Podcasts about Plato

For this month's episode of Magus we're finally discussing the life of the first Magus ever, Hermes Trismegistus!An ancient Egyptian sage written about by Cicero and early Christian church fathers, he is the literal reason why the magical practices of Hermeticism and Alchemy came into existence. He was still being referenced by the likes of Isaac Newton during the European Enlightenment, and his writings remain popular in esoteric and occult circles even today.Discovery of his existence came about in Italy, at the same time as other ancient writers, including Plato, were being translated into Latin for the very first time, prompting the whirlwind array of changes we call 'the Renaissance.'The man to whom the task fell specifically was Italian philosopher and Catholic priest Marsilio Ficino, who soon established a Neo-Platonic Academy attended by artists including Boticelli, Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael, their work all funded by Cosimo di Medici, the richest man in the world.Their collective project was to recover the past and remake it, all so mankind could reshape its physical existence through magic. Ficino's product was The Hermetica, an entire magical system based on philosophies of Matter and Spirit. It quickly became one of the most famous magic books in all of history, and for centuries the story of Hermes Trismegistus, his learning, wisdom, and magical system, were all beyond doubt.Only then along came a classical scholar and philologist called Isaac Casaubon, who had questions about some of the 'ancient Egyptian' vocabulary used in The Hermetica, which prompted others to wonder whether Hermes Trismegistus had ever existed at all...We really hope you enjoy the episode, and Eleanor will speak with you again on Saturday for this week's Local Legends episode all about Brecknockshire with the wonderful Horatio Clare!Three Ravens is an English Myth and Folklore podcast hosted by award-winning writers Martin Vaux and Eleanor Conlon.Released on Mondays, each weekly episode focuses on one of England's 39 historic counties, exploring the history, folklore and traditions of the area, from ghosts and mermaids to mythical monsters, half-forgotten heroes, bloody legends, and much, much more. Then, and most importantly, the pair take turns to tell a new version of an ancient story from that county - all before discussing what that tale might mean, where it might have come from, and the truths it reveals about England's hidden past...Bonus Episodes are released on Thursdays plus Local Legends episodes on Saturdays - interviews with acclaimed authors, folklorists, podcasters and historians with unique perspectives on that week's county.With a range of exclusive content on Patreon, too, including audio ghost tours, the Three Ravens Newsletter, and monthly Three Ravens Film Club episodes about folk horror films from across the decades, why not join us around the campfire and listen in?Learn more at www.threeravenspodcast.com, join our Patreon at www.patreon.com/threeravenspodcast, and find links to our social media channels here: https://linktr.ee/threeravenspodcastREGISTER FOR THE TALES OF SOUTHERN ENGLAND TOURProud members of the Dark Cast Network.Visit our website Join our Patreon Social media channels and sponsors Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the allegory of Plato's cave, prisoners see the world only through shadows. Extending this metaphor to AI, AI models are the prisoners and the shadows are streams of data. Are all models converging on a singular representation of reality? On this week's episode of The Quanta Podcast, host Samir Patel speaks with staff writer Ben Brubaker about how, despite being trained on entirely different data types, different models can somehow develop similar internal representations. This topic was covered in a recent story for Quanta Magazine. Each week on The Quanta Podcast, Quanta Magazine editor in chief Samir Patel speaks with the people behind the award-winning publication to navigate through some of the most important and mind-expanding questions in science and math. Audio coda: The Cave: A Parable Told By Orson Welles, Produced by Counterpoint Films, directed by Sam Weiss, and illustrated by Dick Oden. https://www.acmi.net.au/works/65888–the-cave-a-parable-told-by-orson-welles/

Jack Kelley returns to InnerVerse to discuss his new book, the Atlantis Puzzle. Going beyond the search for a geographical location, Jack's new book uncovers powerful esoteric themes in Plato's writings. This conversation explores the absence of esotericism from academic discourse, the eternal schism between philosophical theory and rational praxis, the ways in which the Atlantis allegory provides important insights into the degradation of modern society, and why mythic literacy may be essential for civilization's psychological stability.Join InnerVerse Plus+ To Unlock the Archive of Extended EpisodesPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/149439294Substack: https://innerversepodcast.substack.com/p/the-lost-philosophy-of-atlantis-platosYoutube: https://youtu.be/rzyy6LnnhSoLINKSVideo Episode - https://youtu.be/tJ2PkeHbUo4The Atlantis Puzzle - book and documentary available: https://www.atlantispuzzle.com/Biofield Tuning with Chance: https://www.innerversepodcast.com/sound-healingTarot Readings with Chance: https://www.innerversepodcast.com/oracle-cardsThe Elementals Gathering: https://createmore.com.au/elementals/SUPPORTKyle Denton's Potent Plant Medicines – Tippecanoe Herbs (use coupon code 'innerverse'): https://www.tippecanoeherbs.comSupport InnerVerse by trying Melissa's Homepathic Remedies (use coupon code 'innerverse'): https://rmdycollective.com/chancegartonFlower Elixirs by LotusWei: https://www.lotuswei.com/innerverseLearn To Trade Like A Wizard: https://www.skool.com/tradingbusiness/about?ref=6043c01b48d04a20ba5e90e1dd83602dListen to original InnerVerse tunes on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7lfhUjiXbmUB10PXOCP1LC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Philo of Alexandria (c. 20 BCE – c. 50 CE) was a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher and mystic who lived in Alexandria, one of the great intellectual centers of the ancient world. Deeply rooted in the Hebrew Scriptures and equally fluent in Greek philosophy—especially Plato and the Stoics—Philo sought to show that true philosophy and authentic revelation were ultimately one.Philo's distinctive contribution lies in his mystical interpretation of Scripture. Reading the Torah allegorically, he taught that beneath its literal narratives lies a spiritual map of the soul's journey toward God. Biblical figures such as Abraham, Moses, and Jacob symbolize inner states of awakening, purification, and union. For Philo, the highest purpose of human life is not ethical conformity alone, but direct experiential knowledge of God. Central to his mysticism is the idea of ecstasy (ekstasis)—a state in which the soul transcends discursive thought and is lifted beyond itself into divine illumination. In this condition, the ordinary mind falls silent and the soul becomes receptive to God's presence. Philo insists that such knowledge cannot be grasped by reason or language, but is given through divine grace when the egoic self is relinquished.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit andrewsullivan.substack.comJon and I go way back to the early days of the marriage movement and before. He's currently a senior fellow at Brookings and a contributor editor at The Atlantic. He's written many landmark books, including Kindly Inquisitors, The Constitution of Knowledge (which we discussed on the pod in 2021), and Cross Purposes (which we covered last year). His new essay in The Atlantic, “Yes, It's Fascism,” is a must-read.And this episode is, if you don't mind me saying so, a must-listen. One of the best conversations I've yet had on the Dishcast. Jon is always lucid and fair and thereby chilling.For two clips of our convo — on the glorification of violence by Trump and his officials, and the cowardice of mainstream conservatives — head to our YouTube page.Other topics: Trump smashing norms; his vile indecency; his early rallies; reveling in war crimes; suing everyone; the “mean tweets” defense; cultural degeneracy in America; the need for party gatekeeping; blood-and-soil nationalism; Plato on tyrants; Stephen Miller's “iron laws”; the Zelensky meeting and “having no cards”; the assassination attempt on Trump; the reprehensible Randy Fine; ICE using white nationalist anthems to recruit; anonymous masked agents; the Pretti and Good killings; the racial element of ICE roundups; the Somali fraud scandal; the over-politicization of DoJ; the two legal systems under the Nazis; Carl Schmitt; the blanket pardon for all Jan 6-ers; Vance meeting with AfD; Heritage Americans; birthright citizenship; Greenland; Venezuela; Christian nationalism; evangelical loyalty to Trump; his Board of Peace; the vandalism of DOGE; Vought's evil genius; the East Wing demolition; violent threats against moderate Republicans; the woke playing right into Trump's hands; and fears that he will manipulate the midterms.Browse the Dishcast archive for an episode you might enjoy. Coming up: Jason Willick on trade and conservatism, Zaid Jilani on the Dems, Derek Thompson on abundance, Tiffany Jenkins on privacy, and Michael Pollan on consciousness. Please send any guest recs, dissents, and other comments to dish@andrewsullivan.com.

