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Classical Wisdom Speaks

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A Podcast dedicated to bringing ancient wisdom to modern minds. This podcast is provided by Classical Wisdom, to learn more check out www.classicalwisdom.com
89 Episodes
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Why should we say “no”? What is the importance of being able to do so? And can the ancient philosophy of cynicism help us with our modern ills? Today we’ll look at one of the most controversial philosophers from the classical world - Diogenes the Dog - and how his example can be good for us...?Today’s Classical Wisdom Speaks Podcast is with M. D. Usher is the Lyman-Roberts Professor of Classical Languages and Literature and a member of the Department of Geography and Geosciences at the University of Vermont. Mark has recently published a book with PUP called, “How to Say No: An Ancient Guide to the Art of Cynicism ”, of which we’ll be speaking about today. You can find "How to Say No: An Ancient Guide to the Art of Cynicism" here.This podcast was brought to you by Classical Wisdom, a site dedicated to bringing ancient wisdom to modern minds. You can sign up for our free newsletter and bring the classics to your inbox here: https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/
Is Democracy dying? Polls show that Americans on both sides of the political spectrum feel it’s under attack... but does the situation have to be so dire?Professors Brook Manville and Josiah Ober offer a guide to democratic renewal in order to guarantee civic rights of freedom, equality, and dignity. Tracing the long progression toward self-government through four key moments in democracy’s history: Classical Athens, Republican Rome, Great Britain’s constitutional monarchy, and America’s founding, they compare what worked and what failed in each case... to draw out lessons for how modern democracies can survive and thrive.You can their book, The Civic Bargain: How Democracy Survives, here.About the Speakers:Brook Manville is an independent consultant who writes about politics, democracy, technology, and business. Previously a partner with McKinsey & Co. and an award-winning professor at Northwestern University, he is the author of The Origins of Citizenship in Ancient Athens (Princeton) and A Company of Citizens: What the World’s First Democracy Teaches Leaders About Creating Great Organizations (with Josiah Ober).Josiah Ober is the Constantine Mitsotakis Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford University and Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution. He is the author of The Rise and Fall of Classical Greece, Democracy and Knowledge: Innovation and Learning in Classical Athens (both Princeton), The Greeks and the Rational: The Discovery of Practical Reason, and other books.--This event is brought to you by Classical Wisdom. To learn more about us and to enjoy our free newsletter, please go to: https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/
Public bathhouses embodied the Roman way of life, from food and fashion to sculpture and sports. The most popular institution of the ancient Mediterranean world, the baths drew people of all backgrounds....but were all welcome there?Using the Roman bathhouse - a place suffused with nudity, sex, and magic - as a social laboratory, Professor Yaron Eliav reveals how Jews (and Christians) interacted with Greco-Roman culture... resulting in a cross-cultural engagement that shaped Western civilization as we know it.Enjoy this provocative discussion with Yaron Eliav and Anya Leonard and discover Jews of antiquity and their relationships in the Classical World.Yaron Z. Eliav is associate professor of rabbinic literature and Jewish history of late antiquity at the University of Michigan. He is the author of God’s Mountain: The Temple Mount in Time, Place, and Memory and the producer of the documentary Paul in Athens.Yaron's newest book, A Jew in the Roman Bathhouse, challenges us to rethink the relationship between Judaism and Graeco-Roman society, shedding new light on how cross-cultural engagement shaped Western civilization.You can learn more about "A Jew in the Roman Bathhouse" HERE:https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691243436/a-jew-in-the-roman-bathhouseThis discussion was hosted by Classical Wisdom. To learn more about Classical Wisdom and to subscribe to our free newsletter, please go to: https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/*** Please note, this was recorded in June 2023***
