#49 - How to Keep an Open Mind... Like a Skeptic!

#49 - How to Keep an Open Mind... Like a Skeptic!

Author: Classical Wisdom November 17, 2021 Duration: 28:09
Skepticism has woven its way throughout the entire history of philosophy... and yet as a formal school of thought it was (and still is) fairly niche and unknown. Why is that? What does Skepticism REALLY entail? And what can we learn from the remaining Skeptic works (of which there are so few) that can help us bridge our political divides? Richard Bett, Professor of Philosophy and Classics at Johns Hopkins University and author of How to Keep an Open Mind: An Ancient Guide to Thinking Like...

There's a quiet conversation happening across the centuries, and tuning into Classical Wisdom Speaks lets you overhear it. This isn't a dry lecture series, but a place where the vivid stories, enduring philosophies, and complex lives of the ancient world are examined for what they can tell us today. Each episode, brought to you by Classical Wisdom, feels like a thoughtful discussion with experts who are passionate about making these ideas accessible and relevant. You'll hear about the strategic dilemmas faced by Athenian generals, the poetic insights of Sappho, or the ethical questions posed by Stoic thinkers, all framed in a way that connects directly to contemporary life. The goal is to listen to these foundational voices not as historical artifacts, but as active participants in our own modern dilemmas. This history podcast thrives on the belief that the struggles for meaning, justice, and a good life are timeless, and that the ancients still have a lot to say if we know how to listen. The dialogue between past and present is surprisingly lively, and each episode invites you to join in, finding unexpected guidance and perspective from some of history's most profound minds.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Classical Wisdom Speaks
Podcast Episodes
In Search of Sarcophagi with Barry Ferst [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:20
Sarcophagus comes from Greek, with "sarco" meaning flesh and "phagus" meaning eater... but what can a flesh eating box tell us about the ancient Romans? Dr. Ferst drove a hundred thousand miles across four continents in…
Homer's Thebes... or lack thereof? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:47
Why doesn't Homer mention Thebes? It was a powerful city-state, at one point the most powerful in the Mediterranean... and yet it's conspicuously not prevalent in the great epics. Perhaps its absence speaks volumes... Th…
#50 - Sappho: The Lost Poetess [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:00
It was said her poetry will be sung as long as there are boats on the nile... There are still boats on the nile (last I checked) and yet almost no one know her works... So who exactly was Sappho? Why was she so controver…
#48 - Alexander the Great and Hernán Cortés: How Do They Compare? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:40
It's not the most intuitive comparison: Alexander the Great and Hernán Cortés... but what does the Macedonian Conquerer and the Spanish Conquistador have in common? We look at their commanding abilities, motivations as w…
#46 - Why did the Free City State Disappear? with Victor Davis Hanson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:17
Why did a system of over 1,500 autonomous city-states that had resisted a massive invasion in 480 BC, lose their independent statuses to Macedon 150 years later when they were far richer and more powerful? Victor Davis H…
#44 - What Control Do We Have Over the End of Empires? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:01
What control do we have over the End of Empires? And how can we prepare for their inevitable fall? Professors A.A. Long and William B Irvine and cognitive behavior therapist, Donald Robertson discuss the role we as indiv…
#43 - Anya Leonard on the Fall of Nations and End of Empires [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:50
Joel Bowman, of Bonner Private Research, interviews Anya Leonard from Classical Wisdom about the End of Empires and the Fall of Nations... in anticipation of this week's Symposium 2021 (August 21/22). Make sure to secure…

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