Thursday night saw a glitzy premiere at Windsor Castle, complete with film stars on the red carpet. But rather than a Hollywood blockbuster or homegrown movie, this was the launch of a documentary by the King. Called Finding Harmony, it will be released next week. It is being promoted as the King's vision for the planet, while the head of the king's charity, the King's Foundation, says it is about his philosophy of harmony. While the documentary explores the King's well-known love of nature and his thoughts on the future of the planet, his interest in the philosophy of harmony is perhaps not so well-known. Yet it is something that he has been mulling over for decades. A whole section of a two-volume set of his speeches is devoted to harmony, what he calls “a grammar” that underscores, art, architecture and spirituality of all the great religions. He spoke about this harmony in a speech at the UN climate change conference COP28 in late 2023. There's a moment in the documentary which shows the then Prince Charles joking that people thought his ideas were “dotty”, “It was sandals and long hair”, he said. But the idea of harmony owes its origins to ancient Greek and Christian thinking. In a speech he gave in 2015 in Louisville, Kentucky, Prince Charles urged people to develop joined-up thinking about interdependent relationships within nature. “The ancient Greek word for the process of joining things up was Harmonia”, he said, “so joined-up thinking needs to create harmony”. This idea of harmony is evident in Plato's work, The Timaeus, where he describes the cosmos as a collection of elements arranged in musical ratios and this internal harmony ensures its survival, while St Ambrose, one of the earliest Christian writers saw the creation of the world, described in the Book of Genesis, as a narrative about harmony with a balance between the elements. He saw the way voices are lifted in harmony as symbolising the greater harmony of God's creation. Someone else who, like the King, expressed concern at a lack of harmony in the way people live now, was Pope Francis. In his major work on the environment, Laudato Si, he warned that humanity's arrogance in attempting to dominate planet Earth had upset the balance of creation. “The harmony between the Creator, humanity and creation as a whole was disrupted by our presuming to take the place of God and refusing to acknowledge our creaturely limitations”, he wrote. In other words, if there is any chance of the joined-up thinking the King calls for in our relationship with one another and with nature, a starting point for harmony needs to be humility.

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What do we think of Plato's Republic overall? Find out as we conclude our discussion of this cornerstone work as we read the Book X, in which Plato elaborates on his theory of art and representation; describes how he views the soul as immortal; and provides a case for the practical rewards of being a justice person. Give us your opinions here!Give us your opinions here!

This episode begins with the recent shooting in Minneapolis in which an intensive care nurse named Alex Pretti was shot ten times by ICE and border patrol agents. There are fateful occasions when a tragic event becomes a moment of truth for both individual life and the collective meaning and core values of a culture. Michael Meade suggests that: "We are now, and may be for some time, in a collective tragedy that involves a battle for truth and meaning, but also the need for a transformation of culture that is aimed not only at the need for political change, but also at a transformation of the quality of human life at this time."     Meade turns back to Plato's Republic, one of the foundational works of Western philosophy, that explores the meaning of justice and the struggle between "lies of the soul" and the need to "live in truth." Because the current administration is captive to its own lies, it must falsify everything. It must falsify the past by trying to rewrite history. It must falsify the present by telling people not to believe their own eyes and it must seek to falsify the future by blatantly denying the truth and avoiding accountability.     In the end, it comes down to the people, as "living the lie" must be confronted with living in truth. The point becomes not only the exposure of all the false poses and hollow pretenses that living in lies requires; but also the ancient and immediate revelation that it is not only possible, but truly essential that people who seek freedom and human dignity find ways to live within truth when faced with an administration of lies.     Thank you for listening to and supporting Living Myth. You can further support this podcast by becoming a member of Living Myth Premium. Members receive bonus episodes each month, access to the full archives of over 740 episodes and a 30% discount on all events, courses and book and audio titles.   Learn more and join this community of listeners at patreon.com/livingmyth     Along with these free weekly podcasts, you can now read free weekly essays and long form posts by Michael Meade on Substack. Learn more and subscribe at: michaeljmeade.substack.com     If you enjoy this podcast, we appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen and sharing it with your friends. On behalf of Michael Meade and the whole Mosaic staff, we wish you well and thank you for your support of our work.

In this episode, Megan and Frank explore the prophecies of Nostradamus. Nostradamus was a prophet--but what is a prophet? What should we make of his seemingly accurate predictions of major world events? Do prophetic powers imply that the future is determined? Or are we simply bound to an immovable fate? And what, if anything, does Nostradamus have to tell us about our futures? Thinkers discussed include: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Friedrich Nietzsche, Brian Leiter, and David Foster Wallace.Hosts' Websites:Megan J Fritts (google.com)Frank J. Cabrera (google.com)Email: philosophyonthefringes@gmail.com-----------------------Bibliography:Nostradamus : how an obscure Renaissance astrologer became the modern prophet of doom : Gerson, Stéphane (source for biographical details, anxiety vs. fear, and WWII propaganda)The prophecies : a dual-language edition with parallel text : Nostradamus, 1503-1566Nostradamus' grim predictions for 2026 revealedDavid Foster Wallace and the Challenge of Fatalism | Blog of the APAFuture Contingents | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy The Birth of Tragedy, or Hellenism and Pessimism, by Friedrich Nietzsche.The Twilight of the Idols, by Friedrich Nietzsche.Brian Leiter- Moral Psychology with NietzscheMoral Psychology with Nietzsche | Reviews | Notre Dame Philosophical ReviewsNietzsche's Moral and Political Philosophy (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)Intersubjective Accountability: Politics and Philosophy in the Left Vienna Circle-----------------------Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts-------------------------Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signsLicense code: AJWTULC6PYYNJ7BJ

Stefan Molyneux takes on objections to Universally Preferable Behavior as a moral framework. He pushes back against the idea that morality stands on its own, stressing the need for clear definitions in any philosophical talk. When it comes to tying morality to gods or divine sources, he points out that fuzzy claims don't hold up as real arguments. Molyneux questions whether morality can just be about chasing the good, the true, and the beautiful, pulling in examples from religious texts to show the inconsistencies there. He looks back at how Christian morality has fallen short over time and doubts whether theocratic setups really deliver on ethics. In the end, he calls for a straightforward grasp of morality and what UPB means in practice, urging people to check their own biases and lean on real-world evidence in these discussions.Email from listener:UPB reduces down to "Morality is being". Or "By the act of living, you prefer life". Or Universal Preference for Being. But even without beings, morality still exists. So morality is God based, and is the rational pursuit of, participation in, and defense of the Good, the True, and the Beautiful (with evil being precisely whatever actively undermines or destroys those ends). Plato would agree. Jesus said, to love God with all your mind heart soul and strength, and love others as yourself, and the whole of the law rests on these two principles. It means to fight for the Good, the True, and the Beautiful - for order. Of course, this can only be done through rationality and power. So, the Good must take the power back. This cannot be done through secular materialism which only reduces to hedonism. People that hear their conscience seek rationality and God more than anything else, because everything else is temporary.However, Christianity displays false theories. The biggest one is the idea that an innocent person needed to suffer and be sacrificed for evils committed by everyone else. God would never require this because God is 100% good. The reality is that Jesus needed to be killed and resurrected so that His story would be way bigger and spread Goodness to way more people, and last forever. So, he did die for sins in that sense alone, so that more people would hear His story and turn away from sin.There is no other practical moral framework to turn to. Philosophy alone is rational, but it does not ground morality the same way God does. Actually, rationality requires one to accept God. Without God, people literally have absolutely no reason to be moral at all. And Deism's impersonal God doesn't connect with people. Christianity was working until the Jews brainwashed society and the Church and destroyed its influence on society. Notwithstanding its misinterpretations, Christianity appears to be the only effective thing people can actually believe in and follow. And Neitzche would say the will to power is too potent for UPB to control. However, Christianity at least affords a will to power of the True, the Beautiful, and the Good. Jesus whipped the little bastards in the Temple. That needs to come back, because that is all the little bastards can understand.Someone wants steak for dinner and the other person doesn't, or go hungry forever, that does not make the steak guy forcing the other to eat the steak immoral. UPB is a logical construction that fails in the real world, and honestly, not even to be a jerk, but literally no one at all gives the slightest fuck about it. Sorry for the language.And I really do appreciate your efforts and all your good works. And sure, UPB is a true logical construction, but people are irrational and will never be rational. And that is why the real world philosophy is 100% might makes right. And this is why Christianity must be forced down their throats until the world is functional again. Irrational people only understand force, and Christianity is the valid, justified, moral, virtuous, reason and purpose of true physical force against irrational and evil people.There is an attempt at logic in UPB, and it sort of works, but not really. Morality already existed before Mankind, and UPB only points out the effects of immorality, it does not define morality. And lastly, to include with all the arguments I have made against UPB. I will just say that bottom line, UPB is merely a survival instinct desire and not the creation of morality. Every person would agree that they don't want to be attacked or stolen from, simply because they want to live and survive, so that would make that universally preferable behavior. However, because this is all survival instinct based, as soon as a person sees a chance to steal or attack, that best serves their own survival, they will immediately not care the slightest about UPB because they are about their own survival over everyone else's. UPB is matter-based biologically-based morality, and simply does not hold up, just like all the other secular ethical frameworks before it - they all failed, and all secular ethical frameworks will always fail. This is because God-based, soul-based morality is the only Truth, as proven at dynamicentity.comGET FREEDOMAIN MERCH! https://shop.freedomain.com/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

Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Deacon Harrison Garlick and Dr. Donald Prudlo explore the intricate relationship between Plato and St. Thomas Aquinas, examining how Aquinas's thought is influenced by Platonic philosophy while also being rooted in Aristotle. We are reading the PURGATORIO for Lent!Check out our LIBRARY OF GUIDES TO THE GREAT BOOKS.See Dr. Prudlo's books on St. Thomas, administration, and more!They discuss the nuances of Aquinas' understanding of universals, the nature of evil, and the significance of the body in Christian anthropology, highlighting the complexities of Aquinas's intellectual context and the historical development of these philosophical ideas. They discuss how Aquinas synthesized various philosophical traditions, particularly in his understanding of existence and essence, the role of beauty, and the moral implications of his metaphysics. The dialogue also touches on the early church's reception (or rejection) of Aristotle, the influence of Islamic philosophy, and the evolution of Aquinas' thought throughout his life. Ultimately, the conversation highlights the richness of Aquinas' philosophy and its relevance to contemporary discussions on faith and reason.Chapters00:00 Introduction to the Great Books Podcast03:11 Experiencing the Papal Conclave06:34 Plato and Aquinas: A Complex Relationship12:43 Aquinas' Intellectual Evolution17:02 The Importance of Reading the Great Books24:25 Platonic Thought in Aquinas' Philosophy34:48 The Quest for Certitude in Philosophy37:20 Realism and the Nature of Universals40:56 Mind-Body Dualism and the Significance of the Body47:36 The Reception of Aristotle in Early Christianity54:09 The Distinction Between Essence and Existence01:04:53 The Role of Beauty in Aquinas' Philosophy01:06:38 Exploring Beauty in Philosophy01:11:23 The Role of Beauty in St. Thomas Aquinas01:13:44 The Ladder of Love and Its Implications01:19:18 Essence and Existence in Thomistic Thought01:21:41 The Hierarchy of Being and Divine Wisdom01:25:22 The Evolution of Aquinas' Thought01:27:35 Understanding Aquinas Through His Influences01:30:17 Final Thoughts on Faith and ReasonTakeawaysAquinas is often mischaracterized as purely Aristotelian.The relationship between Plato and Aristotle is more complex (and harmonious) than often portrayed.Aquinas' thought is enriched by both Platonic and Aristotelian influences.Evil is understood as a privation of the good in Aquinas's philosophy.Aquinas' understanding of universals differs from both Plato and Aristotle.The concept of exitus and reditus is a key Neoplatonic idea in Aquinas.The mind-body dualism presents challenges for Christian thought.Aquinas retained Platonic emphasis on the...

Guest host Richard Syrett and filmmaker Jack Kelley discuss the mystery of Atlantis, how Plato learned of the history of the empire of Atlantis and told its story, and how a mistranslation of his work may have led people to believe it was an underwater kingdom when it was actually located in the Sahara Desert.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Robots aren't just software. They're AI in the physical world. And that changes everything.In this episode of TechFirst, host John Koetsier sits down with Ali Farhadi, CEO of Allen Institute for AI, to unpack one of the biggest debates in robotics today: Is data enough, or do robots need structured reasoning to truly understand the world?Ali explains why physical AI demands more than massive datasets, how concepts like reasoning in space and time differ from language-based chain-of-thought, and why transparency is essential for safety, trust, and human–robot collaboration. We dive deep into MOMO Act, an open model designed to make robot decision-making visible, steerable, and auditable, and talk about why open research may be the fastest path to scalable robotics.This conversation also explores:• Why reasoning looks different in the physical world• How robots can project intent before acting• The limits of “data-only” approaches• Trust, safety, and transparency in real-world robotics• Edge vs cloud AI for physical systems• Why open-source models matter for global AI progressIf you're interested in robotics, embodied AI, or the future of intelligent machines operating alongside humans, this episode is a must-watch.

Professor Mazviita Chirimuuta joins us for a fascinating deep dive into the philosophy of neuroscience and what it really means to understand the mind.*What can neuroscience actually tell us about how the mind works?* In this thought-provoking conversation, we explore the hidden assumptions behind computational theories of the brain, the limits of scientific abstraction, and why the question of machine consciousness might be more complicated than AI researchers assume.Mazviita, author of *The Brain Abstracted,* brings a unique perspective shaped by her background in both neuroscience research and philosophy. She challenges us to think critically about the metaphors we use to understand cognition — from the reflex theory of the late 19th century to today's dominant view of the brain as a computer.*Key topics explored:**The problem of oversimplification* — Why scientific models necessarily leave things out, and how this can sometimes lead entire fields astray. The cautionary tale of reflex theory shows how elegant explanations can blind us to biological complexity.*Is the brain really a computer?* — Mazviita unpacks the philosophical assumptions behind computational neuroscience and asks: if we can model anything computationally, what makes brains special? The answer might challenge everything you thought you knew about AI.*Haptic realism* — A fresh way of thinking about scientific knowledge that emphasizes interaction over passive observation. Knowledge isn't about reading the "source code of the universe" — it's something we actively construct through engagement with the world.*Why embodiment matters for understanding* — Can a disembodied language model truly understand? Mazviita makes a compelling case that human cognition is deeply entangled with our sensory-motor engagement and biological existence in ways that can't simply be abstracted away.*Technology and human finitude* — Drawing on Heidegger, we discuss how the dream of transcending our physical limitations through technology might reflect a fundamental misunderstanding of what it means to be a knower.This conversation is essential viewing for anyone interested in AI, consciousness, philosophy of mind, or the future of cognitive science. Whether you're skeptical of strong AI claims or a true believer in machine consciousness, Mazviita's careful philosophical analysis will give you new tools for thinking through these profound questions.---TIMESTAMPS:00:00:00 The Problem of Generalizing Neuroscience00:02:51 Abstraction vs. Idealization: The "Kaleidoscope"00:05:39 Platonism in AI: Discovering or Inventing Patterns?00:09:42 When Simplification Fails: The Reflex Theory00:12:23 Behaviorism and the "Black Box" Trap00:14:20 Haptic Realism: Knowledge Through Interaction00:20:23 Is Nature Protean? The Myth of Converging Truth00:23:23 The Computational Theory of Mind: A Useful Fiction?00:27:25 Biological Constraints: Why Brains Aren't Just Neural Nets00:31:01 Agency, Distal Causes, and Dennett's Stances00:37:13 Searle's Challenge: Causal Powers and Understanding00:41:58 Heidegger's Warning & The Experiment on Children---REFERENCES:Book:[00:01:28] The Brain Abstractedhttps://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262548045/the-brain-abstracted/[00:11:05] The Integrated Action of the Nervous Systemhttps://www.amazon.sg/integrative-action-nervous-system/dp/9354179029[00:18:15] The Quest for Certainty (Dewey)https://www.amazon.com/Quest-Certainty-Relation-Knowledge-Lectures/dp/0399501916[00:19:45] Realism for Realistic People (Chang)https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/realism-for-realistic-people/ACC93A7F03B15AA4D6F3A466E3FC5AB7---RESCRIPT:https://app.rescript.info/public/share/A6cZ1TY35p8ORMmYCWNBI0no9ChU3-Kx7dPXGJURvZ0PDF Transcript:https://app.rescript.info/api/public/sessions/0fb7767e066cf712/pdf