What’s a day on one of the most exciting and famous archaeological sites in the world? Let’s take a tour with the man running the show at the Athenian Agora.. Today's Classical Wisdom Speaks Podcast is with John K. Papadopoulos, Distinguished Professor of Archaeology & Classics, UCLA, and the newly appointed Director of the Athenian Agora Excavations.You can learn more about this exciting project here: https://www.ascsa.edu.gr/excavations/athenian-agoraThis Podcast is brought to you by Classical Wisdom, a site dedicated to bringing ancient wisdom to modern minds. You can now find us - along with our free newsletter at https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/
Why are video games set in the ancient world? What are some of the major examples? How are women represented in these games? And why does this matter? I honestly know nothing about video games, with or without classical references. And yet, I enjoyed a fascinating conversation with Professors Cook and Draycott which revealed quite a lot about both the ancient world and the modern players who love it.So even if you are a complete video game neophyte, like yours truly, or well versed in this virtual world, please enjoy this Classical Wisdom Speaks Podcast with Professors Jane Draycott, Lecturer at the University of Glasgow, Scotland and Kate Cook, Associate Lecturer in Classics at the University of St Andrews, Scotland. They are also the editors of the recently released book published by Bloomsbury called “Women in Classical Video Games”, of which we will speak about today.You purchase Professors Draycott and Cook's book here: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/women-in-classical-video-games-9781350241930/#You can learn more about Classical Wisdom and sign up for our free newsletter dedicated to bringing ancient wisdom to modern minds here: https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/
From the Corporate to the Political - how can we find our modern values in ancient lessons? What if Plato ran Facebook? Or Socrates was in charge of Apple? Can you imagine Aristotle running Amazon or  General Motors? Today’s Classical Wisdom Speaks' guest has thought of just that... and how these ancient thinkers can help with both the corporate and the political world today.... And maybe more importantly, how they can help us find shared values in our devise world.  Featuring Tom Morris, one of the world's top public philosophers and pioneering business thinkers. He is a legendary speaker whose electrifying talks reengage people around their deepest values and reignite their passion for work and life... as well as author of over 30 books, including “If Aristotle Ran General Motors”, and most recently,  “The Everyday Patriot: How to be a Great American."To learn more about Classical Wisdom and to sign up for our Free newsletter, please go to: https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/ You can purchase Tom's book, “The Everyday Patriot: How to be a Great American.", here: https://www.amazon.com/Everyday-Patriot-How-Great-American/dp/1737722712#
How did the ancient Egyptians handle war, plague and inequality? How did their unique geography shape their history? What was their community 'glue'? Today’s Classical Wisdom Speaks podcast is with Dr. Kathlyn (Kara) Cooney. Professor of Egyptian Art and Architecture at UCLA, Kara Specializes in craft production, coffin studies, and economies in the ancient world. Cooney produced a comparative archaeology television series, entitled Out of Egypt, which aired in 2009 on the Discovery Channel and is available online via Netflix and Amazon.Please go to Classicalwisdom.substack.com to learn more about our work and to sign up for our Free newsletter. To read Kara Cooney’s newsletter, you can also find her on substack at https://afterlives.substack.com/.
What is the role of philosophy in history? Do philosophers come up with ideas that spread and influence the world? Or are their works the cumulation of the advances of society? How do good ideas spread? And is this a time for optimism? Today’s episode of Classical Wisdom Speaks is with Robert Tracinski, editor of Symposium, a journal of liberalism, author of the The Tracinski Letter (https://tracinskiletter.substack.com/) and a Senior fellow at the Atlas Society. We’ll be looking at the relationship between philosophy and history, the "Thales Objection" and Robert’s idea on the virtuous circle.Please check out https://Classicalwisdom.substack.com to sign up for our free newsletter - We are a reader supported publication and its our wonderful community that makes our site and this podcast possible.
Stoicism and the Game

