Interview of Professor Quentin Skinner - part 1

[kipling1957]

What I don't get: Given the chance to engage some of the finest minds in dialogue, the author of this and other interviews squanders the opportunity with dreadful sound production. I would at least beg or borrow a simple shotgun or lavalier mic for the job in the interest of clarity, not to mention a much more polished piece.

[TheBeardedThinker]

He has the voice of richard dawkins.

[66Nico]

Professor Skinner exemplifies all that is excellent and virtuous in the Cambridge tradition of scholarship. A fabulous talent. When one considers the depth and richness of his work compared to the facile product of telly don Niall Ferguson, I am delighted that Cambridge- and the UK- retain Skinner here and Oxford export Ferguson over there.

[KB77Group1]

^^ !

[kofixop]

the title of this vid isn't descriptive enough -

[dogbluerocky]

I can't believe this guy reads so much. He should hit the gym more often.

[suba1234]

His books are brilliant. Thoroughly researched. beautifully and clearly written. I'm reading his 'Reason and Rhetoric in the Philosophy of Hobbes'. I can't wait to read "Visions of Politics I-III".

[chel3SEY]

@suba1234 He's charming and kind and brilliant. A true gentleman and scholar. But "Reason and Rhetoric..." will bore your socks off, unless you have a great interest in the classical grammar school curriculum in the late-16th century. Zzzzzzz.

[suba1234]

@chel3SEY I beg to differ. Surprisingly, I thoroughly enjoyed "Reason.." and found it utterly absorbing and readable. I'm doing my PhD on Hobbes and profited considerably by reading that book. I found the analysis of those rhetorical techniques, their revival in Hobbes' time most fascinating, but then again tastes differ. Still, it remains one of the most interesting books on Hobbes I've read. Have you read "Hobbes and Republican Liberty" also by Skinner? I enjoyed that one too.

[chel3SEY]

@suba1234 You must have a high threshold of boredom. You probably enjoyed both volumes of "Foundations" too. Tedious in the extreme, I found. Different strokes for different folks, I suppose. Skinner has done a lot to kill off political thought in British higher education. He has consigned it to pure history and underscored its utter irrelevance to everyone but the scholarly pedants.

[suba1234]

@chel3SEY I think boredom is a rather relative concept...Some people find Aristotle, Sextus, or even Plato boring, to say nothing about authors like Hobbes or Galileo; I've found their works heavy, but profound. I feel that way about Skinner and other authors dealing with political thought, though they're not everyone's cup of tea. Btw, what do you think of Leo Strauss? He's another author I admire. I find his formulations particularly precise and loaded.

[matabeleman]

eliteist

[matabeleman]

elitist

[shaiiihulud]

I would love to have him as my lecturer, he's so...likeable, and understandable. Love his podcasts as well

[015tg]

Absolutely, I've never come across anyone who expresses themselves so wonderfully clearly.

[ouantony]

This is just great!