What is up, Theology Nerds! This week I'm joined by my buddy Matthew Segall from the Footnotes to Plato Substack to announce something exciting: we're doing a joint reading group on Hartmut Rosa's new book Time and World. Rosa's a German sociologist who does big-picture thinking—like old school "let me tell you about modernity" stuff—and his work resonates deeply with process philosophy. His diagnosis? We're stuck in what he calls a frenetic standstill—exhausted, burnt out, running faster just to stay in place. I gave Matt my above-ground pool whirlpool metaphor: we're all running in circles, and if you stop, you get pulled under. Modernity promises us the good life through control—making everything available, accessible, attainable—but the cost is a mute world and the birth of monsters. Rosa's antidote isn't slowing down; it's resonance—a mode of relationship where we're genuinely touched, we respond, we're transformed, and we accept it's all gloriously uncontrollable. Process folks will eat this up: it's Whitehead's prehension, creativity, and divine persuasion in sociological clothing. The invitation? Stop. Listen. Let the world address you again. If you want to join us for the Zoom sessions this February, become a member of either Process This or Footnotes to Plato—preferably both. See you soon. You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Join us at Theology Beer Camp, October 8-10, in Kansas City! Dr. Segall is a transdisciplinary researcher and teacher who applies process philosophy to various natural and social sciences, including consciousness. He is also an Assistant Professor in the Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness Program at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, CA. Make sure you check out SubStack Footnotes to Plato, his YouTube channel, and his recent book. Previous Podcasts with Matt The Meaning Crisis in Process Processing the Political Cosmology, Consciousness, and Whitehead's God. Science, Religion, Eco-Philosophy, Etheric Imagination, Psychedelic Eucharist, Ecological Crisis and more…⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠ UPCOMING ONLINE LENT CLASS: Jesus in Galilee w/ John Dominic Crossan⁠ What can we actually know about Jesus of Nazareth? And, what difference does it make? ⁠This Lenten class ⁠begins where all of Dr. John Dominic Crossan's has work begins: with history. What was actually happening in Galilee in the 20s CE? What did Herod Antipas' transformation of the "Sea of Galilee" into the commercial "Sea of Tiberias" mean for peasant fishing communities? Why did Jesus emerge from John's baptism movement proclaiming God's Rule through parables—and what made that medium so perfectly suited to that message? Only by understanding what Jesus' parables meant then can we wrestle with what they might demand of us now. ⁠The class is donation-based, including 0, so join, get info, and join up here. This podcast is a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠production. Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠the Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Nerd Throwdown⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Rise of Bonhoeffer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 75,000 other people by joining our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack - Process This!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get instant access to over 50 classes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.TheologyClass.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow the podcast, drop a review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, send ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠feedback/questions⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or become a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠member of the HBC Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.comNancy and Sarah speak with Ellie Avishai, who offers an inside look at how the ambitious project to build a bold new university — based on liberalism and open dialogue — fell victim to some of the same censorious behavior it sought to oust. The University of Austin was announced in 2021 with big names attached, perhaps none bigger (or more controversial) than Bari Weiss. Touting itself as a “coalition of the sane” at a time when college campuses seemed to be veering off-course, UATX was an inspiration to many, including Avishai, who joined forces with UATX through her own project, the Mill Institute, to help educators foster more open dialogue in classrooms. As a recent Politico story lays out, things did not go as planned.We talk about why a modest social media post led to Avishai getting booted from UATX and how the dogma of woke is transforming into the dogma of anti-woke, not just at one university but throughout culture.Also discussed:* How education departments got flooded with reductive social justice ideas* The prescriptive, anti-meaning-making stuff that went on in the social justice movement…* “… to be clear, this wasn't just Harvard.”* Also: Harvard is pretty awesome!* Intellectual “space spaces” versus psychological “safe spaces”* “If you can't teach Plato in a college course, you're out of your mind.”* #MeToo controversy at UATX* How do you prove the strength of your core ideas if you won't let them be tested?* Where is Bari Weiss in all this?* When open dialogue is perceived as weak sauce* Cannibal-Americans?Plus, ‘70s football greatness, three books to read aloud in bed, the phenomenon that is Heated Rivalry, and much more!

The 'Father of Philosophy' and the teacher of Plato, Socrates was arguably the most important intellectual in human history. He was also a war veteran, a bad dad, and never wrote anything himself. So why did Athens kill him; and why do you and I still talk about him?  Buckle up for a hell of a HILF along with guest, comedian Nat Baimel.  ---✅ Keep up with Nat Baimel on Instagram

In this special episode 50 of the Trust Psyche Podcast, Travis DiRuzza, PhD and Jessica DiRuzza, MFT dive into a two-hour, long-form conversation, inviting listeners into an intimate dialogue that originally unfolded as their own date night—an unedited, living exchange where relationship itself becomes the vessel for depth psychology, astrology, and the question of and quest for meaning-making.  Margaret Magnus's phonetic work lays the fertile ground for this conversation between letters and planets, and between material reality and the numinous realm. Guided by the archetypes of consonant sound—such as the beginnings of B, the power of P, and the virtue of V—this episode explores the Saturn–Neptune complex as it lives in psyche, culture, and cosmology. Topics include masculine and feminine dynamics, the patriarchy, social justice, neurodiversity, solar returns, Plato, and lived relational experience. 

This is an interview with Stuart Kauffman, one of the founders of complexity theory. He invented random Boolean networks at only 23 years old and helped establish the Santa Fe Institute. Now 86, he makes a striking claim: there is no theory of everything. Kauffman argues that biological evolution creates genuinely new possibilities that cannot be deduced from prior states—paralleling the ancient Chinese Tao more than Plato's Logos. He also believes he's found something new in quantum gravity (and, in his words, "genuinely huge"). He unveils it here for the first time. As a listener of TOE you can get a special 20% off discount to The Economist and all it has to offer! Visit https://www.economist.com/toe SUPPORT: - Support me on Substack: https://curtjaimungal.substack.com/subscribe - Support me on Crypto: https://commerce.coinbase.com/checkout/de803625-87d3-4300-ab6d-85d4258834a9 - Support me on PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=XUBHNMFXUX5S4 JOIN MY SUBSTACK (Personal Writings): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com LISTEN ON SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e LINKS MENTIONED: - Investigations [Book]: https://amazon.com/dp/B00W0DHAH6?tag=toe08-20 - Stuart Kauffman's Books [Amazon]: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B000APT8XK - A Third Transition In Science? [Article]: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/rsfs/article/13/3/20220063/89381/A-third-transition-in-science-A-third-transition - Genetic Regulatory Mechanisms In Protein Synthesis [Paper]: https://www.gs.washington.edu/academics/courses/braun/55106/readings/jacob_and_monod.pdf - Is Mind In Spacetime? [Paper]: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38969235/ - The World Is Not A Theorem [Paper]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2101.00284 - Origins Of Order [Book]: https://amazon.com/dp/0195079515?tag=toe08-20 - The Universal Constructor [Article]: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.157.3785.180.a - Metabolic Stability And Epigenesis In Random Genetic Nets [Paper]: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0022519369900150 - Antichaos And Adaptation [Article]: https://www.jstor.org/stable/24938683 - The Selfish Gene [Book]: https://amazon.com/dp/0199291152?tag=toe08-20 - Biological Organization As Closure Of Constraints [Paper]: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022519315001009 - Physics And Philosophy [Book]: https://amazon.com/dp/0061209198?tag=toe08-20 - Combinatorial Chemistry: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/nursing-and-health-professions/combinatorial-chemistry - Connections [Series]: https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/amzn1.dv.gti.484e32c5-60bd-4493-a800-e44fd0940312 - Gonen Ashkenasy's Papers: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=7kP7Fi4AAAAJ - Michael Levin [TOE]: https://youtu.be/c8iFtaltX-s - Anna Ciaunica & Michael Levin [TOE]: https://youtu.be/2aLhkm6QUgA - Plato's Cave [TOE]: https://youtu.be/PurNlwnxwfY - "Is God A Taoist?" [TOE]: https://youtu.be/P-jh6tRh3Jw - Chiara Marletto [TOE]: https://youtu.be/40CB12cj_aM - John Donoghue [TOE]: https://youtu.be/dG_uKJx6Lpg - Yang-Hui He [TOE]: https://youtu.be/wbP0KjWm0pw - Tim Palmer [TOE]: https://youtu.be/vlklA6jsS8A - Tim Maudlin [TOE]: https://youtu.be/fU1bs5o3nss - Lee Smolin [TOE]: https://youtu.be/uOKOodQXjhc - Carlo Rovelli [TOE]: https://youtu.be/hF4SAketEHY - Geoffrey Hinton [TOE]: https://youtu.be/b_DUft-BdIE - Richard Dawkins's Lecture: https://youtu.be/nfZMyJq6BBM Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join the conversation this week as Jeff and Dave go back into the world of Henri-Irénée Marrou's History of Education in Antiquity, Part II, Chapter XI. First up is philosophical conversion: when you read Plato or Aristotle for the first time, does a lightbulb go off in your mind? What's the wattage, and is it epiphanic? Should everyone study philosophy? The hosts carefully break down the three levels of philosophical instruction: confraternities with chosen heirs that dominated official city life, freelancing, roving lecturers, and the "tub-thumpers" who heckled and harangued innocent passersby. The rivalry could be fierce between the different philosophical sects, not to mention the ongoing feud they maintained with those practical intellectuals, the rhetors. Ancient schooling in philosophy was not so different than the modern variety, with immature pranks, grungy flannels (the tribon), and more. It's a deep dive, but someone's gotta do it. So grab some brew from your Ratio Four, pull up a chair, and join the classical gourmands for a feast of intellectual history. Also, tune in to learn how you can win a free set of the Hackett edition of the Collected Works of Aristotle, as the guys somehow finagled a second giveaway!