Stoicism and the Game

2023-03-3143:23

 Vitaliy Katsenelson, a podcaster and expert on value investing, and the author of a recent book on Stoicism called Soul in the Game, discusses how Stoicism has influenced his perspective, his book and his investing. To learn more about Vitalyi’s work,  please check his website: https://contrarianedge.com/You can learn more about Classical Wisdom and sign up for our free newsletter here: https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/
The story of Medusa has captivated us for thousands of years, that of the beautiful woman turned into a monster... Why has this myth permeated culture so much... and why do we need to revisit this ancient tale?This week's Classical Wisdom Speaks Podcast is with Natalie Haynes, author of several books, including A Thousand Ships, which was a national bestseller and shortlisted for the 2020 Women’s Prize for Fiction. Natalie is also a comedian as well as a broadcaster for the BBC. She has written for The Times, The Independent, The Guardian, and The Observer and today’ we’ll talk about her newest book, Stone Blind. You can purchase Stone Blind Here.Learn more about Classical Wisdom and sign up for our free newsletter here: https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/ 
Is the West in Decline? Is it the end of days or media hype? And what is the "West" anyways?In this episode of Classical Wisdom Speaks with Spencer Klavan, we discuss how ancient wisdom is necessary to solve modern crises, why ordinary people are the essential component to the solution and whether we can/should save the West. Spencer Klavan is a classicist with a Ph.D. from Oxford, and host of the Young Heretics podcast, as well as assistant editor of the Claremont Review of Books and The American Mind. He is also author of "Music in Ancient Greece: Melody, Rhythm", and Life as well as most recently "How to Save the West: Ancient Wisdom for 5 Modern Crises".You can buy Spencer's book (JUST OUT) here.Learn more Ancient Wisdom with Classical Wisdom. Check out our articles and Sign up for our free newsletter here: Https://classicalwisdom.substack.com
Whether you are planning a trip to Greece, if you've been and want to see if you got the 'must-see' spots, or you fancy some fun armchair travels, this Classical Wisdom Speaks podcast is a MUST LISTEN for ancient history lovers. Leading us through the archeological sites is veteran guide, Aristotle Koskinas. With 20 years in the field and hundreds of sites under his belt, Aristotle gives us the truly insiders guide on where to travel in Greece for the best ancient sites, hidden gems and even the unknown must sees. Get ready to explore Ancient Olympia, Naxos, Delphi and more... New to Classical Wisdom? Check out our website for our free newsletter and articles here: https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/You can follow Aristotle's work here: https://aristotelisguidegr.wordpress.com/
How do the major ancient Greek philosophies really compare? Are some more applicable to our modern lives than others? Today we'll try to step back and get the 'bigger' picture in our attempt to understand, analyze and compare the major ancient Greek philosophies... all in one podcast. Fortunately, we have none other than the very gifted and knowledgable Gregory Sadler, the President and co-Founder of  ReasonIO, Editor of Stoicism Today and Adjunct Professor in Philosophy and Humanities and the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design as well as Lecturer in Philosophy and Business Ethics, Carthage College.To learn more about Classical Wisdom Speaks and sign up for our free newsletter, please go to https://classicalwisdom.substack.com To learn more about Greg and his excellent projects, please go to: LinkedIn Profile | https://www.linkedin.com/in/reasonioPhilosophy videos | https://www.youtube.com/user/gbisadlerSadler's Lectures podcast | https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadlerWisdom for Life radio show | https://www.riverwestradio.com/show/wisdom-for-life/Classical Wisdom Members can listen to the entire podcast with Greg Sadler on https://classicalwisdom.substack.com
What does the ancient Greek philosophy have to do with African Proverbs and the concept of Ubuntu? Perhaps in more ways than you may think... This week's Classical Wisdom Speaks episode is with Tiišetšo Maloma from South Africa, who is an Innovation Scholar, Product Creator, Entrepreneur and author of several books, including ‘Introducing Ubuntu Stoicism: Gain Joy, Resilience, Productivity, and Defuse Anxiety.’We'll be discussing linguistic roots, Individualism vs Collectivism as well as Proverbs & Philosophy... To learn more about Classical Wisdom Speaks and sign up for our free newsletter, please go to https://classicalwisdom.substack.com To purchase Tiišetšo Maloma's book,  ‘Introducing Ubuntu Stoicism: Gain Joy, Resilience, Productivity, and Defuse Anxiety’, please go to here. 
