Podcasts about Aristotle

This is the recording from my invited talk on philosophical resources for understanding and managing anger, which was part of my alma mater Lakeland University's Thinkhaus talk series, given up at the Mead Public Library in Sheboygan, WI. The original recording from 2017 was made by a local high school AV club, which unfortunately didn't do a great job with sound, lighting, video, or editing, so I didn't release it at the time, but I've subsequently remastered it to improve all of those. In the talk, I discuss how ideas drawn from Plato, Aristotle, and Epictetus can help us to deal productively with the anger that we inevitably encounter or experience. Specifically, from Plato we learn how to identify the sorts of conflicts that are likely to lead to anger, from Aristotle how to assess our own anger responses, and from Epictetus how to shift our feeling of anger into a different feeling by reminding ourselves of why people do things that we take as wrong or offensive.

This is my relatively short talk given during the 2025 Plato's Academy multidisciplinary conference: The Philosophy of Love And Relationships. I was invited to approach the topic of the difficulties involved in the highest, fullest, and most paradigmatic form of friendship that Aristotle In the course of my presentation, I discuss the importance and influence of the distinction between three different kinds of friendship based on utility, pleasure, and the good or noble. I note that this distinction does not capture every sort of relationship or friendship Aristotle discusses. Then we briefly look at each of these three sorts of friendship, and discuss some of the difficulties involved in developing and sustaining the highest form of friendship. We then discuss the question of how virtuous Aristotle would require us to be in order to be a partner in the highest type of friendship, the answer to which is that we don't need to have all of the virtues, and we could be on our way to developing them. After that, we turn briefly to three later thinkers who engage with Aristotle's ideas and take them a bit further on the matter of friendship, looking for useful resources for understanding how we can best approach this matter of a true or genuine friendship The thinkers and works I reference and discuss in this presentation include: Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Eudemian Ethics Cicero, On Friendship Seneca, Letters 3, 9, 109 Plutarch, On Having Many Friends, How To Tell A Flatterer From A Friend

Back to Marrou, Part II Chapter X! This time it's all about rhetoric (we'll resist the temptation to go on and on). H. I. drops the bomb (boutade!) that in antiquity, rhetoric was the Queen of the Sciences, and Isocrates was a much more influential figure in terms of school training and life skills than Plato ever dared deam. Along the way, the guys break down the tension and attraction between rote preparation and improvisational skills, necessary hand gestures, and the pop phenomenon of funerary orations. Want to know how to send off your beloved in the proper, encomiastic fashion? Well, here's the Rand McNally deluxe version to guide you toward your destination. And by the way, it's never too early to think about what other names you'd have liked to have been known by. "Give me back a body and I will declaim again!"   And don't forget Aristotle: enter to win the brand-new collected works from Hackett Publishing, our generous sponsor. You can find it at this link.

This lecture, discussing the nature of "moral choice" or "deliberate choice" in Aristotle's moral theory, was delivered during the 7th Felician Ethics Conference at Felician College (Rutherford, NJ). In it, I discuss what I label the "Standard Interpretation" of prohairesis, which ties it explicitly to deliberation about means towards ends -- an interpretation stemming from focusing on Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics book 3 discussion of prohairesis. I then discuss a number of passages from across Aristotle's body of work which provide a broader context for understanding what prohairesis could be. I conclude by arguing that the Standard Interpretation, while correct in what it asserts, is far too restrictive to account for these other passages, so that prohairesis must be understood as a complex and more fundamental concept in Aristotelian moral theory.

We experience the world through what we notice, how we feel, and what we remember. Yet most organizations still focus on products instead of the experiences those products create. Mat Duerden has spent his career studying how experiences work, why they matter, and what turns an ordinary moment into something meaningful or even transformative. In this episode, Dart and Mat discuss what makes an experience meaningful and how reflection deepens its impact. They look at how organizations can build experience playbooks that bring brand, culture, and design together into one coherent story.Mat Duerden is the Department Chair of Experience Design and Management at the Marriott School of Business at Brigham Young University. He is the co-author of Designing Experiences and a researcher focused on how experiences become memorable, meaningful, and transformative.In this episode, Dart and Mat discuss:- Why attention drives every experience- What makes experiences memorable, meaningful, or transformative?- What designers of work can learn from studying leisure- How core design principles travel across contexts- Why experiences should be orchestrated, not staged.- How hardship can make experiences more powerful- How shared experiences build connection- What Bach and river rafting have in common- How telling the story helps learning stick- And other topics…Mat Duerden is the Department Chair of the Experience Design and Management program at the Marriott School of Business at Brigham Young University. His research examines how experiences become memorable, meaningful, and transformative, with a focus on reflection, storytelling, and attention. He is the co-author of Designing Experiences, written with Bob Rossman, and teaches experience design across business, education, and leisure contexts. Prior to academia, Mat worked extensively in outdoor recreation and youth development, shaping his interest in how shared experiences create connection.Resources Mentioned:Designing Experiences, by Mat Duerden & Bob Rossman: https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Experiences-Columbia-Business-Publishing/dp/0231191685 Nicomachean Ethics, by Aristotle: https://www.amazon.com/Nicomachean-Ethics-Penguin-Classics/dp/0140449493 Experience Economy, by Joe Pine & James Gilmore: https://www.amazon.com/Experience-Economy-Updated-Joseph-Pine/dp/1422161978Connect with Mat:Faculty Page: https://marriott.byu.edu/directory/details?id=5773 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mat-duerden-8740969/Work with Dart:Dart is the CEO and co-founder of the work design firm 11fold. Build work that makes employees feel alive, connected to their work, and focused on what's most important to the business. Book a call at 11fold.com.

Join us as we discuss Book IV of Plato's Republic, which we (surprisingly) both enjoyed! We continue our discussion by reflecting on the necessity of education for the existence of a culture, whether a state needs to be a certain size for unity to exist, and ultimately how Socrates' imagine state reflects the soul. Follow us on X!Give us your opinions here!

Stefan Molyneux looks into why people who feel their lives lack purpose tend to slide into nihilism rather than hedonism. He describes nihilism as the view that existence holds no real worth, and hedonism as chasing after pleasure above all else. Molyneux argues that actual contentment comes from focusing on virtue and ethical conduct, drawing on Aristotle's idea of eudaimonia.He points out that dropping one's ethical guidelines often pushes people toward temporary escapes through pleasure-seeking, but these fade over time and pull them toward nihilism. Molyneux also takes aim at today's economy for encouraging reliance on debt and rewarding unwise choices. In the end, he calls on his audience to embrace clear moral standards and consider how virtue plays a role in finding ongoing satisfaction.SUBSCRIBE TO ME ON X! https://x.com/StefanMolyneuxFollow me on Youtube! https://www.youtube.com/@freedomain1GET MY NEW BOOK 'PEACEFUL PARENTING', THE INTERACTIVE PEACEFUL PARENTING AI, AND THE FULL AUDIOBOOK!https://peacefulparenting.com/Join the PREMIUM philosophy community on the web for free!Subscribers get 12 HOURS on the "Truth About the French Revolution," multiple interactive multi-lingual philosophy AIs trained on thousands of hours of my material - as well as AIs for Real-Time Relationships, Bitcoin, Peaceful Parenting, and Call-In Shows!You also receive private livestreams, HUNDREDS of exclusive premium shows, early release podcasts, the 22 Part History of Philosophers series and much more!See you soon!https://freedomain.locals.com/support/promo/UPB2025

“Guilt is information. It's your inner compass saying, ‘This matters to you.'” - Lee Brower "When we Begin In Gratitude, we stop judging ourselves and start asking better questions." - Lee Brower “Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.” - Coach John Wooden "We are what we repeatably do." - Aristotle

This week we loved chatting with Bec Colless, who has 30+ years' experience in science communication, research translation and IP commercialisation, public and stakeholder relations, education and marketing. She has enhanced the reputations, funding and impact of universities and research organisations, innovative businesses – including her own travelling science show – government agencies, non-profits, museums and schools. Drawing on her decades of experience across science, journalism, government, industry and education, Bec shares practical advice on research impact, persuasive writing, value propositions and storytelling and why great communication always starts with empathy for your audience. From grant writing and credibility to Aristotle's rhetorical triangle and the hero's journey, this conversation is packed with actionable insights for researchers at every career stage. You can follow Bec and learn more about her work here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-colless/ Subscribe to our podcast newsletter, The ChitChat: https://mailchi.mp/06154eb97b24/welcome-to-lets-talk-scicomm

Today's episode is what you've been waiting for. That's right! It's our annual Christmas episode. This time, we used a different approach, talking through aspects of Christmas and celebration using Aristotle's Four Causes. You're going to love this conversation! *** Our new book — Scholé Every Day — is now out and available! If you want to help us promote it, head on over to Amazon and buy it ASAP — early sales are important on Amazon! Also, leaving a positive review is always appreciated. If you want to discuss the book, head over to the Sistership – just go to scholesisters.com/join and start a conversation thread. *** Click here to access today's show notes. Click here to join the FREE area of the Sistership.  