Part one of three. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe often spoke of a dangerous but invigorating life-force that he christened "the daemonic". In his conversations with Eckermann, and in his autobiography Dichtung und Wahrheit, he describes the daemonic by direct reference to Spinoza, and his pantheist philosophy. In this first episode of our series on Goethe's Daemonic, we're going to look at Goethe's statement of the idea, then go back in time to consider: Plato's Symposium, the daemonion of Socrates, the writings of Philo of Alexandria, Justin Martyr and St. Augustine, and finally, the alleged Spinozism of the playwright Gotthold Lessing and the "pantheism controversy" that emerged over Lessing's legacy, argued by Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi and Moses Mendelssohn.Next week (part two) will involve a closer reading of Goethe's concept of the daemonic and the influence of Herder on Goethe's reception of Spinoza. Episode art: Lessing, pictured in front of some Greek daimones.

In this episode of the Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Deacon Harrison Garlick engages in a profound discussion with Dr. Thomas Ward from Baylor University about Plato's influence on St. Boethius. The conversation begins with an exploration of Boethius's life, particularly his role as a Roman statesman and philosopher during a tumultuous time in history. Dr. Ward highlights St. Boethius's seminal work, "The Consolation of Philosophy," written while he awaited execution, and discusses its impact on medieval thought and the liberal arts tradition. The dialogue emphasizes St. Boethius's unique position as a bridge between Roman and medieval philosophy, often referred to as the last of the Romans and the first of the medievals.Visit thegreatbookspodcast.com for our reading schedule.Want to know more about Plato? Start here with our Plato playlist.And check out Dr. Thomas Ward's website!As the conversation unfolds, the discussion shifts to the Platonic influences on St. Boethius's writings. Dr. Ward explains how Boethius synthesized Platonic and Aristotelian thought, particularly in his understanding of the good and the nature of happiness. The episode delves into the themes of evil as privation, the nature of true happiness, and the philosophical journey from despair to enlightenment that St. Boethius undergoes in his work. The dialogue is rich with references to other philosophical texts, including the works of Plato, and draws parallels between Boethius's ideas and those found in the writings of later thinkers like Dante and Aquinas. Overall, the episode serves as a compelling introduction to Boethius's thought and its enduring relevance in the study of philosophy.Chapters00:00 Introduction to the Great Books Podcast02:24 Exploring Boethius and His Influence04:16 Who Was Boethius?07:49 Boethius: The Last Roman and First Scholastic10:18 The Liberal Arts and Boethius' Legacy11:36 Teaching Boethius: A Personal Journey14:07 Plato's Influence on Boethius18:50 The Consolation of Philosophy: Setting the Stage24:31 Lady Philosophy: Deconstruction and Reconstruction29:58 The Quest for Self-Knowledge30:51 Fortune and Its Dual Nature31:53 The Good: Bridging Plato and Christianity36:19 Happiness and the Divine Connection40:00 The Paradox of Good and Evil45:11 The Poetic and Philosophical Fusion48:44 Evil as Privation: A Platonic Insight52:08 Boethius: A Synthesis of Philosophical TraditionsTakeawaysBoethius is often called the last of the Romans and the first of the Medievals.His work, "The Consolation of Philosophy," was written while he awaited execution.Boethius synthesized Platonic and Aristotelian thought in his writings.Evil is understood as a privation of good, not a substance in itself.The journey from despair to enlightenment is central to Boethius's philosophy.KeywordsBoethius, Plato, Consolation of Philosophy, medieval philosophy, Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Thomas Ward, liberal arts, happiness, evil as privation, philosophy, Deacon Harrison Garlick, great...

Can you pursue happiness by chasing fleeting pleasures? If not, how can we finally demonstrate that? Join us for our thoughts on Plato's conclusion that the pursuit of knowledge leads to the highest form of happiness, demolishing any argument in favor of pursuing any lower goods!Give us your opinions here!

Texas A&M University adopted a rule last November banning the teaching of “race and gender ideology,” which includes Plato's 2,400-year-old “Symposium.” Professor Martin Peterson explains how he thinks the move will hurt his philosophy students.Then, Bob Weir, a founding member of and guitarist for the Grateful Dead, died this month. Music journalist Alan Paul unpacks Weir's rhythm guitar playing style and how it defined rock & roll music.And, in California, three people have died, and dozens more are sick after eating death cap mushrooms. Interim health officer for Sonoma County, Dr. Michael Stacey, explains more.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Exploring Mars Oceans, Fastest Asteroids, and ISS EvacuationsIn this captivating episode of Space Nuts, hosts Andrew Dunkley and Professor Fred Watson delve into the latest astronomical discoveries and intriguing space news. Join them as they explore new evidence suggesting that Mars once boasted vast oceans, the astonishing characteristics of the fastest spinning asteroid ever recorded, and the unprecedented evacuation of the International Space Station due to a medical issue.Episode Highlights:- Mars' Ancient Oceans: Andrew and Fred discuss groundbreaking research revealing that Mars may have once had oceans comparable in size to Earth's Arctic Ocean. They explore the implications of this discovery and what it means for the search for life on the Red Planet.- The Fastest Spinning Asteroid: The hosts introduce the asteroid 2025 MN45, which spins at an incredible rate of one rotation every 1 minute and 53 seconds. They discuss the significance of this finding and what it reveals about the asteroid's composition and history.- ISS Medical Evacuation: Andrew and Fred provide insights into the first-ever crew evacuation from the International Space Station, prompted by a medical issue. They discuss the implications of this event and the protocols in place for astronaut safety.For more Space Nuts, including our continuously updating newsfeed and to listen to all our episodes, visit our website. Follow us on social media at SpaceNutsPod on Facebook, X, YouTube Music Music, Tumblr, Instagram, and TikTok. We love engaging with our community, so be sure to drop us a message or comment on your favorite platform.If you'd like to help support Space Nuts and join our growing family of insiders for commercial-free episodes and more, visit spacenutspodcast.com/about.Stay curious, keep looking up, and join us next time for more stellar insights and cosmic wonders. Until then, clear skies and happy stargazing.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/space-nuts-astronomy-insights-cosmic-discoveries--2631155/support.

We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light. - Plato Check out John Lee Dumas' award winning Podcast Entrepreneurs on Fire on your favorite podcast directory. For world class free courses and resources to help you on your Entrepreneurial journey visit EOFire.com

This week Bryan is live from his office where he's been purging pandemic kitchen purchases. Erin does some Groceries-style recommendations including Southwest Airlines' hottest flight snack and the fudge to dip them in. Erin discusses Texas A&M University's decision to remove Plato's Symposium from philosophy professor Martin Peterson's curriculum due to a new policy enacted in the fall that prohibits advocating "race or gender ideology, or topics related to sexual orientation or gender identity”. Bryan discusses the murder of Renee Good by ICE, and resources of where we can donate to causes or organizations that can benefit those in need in our own communities. For this week's Heated Rivalry Recap visit www.patreon.com/attitudesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this edition of This Is Your Brain On Trends, Jack and special guest co-host Pallavi Gunalan discuss ICE shooting another person in Minnesota, Kristi Noem getting impeached?, the EPA caping for businesses instead of humans, the FBI raiding journalists homes, Texas A&M cancelling Plato and much more!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if the reason we feel anxious, blocked, and exhausted is not a lack of effort, but a refusal to surrender? This episode weaves poetry, ancient myth, modern culture, and Christian wisdom into a single question: where does real creativity and real peace actually come from? From the Greek Muses and Plato's divine madness, through Homer and Shakespeare, to Augustine, Aquinas, Tolkien, and Christ in Gethsemane, this talk challenges the modern instinct to control, perform, and self-create. If you feel restless, afraid to let go, or stuck trying to hold your life together, this episode invites you to listen closely, because peace does not come from mastery, it comes from trust.

