of the least understandable phenomena in sociology. Emile Durkheim's 19th century work Suicide is the focus of a short analysis video that connects...
Macat
An Introduction to Thomas Hobbes’s Leviathan
No discussion about the importance of government influence in society is complete without Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes. As explained in a short analysis video, his 17th century work details the restrictions of individual freedom, and...
Macat
An Introduction to Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason
Challenge high schoolers with Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, one of the most prominent — and complex— works of philosophy ever written. High schoolers view a short video that describes the difference between phenomena...
Macat
An Introduction to David Hume's Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding
Observing the world around you depends on a lot more than your five senses. A short overview of David Hume's Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding explains the ways sense perception influence the exchange of complex...
Macat
An Introduction to Robert Putnam's Bowling Alone
How important is connectedness in a community? Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community by Robert Putnam details the early 21st century theory of the decreased value of social capital. A short analysis...
Macat
An Introduction to Claude Levi-Strauss’s Structural Anthropology
Claude Levi-Strauss’s Structural Anthropology contends that distance and details separate world cultures—and not much else. High schoolers watch a short explanatory video to learn more about the theory of structuralism, the...
Macat
An Introduction to G. W. F. Hegel’s The Phenomenology of Spirit
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel's The Phenomenology of Spirit was an influential contribution to 19th century philosophy. High schoolers explore what happens when two conscious beings, both sure of their own freedom without...
Macat
An Introduction to Francis Fukuyama's The End of History
Francis Fukuyama's The End of History and the Last Man is the subject of a short political analysis video. High schoolers learn more about Fukuyama's view of liberal democracy and political rivalry, and why he believed that the...
Macat
An Introduction to Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel
Could geography really be the most logical explanation for the success rate of any given population? Jared Diamond makes his anthropological contention in his 1997 publication Guns, Germs, and Steel. A short explores his main points and...
Macat
An Introduction to Karl Marx's Capital
Explore the factors that make capitalism work with a short analysis of Karl Marx's Capital. An animated video explains the relationship between labor and capital, and uses a real-world example to illustrate the ways...
Macat
An Introduction to Frederick Jackson Turner's The Significance Of The Frontier In American History
Is the modern American identity an outgrowth of European civilization, or is it a unique result of westward expansion? Frederick Jackson Turner's The Significance of the Frontier in American History raises an important question...