How can we be more virtuous? Can we teach our children virtue? And what about politicians? Well, the latter is probably the most difficult, but continuing our current cycle of cynicism isn't exactly helping us out either... So what can we *actually* do to make a better society for ourselves... and for the next generation? Today’s Classical Wisdom Speaks podcast is with Massimo Pigliucci, the K.D. Irani Professor of Philosophy at the City College of New York and author of many books, including "How to Be a Stoic: Using Ancient Philosophy to Live a Modern Life"... and most recently, “How to Be Good: What Socrates Can Teach Us About the Art of Living Well”To learn more about Classical Wisdom Speaks and sign up for our free newsletter, please go to https://classicalwisdom.substack.com To learn more about Massimo and his excellent books, please go to https://massimopigliucci.org/Classical Wisdom Members can listen to the entire podcast with Massimo Pigliucci on https://classicalwisdom.substack.com
Are you ready to take on a musical journey from the Patagonian Mountains that will immediately transport you to the ancient world? This is a podcast unlike any you have heard before... We know the importance of music in ancient Greece; the backdrop to every ceremony, festival and religious endeavor it also accompanied dinners, symposiums, and literature itself. Indeed, the plays and poems we love so dearly were all sung... But what did ancient music sound like? What instruments and melodies did they use? And how can we reconstruct these ancient sounds today? Today’s Classical Wisdom Speaks podcast is with Argentine luthier and musician Alberto Magnin and Classical Wisdom’s former editor, Kristin Deasy; they will take you on an investigation of ancient instruments that will deepen your cultural understanding of the ancient world, bringing sound to history.Best of all, Alberto and Kristin will perform ancient melodies on ancient instruments... immediately transporting you to another time and place. To learn more about Classical Wisdom Speaks, please go to https://classicalwisdom.substack.com You can find Alberto Magnin’s music on: Sound Cloud - https://soundcloud.com/albertomagnin Apple music - https://music.apple.com/ar/artist/alberto-magnin/904106327Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/63Vv31lt7Bh3kIRUlEcWVC Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChNkl3qhlnjMhphWGyTNixw
How to Grieve: From Cicero and Stoicism to Modern practices, How Can Philosophy HELP US Handle Loss? Panel DiscussionIn 45 BCE, the Roman statesman Cicero fell to pieces when his beloved daughter, Tullia, died from complications of childbirth. But from the depths of despair, Cicero fought his way back. In an effort to cope with his loss, he wrote a consolation speech―not for others, as had always been done, but for himself. And it worked.Cicero’s Consolation was something new in literature, equal parts philosophy and motivational speech. Drawing on the full range of Greek philosophy and Roman history, Cicero convinced himself that death and loss are part of life, and that if others have survived them, we can, too; resilience, endurance, and fortitude are the way forward.This panel discusses the revelations of Cicero’s consolation and how they relate to both the ancient philosophy of Stoicism and modern behavioral cognitive therapy... all with the aim of finding a better understanding on how to grieve.Watch eminent professors and authors, Michael Fontaine, Massimo Pigliucci, and Donald Robertson for this thought-provoking, important conversation. About the Speakers:Michael Fontaine is Professor in the Department of Classics at Cornell University, New York and author of many books and articles, including: How to tell a Joke, The Pig War, How to Drink: A classical Guide to Imbibing, and most recently, How to Grieve: An Ancient Guide to the Lost Art of Consolation.Massimo Pigliucci is the K.D. Irani Professor of Philosophy at the City College of New York and author of many books, including How to Be a Stoic: Using Ancient Philosophy to Live a Modern Life... and most recently, How to Be Good: What Socrates Can Teach Us About the Art of Living Well. Donald Robertson is a writer, cognitive-behavioral psychotherapist and trainer, specializing in teaching evidence-based psychological skills and is the president of Plato’s Academy Center.  Donald is the author of several books and many articles on philosophy, psychotherapy, and psychological skills training, including How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius, and his most recent project, Verissimus: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius, a graphic novel has just been released.Anya Leonard is the Founder and Director of Classical Wisdom, a site dedicated to bringing ancient wisdom to modern minds. Co-founded in 2013 with Bill Bonner, in conjunction with Les Belles Lettres, the French publishing house.  She has recently published a children’s book, Sappho: The Lost Poetess, dedicated to the life, works and remarkable recent discovery of a poem written by the 7th century Poetess, Sappho.You can learn more about Classical Wisdom and our mission to bring ancient wisdom to modern minds here: https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/
