Philosophy Portal Reviews 

I have been an active participant in Philosophy Portal events for about a year and a half now and have enjoyed it deeply. As a psychoanalyst-in-training and with a PhD in Philosophy from the European Graduate School, I fit in well with the folks at the Portal who are delightfully weird, irrepressibly curious, enthusiastic, and reflective. Cadell's emphasis on using psychoanalytic principles for thinking philosophically is exciting and allows the learner to bring the philosophy into their own experience, rather than just learning concepts and argument structures. To my mind, psychoanalytic philosophy allows Being to become more profoundly linked with Thinking and the Portal is a great place to learn to do that.

Cadell is an excellent teacher, incredibly well-prepared, excited to discuss ideas, and produces masses of content for the eager participant to pick and choose from.

I agree with other reviewers that the lectures are long, complex, and cover vast amounts of material, so attending class requires a lot of commitment and endurance from its attendees. However, everything is recorded, so on the off-chance you can scrape out a few hours to return to the material, it's always there.

The site format is relatively simple to navigate, and if you have a question, Cadell is normally quite responsive.

The best thing about participating in the Portal is the writing opportunities. My PhD program did not support scholarly writing very much beyond the dissertation, so to have active encouragement, peer review, and optional 1:1s with Cadell about formulating papers and research ideas has been invaluable.

Highly recommend The Philosophy Portal for independent study in a great community of like-minded folks.

Five stars. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking to outsource their existential crisis to the cloud…(sub)

Philosophy Portal creates a rare digital space where thinking can slow down, questions can remain unanswered, and the fundamental uncertainties of existence can be explored together rather than solved alone.

Cadell's ability to clearly articulate profound and obscure concepts to bring them out to light is truly remarkable. His involvement with the course and his own personal life examples enriches the content of these concepts and makes them deeply relevant to everyday life.

I can truly recommend this and any other of his former or coming up courses knowing that if you put the time and effort to go though the teaching material, it could make a deep impact on you.

This event was really well done all around: easy to access, well-organized and -run, and featuring an interesting variety of thinkers -- some I know or have heard of, and a few altogether new voices.

Cadell breathes life into the grand texts of philosophy, making seemingly outdated works contemporary. The lectures do not merely deal with the text (which they do brilliantly) but go beyond the direct material in order to give a comprehensive understanding that grounds the material in modern thinking. This makes these mammoth philosophical texts accessible and allows the student to take them in their stride without compromising the time, patience and in-depth analysis needed to wrestle through them.
Cadell always ensures he spends time with his students after his lectures so as to not leave them astray in the thickets of the sheer condensation of the lecture's material. He is a fantastic teacher. And as well, with the collaborative telos of a collective anthology and a real notion towards community formation, Cadell excels in facilitating the student space.
Philosophy Portal is simply outstanding! Definitely the best resource out there to help you deep-dive into philosophy, and emerge from it having tarried with 'actual knowing', and questioning 'negativity'.

This course was fantastic, primarily due to the passion and conviction of Cadell. He has "skin in the game" and this shines through every interaction he has with the course. These are not lectures from a bored philosopher going through the motions of delivering the same material semester after semester. These are conversations that are alive and present. Cadell's main drive is to connect your philosophical journey with your personal journey. You see this not only in the community of students, but also in Cadell himself who is there grappling with the same themes in real time as you are. I myself am a complete philosophical novice, so while I wasn't in a position to participate as heavily as others, I benefitted enormously from Cadell's skill in explaining complex material with extreme legibility. His use of clear and simple language, thoughtful summaries, and the right amount of repetition is invaluable in understanding the material. He also makes it clear when he's offering more speculative or personal opinions. The best testimony I can offer is that I immediately signed up for the next course without hesitation!

the whole experience was great though I can't provide much feedback, I was going through a bunch of upheavals at the time so I couldn't fully participate.
but I've been using the recordings.

Cadell Last is the deep dive of deep dives going straight into the detailed reading of important classical texts including exposition, passionate reading, and great community. Great way to fill in educational gaps or re-ignite your passion for philosophy.

Dr. Cadell Last's courses are of a tremendous caliber. I participated in the "Phenomenology of Spirit Course" and the "Thus Spoke Zarathustra Course" and I truly have nothing but the highest praise for Philosophy Portal.

Not only does this platform provide students with a vibrant community of fellow learners (many of whom I deeply admire and have become close friends), but the depth of Dr. Last's philosophical insight is second to none.

The networking opportunities are invaluable: people at Dr. Last's courses are deeply intelligent, involved in exciting projects & careers, and are part of one of the most exciting movements in art and philosophy in decades.

Philosophy Portal is the centre of an emerging online subculture focused on quality, deep insight and no-holds-barred creativity, and for that it stands head and shoulders above the rest of the pack. If the knife's edge of philosophical discourse in 2022 is not here, then it is nowhere to be found.

