How Should We Treat Animals?

How Should We Treat Animals?

Author: Classical Wisdom December 5, 2024 Duration: 40:41
The ancients had plenty of thoughts about animals... but are their insights helpful to us now? How did they treat animals? What did they think of them? And should we eat meat? Today’s Classical Wisdom Speaks podcast is with Mark Usher, the Lyman-Roberts Professor of Classical Languages and Literature and a member of the Department of Geography and Geosciences at the University of Vermont. With his wife, he also built, owns, and operates Works & Days Farm in Shoreham, Vermont. Today we’l...

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
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…
Why do some “Big Caesars and Little Caesars” Rise to the Top? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:54
What are Big and Little Caesars? Both in ancient and modern times? And are there certain political and social environments that are fertile for these sorts of Caesars in their rise to power? And should we know more about…