TED-Ed
Who Were the Vestal Virgins, and What Was Their Job?
Keeping the flame lit for the goddess Vesta was the primary job of the Vestal Virgins — but it also put their very lives in danger. An informative video takes viewers through the journey of Licinia, a young girl chosen to be a Vestal...
TED-Ed
What Can You Learn From Ancient Skeletons?
Skeletons may not be able to speak, but they can still tell us a lot. High schoolers watch a short video about the ways biological anthropologists can use a skeleton's bone structure to determine age, gender, place of birth, and social...
TED-Ed
Why Babies in Medieval Paintings Look Like Ugly Old Men
Have you ever noticed that babies in paintings from the Middle Ages look a little...strange? Find out why with an informative and amusing video about the moment artists decided to make babies look cute again.
The School of Life
Philosophy - René Descartes
Whether you say it in Latin (cogito ergo sum), French (je pense donc je suis), or in English (I think therefore I am), you are expressing the rationalism of French philosopher René Descartes. Learn more about Descartes's...
Macat
An Introduction to Bhabha’s The Location of Culture
Is there any such thing as a culture without some degree of hybridization? Homi K. Bhabha maintains that all cultures, particularly post-colonial, experience cultural hybridity that reflect in an individual's personal identity. Learn...
The School of Life
Philosophy - Baruch Spinoza
Can the understanding of science be the ultimate way to connect to God? Baruch Spinoza's attempt to create an ethical system based on science and a foundational connection to religion is the focus of a short philosophy video.
The School of Life
Philosophy - La Rochefoucauld
Entering and leaving a conversation with a witty one-liner is the clever conversationalist's goal. The Duc de La Rochefoucauld accomplished a lifetime of clever commentary with his collection of 504 philosophical aphorisms, The...
The School of Life
Philosophy - Blaise Pascal
Blaise Pascal's pessimism makes way for his readers' optimism, with his famous contemplative work, Pensées. High schoolers watch a short video that summarizes the historical philosopher's worldview and most popular aphorisms.
Macat
An Introduction to Edmund Gettier's Is Justified True Belief Knowledge?
Teenagers are at the perfect age to start holding strong beliefs and opinions—and to explore whether those beliefs are the same as having knowledge. A short video analysis of Edmund Gettier's paper "Is Justified True Belief Knowledge?"...
The School of Life
Philosophy - Montaigne
You can reach achievement with an ordinary, moral life without the proper education of past philosophy! So says Michel de Montaigne in a short analysis video that succinctly explains his views on academia, the virtue of a good...
Macat
An Introduction to John Stuart Mill's On Liberty
Having a unique and individual perspective can be helpful for society as well as for yourself! A video analysis of John Stuart Mill's On Liberty examines the British philosopher's views of freedom and liberty, as well as...
Macat
An Introduction to Alasdair MacIntyre's After Virtue
How can a society abide by moral philosophy if they don't know the moral code that they should follow? Alasdair MacIntyre's After Virtue is the subject of a short analysis video that examines his theory of the transition of...
The School of Life
Philosophy - Thomas Aquinas
The patron saint of teachers, Thomas Aquinas, believed in the importance of knowledge and expanding one's mind. A brief analysis of St. Thomas and his accomplishments, views, and contributions to Western civilization lends well to any...
The School of Life
Philosophy - Augustine
Can humans ever truly be happy? High schoolers learn about the beliefs of Augustine, later St. Augustine, including his theories about original sin, failure, and defeat, with a short analysis video about the theological philosopher.
Macat
An Introduction to Friedrich Hayek's The Road to Serfdom
Friedrich Hayek's 20th century work The Road to Serfdom warns readers against classical socialism and its tendency to stem from good intentions into total tyranny and control. A brief video explains Hayek's points about...
The School of Life
Philosophy - The Stoics
All you need to get through the difficult is hope. Not so, according to the Stoics. An explanatory video explains the mentality and worldview of Stoicism, including the ways that hope can hinder one's understanding, and how, despite the...
Macat
An Introduction to Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics
Discover Aristotle's view of happiness, or eudaimonia, with a short video that analyzes the Greek philosopher's Nicomachean Ethics. An applicable example of finding the golden mean when pursuing happiness connects ancient...
The School of Life
Philosophy - Aristotle
How easy is it to change your virtues? High schoolers learn about Aristotle and his philosophical views with a short analysis video. It links the value of art, particularly drama, to one's virtues, values, friendships, and social...
The School of Life
Philosophy - Epicurus
Imagine teaching at a school that focused on the study of happiness! A short video analysis discusses Epicurus and his philosophy of seeking true happiness, including the importance of friends, the value of helping others, and the...
The School of Life
Burke on: The Sublime
Feeling small and insignificant doesn't always have to be a negative sensation. Explore the sublime with a video analysis of Edmund Burke's 1757 work A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful,...
The School of Life
Plato On: The Allegory of the Cave
What would you say if someone told you that your dreams and goals are merely phantoms in your own mind? A video analysis of Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" from The Republic takes high schoolers through the famous metaphor,...
The School of Life
Marcel Proust
What is the meaning and purpose of life? Find out in a short video that summarizes the key ideas in Marcel Proust's A la recherche du Temps Perdu (In Search of Lost Time), that at two million words, just happens to be the longest...
The School of Life
Leo Tolstoy
War and Peace, Anna Karenina, The Death of Ivan Iiyich. Ah, the novels of Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, aka Leo Tolstoy. Introduce the writings of this famous social reformer with a video that details his life and major works.
The School of Life
Gustave Flaubert
How is it possible that an author can create sympathy in the minds of readers for characters who behave in ways that we disdain? Gustave Flaubert was able to accomplish such a goal with Madame Bovary. Introduce readers to this...