This week Dave and Jeff wrap up their discussion of John Wenham's fascinating, scholarly tour de force on the synoptic Gospels. Dealing with chapters 8 to 12, the conversation focuses on further considerations for Mark's Gospel, Ancient Testimony to Luke's Gospel, and these three, essential and concluding points: 1. How were the Gospels written? 2. Jesus-Tradition Oral and Written 3. When Were the Gospels Written? The answers might surprise you, based on patristic evidence, internal evidence, Qumran scroll evidence from 1972 – shedding light on Mark 6:52ff. – and the remarkable attestation in II Corinthians 8.8, that Luke is the brother who is "praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel." Wenham makes a persuasive argument that this refers to the composition of the third synoptic, and thus we have these dates according to the traditional form: Matthew was written before 40 A.D., in Hebrew; Mark was written no later than 45 A.D. in Rome; and Luke was written as early as 55 A.D. You won't want to miss these exciting conclusions. Also, be sure to check out our giveaway of the brand-new collected works of Aristotle by Hackett publishing, our sponsor. You can find it at this link.

“Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher. All is vanity.” Ecclesiastes 1:2 As a philosopher I have loved the great tradition of human wisdom. For many years I drank from the tributaries. Aristotle taught that the good life is something one lives, not something one acquires. Socrates taught that wisdom begins in humility. These insights nourished me long before I realized they were preparing me to recognize the far greater wisdom God has given in Scripture. The Greek thinkers stood downstream from a fountain they dimly sensed but could not reach. The book of Ecclesiastes speaks from that very source. Qoheleth, קהלת, the Assembler, often called the Preacher, gathers what God has revealed about life in this world. He describes the human condition with a single Hebrew word: hevel, breath, vapor. Not meaninglessness, but ungraspability - and paradox. Life slips through the fingers of those who try to seize it, and understanding reaches its limit in paradox. What cannot be possessed must be received. What we cannot control must become ours by gift. And this is why Ecclesiastes so often speaks the language of generosity. Work is a gift. Food and drink are gifts. Joy is gift. Companionship is gift. Time itself is gift. The Preacher calls us to leave behind the restless striving that characterizes life in the tributaries, and to return instead to the fountain where every good and perfect gift flows from the hand of the Giver. He also tells us something our age urgently needs to hear. There is nothing new under the sun. Our modern confidence in our own progress (central to the evolutionary mythos) is little more than hubris. We imagine ourselves advanced beyond our “primitive” forebears, yet our world repeats the same patterns of confusion and pride. Postmodern deconstruction, gender confusion, DEI initiatives, and cultural relativism are not new. They are ancient errors retold in new vocabulary. Ecclesiastes understood the human heart long before our age attempted to deconstruct it. Near the end of the book the imagery sharpens. “The words of the wise are like goads,” given by one Shepherd to guide us back toward the fountain of wisdom. When the risen Jesus confronted Saul and said, “It is hard for you to kick against the goads,” Paul, deeply trained in Greek language and philosophy, recognized the proverb immediately. The Shepherd's mercy often comes to us as a sharp turn, redirecting us from the dry channels of self-reliance back to the living waters of God Himself. The book ends where all honest searching must end. Fear God. Keep His commandments. Receive His gifts with gratitude. This is the whole duty of man, the culmination not only of the Bible's wisdom literature, but of every sincere philosophical quest. I wandered long among the tributaries, but Scripture led me home to the Fount of every blessing and tuned my heart to sing His grace. Here is a helpful overview of Ecclesiastes. May your listening be as blessed as ours was in the reading. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrsQ1tc-2w

“Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher. All is vanity.” Ecclesiastes 1:2 As a philosopher I have loved the great tradition of human wisdom. For many years I drank from the tributaries. Aristotle taught that the good life is something one lives, not something one acquires. Socrates taught that wisdom begins in humility. These insights nourished me long before I realized they were preparing me to recognize the far greater wisdom God has given in Scripture. The Greek thinkers stood downstream from a fountain they dimly sensed but could not reach. The book of Ecclesiastes speaks from that very source. Qoheleth, קהלת, the Assembler, often called the Preacher, gathers what God has revealed about life in this world. He describes the human condition with a single Hebrew word: hevel, breath, vapor. Not meaninglessness, but ungraspability - and paradox. Life slips through the fingers of those who try to seize it, and understanding reaches its limit in paradox. What cannot be possessed must be received. What we cannot control must become ours by gift. And this is why Ecclesiastes so often speaks the language of generosity. Work is a gift. Food and drink are gifts. Joy is gift. Companionship is gift. Time itself is gift. The Preacher calls us to leave behind the restless striving that characterizes life in the tributaries, and to return instead to the fountain where every good and perfect gift flows from the hand of the Giver. He also tells us something our age urgently needs to hear. There is nothing new under the sun. Our modern confidence in our own progress (central to the evolutionary mythos) is little more than hubris. We imagine ourselves advanced beyond our “primitive” forebears, yet our world repeats the same patterns of confusion and pride. Postmodern deconstruction, gender confusion, DEI initiatives, and cultural relativism are not new. They are ancient errors retold in new vocabulary. Ecclesiastes understood the human heart long before our age attempted to deconstruct it. Near the end of the book the imagery sharpens. “The words of the wise are like goads,” given by one Shepherd to guide us back toward the fountain of wisdom. When the risen Jesus confronted Saul and said, “It is hard for you to kick against the goads,” Paul, deeply trained in Greek language and philosophy, recognized the proverb immediately. The Shepherd's mercy often comes to us as a sharp turn, redirecting us from the dry channels of self-reliance back to the living waters of God Himself. The book ends where all honest searching must end. Fear God. Keep His commandments. Receive His gifts with gratitude. This is the whole duty of man, the culmination not only of the Bible's wisdom literature, but of every sincere philosophical quest. I wandered long among the tributaries, but Scripture led me home to the Fount of every blessing and tuned my heart to sing His grace. Here is a helpful overview of Ecclesiastes. May your listening be as blessed as ours was in the reading. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrsQ1tc-2w

Contribute to the East West Lecture Series fundraiser: theeastwestseries.com Join Jacobs Premium: https://www.thenathanjacobspodcast.com/membershipThe book club (use code LEWIS): https://www.thenathanjacobspodcast.com/offers/aLohje7p/checkoutThis episode explores the Eastern patristic understanding of Christmas through the doctrines of divine energies, synergy, and man as microcosm. Drawing on Aristotle, Philo of Alexandria, and Church Fathers like Athanasius, the discussion examines why all creation groans for the incarnation and how Christ's becoming creature rebuilds the bridge between God and cosmos. The incarnation is presented not merely as a legal transaction but as the initiation of cosmic healing—a "good infection" that restores humanity's mediating role and allows all creation to partake of divine nature.All the links: Substack: https://nathanajacobs.substack.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenathanjacobspodcastWebsite: https://www.nathanajacobs.com/X: https://x.com/NathanJacobsPodSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0hSskUtCwDT40uFbqTk3QSApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nathan-jacobs-podcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/nathanandrewjacobsAcademia: https://vanderbilt.academia.edu/NathanAJacobs

“Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher. All is vanity.” Ecclesiastes 1:2 As a philosopher I have loved the great tradition of human wisdom. For many years I drank from the tributaries. Aristotle taught that the good life is something one lives, not something one acquires. Socrates taught that wisdom begins in humility. These insights nourished me long before I realized they were preparing me to recognize the far greater wisdom God has given in Scripture. The Greek thinkers stood downstream from a fountain they dimly sensed but could not reach. The book of Ecclesiastes speaks from that very source. Qoheleth, קהלת, the Assembler, often called the Preacher, gathers what God has revealed about life in this world. He describes the human condition with a single Hebrew word: hevel, breath, vapor. Not meaninglessness, but ungraspability - and paradox. Life slips through the fingers of those who try to seize it, and understanding reaches its limit in paradox. What cannot be possessed must be received. What we cannot control must become ours by gift. And this is why Ecclesiastes so often speaks the language of generosity. Work is a gift. Food and drink are gifts. Joy is gift. Companionship is gift. Time itself is gift. The Preacher calls us to leave behind the restless striving that characterizes life in the tributaries, and to return instead to the fountain where every good and perfect gift flows from the hand of the Giver. He also tells us something our age urgently needs to hear. There is nothing new under the sun. Our modern confidence in our own progress (central to the evolutionary mythos) is little more than hubris. We imagine ourselves advanced beyond our “primitive” forebears, yet our world repeats the same patterns of confusion and pride. Postmodern deconstruction, gender confusion, DEI initiatives, and cultural relativism are not new. They are ancient errors retold in new vocabulary. Ecclesiastes understood the human heart long before our age attempted to deconstruct it. Near the end of the book the imagery sharpens. “The words of the wise are like goads,” given by one Shepherd to guide us back toward the fountain of wisdom. When the risen Jesus confronted Saul and said, “It is hard for you to kick against the goads,” Paul, deeply trained in Greek language and philosophy, recognized the proverb immediately. The Shepherd's mercy often comes to us as a sharp turn, redirecting us from the dry channels of self-reliance back to the living waters of God Himself. The book ends where all honest searching must end. Fear God. Keep His commandments. Receive His gifts with gratitude. This is the whole duty of man, the culmination not only of the Bible's wisdom literature, but of every sincere philosophical quest. I wandered long among the tributaries, but Scripture led me home to the Fount of every blessing and tuned my heart to sing His grace. Here is a helpful overview of Ecclesiastes. May your listening be as blessed as ours was in the reading. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrsQ1tc-2w