From the highway killers confronted by the Greek hero Theseus, such as Procrustes, who tortured and mutilated their victims to the Sphinx, or “strangler,” from the story of Oedipus.. Or child-killing demons and witches and historical figures such as Locusta of Gaul, the most notorious poisoner in the early Roman Empire....Who are the serial killers of the ancient world? From the highway killers confronted by the Greek hero Theseus, such as Procrustes, who tortured and mutilated their victims to the Sphinx, or “strangler,” from the story of Oedipus.. Or child-killing demons and witches and historical figures such as Locusta of Gaul, the most notorious poisoner in the early Roman Empire....Who are the serial killers of the ancient world? Usually thought to be a more modern phenomenon, Dr. Debbie Felton makes the case that you can find these notorious murderers throughout ancient history and mythology alike. To learn more about Classical Wisdom Speaks, please go to https://classicalwisdom.substack.com Debbie Felton is the Professor of Classics and Undergraduate Program Director at UMass-Amherst. She is the author and editor of many books which focus on antiquity, folktales, the supernatural and the monstrous, but today we discuss her latest book, Monsters and Monarchs: Serial Killers in Classical Myth and History.Classical Wisdom Members can listen to the entire podcast with Professor Felton on Classical Wisdom.com. You can purchase Debbie’s book, Monsters and Monarchs: Serial Killers in Classical Myth and History on amazon.com or https://utpress.utexas.edu/ 
Not just for dinner parties and sleepy children, learning how to tell a story is an essential component of understanding literature... but do we only become great at it when we break the rules? We discuss Aristotle's necessary components for storytelling... and why...or why not they matter.This week's Classical Wisdom Speaks podcast is with Phillip Freeman, Professor of Humanities and Fletcher Jones Chair of Western Culture in the Humanities/ Teacher Education Division at Seaver College of Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. Phillip is author of many interesting and diverse books, including his most recent: How to Tell a Story, An Ancient Guide to the Art of Storytelling for Writers and Reader, which is a highly readable new translation of Aristotle’s Poetics.Thank you for listening to Classical Wisdom Speaks. Please go to https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/ to learn more about our work and to sign up for our Free newsletter. To learn more about Philip Freeman and his excellent books, please go to https://philipfreemanbooks.com/
Mark Antony and Cleopatra on one side... Octavian and his brilliant general on the other. It's one of the most riveting, decisive and climatic moments in ancient history... and yet still such a mystery.How was it that Cleopatra and Mark Antony were defeated... when they had much larger forces? What were the pivotal - never discussed - moments beforehand that gave Octavian the upper hand?And what really happened that fateful day when Mark Antony's ships simply didn't set sail?Discover the gripping story of one of history’s most important wars, the campaign culminating in the Battle of Actium in 31 BC... the war that made the Roman Empire.Featuring Cornell Classics Professor Barry Strauss, naval warfare expert William M. Murray and famed Egyptologist Kara Cooney, moderated by Anya Leonard, founder and director of Classical Wisdom.Help support the classics! Find out more about Classical Wisdom and the work we are doing at our new location: https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/About the Speakers:Barry Strauss is the Professor of History and Classics, Bryce and Edith M. Bowmar Professor in Humanistic Studies at Cornell University, specializing as a military and naval historian. Barry is also the visiting Corliss Dean Page Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Series Editor of Princeton’s Turning Points in Ancient History, an author of many bestselling books, including: The Death of Caesar, Ten Caesars and most recently, ˆˆThe War that Made the Roman Empire: Antony, Cleopatra and Octavian at Actium.Dr. Kathlyn (Kara) Cooney is a professor of Egyptian Art and Architecture at UCLA. Specializing in craft production, coffin studies, and economies in the ancient world, Cooney received her PhD in Egyptology from Johns Hopkins University. In 2005, she was co-curator of Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Cooney produced a comparative archaeology television series, entitled Out of Egypt, which aired in 2009 on the Discovery Channel and is available online via Netflix and Amazon.William M. Murray is the Mary and Gus Stathis Professor of Greek History at the University of South Florida. His interests include all aspects of ancient seafaring from ships and their designs to trade, ancient harbors, naval warfare and weaponry. Over the past 40 years, he has worked at archaeological sites, both underwater and on land, in Greece, Israel, Turkey, France and Italy. He is currently a member of the Egadi Island Survey Project recovering ancient warship rams and other battle debris from the last naval battle of the First Punic War (241 BC) and is also preparing, with others, the final publication of excavations conducted at Augustus’ Victory Monument near Nicopolis in Greece.Moderated by Anya Leonard, founder and director of Classical Wisdom, a site dedicated to bringing ancient wisdom to modern minds.
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Comments (6)