I recently joined Dawn Lester, co-author of "What Really Makes You Ill," for an engaging and highly philosophical exploration of the schismatical schematic underlying the "right, left, right, left" march of tyranny's boots. This was inspired by the recent banning of Plato by a Texas university, and the consideration of what we can learn from Plato's esoteric teachings.From Dawn's episode description:In our conversation Chance and I discuss many topics, including how systems of all kinds, especially the political system, swing from one extreme to another and how neither ‘extreme' is able to actually find solutions. These swings are a pattern we need to recognise to better understand what may be happening in our own lives to bring it back into balance. Chance also talks about biofield tuning and how imbalances show up in our biofield.Join us for a fascinating conversation and a deep dive into understanding why it's important to recognise these patterns and discern our way out of ideas imposed on us and into a more harmonious flow through life.LINKS

The next major stop in your visit to the Vatican Museums after the Gallery of the Maps is the former apartments of Pope Julius II. They are known as the "Rooms of Raphael" because they were decorated with beautiful frescoes by Raphael between 1507 and 1513, including his famous "School of Athens." This fresco depicts the greatest philosophical and scientific minds of the ancient world including Plato, Aristotle, Pythagoras, and Euclid. 

Does Plato matter? An ancient philosopher whose work has inspired and informed countless thinkers and poets across the centuries, his ideas are no longer taught as widely as they once were. But, as Angie Hobbs argues in this clear-sighted book Why Plato Matters Now (Bloomsbury, 2025), that is a mistake.If we want to understand the world we live in – from democracy, autocracy and fake news to celebrity, cancel culture and what money can and cannot do – there is no better place to start than Plato. Exploring the intersection between the ancient and the modern, Professor Hobbs shows how Plato can help us address key questions concerning the nature of a flourishing life and community, healthcare, love and friendship, heroism, reality, art and myth-making. She also shows us how Plato's adaptation of the Socratic method and dialogue form can enable us to deal with contested issues more constructively.Plato's methodology, arguments, ideas and vivid images are explained with a clarity suitable both for readers familiar with his work and for those approaching Plato for the first time. This book shows why Plato really matters, now more than ever. Angie Hobbs is emerita Professor of the Public Understanding of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield. She gained a degree in Classics and a PhD in Ancient Philosophy at the University of Cambridge, and her chief interests are in ancient philosophy and literature, and ethics and political theory from classical thought to the present, and she has published widely in these areas, including Plato and the Hero. She works in a number of policy sectors, and contributes regularly to media around the world, including many appearances on In Our Time on Radio 4; she has spoken at the World Economic Forum at Davos, the Athens Democracy Forum, the Houses of Parliament, the Scottish Parliament and Westminster Abbey and been the guest on Desert Island Discs and Private Passions. Website here Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature. YouTube Channel: here 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

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:The Tarrant County Democratic Party, following Republican administrative challenges against 7 of its judicial candidates by the Tarrant GOP, has responded by challenging 43 Republican candidates: https://fortworthreport.org/2026/01/13/tarrant-democrats-seek-to-remove-all-gop-judicial-2-texas-house-candidates-from-ballot/...All of this amounts to a "weaponizing of election integrity": https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/inside-republicans-strategy-to-weaponizeThe process of approving private schools to benefit from Texas' new voucher scam has been brought to a crawl by acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock, who is apparently seeking to exclude schools with Muslim or Chinese ties: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/private-schools-voucher-program-21290944.phpAn ICE assistant chief counsel based in Dallas who had been removed from duty upon the revelation that he runs a racist, Nazi-sympathizing X account, is back on duty: https://www.texasobserver.org/ice-prosecutor-racist-account-back-at-immigration-court/Texas A&M's heavy-handed crackdown on "woke" curriculum - lately including a censoring of the works of Plato - has drawn a formal condemnation from the American Association of University Professors: https://www.kbtx.com/2026/01/13/national-education-group-condemns-texas-am-course-material-changes/Early voting in the March primary starts in mere weeks, on February 17 - the time to research your ballot is right now: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2026/texas-march-2026-primary-ballot/?_bhlid=7d8eca3d2a16adc7c9b44185414443fa32be6d84⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠See the full list of 2026 races and candidates, courtesy of Lone Star Left, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Check out our web store, including our newly-expanded Humans Against Greg Abbott collection: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://store.progresstexas.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Progress Texas is expanding into both broadcast radio - including a new partnership with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠KPFT-FM in Houston⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - and into Spanish language media! Make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and to our Spanish expansion ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Thanks for listening! Our monthly donors form the backbone of our funding, and if you're a regular, we'd like to invite you to join the team! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

DescriptionDavid Diener, Assistant Professor of Education at Hillsdale College and president of The Alcuin Fellowship, joins Christopher Perrin to reflect on how a philosopher's training can become a vocational doorway into the renewal of classical education. Drawing from years in K–12 school leadership and now higher education, Diener describes why classical schools often foster unusually rich intellectual community—and why that matters in an age of academic fragmentation. He also introduces Hillsdale's Master of Arts in Classical Education (MACE), a program designed to address one of the movement's biggest bottlenecks: forming well-equipped teachers and administrators. The conversation highlights how enduring philosophical anchors—from Plato and Aristotle to Aquinas—can be translated into concrete classroom practice. Diener then traces the role of The Alcuin Fellowship in deepening the movement's historical and theoretical grounding, including its influence on The Liberal Arts Tradition. Finally, they look outward to the global growth of classical Christian education, including partnerships and training initiatives in Africa, such as the Rafiki Foundation, and expanding work across Latin America. David Diener has a forthcoming monograph in Spanish that will provide chapter-length essays on various aspects of classical Christian education. Additionally, he has an upcoming course on ClassicalU.com will release in the spring of 2026.Episode OutlineFrom philosophy to teaching: Diener's academic formation, early teaching experience abroad, and why education became his focusWhy classical schools attract scholars: the “faculty-of-friends” culture and how it can outpace typical undergraduate settingsHillsdale's MACE program: structure, distinctives, and the need for teacher formation at scaleThe Alcuin Fellowship: purpose, retreats, the “scholar-practitioner” model, and the ecosystem role it playsPublications and intellectual consolidation: how collaborative work helped birth The Liberal Arts Tradition by Kevin Clark, DLS, and Ravi Jain Global and Latin American growth: partnerships, conferences, and emerging networks across continentsKey Topics & TakeawaysFormation Through Practices: What we repeatedly do shapes what we love.Classical Schools as Intellectual Communities: Classical faculties often cultivate cross-disciplinary conversation and shared learning in ways that counter modern academic siloing.Theory-to-Practice Formation: Strong programs don't leave philosophy abstract—they press big ideas into classroom realities and school leadership decisions.The Teacher-Leader Pipeline is the Bottleneck: Sustainable growth depends on forming more capable teachers and administrators, not merely opening more schools.Why MACE is Built the Way it is: A shared core creates common language and vision; later specialization prepares teachers and leaders for distinct roles.Fellowship as Infrastructure for Renewal: The Alcuin Fellowship functions as a hub for scholar-practitioners who think deeply and serve schools faithfully.From Local Renewal to Global Opportunity: The movement's growth is increasingly international, with meaningful work underway in Africa and expanding initiatives in Latin America.Questions & DiscussionWhat kind of “fragmentation” have you experienced in education (or your own formation)?What practices have helped you move toward integration?Why might a classical school faculty create stronger intellectual friendship than many modern institutions?Compare your current context to a “lunch-table culture” where teachers learn together across disciplines. What would it take to cultivate that kind of shared learning where you are?What is the role of a fellowship (formal or informal) in renewing an educational tradition?Identify one fellowship function you most need: reading, conversation, research, mentoring, or mutual sharpening. What could be your next practical step to build that community?How should the classical renewal relate to other organizations and conferences in the movement?What do you hope conferences and associations provide beyond inspiration (formation, scholarship, standards, support)? How can leaders prevent “event energy” from replacing sustained local practice?What opportunities—and challenges—come with global growth of classical Christian education?Discuss the difference between exporting a model and serving a local culture with deep roots. What do “curriculum accessibility” and “teacher training resources” mean in practical terms?Suggested Reading & ResourcesThe Liberal Arts Tradition by Kevin Clark, DLS, and Ravi JainThe Liberal Arts Tradition (Audiobook) by Kevin Clark, DLS, and Ravi JainRafiki FoundationThe Rafiki Foundation PodcastAssociation of Classical Christian Schools (ACCS)Society for Classical Learning (SCL)Hillsdale CollegeHillsdale AcademyThe Alcuin FellowshipDr. Christopher Perrin on Substack 