We continue our discussion of an entry in the 1963 Rand McNally publication, edited by Leonard Strauss and Joseph Cropsey, called "History of Political Philosophy." This episode contains discussion of pages 72 thru the middle of page 80 covering Book I of the Politics. That entry on Aristotle is by Harry V. Jaffa, who famously applied his understanding of Political Philosophy to the history of the Republican Party in American politics, and who, as such, influenced me profoundly through my mentors, who were mentored by him. He is thus one of my intellectual grandfathers. We continue our discussion of Harry Jaffa on Aristotle, pp. 72 thru the middle of page 80 covering Book I of Aristotle's Politics, discussing an entry published the year before the author wrote one of the most infamous (or famous, depending) Aristotelean speeches for 1964 presidential candidate Barry Goldwater (R, AZ). Jaffa also wrote one of the most influential phenomenological comparisons of the Democratic and the Republican parties using classical political philosophy for the political phenomenology in "Crisis of the House Divided" (University of Chicago Press) This episode includes a reading from Psalm 143 (KJV) and Streams in the Desert January 22nd (Cowman Publications: Los Feliz Station Lost Angeles, Calif. 1925). The Republican Professor is a pro-getting-political-philosophy right podcast. The Republican Professor is produced and hosted by Dr. Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D. Warmly, Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D. The Republican Professor Podcast The Republican Professor Newsletter on Substack https://therepublicanprofessor.substack.com/ https://www.therepublicanprofessor.com/podcast/ https://www.therepublicanprofessor.com/articles/ YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRepublicanProfessor Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRepublicanProfessor Twitter: @RepublicanProf Instagram: @the_republican_professor

“Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher. All is vanity.” Ecclesiastes 1:2 As a philosopher I have loved the great tradition of human wisdom. For many years I drank from the tributaries. Aristotle taught that the good life is something one lives, not something one acquires. Socrates taught that wisdom begins in humility. These insights nourished me long before I realized they were preparing me to recognize the far greater wisdom God has given in Scripture. The Greek thinkers stood downstream from a fountain they dimly sensed but could not reach. The book of Ecclesiastes speaks from that very source. Qoheleth, קהלת, the Assembler, often called the Preacher, gathers what God has revealed about life in this world. He describes the human condition with a single Hebrew word: hevel, breath, vapor. Not meaninglessness, but ungraspability - and paradox. Life slips through the fingers of those who try to seize it, and understanding reaches its limit in paradox. What cannot be possessed must be received. What we cannot control must become ours by gift. And this is why Ecclesiastes so often speaks the language of generosity. Work is a gift. Food and drink are gifts. Joy is gift. Companionship is gift. Time itself is gift. The Preacher calls us to leave behind the restless striving that characterizes life in the tributaries, and to return instead to the fountain where every good and perfect gift flows from the hand of the Giver. He also tells us something our age urgently needs to hear. There is nothing new under the sun. Our modern confidence in our own progress (central to the evolutionary mythos) is little more than hubris. We imagine ourselves advanced beyond our “primitive” forebears, yet our world repeats the same patterns of confusion and pride. Postmodern deconstruction, gender confusion, DEI initiatives, and cultural relativism are not new. They are ancient errors retold in new vocabulary. Ecclesiastes understood the human heart long before our age attempted to deconstruct it. Near the end of the book the imagery sharpens. “The words of the wise are like goads,” given by one Shepherd to guide us back toward the fountain of wisdom. When the risen Jesus confronted Saul and said, “It is hard for you to kick against the goads,” Paul, deeply trained in Greek language and philosophy, recognized the proverb immediately. The Shepherd's mercy often comes to us as a sharp turn, redirecting us from the dry channels of self-reliance back to the living waters of God Himself. The book ends where all honest searching must end. Fear God. Keep His commandments. Receive His gifts with gratitude. This is the whole duty of man, the culmination not only of the Bible's wisdom literature, but of every sincere philosophical quest. I wandered long among the tributaries, but Scripture led me home to the Fount of every blessing and tuned my heart to sing His grace. Here is a helpful overview of Ecclesiastes. May your listening be as blessed as ours was in the reading. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrsQ1tc-2w

Is Plato prescribing what he says in the Republic as literal guidance on how to run a state, or is this all just an extreme allegory for the ordering of the soul? Listen to us debate this exact question on this episode of Unlimited Opinions, discussing what messages in art ought to be outlawed; the relation of moral character and beauty; the different classes of citizens; and much more!Follow us on X!Give us your opinions here!

Kathleen O’Toole, associate vice president for K-12 Education at Hillsdale College, is joined by Christopher Nadon to discuss a recent essay he wrote on how educators are failing their students by embracing the importance of “lived experience.” Christopher Nadon (B.A., M.A., Ph.D., University of Chicago) has taught political philosophy and humanities at Emet Classical Academy, Claremont McKenna College, Trinity College, and Kyev-Mohyla Academy. He writes on the character and history of republican government understood as self-rule in authors such as Herodotus, Xenophon, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Sarpi, Hobbes, Locke, Tocqueville, and Lincoln. Learn more: https://k12.hillsdale.edu/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Him and his wife live on a picturesque 150 acres at the base of Cardigan Mountain in New Hampshire. In the winter, he often skis to his cabin office to introspectively write.He teaches how to persuade parents, children, and audiences of all sizes and to disagree without anger. Rhetoric lets us make choices together without wanting to kill each other. It inoculates us from evil manipulation. And it makes everything (advertising, movies, the persuasive wildlife in our backyard) endlessly interesting.Rhetoric once sat at the center of elite education. Alexander the Great, Shakespeare, and Martin Luther King, Jr., used it to build empires, write deathless literature, and inspire democracies. Now it will help you to take leadership over yourself; not through pop psychology or empty inspiration, but with persuasive tools that have been evaluated for more than three thousand years.The book has been published in eighteen languages and has four editions with more than 700,000 copies in print; at one point it ranked among the top ten books assigned at Harvard. A simpler guide is How to Argue with a Cat: A Human's Guide to Persuasion. Just for fun, he authored a novel, The Prophet Joan. And his latest book is Aristotle's Guide to Self-Persuasion.He is the author of “Thank You for Arguing: What Aristotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson Can Teach Us About the Art of Persuasion.” https://www.jayheinrichs.com/http://www.yourlotandparcel.org

“Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher. All is vanity.” Ecclesiastes 1:2 As a philosopher I have loved the great tradition of human wisdom. For many years I drank from the tributaries. Aristotle taught that the good life is something one lives, not something one acquires. Socrates taught that wisdom begins in humility. These insights nourished me long before I realized they were preparing me to recognize the far greater wisdom God has given in Scripture. The Greek thinkers stood downstream from a fountain they dimly sensed but could not reach. The book of Ecclesiastes speaks from that very source. Qoheleth, קהלת, the Assembler, often called the Preacher, gathers what God has revealed about life in this world. He describes the human condition with a single Hebrew word: hevel, breath, vapor. Not meaninglessness, but ungraspability - and paradox. Life slips through the fingers of those who try to seize it, and understanding reaches its limit in paradox. What cannot be possessed must be received. What we cannot control must become ours by gift. And this is why Ecclesiastes so often speaks the language of generosity. Work is a gift. Food and drink are gifts. Joy is gift. Companionship is gift. Time itself is gift. The Preacher calls us to leave behind the restless striving that characterizes life in the tributaries, and to return instead to the fountain where every good and perfect gift flows from the hand of the Giver. He also tells us something our age urgently needs to hear. There is nothing new under the sun. Our modern confidence in our own progress (central to the evolutionary mythos) is little more than hubris. We imagine ourselves advanced beyond our “primitive” forebears, yet our world repeats the same patterns of confusion and pride. Postmodern deconstruction, gender confusion, DEI initiatives, and cultural relativism are not new. They are ancient errors retold in new vocabulary. Ecclesiastes understood the human heart long before our age attempted to deconstruct it. Near the end of the book the imagery sharpens. “The words of the wise are like goads,” given by one Shepherd to guide us back toward the fountain of wisdom. When the risen Jesus confronted Saul and said, “It is hard for you to kick against the goads,” Paul, deeply trained in Greek language and philosophy, recognized the proverb immediately. The Shepherd's mercy often comes to us as a sharp turn, redirecting us from the dry channels of self-reliance back to the living waters of God Himself. The book ends where all honest searching must end. Fear God. Keep His commandments. Receive His gifts with gratitude. This is the whole duty of man, the culmination not only of the Bible's wisdom literature, but of every sincere philosophical quest. I wandered long among the tributaries, but Scripture led me home to the Fount of every blessing and tuned my heart to sing His grace. Here is a helpful overview of Ecclesiastes. May your listening be as blessed as ours was in the reading. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrsQ1tc-2w