Granny InSanDiego

"What is the relationship between philosophy and history" presents an absurd claim at the outset, a Pollyanna view of the current state of the world and the US in particular. How can these preening ivory tower intellectuals have failed to notice things like multiple mass murders daily, the loss of abortion rights and the loss of women having liberty over their own person, and a looming default on the national debt and the blatant rigging of our elections by gerrymandering on a grand scale? How about run away climate change, a plainly corrupt and politicized Supreme Court, virtual book burning of textbooks which tell about our racist, slave owning past and the actual existence of a spectrum of sexual identities, and our current epidemic of brutal police violence against minorities? How about drug shortages, the decision to abandon the women in Afghanistan so we could start a proxy war with Russia and a cold war with China? How about the fact that half the country voted for a predatory,

May 17th
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Granny InSanDiego

Seriously? The West is the legal construct of Capitalism and the artificial world of distortions it has imposed on all humanity. Climate change is real and will end life as we know it. The horrors of the Abrahamic religions have not met in any way the moral challenges we face. To put the primitive gibberish of the only text to come out of ancient Jerusalem, the Torah, and the new testament which followed on the same level of the masterpieces of ancient Greek and Rome is comparing dross to gold. This discussion was a new low for this podcast.

Mar 9th
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Granny InSanDiego

Is Ferguson a shill for the defense sector? China is most definitely NOT the biggest problem facing the US. The US created China by exporting all its factories and jobs to China, gutting the blue collar middle class, and enriching the billionaire class which funds the Manhattan Institute and allowing shills like Ferguson to dream up intellectually dishonest theories to paper over the real problems in the US. These are the concentration of enormous, untaxed wealth in a tiny elite which then exploits our historic racism and evangelical thought control to divide the populous and allow a minority political party to continue to protect and favor the obscenely rich.

Sep 27th
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Granny InSanDiego

Academics talking at each other, each in their own little bubble, half formed ideas, insider jargon and incompletely expressed thoughts make for a frustrating experience. Any time the arrogant conservative Niall Ferguson starts to pontificate, all hope is lost. Example, asibia! WTF?

Sep 27th
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Granny InSanDiego

I disagree totally with the idea that polytheistic religions were primitive. Instead, the 3 main Abrahamic religions are best described as primitive, promulgating the absurd notion that they have some special, secret formula which will get you into an imaginary place called heaven. They pass off biblical gibberish as if it is somehow profound, when it is pure and simple primitive, unenlightened, ignorant human story telling. There was nothing primitive about ancient Greek thought. It generally far surpasses any more modern concepts in terms of elegance, depth and sophistication. Once the ancient world succumbed to Christianity, 1000 years of dark ages prevailed. So please forebear from speaking about polytheistic beliefs as primitive on a podcast dedicated to classical wisdom.

Jul 3rd
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