Does Plato matter? An ancient philosopher whose work has inspired and informed countless thinkers and poets across the centuries, his ideas are no longer taught as widely as they once were. But, as Angie Hobbs argues in this clear-sighted book Why Plato Matters Now (Bloomsbury, 2025), that is a mistake.If we want to understand the world we live in – from democracy, autocracy and fake news to celebrity, cancel culture and what money can and cannot do – there is no better place to start than Plato. Exploring the intersection between the ancient and the modern, Professor Hobbs shows how Plato can help us address key questions concerning the nature of a flourishing life and community, healthcare, love and friendship, heroism, reality, art and myth-making. She also shows us how Plato's adaptation of the Socratic method and dialogue form can enable us to deal with contested issues more constructively.Plato's methodology, arguments, ideas and vivid images are explained with a clarity suitable both for readers familiar with his work and for those approaching Plato for the first time. This book shows why Plato really matters, now more than ever. Angie Hobbs is emerita Professor of the Public Understanding of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield. She gained a degree in Classics and a PhD in Ancient Philosophy at the University of Cambridge, and her chief interests are in ancient philosophy and literature, and ethics and political theory from classical thought to the present, and she has published widely in these areas, including Plato and the Hero. She works in a number of policy sectors, and contributes regularly to media around the world, including many appearances on In Our Time on Radio 4; she has spoken at the World Economic Forum at Davos, the Athens Democracy Forum, the Houses of Parliament, the Scottish Parliament and Westminster Abbey and been the guest on Desert Island Discs and Private Passions. Website here Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature. YouTube Channel: here 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 if the biggest threat to your freedom isn't a bad decision - but a scoreboard you never agreed to? Philosopher C. Thi Nguyen joins Bankless to unpack how modern life quietly turns values into points: likes, GPAs, net worth, rankings, and performance metrics that feel objective - but often flatten what matters most. We explore what games really are, why “gamified” platforms like social media can be uniquely corrosive, and how “value capture” pulls you from meaning into measurable proxies. Then we get practical: playfulness, reflective control, and “value federalism” as ways to use metrics without letting them use you. ---

How did Plato influence St. Augustine? Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Dcn. Harrison Garlick and Dr. Chad Pecknold of the Catholic University of America discuss Plato's influence on St. Augustine.Check out our account on X for daily postings on the great books!Check out our library of written guides to the great books!Check out FIRE ON THE ALTAR by Dr. Chad Pecknold.The discussion begins with the historical evolution of Platonism—from the original Academy of Socrates and Plato, through Middle Platonism (with figures like Plutarch and Apuleius), to the late or Neoplatonism of Plotinus and others—showing how it became increasingly religious, mystical, and hierarchical in the Roman Empire, complete with daemons (intermediary spiritual beings) and a strong emphasis on the soul's ascent to the divine.St. Augustine, after years as a Manichaean and skeptic, encountered Platonic texts (likely including Plotinus) in Milan around 385–386 AD through Christian Platonists like Bishop Ambrose and Simplicianus. These writings played a crucial role in his intellectual conversion: they revealed a transcendent, immaterial God as Being itself, the eternal Word/Logos, and the soul's capacity for contemplative ascent beyond the material world—ideas strikingly parallel to the prologue of John's Gospel.Yet St. Augustine recognized Platonism's crucial limitation: it allowed him to "catch the fragrance" of God but not to "feast" through union, because it lacked the Word made flesh—the incarnate Christ as the true mediator who bridges the gap between the divine and humanity, solving the problem of mediation and purification that Platonism itself raised but could not resolve.Ultimately, Pecknold presents Platonism as a providential praeparatio evangelica—a promise that raises the restless heart's longing for God, truth, beauty, and eternal happiness—but one fulfilled only in Christianity. St. Augustine adopts and transforms Platonic elements (such as the ideas/forms residing in the divine mind, now identified with the Logos/Christ, and the soul's ascent through purification) while critiquing its errors, especially its inadequate mediators and inability to address incarnation, bodily resurrection, and grace. In this way, St. Augustine shows that Plato comes closest among philosophers to Christianity, yet only the Word made flesh satisfies the hunger Plato so powerfully articulated.Plato on St. Boethius is up next week!

How does Plato's ideal state collapse? What kind of society does it become, and what does the soul of the person represented by that society look like? Find out as we discuss the origin and development of timarchy, oligarchy, democracy, and tyranny, as well as their corresponding faults!Follow us on X!Give us your opinions here!

The Yaron Brook Show

Several monkeys on the loose in St. Louis, Missouri. Texas A&M university bans Plato for being woke. "Are You Dead Yet?" App is #1 in China. // Weird AF News is the only daily weird news podcast in the world. Weird news 5 days/week and on Friday it's only Floridaman. SUPPORT by joining the Weird AF News Patreon http://patreon.com/weirdafnews - OR buy Jonesy a coffee at http://buymeacoffee.com/funnyjones Buy MERCH: https://weirdafnews.merchmake.com/ - Check out the official website https://WeirdAFnews.com and FOLLOW host Jonesy at http://instagram.com/funnyjones - wants Jonesy to come perform standup comedy in your city? Fill out the form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfvYbm8Wgz3Oc2KSDg0-C6EtSlx369bvi7xdUpx_7UNGA_fIw/viewform

******Support the channel******Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedissenterPayPal: paypal.me/thedissenterPayPal Subscription 1 Dollar: https://tinyurl.com/yb3acuuyPayPal Subscription 3 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ybn6bg9lPayPal Subscription 5 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ycmr9gpzPayPal Subscription 10 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y9r3fc9mPayPal Subscription 20 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y95uvkao ******Follow me on******Website: https://www.thedissenter.net/The Dissenter Goodreads list: https://shorturl.at/7BMoBFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedissenteryt/Twitter: https://x.com/TheDissenterYT This show is sponsored by Enlites, Learning & Development done differently. Check the website here: http://enlites.com/ Dr. Rebecca Newberger Goldstein is an American philosopher, novelist, and public intellectual. She is a MacArthur Fellow and has received the National Humanities Medal of the US, the National Jewish Book Award, and numerous other honors. She's the author of ten books, both fiction and nonfiction, including The Mind-Body Problem, Betraying Spinoza, and Plato at the Googleplex. Her latest book is The Mattering Instinct: How Our Deepest Longing Drives Us and Divides Us. In this episode, we focus on The Mattering Instinct. We start by discussing what it is to matter, the mattering instinct, the social aspects of mattering, and four mattering types: socializers, transcenders, competitors, and heroic strivers. We talk about cosmic and biological mattering. We discuss whether mattering can be universalized, and an objective standard to distinguish between better and worse ways to respond to the mattering instinct. Finally, we talk about nihilism and absurdism, and whether the unexamined life is worth living.--A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS/SUPPORTERS: PER HELGE LARSEN, BERNARDO SEIXAS, ADAM KESSEL, MATTHEW WHITINGBIRD, ARNAUD WOLFF, TIM HOLLOSY, HENRIK AHLENIUS, ROBERT WINDHAGER, RUI INACIO, ZOOP, MARCO NEVES, COLIN HOLBROOK, PHIL KAVANAGH, SAMUEL ANDREEFF, FRANCIS FORDE, TIAGO NUNES, FERGAL CUSSEN, HAL HERZOG, NUNO MACHADO, JONATHAN LEIBRANT, JOÃO LINHARES, STANTON T, SAMUEL CORREA, ERIK HAINES, MARK SMITH, JOÃO EIRA, TOM HUMMEL, SARDUS FRANCE, DAVID SLOAN WILSON, YACILA DEZA-ARAUJO, ROMAIN ROCH, YANICK PUNTER, CHARLOTTE BLEASE, NICOLE BARBARO, ADAM HUNT, PAWEL OSTASZEWSKI, NELLEKE BAK, GUY MADISON, GARY G HELLMANN, SAIMA AFZAL, ADRIAN JAEGGI, PAULO TOLENTINO, JOÃO BARBOSA, JULIAN PRICE, HEDIN BRØNNER, FRANCA BORTOLOTTI, GABRIEL PONS CORTÈS, URSULA LITZCKE, SCOTT, ZACHARY FISH, TIM DUFFY, SUNNY SMITH, JON WISMAN, WILLIAM BUCKNER, LUKE GLOWACKI, GEORGIOS THEOPHANOUS, CHRIS WILLIAMSON, PETER WOLOSZYN, DAVID WILLIAMS, DIOGO COSTA, ALEX CHAU, CORALIE CHEVALLIER, BANGALORE ATHEISTS, LARRY D. LEE JR., OLD HERRINGBONE, MICHAEL BAILEY, DAN SPERBER, ROBERT GRESSIS, JEFF MCMAHAN, JAKE ZUEHL, MARK CAMPBELL, TOMAS DAUBNER, LUKE NISSEN, KIMBERLY JOHNSON, JESSICA NOWICKI, LINDA BRANDIN, VALENTIN STEINMANN, ALEXANDER HUBBARD, BR, JONAS HERTNER, URSULA GOODENOUGH, DAVID PINSOF, SEAN NELSON, MIKE LAVIGNE, JOS KNECHT, LUCY, MANVIR SINGH, PETRA WEIMANN, CAROLA FEEST, MAURO JÚNIOR, TONY BARRETT, NIKOLAI VISHNEVSKY, STEVEN GANGESTAD, TED FARRIS, HUGO B., JORDAN MANSFIELD, CHARLOTTE ALLEN, PETER STOYKO, DAVID TONNER, LEE BECK, PATRICK DALTON-HOLMES, NICK KRASNEY, RACHEL ZAK, DENNIS XAVIER, CHINMAYA BHAT, RHYS, AND ALEX MACLEOD!A SPECIAL THANKS TO MY PRODUCERS, YZAR WEHBE, JIM FRANK, ŁUKASZ STAFINIAK, TOM VANEGDOM, BERNARD HUGUENEY, CURTIS DIXON, BENEDIKT MUELLER, THOMAS TRUMBLE, KATHRINE AND PATRICK TOBIN, JONCARLO MONTENEGRO, NICK GOLDEN, CHRISTINE GLASS, IGOR NIKIFOROVSKI, AND PER KRAULIS!AND TO MY EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS, MATTHEW LAVENDER,SERGIU CODREANU, AND GREGORY HASTINGS!