As we remember the angels' announcement and the humble birth of Jesus, we're invited to rest in the truth that God is still at work in our world. Just as He brought light into a dark and waiting world, He continues to bring peace, guidance, and grace into our own uncertain places today. Message based on Mark 10:35-45, Luke 4:16-19Quotes:Thomas Merton: We are not at peace with others because we are not at peace with ourselves, and we are not at peace with ourselves because we are not at peace with God.W.H. Auden: We are here to serve. Why the others are here, I cannot imagine.Martin Luther King Jr. Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don't have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don't have to understand Einstein's "Theory of Relativity" to serve... You only need a hear full f grace, a soul generated by love and you can be that servant.To discover more messages of hope go to tallowood.org/sermons/.Follow us on Instagram, X, and YouTube @tallowoodbc.Follow us on FaceBook @tallowoodbaptist

What good is aesthetics in a time of ecological crisis? Toward a Premodern Posthumanism: Anarchic Ontologies of Earthly Life in Early Modern France (Northwestern UP, 2025) shows that philosophical aesthetics contains unheeded potentialities for challenging the ontological subjection of nature to the human subject. Drawing on deconstructive, ecological, and biopolitical thought, Chad Córdova uncovers in aesthetics something irreducible to humanist metaphysics: an account of how beings emerge and are interrelated, responsive, and even response-able without reason or why.This anarchic and atelic ontology, recovered from Kant, becomes the guiding thread for a new, premodern trajectory of posthumanism. Charting a path from Aristotle to Heidegger to today's plant-thinking, with new readings of Montaigne, Pascal, Diderot, Rousseau, and others along the way, this capacious study reveals the untimely relevance of pre-1800 practices of writing, science, and art. Enacting a multitemporal mode of reading, Córdova offers a defense and illustration of the importance of returning to early modern texts as a way to rethink nature, art, ethics, and politics in a time when these concepts are in flux and more contentious than ever. Author Chad Córdova is Assistant Professor in the Department of Romance Studies at Cornell University where he is also affiliated faculty in the Department of Environment and Sustainability. In addition to this new book, he is the author of many articles on figures and concepts that appear in this book, such as Montaigne, Kant, and Heidegger—most recently in Essais: Revue interdisciplinaire d'humanités and The Comparitist. Host Gina Stamm is Associate Professor of French at The University of Alabama. Their research is concentrated on the environmental humanities and speculative literatures of the 20th and 21st centuries, from surrealism to contemporary science fiction and feminist utopias, in Metropolitan France and the francophone Caribbean. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

What good is aesthetics in a time of ecological crisis? Toward a Premodern Posthumanism: Anarchic Ontologies of Earthly Life in Early Modern France (Northwestern UP, 2025) shows that philosophical aesthetics contains unheeded potentialities for challenging the ontological subjection of nature to the human subject. Drawing on deconstructive, ecological, and biopolitical thought, Chad Córdova uncovers in aesthetics something irreducible to humanist metaphysics: an account of how beings emerge and are interrelated, responsive, and even response-able without reason or why.This anarchic and atelic ontology, recovered from Kant, becomes the guiding thread for a new, premodern trajectory of posthumanism. Charting a path from Aristotle to Heidegger to today's plant-thinking, with new readings of Montaigne, Pascal, Diderot, Rousseau, and others along the way, this capacious study reveals the untimely relevance of pre-1800 practices of writing, science, and art. Enacting a multitemporal mode of reading, Córdova offers a defense and illustration of the importance of returning to early modern texts as a way to rethink nature, art, ethics, and politics in a time when these concepts are in flux and more contentious than ever. Author Chad Córdova is Assistant Professor in the Department of Romance Studies at Cornell University where he is also affiliated faculty in the Department of Environment and Sustainability. In addition to this new book, he is the author of many articles on figures and concepts that appear in this book, such as Montaigne, Kant, and Heidegger—most recently in Essais: Revue interdisciplinaire d'humanités and The Comparitist. Host Gina Stamm is Associate Professor of French at The University of Alabama. Their research is concentrated on the environmental humanities and speculative literatures of the 20th and 21st centuries, from surrealism to contemporary science fiction and feminist utopias, in Metropolitan France and the francophone Caribbean. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/critical-theory

What good is aesthetics in a time of ecological crisis? Toward a Premodern Posthumanism: Anarchic Ontologies of Earthly Life in Early Modern France (Northwestern UP, 2025) shows that philosophical aesthetics contains unheeded potentialities for challenging the ontological subjection of nature to the human subject. Drawing on deconstructive, ecological, and biopolitical thought, Chad Córdova uncovers in aesthetics something irreducible to humanist metaphysics: an account of how beings emerge and are interrelated, responsive, and even response-able without reason or why.This anarchic and atelic ontology, recovered from Kant, becomes the guiding thread for a new, premodern trajectory of posthumanism. Charting a path from Aristotle to Heidegger to today's plant-thinking, with new readings of Montaigne, Pascal, Diderot, Rousseau, and others along the way, this capacious study reveals the untimely relevance of pre-1800 practices of writing, science, and art. Enacting a multitemporal mode of reading, Córdova offers a defense and illustration of the importance of returning to early modern texts as a way to rethink nature, art, ethics, and politics in a time when these concepts are in flux and more contentious than ever. Author Chad Córdova is Assistant Professor in the Department of Romance Studies at Cornell University where he is also affiliated faculty in the Department of Environment and Sustainability. In addition to this new book, he is the author of many articles on figures and concepts that appear in this book, such as Montaigne, Kant, and Heidegger—most recently in Essais: Revue interdisciplinaire d'humanités and The Comparitist. Host Gina Stamm is Associate Professor of French at The University of Alabama. Their research is concentrated on the environmental humanities and speculative literatures of the 20th and 21st centuries, from surrealism to contemporary science fiction and feminist utopias, in Metropolitan France and the francophone Caribbean. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/environmental-studies

What good is aesthetics in a time of ecological crisis? Toward a Premodern Posthumanism: Anarchic Ontologies of Earthly Life in Early Modern France (Northwestern UP, 2025) shows that philosophical aesthetics contains unheeded potentialities for challenging the ontological subjection of nature to the human subject. Drawing on deconstructive, ecological, and biopolitical thought, Chad Córdova uncovers in aesthetics something irreducible to humanist metaphysics: an account of how beings emerge and are interrelated, responsive, and even response-able without reason or why.This anarchic and atelic ontology, recovered from Kant, becomes the guiding thread for a new, premodern trajectory of posthumanism. Charting a path from Aristotle to Heidegger to today's plant-thinking, with new readings of Montaigne, Pascal, Diderot, Rousseau, and others along the way, this capacious study reveals the untimely relevance of pre-1800 practices of writing, science, and art. Enacting a multitemporal mode of reading, Córdova offers a defense and illustration of the importance of returning to early modern texts as a way to rethink nature, art, ethics, and politics in a time when these concepts are in flux and more contentious than ever. Author Chad Córdova is Assistant Professor in the Department of Romance Studies at Cornell University where he is also affiliated faculty in the Department of Environment and Sustainability. In addition to this new book, he is the author of many articles on figures and concepts that appear in this book, such as Montaigne, Kant, and Heidegger—most recently in Essais: Revue interdisciplinaire d'humanités and The Comparitist. Host Gina Stamm is Associate Professor of French at The University of Alabama. Their research is concentrated on the environmental humanities and speculative literatures of the 20th and 21st centuries, from surrealism to contemporary science fiction and feminist utopias, in Metropolitan France and the francophone Caribbean. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/french-studies

This week Jeff and Dave continue their discussion of John Wenham's arguments against the hypothesis of Markan priority and the Q document as explaining the many similarities in the synoptic Gospels. Here they pick up with "external evidence" in chapter 5, after a concluding look at the internal evidence. Wenham argues in chapters 5 and following for the priority of Matthew, reestablishing the reliability of Papias and other church fathers like Irenaeus and Origen, in the overwhelming testimony that Matthew was first, and wrote Ἑβραΐδι διαλέκτῳ. Does this mean in a Semitic language like Hebrew or Aramaean – the traditional interpretation – or is the understanding commonly attributed to Eusebius correct, that Matthew wrote "in a Semitic style", but not necessarily in the Hebrew language? The arguments are complicated, and require very careful attention to sort the wheat from the chaff. Was Peter the inspiration for Mark's gospel? Was Peter in Rome, and if, so when? Come along for a careful look at a perennially interesting and pressing question, namely the relationship between the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Also, be sure to check out the giveaway of the brand-new collected works of Aristotle by Hackett publishing, our sponsor. You can find it at this link.

“Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher. All is vanity.” Ecclesiastes 1:2 As a philosopher I have loved the great tradition of human wisdom. For many years I drank from the tributaries. Aristotle taught that the good life is something one lives, not something one acquires. Socrates taught that wisdom begins in humility. These insights nourished me long before I realized they were preparing me to recognize the far greater wisdom God has given in Scripture. The Greek thinkers stood downstream from a fountain they dimly sensed but could not reach. The book of Ecclesiastes speaks from that very source. Qoheleth, קהלת, the Assembler, often called the Preacher, gathers what God has revealed about life in this world. He describes the human condition with a single Hebrew word: hevel, breath, vapor. Not meaninglessness, but ungraspability - and paradox. Life slips through the fingers of those who try to seize it, and understanding reaches its limit in paradox. What cannot be possessed must be received. What we cannot control must become ours by gift. And this is why Ecclesiastes so often speaks the language of generosity. Work is a gift. Food and drink are gifts. Joy is gift. Companionship is gift. Time itself is gift. The Preacher calls us to leave behind the restless striving that characterizes life in the tributaries, and to return instead to the fountain where every good and perfect gift flows from the hand of the Giver. He also tells us something our age urgently needs to hear. There is nothing new under the sun. Our modern confidence in our own progress (central to the evolutionary mythos) is little more than hubris. We imagine ourselves advanced beyond our “primitive” forebears, yet our world repeats the same patterns of confusion and pride. Postmodern deconstruction, gender confusion, DEI initiatives, and cultural relativism are not new. They are ancient errors retold in new vocabulary. Ecclesiastes understood the human heart long before our age attempted to deconstruct it. Near the end of the book the imagery sharpens. “The words of the wise are like goads,” given by one Shepherd to guide us back toward the fountain of wisdom. When the risen Jesus confronted Saul and said, “It is hard for you to kick against the goads,” Paul, deeply trained in Greek language and philosophy, recognized the proverb immediately. The Shepherd's mercy often comes to us as a sharp turn, redirecting us from the dry channels of self-reliance back to the living waters of God Himself. The book ends where all honest searching must end. Fear God. Keep His commandments. Receive His gifts with gratitude. This is the whole duty of man, the culmination not only of the Bible's wisdom literature, but of every sincere philosophical quest. I wandered long among the tributaries, but Scripture led me home to the Fount of every blessing and tuned my heart to sing His grace. Here is a helpful overview of Ecclesiastes. May your listening be as blessed as ours was in the reading. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrsQ1tc-2w

Episode: 2542 Hippodamus of Miletus and Urban Design.  Today, a grid for the ages.

“Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher. All is vanity.” Ecclesiastes 1:2 As a philosopher I have loved the great tradition of human wisdom. For many years I drank from the tributaries. Aristotle taught that the good life is something one lives, not something one acquires. Socrates taught that wisdom begins in humility. These insights nourished me long before I realized they were preparing me to recognize the far greater wisdom God has given in Scripture. The Greek thinkers stood downstream from a fountain they dimly sensed but could not reach. The book of Ecclesiastes speaks from that very source. Qoheleth, קהלת, the Assembler, often called the Preacher, gathers what God has revealed about life in this world. He describes the human condition with a single Hebrew word: hevel, breath, vapor. Not meaninglessness, but ungraspability - and paradox. Life slips through the fingers of those who try to seize it, and understanding reaches its limit in paradox. What cannot be possessed must be received. What we cannot control must become ours by gift. And this is why Ecclesiastes so often speaks the language of generosity. Work is a gift. Food and drink are gifts. Joy is gift. Companionship is gift. Time itself is gift. The Preacher calls us to leave behind the restless striving that characterizes life in the tributaries, and to return instead to the fountain where every good and perfect gift flows from the hand of the Giver. He also tells us something our age urgently needs to hear. There is nothing new under the sun. Our modern confidence in our own progress (central to the evolutionary mythos) is little more than hubris. We imagine ourselves advanced beyond our “primitive” forebears, yet our world repeats the same patterns of confusion and pride. Postmodern deconstruction, gender confusion, DEI initiatives, and cultural relativism are not new. They are ancient errors retold in new vocabulary. Ecclesiastes understood the human heart long before our age attempted to deconstruct it. Near the end of the book the imagery sharpens. “The words of the wise are like goads,” given by one Shepherd to guide us back toward the fountain of wisdom. When the risen Jesus confronted Saul and said, “It is hard for you to kick against the goads,” Paul, deeply trained in Greek language and philosophy, recognized the proverb immediately. The Shepherd's mercy often comes to us as a sharp turn, redirecting us from the dry channels of self-reliance back to the living waters of God Himself. The book ends where all honest searching must end. Fear God. Keep His commandments. Receive His gifts with gratitude. This is the whole duty of man, the culmination not only of the Bible's wisdom literature, but of every sincere philosophical quest. I wandered long among the tributaries, but Scripture led me home to the Fount of every blessing and tuned my heart to sing His grace. Here is a helpful overview of Ecclesiastes. May your listening be as blessed as ours was in the reading. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrsQ1tc-2w

"In the blink of a crinkling eye, I'm sinking, our fingers entwined." This week, we're deep diving one of The Tortured Poets Department's most nostalgic and playful tracks: "So High School." We explore how this Aaron Dessner collaboration captures the giddiness of adult romance that feels refreshingly simple and unguarded—like being transported back to those butterflies-in-your-stomach moments of teenage crushes. From twinkling lights to truth or dare, we unpack how Taylor Swift uses high school imagery not to describe where she is, but how love makes her feel. Spoiler: we giggle our way through this episode like the high schoolers we once were. Subscribe for free to get episode updates or upgrade to paid to get our After School premium content: aptaylorswift.substack.com/subscribe. After School subscribers get monthly bonus episodes, exclusive content, and early access to help shape future topics! Stay up to date at aptaylorswift.com Mentioned in this episode: High School Musical American Pie A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle The Hills Clueless "So Yesterday" by Hilary Duff Travis Kelce's New Heights podcast appearance with Taylor Swift *** Episode Highlights [00:01] Introduction and continuation from the High School vs. High School Musical debate [04:16] Breaking down the title: "So High School" [16:03] "Tell me about the first time you saw me" [25:08] "I'm watching American Pie with you on a Saturday night" [39:02] "You know how to ball, I know Aristotle" [48:46] No bridge? The structure of "So High School" [50:18] Purpose discussion: Evoking feelings vs. lived experience Follow AP Taylor Swift podcast on social! TikTok → tiktok.com/@APTaylorSwift Instagram → instagram.com/APTaylorSwift YouTube → youtube.com/@APTaylorSwift Link Tree → linktr.ee/aptaylorswift Bookshop.org → bookshop.org/shop/apts Libro.fm → tinyurl.com/aptslibro Contact us at aptaylorswift@gmail.com Affiliate Codes: Krowned Krystals - krownedkrystals.com use code APTS at checkout for 10% off! Libro.fm - Looking for an audiobook? Check out our Libro.fm playlist and use code APTS30 for 30% off books found here tinyurl.com/aptslibro This podcast is neither related to nor endorsed by Taylor Swift, her companies, or record labels. All opinions are our own. Intro music produced by Scott Zadig aka Scotty Z.  

“Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher. All is vanity.” Ecclesiastes 1:2 As a philosopher I have loved the great tradition of human wisdom. For many years I drank from the tributaries. Aristotle taught that the good life is something one lives, not something one acquires. Socrates taught that wisdom begins in humility. These insights nourished me long before I realized they were preparing me to recognize the far greater wisdom God has given in Scripture. The Greek thinkers stood downstream from a fountain they dimly sensed but could not reach. The book of Ecclesiastes speaks from that very source. Qoheleth, קהלת, the Assembler, often called the Preacher, gathers what God has revealed about life in this world. He describes the human condition with a single Hebrew word: hevel, breath, vapor. Not meaninglessness, but ungraspability - and paradox. Life slips through the fingers of those who try to seize it, and understanding reaches its limit in paradox. What cannot be possessed must be received. What we cannot control must become ours by gift. And this is why Ecclesiastes so often speaks the language of generosity. Work is a gift. Food and drink are gifts. Joy is gift. Companionship is gift. Time itself is gift. The Preacher calls us to leave behind the restless striving that characterizes life in the tributaries, and to return instead to the fountain where every good and perfect gift flows from the hand of the Giver. He also tells us something our age urgently needs to hear. There is nothing new under the sun. Our modern confidence in our own progress (central to the evolutionary mythos) is little more than hubris. We imagine ourselves advanced beyond our “primitive” forebears, yet our world repeats the same patterns of confusion and pride. Postmodern deconstruction, gender confusion, DEI initiatives, and cultural relativism are not new. They are ancient errors retold in new vocabulary. Ecclesiastes understood the human heart long before our age attempted to deconstruct it. Near the end of the book the imagery sharpens. “The words of the wise are like goads,” given by one Shepherd to guide us back toward the fountain of wisdom. When the risen Jesus confronted Saul and said, “It is hard for you to kick against the goads,” Paul, deeply trained in Greek language and philosophy, recognized the proverb immediately. The Shepherd's mercy often comes to us as a sharp turn, redirecting us from the dry channels of self-reliance back to the living waters of God Himself. The book ends where all honest searching must end. Fear God. Keep His commandments. Receive His gifts with gratitude. This is the whole duty of man, the culmination not only of the Bible's wisdom literature, but of every sincere philosophical quest. I wandered long among the tributaries, but Scripture led me home to the Fount of every blessing and tuned my heart to sing His grace. Here is a helpful overview of Ecclesiastes. May your listening be as blessed as ours was in the reading. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrsQ1tc-2w

Seth Hertlein is the Global Head of Policy at Ledger and one of the earliest, most persistent advocates for bitcoin self-custody in Washington. Known for his “lone ranger” years as the only lobbyist focused on protecting non-custodial rights, he brings a rare combination of securities law expertise, political insight, and deep conviction about individual property rights. In this episode, Seth joins The Last Free Americans to share how he fell down the bitcoin rabbit hole, why self-custody is a return to humanity's oldest property norms, and how today's policy battles will define digital freedom for generations. We dig into the evolution of financial intermediaries, the history of natural rights from Aristotle to the framers, and the real political forces lining up for and against self-custody.SUPPORT THE PODCAST:→ Subscribe → Leave a review → Share the show with your friends and family → Send us an email: podcast@unchained.com→ Learn more about Unchained: https://unchained.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcast → Book a free call with a bitcoin expert: https://unchained.com/consultation?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcastTIMESTAMPS:0:00 – Intro to The Last Free Americans & Seth's unique role in policy2:20 – How a securities regulator became an “accidental crypto lobbyist”5:03 – Early bitcoin reading, monetary policy, and recognizing its political nature7:43 – The aha moment of self-custody: from Ledger device to first withdrawal12:58 – Ownership vs. possession: how financial markets drifted into full intermediation16:40 – Why self-custody is not new: property as a natural human right22:45 – How centralization overtook markets: certificates, DTCC, and efficiency tradeoffs27:58 – 2021: the year Washington and the industry “woke up” to each other33:10 – Keep Your Coins Act, Canadian truckers, and why lawful peer-to-peer matters38:40 – Property rights, natural law, and the framers' blind spots on privacy45:55 – Executive Order 6102, takings law, and lessons for bitcoin52:03 – How the Bank Secrecy Act and third-party doctrine became digital surveillance59:42 – The three camps opposing self-custody: nats-ec hawks, socialists, and bureaucracies1:05:40 – The IRS broker rule, CRA repeal, and precedents for stopping overreach1:11:22 – House vs. Senate language: what “retain the right” really means1:17:14 – Odds of passage in 2024 and why Senate floor time is everything1:22:44 – The global landscape: why America is still the last best hope1:27:50 – What comes next: privacy as the next digital freedom frontier1:32:10 – Closing thoughts on restoring founding principles through BitcoinWHERE TO FOLLOW US: → Unchained X: https://x.com/unchained  → Unchained LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/unchainedcom  → Unchained Newsletter: https://unchained.com/newsletter → Joe Kelly's Twitter: https://x.com/josephkelly  → Seth Hertlein's Twitter: https://x.com/SethHertlein  

“Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher. All is vanity.” Ecclesiastes 1:2 As a philosopher I have loved the great tradition of human wisdom. For many years I drank from the tributaries. Aristotle taught that the good life is something one lives, not something one acquires. Socrates taught that wisdom begins in humility. These insights nourished me long before I realized they were preparing me to recognize the far greater wisdom God has given in Scripture. The Greek thinkers stood downstream from a fountain they dimly sensed but could not reach. The book of Ecclesiastes speaks from that very source. Qoheleth, קהלת, the Assembler, often called the Preacher, gathers what God has revealed about life in this world. He describes the human condition with a single Hebrew word: hevel, breath, vapor. Not meaninglessness, but ungraspability - and paradox. Life slips through the fingers of those who try to seize it, and understanding reaches its limit in paradox. What cannot be possessed must be received. What we cannot control must become ours by gift. And this is why Ecclesiastes so often speaks the language of generosity. Work is a gift. Food and drink are gifts. Joy is gift. Companionship is gift. Time itself is gift. The Preacher calls us to leave behind the restless striving that characterizes life in the tributaries, and to return instead to the fountain where every good and perfect gift flows from the hand of the Giver. He also tells us something our age urgently needs to hear. There is nothing new under the sun. Our modern confidence in our own progress (central to the evolutionary mythos) is little more than hubris. We imagine ourselves advanced beyond our “primitive” forebears, yet our world repeats the same patterns of confusion and pride. Postmodern deconstruction, gender confusion, DEI initiatives, and cultural relativism are not new. They are ancient errors retold in new vocabulary. Ecclesiastes understood the human heart long before our age attempted to deconstruct it. Near the end of the book the imagery sharpens. “The words of the wise are like goads,” given by one Shepherd to guide us back toward the fountain of wisdom. When the risen Jesus confronted Saul and said, “It is hard for you to kick against the goads,” Paul, deeply trained in Greek language and philosophy, recognized the proverb immediately. The Shepherd's mercy often comes to us as a sharp turn, redirecting us from the dry channels of self-reliance back to the living waters of God Himself. The book ends where all honest searching must end. Fear God. Keep His commandments. Receive His gifts with gratitude. This is the whole duty of man, the culmination not only of the Bible's wisdom literature, but of every sincere philosophical quest. I wandered long among the tributaries, but Scripture led me home to the Fount of every blessing and tuned my heart to sing His grace. Here is a helpful overview of Ecclesiastes. May your listening be as blessed as ours was in the reading. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrsQ1tc-2w

Thrasymachus, didn't do that bad of a job of arguing in favor of injustice, did he? Glaucon and Adeimantus seem to think so! Join us as we consider the stronger argument in favor of acting unjustly, discussing the Ring of Gyges, the origins of society, and the beginning of Socrates' discussion of the education of the Guardians!Follow us on X!Give us your opinions here!

Listen to the rest of this premium episode by subscribing at patreon.com/knowyourenemy.Should you try to improve your friends or leave them be? Do friendship and politics mix? Is friendship about virtue or delight? In 2023, we were interviewed by Andrew Elrick, now a professor at Marist University, for a documentary podcast he was making about men and friendship. (Two of our favorite topics!) That podcast never came to fruition, but Andy was kind enough to share this audio with us, and now we're sharing it with you: a conversation about friendship — Matt and Sam's in particular — politics, and podcasting. Enjoy!Further Reading:Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, (350 BCE)  Michel de Montaigne , “On Friendship” from The Essays of Michel de Montaigne (1580) Judith Shklar, “On Political Obligation,” (2019)Allan Bloom, Love and Friendship (1993)  Michael Oakeshott,  “On Being Conservative,” (1956)Dewey, Democracy and Education (1916)Andrew Elrick, "Friendship is a Dangerous Thing," Game Stories, Nov 9, 2025.

