Audible Philosophers Project: Manifesto and FAQ

The great works of philosophy are often subtle and profound, and this is one reason why their contents are difficult for new students to absorb. This, however, is not the only obstacle to understanding. The complexity and unfamiliarity of the diction is another important barrier for young readers. Those who are unable to parse the long and intricate sentences of classic philosophical works are thereby unable also to reflect critically on the important ideas that those sentences express. It is our task as educators to maximize the comprehensibility of a difficult subject without excessively watering down its content. Undergraduates who were asked to read along with our audio performance of Hume's first Enquiry consistently reported that the ability to listen to Hume's words made the text easier to understand.

It is unsurprising that simultaneous stimulation of several sense modalities, like sight and hearing, would result in greater comprehension and retention than visual stimulation only. This commonsensical hypothesis has been confirmed in many controlled experiments. Though listening while reading will not help everybody, the costs of making this enduring resource available are so low that it is worth it to compile a substantial audio library of important philosophical works. Its usefulness goes beyond merely supplementing undergraduate education. Students with severe visual impairments often have their assigned readings recorded on tape by the paid staffers of university disability services. Those tapes are not kept for future semesters, nor are they shared with other universities. Observing this needless duplication of effort is what originally led to the idea of archiving readings online. It is the hope of this project that the files provided here will be used in a wide variety of ways, for example, by non-native English speakers, for entertainment and edification, for review, as substitutes for sleeping pills, etc.

This is all possible because the files provided here are permanently in the public domain. Once a book is read and archived here, it will be available forever. There are no restrictions on how these files are hosted, shared, stored and used. Their small size makes the cost of storage and distribution negligible. Fifty hours of reading fits on a single CD-R. Furthermore, because advanced programs for peer-to-peer sharing of mp3 files are available, these files will remain legally accessible even if they should cease to be hosted by an official institution.

The content for this site is also very easy to create. A microphone and a 21st century computer are the only necessary hardware. Software for editing digital sound recordings is available without cost. Because of the low barriers for production and the great and enduring usefulness of the product, it is hoped that our library will grow quickly.

FAQ