Cadell is an amazing teacher, using analogies, stories and memes to highlight and explain deep philosophical thought.

My experience with Philosophy Portal has always been enriching and exhilarating. The courses Dr. Cadell Last offers are so in depth and thorough, unmatched not only online, but also when compared to institutional classes. While being very comprehensive, the subject material is at the same time made very accessible and relatable to one’s daily life. In this way, philosophy is brought to life. The conferences at the end of each course are both a wonderful way to demonstrate what students have personally learned from the course as well as a provide a bonding experience for the class; a dynamic, creative, and discursive space, which is so rare to find in educational spheres. I look forward to seeing whatever Philosophy Portal offers because of the genuine care and level of professionalism that it exudes in all that it does. I hope you’ll check out and participate in this groundbreaking space. Thank you!!!

It was well organised, A diversity of people and perspective with a read thread. And food for the truth, beauty and the good.

Philosophy Portal is creating an intellectually engaging experience online while removing technological barriers and annoyances. The email reminders were consistent and made it very clear about date, time and links for the online conference. I was able to log on without fuss. I was also able to get the information about the presenter line up and title of each presentation very easily so I could prioritize certain presentations I was particularly interested in.

The conference itself went off without a hitch. Stayed on time while delivering high quality presentations from each presenter. The flow from presentation to presentation was smooth and Cadell has a charming and firm way of moving the group on to accommodate time.

I liked that Cadell crisply recorded each presentation as it’s own video, so I can be confident that I will be able to watch anything I missed on YouTube very easily.

I appreciate philosophy portal for making it so streamlined to participate in their events so I can focus on the content of the presentations, which was excellent.

A place of openness, a clearing for new ideas. Philosophy Portal has clearly let philosophy happen in this space, allowing each one of us to engage with like minded people in a well organised structure that does not limit thinking, but brings out the most creative aspects of the learning process through a communal space of self expression. The conference on Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra demonstrated how Philosophy Portal has a broader vision alongside each person’s journey. That is: of connecting modern philosophy to the deepest problematics that haunt our generation, questions of being, of nothing, and of the possibility to rethink human potentiality today. Each presentation brought out its own engagement with Zarathustra and made for a fantastic trace that interconnects these broader problematics to each person’s own interests. Thanks Philosophy Portal!

Philosophy Portal is a unique emerging online university bringing its students to not only immerse themselves in deep and influential discourses in Western philosophy in an accessible way but also stimulating them to philosophise for themselves while at the same time enabling conversation and collaboration between its students.

I experienced it as easy to follow and the teaching pedagogically great. A good covering before the course giving it an overview and then going in to the details. Also interesting to get hold of so many perspectives from people (professionals) that has dug in to the material before. I found the long lectures hard to follow and stay focused on. Especially since it was not interactive (except for 3 hours in), and not much engagement during the lectures. I would definitely prefer more living lectures with breaks to stand up. It doesn't make sense to me to say: "we have much to cover, so let's just push it". Then I would prefer to cut the food up to be more "easy to swallow" and digest. Now I had to go back many times to previous lectures due to fatigue, and it is not guarantied that every scheduled lecture is timed to be realistic as endurance races. But then again, I can always go back. So much material to cover, which is good! I learned to philter what I had time for and not early in the course. Discussions between students is awesome for those that have time for it, I wish I could do that more in the future. It was useful to see some presentations about students in the discord, maybe even do that at the introduction on zoom next time? The more alive information is, the better.

Philosophy portal offers something more than just a qualitative course in philosophy. This is a place where real new thought emerges, experimental thinking is encouraged and new meaningful communities and friendships are born. As such, Philosophy Portal offers, in a digital format, what one would expect from a good University.

Highly recommended!

/ Daniel K (Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit - Course - 2022)

Philosophy Portal is a gift to people who want to develop creatively on a personal level by working with philosophical texts. Cadell chooses the texts because he cares deeply about them and has spent years engaging them. Lectures follow a logical form that gently holds wild ideas with curiosity and creativity. Cadell is the best teacher I’ve ever had; he grounds very abstract ideas in the human condition and encourages emotional understandings and personal connections to texts. Cadell is exceptionally generous with his time, providing many spaces outside lectures for questions, discussion, and exploration. Philosophy Portal itself has created an intellectual community I have fully participated in, developing deep, meaningful relationships with other thinkers/creators who inspire me. Philosophy Portal is a unique place for serious personal and philosophical reflection.

philosophyportal.online is a great independent learning environment that stimulates the discovery of being human. It's a great space where philosophy is made real and truthful. A great catalyst for personal development in general!

Excellent and deep teaching and inspiring learning environment. Each class was both meticulous and thought provoking, but most of all engaging. Great vibe.