Don’t retire. Redesign. Join our small group program beginning in January. Learn more. ___________________________ Will your retirement life look like the glossy images you see in the brochures? Wise up. There’s a real transition that happens when the paychecks stop and you move into your new life. But here’s the thing: it presents an opportunity for rewarding personal growth, or even transformation, that may not be apparent to you at first. Tom Marks spent decades defining himself by his profession and then faced such a transition when he stepped away. Tom shares his journey from being a high-pressure boss to finding his ‘path of happiness.’ We discuss the danger of the ‘hedonic treadmill,’ the specific mistakes to avoid in your transition to retirement, and why at this stage of life, we are all entitled to a ‘satchel of do-overs.’ Tom Marks joins us from Arizona. ________________________ Bio Tom Marks survived 48 years in the advertising business and has lived to write about it. He has won the American Advertising Awards more than sixty-five times for his writing, including TV commercials, print ads, and magazine and newspaper articles. He spent many years on the professional speakers circuit and apparently survived that, too. His thought leadership workshops for Fortune 500 companies, as well as for small and medium-sized businesses, have brought him national acclaim, and his love of the original thought leaders, Socrates, his star-student, Plato, and Plato’s ace student, Aristotle has made Tom a favorite among CEOs across the US who want to learn about corporate ethics and its origins. Tom’s new book is Coming of Age in Retirement: An Advertising Executive’s Story of Revelation and Enlightenment, also a national bestseller. Tom has won the Gold Medal for Best Nonfiction Book from the Nonfiction Writers Association, three International Impact Book Awards, the POTY Award, two Literary Titan Awards, the Reader Views Award, and two American Book Fest Awards. ___________________________ For More on Tom Marks Coming of Age in Retirement: An Advertising Executive’s Story of Revelation and Enlightenment The Peaceful Retiree ____________________________ Podcast Conversations You May Like Retiring: Creating a Life That Works for You – Teresa Amabile The Good Life – Marc Schulz, PhD Make Your Next Years Your Best Years – Harry Agress, MD _____________________________ I'm Just Asking for a Friend Retirement brings so many tough questions. Share your question to be answered in an upcoming retirement podcast episode. Click here to leave a voice message or send me an email at joec@retirementwisdom.com _____________________________ About The Retirement Wisdom Podcast There are many podcasts on retirement, often hosted by financial advisors with their own financial motives, that cover the money side of the street. This podcast is different. You'll get smarter about the investment decisions you'll make about the most important asset you'll have in retirement: your time. About Retirement Wisdom I help people who are retiring, but aren't quite done yet, discover what's next and build their custom version of their next life. A meaningful retirement doesn't just happen by accident. Schedule a call today to discuss how the Designing Your Life process created by Bill Burnett & Dave Evans can help you make your life in retirement a great one — on your own terms. About Your Podcast Host Joe Casey is an executive coach who helps people design their next life after their primary career and create their version of The Multipurpose Retirement.™ He created his own next chapter after a 26-year career at Merrill Lynch, where he was Senior Vice President and Head of HR for Global Markets & Investment Banking. Joe has earned Master's degrees from the University of Southern California in Gerontology (at age 60), the University of Pennsylvania, and Middlesex University (UK), a BA in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and his coaching certification from Columbia University. In addition to his work with clients, Joe hosts The Retirement Wisdom Podcast, ranked in the top 1% globally in popularity by Listen Notes, with over 1.6 million downloads. Business Insider recognized Joe as one of 23 innovative coaches who are making a difference. He's the author of Win the Retirement Game: How to Outsmart the 9 Forces Trying to Steal Your Joy. ______________________________ Wise Quotes On the Identity Crisis in Retirement “Who are we after we are once who we were? And so I had to let go of that stuff. I had to let go of working with these people… But I let go of the things I really like to do, which was write and direct TV commercials… But that was probably the hardest thing to let go. And I still find myself, Joe, thinking about that, those days.” On “The Do-Over” “We are entitled to the satchel of do-overs, but we are not entitled to a do-over of a do-over. We can make the mistake and we shouldn’t be hard on ourselves, but we’ve got to move past it.” On Miserable Retirees “I tried to understand why people would be so unhappy and actually miserable in retirement. And it wasn’t that they woke up on the wrong side of the bed. They woke up on the wrong side of life.” On the Danger of Possessions “Most of that stuff are possessions. But, you know, they accumulate and they just become baggage. And there is so much research that tells us that as much as we chase this stuff, it doesn’t define happiness because the goalposts just move further and further away.”

“Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher. All is vanity.” Ecclesiastes 1:2 As a philosopher I have loved the great tradition of human wisdom. For many years I drank from the tributaries. Aristotle taught that the good life is something one lives, not something one acquires. Socrates taught that wisdom begins in humility. These insights nourished me long before I realized they were preparing me to recognize the far greater wisdom God has given in Scripture. The Greek thinkers stood downstream from a fountain they dimly sensed but could not reach. The book of Ecclesiastes speaks from that very source. Qoheleth, קהלת, the Assembler, often called the Preacher, gathers what God has revealed about life in this world. He describes the human condition with a single Hebrew word: hevel, breath, vapor. Not meaninglessness, but ungraspability - and paradox. Life slips through the fingers of those who try to seize it, and understanding reaches its limit in paradox. What cannot be possessed must be received. What we cannot control must become ours by gift. And this is why Ecclesiastes so often speaks the language of generosity. Work is a gift. Food and drink are gifts. Joy is gift. Companionship is gift. Time itself is gift. The Preacher calls us to leave behind the restless striving that characterizes life in the tributaries, and to return instead to the fountain where every good and perfect gift flows from the hand of the Giver. He also tells us something our age urgently needs to hear. There is nothing new under the sun. Our modern confidence in our own progress (central to the evolutionary mythos) is little more than hubris. We imagine ourselves advanced beyond our “primitive” forebears, yet our world repeats the same patterns of confusion and pride. Postmodern deconstruction, gender confusion, DEI initiatives, and cultural relativism are not new. They are ancient errors retold in new vocabulary. Ecclesiastes understood the human heart long before our age attempted to deconstruct it. Near the end of the book the imagery sharpens. “The words of the wise are like goads,” given by one Shepherd to guide us back toward the fountain of wisdom. When the risen Jesus confronted Saul and said, “It is hard for you to kick against the goads,” Paul, deeply trained in Greek language and philosophy, recognized the proverb immediately. The Shepherd's mercy often comes to us as a sharp turn, redirecting us from the dry channels of self-reliance back to the living waters of God Himself. The book ends where all honest searching must end. Fear God. Keep His commandments. Receive His gifts with gratitude. This is the whole duty of man, the culmination not only of the Bible's wisdom literature, but of every sincere philosophical quest. I wandered long among the tributaries, but Scripture led me home to the Fount of every blessing and tuned my heart to sing His grace. Here is a helpful overview of Ecclesiastes. May your listening be as blessed as ours was in the reading. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrsQ1tc-2w

“Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher. All is vanity.” Ecclesiastes 1:2 As a philosopher I have loved the great tradition of human wisdom. For many years I drank from the tributaries. Aristotle taught that the good life is something one lives, not something one acquires. Socrates taught that wisdom begins in humility. These insights nourished me long before I realized they were preparing me to recognize the far greater wisdom God has given in Scripture. The Greek thinkers stood downstream from a fountain they dimly sensed but could not reach. The book of Ecclesiastes speaks from that very source. Qoheleth, קהלת, the Assembler, often called the Preacher, gathers what God has revealed about life in this world. He describes the human condition with a single Hebrew word: hevel, breath, vapor. Not meaninglessness, but ungraspability - and paradox. Life slips through the fingers of those who try to seize it, and understanding reaches its limit in paradox. What cannot be possessed must be received. What we cannot control must become ours by gift. And this is why Ecclesiastes so often speaks the language of generosity. Work is a gift. Food and drink are gifts. Joy is gift. Companionship is gift. Time itself is gift. The Preacher calls us to leave behind the restless striving that characterizes life in the tributaries, and to return instead to the fountain where every good and perfect gift flows from the hand of the Giver. He also tells us something our age urgently needs to hear. There is nothing new under the sun. Our modern confidence in our own progress (central to the evolutionary mythos) is little more than hubris. We imagine ourselves advanced beyond our “primitive” forebears, yet our world repeats the same patterns of confusion and pride. Postmodern deconstruction, gender confusion, DEI initiatives, and cultural relativism are not new. They are ancient errors retold in new vocabulary. Ecclesiastes understood the human heart long before our age attempted to deconstruct it. Near the end of the book the imagery sharpens. “The words of the wise are like goads,” given by one Shepherd to guide us back toward the fountain of wisdom. When the risen Jesus confronted Saul and said, “It is hard for you to kick against the goads,” Paul, deeply trained in Greek language and philosophy, recognized the proverb immediately. The Shepherd's mercy often comes to us as a sharp turn, redirecting us from the dry channels of self-reliance back to the living waters of God Himself. The book ends where all honest searching must end. Fear God. Keep His commandments. Receive His gifts with gratitude. This is the whole duty of man, the culmination not only of the Bible's wisdom literature, but of every sincere philosophical quest. I wandered long among the tributaries, but Scripture led me home to the Fount of every blessing and tuned my heart to sing His grace. Here is a helpful overview of Ecclesiastes. May your listening be as blessed as ours was in the reading. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrsQ1tc-2w

“Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher. All is vanity.” Ecclesiastes 1:2 As a philosopher I have loved the great tradition of human wisdom. For many years I drank from the tributaries. Aristotle taught that the good life is something one lives, not something one acquires. Socrates taught that wisdom begins in humility. These insights nourished me long before I realized they were preparing me to recognize the far greater wisdom God has given in Scripture. The Greek thinkers stood downstream from a fountain they dimly sensed but could not reach. The book of Ecclesiastes speaks from that very source. Qoheleth, קהלת, the Assembler, often called the Preacher, gathers what God has revealed about life in this world. He describes the human condition with a single Hebrew word: hevel, breath, vapor. Not meaninglessness, but ungraspability - and paradox. Life slips through the fingers of those who try to seize it, and understanding reaches its limit in paradox. What cannot be possessed must be received. What we cannot control must become ours by gift. And this is why Ecclesiastes so often speaks the language of generosity. Work is a gift. Food and drink are gifts. Joy is gift. Companionship is gift. Time itself is gift. The Preacher calls us to leave behind the restless striving that characterizes life in the tributaries, and to return instead to the fountain where every good and perfect gift flows from the hand of the Giver. He also tells us something our age urgently needs to hear. There is nothing new under the sun. Our modern confidence in our own progress (central to the evolutionary mythos) is little more than hubris. We imagine ourselves advanced beyond our “primitive” forebears, yet our world repeats the same patterns of confusion and pride. Postmodern deconstruction, gender confusion, DEI initiatives, and cultural relativism are not new. They are ancient errors retold in new vocabulary. Ecclesiastes understood the human heart long before our age attempted to deconstruct it. Near the end of the book the imagery sharpens. “The words of the wise are like goads,” given by one Shepherd to guide us back toward the fountain of wisdom. When the risen Jesus confronted Saul and said, “It is hard for you to kick against the goads,” Paul, deeply trained in Greek language and philosophy, recognized the proverb immediately. The Shepherd's mercy often comes to us as a sharp turn, redirecting us from the dry channels of self-reliance back to the living waters of God Himself. The book ends where all honest searching must end. Fear God. Keep His commandments. Receive His gifts with gratitude. This is the whole duty of man, the culmination not only of the Bible's wisdom literature, but of every sincere philosophical quest. I wandered long among the tributaries, but Scripture led me home to the Fount of every blessing and tuned my heart to sing His grace. Here is a helpful overview of Ecclesiastes. May your listening be as blessed as ours was in the reading. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrsQ1tc-2w

Fishing rods at the ready, Brian Cox and Robin Ince attempt to reel in a creature that has baffled scientists since Aristotle: the eel. Wriggling in to help them uncover the mysteries of one of nature's slimiest subjects are marine scientists David Righton and Caroline Durif, and comedian Lucy Porter.How do eels navigate such vast distances so deep under water? Why has no one ever seen them reproduce? And WHY would anyone eat them jellied with pie and mash?! The panel discovers that Spanish eels are always late and that eels from all different countries are thought to meet up somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean for a huge annual orgy.Producer: Melanie Brown Assistant Producer: Olivia Jani Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem A BBC Studios Production

Senior thesis is the capstone of a classical Christian education, and Dr. Tom Vierra believes it may be one of the most countercultural things schools do today. In this episode, Davies Owens talks with Tom, longtime classical educator and Senior Thesis Coordinator at Wilson Hill Academy, about why thesis is far more than “just a big paper.” Tom shares his path from early days at Great Hearts to helping shape Wilson Hill's senior thesis program, where students research a topic that matters, write a 12–15 page thesis-driven paper, and publicly defend it. Along the way, they learn self-management, deep research, biblical reasoning, and confident communication that carry far beyond college.Together they unpack the six-part classical rhetoric structure, including exordium, narratio, and refutatio, and why Wilson Hill requires students to write an antithesis paper arguing against their own position. This habit trains humility, civil discourse, and the ability to engage real counterarguments rather than living in an echo chamber. Tom also gives examples of standout thesis topics, from classical music and beauty to AI in medicine and political theory, and explains how schools can approve ambitious topics that still reflect a biblical worldview.

In this wide-ranging conversation with students at Ralston College, evolutionary biologists Bret Weinstein and Heather Heying reflect on how to live well in the modern world, biologically, philosophically, and spiritually. Moving from Aristotle's De Anima to the ethics of diet and the future of civilization, they explore the body not as an obstacle to overcome but as the very substrate through which consciousness takes form. From lineage and the long arc of life on Earth to nutrition, parenthood, grief, and the challenges of modern medicine, the discussion reveals an integrated vision of human flourishing rooted in both biology and meaning. Applications for Ralston College's MA in the Humanities are now open. Learn more and apply today at www.ralston.ac/apply Subscribe for updates at: www.ralston.ac/subscribe Authors and Works Mentioned in this Episode: Aristotle's De Anima  

Eels, orts, and Wordle! Sweden awarded its most prestigious literary award to a book about . . . eels. The Book of Eels reveals the mysterious life cycle of this sea creature and its significance for famous figures from Aristotle to Sigmund Freud. Plus, what's an ort? It's the last bit of food left on a dinner plate -- and whether or not you finish it can be a matter of manners. Also, an audio puzzle inspired by the popular game Wordle. Harder than it sounds! Plus ginnels, twittens, nerds, Not on your tintype!, piling Pelion upon Ossa, things to say after a sneeze, and a poem about elevators. Ta-da! Hear hundreds of free episodes and learn more on the A Way with Words website: https://waywordradio.org. Be a part of the show: call or text 1 (877) 929-9673 toll-free in the United States and Canada; elsewhere in the world, call or text +1 619 800 4443. Send voice notes or messages via WhatsApp 16198004443. Email words@waywordradio.org. Copyright Wayword, Inc., a 501(c)(3) corporation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(3:52) Bible Study: Daniel 1:1-6, 8-20 What is the meaning of the apocalypse? Luke 21:1-4 What does it mean to sound a trumpet when giving alms (21:56) Break 1 (23:20) Letters: Can someone with Alzheimer's receive the holy communion? When is the feast day of people from the Old Testament? Where did Mary and John stand next to the cross? Father answers these and other questions, send him a letter at simon@relevantradio.com (31:50) Break 2 (32:48) Word of the Day Roman (34:04) Phones: Brother John - I have heard multiple time Fr. Simon say that the Catholic Church used to be a top Christian church. Is it not more? Why you say that. Anne - Should I take my brother with intellectual disability to confession? Eileen - Why are the new missals 2026 no longer having the Eucharistic prayer in them? Maritza - How to best approach our pastor in our congregation in our Catholic Church: no time for devotion, or recollection before Mass, it has become kind of protestant? Joseph - How does Aristotle's definition of the word QUA in his metaphysics relate to the principle of double effect?

After 27 years, Melvyn Bragg has decided to step down from the In Our Time presenter's chair. With over a thousand episodes to choose from, he has selected just six that capture the huge range and depth of the subjects he and his experts have tackled. In this third of his choices, we hear Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss Greek philosophy. Their topic is Zeno of Elea, a pre-Socratic philosopher from c490-430 BC whose paradoxes were described by Bertrand Russell as "immeasurably subtle and profound." The best known argue against motion, such as that of an arrow in flight which is at a series of different points but moving at none of them, or that of Achilles who, despite being the faster runner, will never catch up with a tortoise with a head start. Aristotle and Aquinas engaged with these, as did Russell, yet it is still debatable whether Zeno's Paradoxes have been resolved. With Marcus du Sautoy Professor of Mathematics and Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford Barbara Sattler Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of St Andrews and James Warren Reader in Ancient Philosophy at the University of Cambridge Producer: Simon Tillotson In Our Time is a BBC Studios Production Spanning history, religion, culture, science and philosophy, In Our Time from BBC Radio 4 is essential listening for the intellectually curious. In each episode, host Melvyn Bragg and expert guests explore the characters, events and discoveries that have shaped our world

Steven's website at the University of Mississippi: https://olemiss.edu/profiles/skultety.php Declaration of Independence Center for the Study of American Freedom: https://olemiss.edu/independence/ We discuss American freedom, the Founding Fathers, philosophy, Aristotle, and the intellectual magic of ancient Greece among many issues. _______________________________________ If you appreciate my work and would like to support it: https://subscribestar.com/the-saad-truth https://patreon.com/GadSaad https://paypal.me/GadSaad To subscribe to my exclusive content on X, please visit my bio at https://x.com/GadSaad _______________________________________ This clip was posted on November 18, 2025 on my YouTube channel as THE SAAD TRUTH_1941: https://youtu.be/jM3fxp0Lkok _______________________________________ Please visit my website gadsaad.com, and sign up for alerts. If you appreciate my content, click on the "Support My Work" button. I count on my fans to support my efforts. You can donate via Patreon, PayPal, and/or SubscribeStar. _______________________________________ Dr. Gad Saad is a professor, evolutionary behavioral scientist, and author who pioneered the use of evolutionary psychology in marketing and consumer behavior. In addition to his scientific work, Dr. Saad is a leading public intellectual who often writes and speaks about idea pathogens that are destroying logic, science, reason, and common sense.  _______________________________________