Can We/Should We Save the "West"?

Can We/Should We Save the "West"?

Author: Classical Wisdom February 17, 2023 Duration: 52:26
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...

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
Who Was the Legendary Aeneas and Was He Real? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:20:22
Is there evidence to the tales of Aeneas and the Trojan refugees migrating to Italian shores? Classical Wisdom presents Petros Koutoupis, as he explores this narrative and attempts to shed light on the archaeology of the…
Apocalypse Now... Versus Apocalypse Then [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:59
Throughout the ages people have imagined “apocalypses”... but how they determined the end of the world shaped their philosophies... as is still the case. From natural disaster and moral revenge to our modern situation of…
Game Theory in the Ancient World [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:40
How aware are we when we make choices? From playing rock paper scissors and gambling to complex ethical decisions like the trolley problem and self-driving cars, game theory and choice theory are hugely important and imp…
The Death of Literary Fiction.... And its Resurrection? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:19
What is the future -as well as the past - of literary fiction? It is time for a Renaissance? Destined for the dustbin of history, to be discarded along with so many quaint anachronisms, or is the genre itself bound for a…
The Gathas, Zoroastrianism, and the Ancient World [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:20:36
Though it was the largest religion in the ancient world by both the number of adherents and geographical scope, Zoroastrianism is still vastly understudied in religion, history, and especially classics. What is Zoroastri…
The Sequel to the Odyssey? With Tad Crawford [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:07
How does the relationship between Odysseus and Telemachus play out? What does the son think about the murder of the suitors? And why exactly has this story of the Trojan Cycle captivated its listeners and readers through…
Was Aeneas a Classical Myth or Bronze Age Hero? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:17
The saying “History is myth and myth is history” is something we have been discussing a lot of late at Classical Wisdom. Where does the story of Aeneas lie? Today’s Classical Wisdom Speaks podcast is with Anthony Adolph,…
Plagiarism: What's the Problem? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:27:47
Plagiarism versus Forgery... Economic versus Individualistic Incentives... Virtuous copying versus pride in originality... In an era where the discussion of Plagiarism has become all the rage, it's important to look back…