We catch up on a very grim news week, and then discuss a documentary about a journalist who has reported a lot of very grim news weeks. In COVER-UP (2025), Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus paint a sympathetic portrait of Seymour Hirsch, the journalist who exposed everything from the My Lai massacre to Abu Ghraib. PLUS: Folks, it seems the right is cancelling Plato? Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus Check out some incredible M&Us fan art by the great Josh Bayer - https://www.patreon.com/posts/fan-art-147656792

Crushed by life's boulders—trauma, overwhelm, or self-doubt as an autistic/AuDHD/ADHD young adult?

Steven F. Hayward, Pepperdine University professor, blogger at the "Political Questions" Substack, and host of the Three Whiskey Happy Hour Podcast, opens the show with Seth to talk about the need for a study of great works after a ban on teaching Plato at Texas A&M University, Plato’s Symposium, his recent piece, “Reagan, the Original MAGA President?” and more!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Slavery did not end in the nineteenth century—it persists today, hidden in global supply chains, religious justifications, and systems of power. Kevin Bales and Michael Rota join Evan Rosa to explore modern slavery through history, psychology, and theology, asking why it remains so difficult to see and confront.“It's time some person should see these calamities to their end.” (Thomas Clarkson, 1785)“There are millions of slaves in the world today.” (Kevin Bales, 2025)In this episode, they consider how conscience, power, and religious belief can either sustain enslavement or become forces for abolition. Together they discuss the psychology of slaveholding, faith's complicity and resistance, Quaker abolitionism, modern debt bondage, ISIS and Yazidi slavery, and what meaningful action looks like today.https://freetheslaves.net/––––––––––––––––––Episode Highlights“There are millions of slaves in the world today.”“Statistics isn't gonna do it. I need to actually show people things.”“They have sexual control. They can do what they like.”“Slavery is flowing into our lives hidden in the things we buy.”“We have to widen our sphere of concern.”––––––––––––––––––About Kevin BalesKevin Bales is a leading scholar and activist in the global fight against modern slavery. He is Professor of Contemporary Slavery at the University of Nottingham and co-founder of Free the Slaves, an international NGO dedicated to ending slavery worldwide. Bales has spent more than three decades researching forced labor, debt bondage, and human trafficking, combining academic rigor with on-the-ground investigation. His work has shaped international policy, influenced anti-slavery legislation, and brought global attention to forms of enslavement often dismissed as historical. He is the author of several influential books, including Disposable People and Friends of God, Slaves of Men, which examines the complex relationship between religion and slavery across history and into the present. Learn more and follow at https://www.kevinbales.org and https://www.freetheslaves.netAbout Michael RotaMichael Rota is Professor of Philosophy at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, where he teaches and researches in the philosophy of religion, moral psychology, and the history of slavery and religion. His work spans scholarly articles on the definition of slavery, the moral psychology underlying social change and abolition, and the relevance of theological concepts to ethical life. Rota is co-author with Kevin Bales of Friends of God, Slaves of Men: Religion and Slavery, Past and Present, a comprehensive interdisciplinary study of how religions have both justified and resisted systems of enslaving human beings from antiquity to the present day. He is also the author of Taking Pascal's Wager: Faith, Evidence, and the Abundant Life, an extended argument for the reasonableness and desirability of Christian commitment. In addition to his academic writing, he co-leads projects in philosophy and education and is co-founder of Personify, a platform exploring AI and student learning. Learn more and follow at his faculty profile and personal website https://mikerota.wordpress.com and on X/Twitter @mikerota.––––––––––––––––––Helpful Links And ResourcesDisposable People by Kevin Baleshttps://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520281820/disposable-peopleFriends of God, Slaves of Men by Kevin Bales and Michael Rotahttps://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520383265/friends-of-god-slaves-of-menFree the Slaveshttps://www.freetheslaves.netVoices for Freedomhttps://voicesforfreedom.orgInternational Justice Missionhttps://www.ijm.orgTalitha Kumhttps://www.talithakum.info––––––––––––––––––Show Notes– Slavery named as a contemporary moral crisis obscured by twentieth-century abolition narratives– Kevin Bales's encounter with anti-slavery leaflet in London, mid-1990s– “There are millions of slaves in the world today … I thought, look, that can't be true because I don't know that. I'm a professor. I should know that.”– Stories disrupting moral distance more powerfully than statistics– “There were three little stories inside, about three different types of enslavement … it put a hook in me like a fish and pulled me.”– United Nations documentation mostly ignored despite vast evidence– Decades of investigation into contemporary slavery– Fieldwork across five regions, five forms of enslavement– Kevin Bales's book, Disposable People as embodied witness with concrete stories– “Statistics isn't gonna do it. I need to actually show people things. There's gonna be something that breaks hearts the way it did me when I was in the field.”– Psychological resistance to believing slavery touches ordinary life– Anti-Slavery International as original human rights organization founded in U.K. in 1839– Quaker and Anglican foundations of abolitionist movements– Religion as both justification for slavery and engine of resistance– Call for renewed faith-based abolition today– Slavery and religion intertwined from early human cultures– Colonial expansion intensifying moral ambiguity– Columbus, Genoa, and enslavement following failed gold extraction– Spanish royal hesitation over legitimacy of slavery– Las Casas's moral conversion after refusal of absolution– “He eventually realized this is totally wrong. What we are doing, we are destroying these people. And this is not what God wants us to be doing.”– Sepúlveda's Aristotelian defense of hierarchy and profit– Moral debate without effective structural enforcement– Power described as intoxicating and deforming conscience– Hereditary debt bondage in Indian villages– Caste, ethnicity, and generational domination– Sexual violence as mechanism of absolute control– “They have sexual control. They can beat up the men, rape the women, steal the children. They can do pretty much what they like.”– Three-year liberation process rooted in trust, education, and collective refusal– Former slaves returning as teachers and organizers– Liberation compared to Plato's allegory of the cave– Post-liberation vulnerability and risk of recapture– Power inverted in Christian teaching– “The disciples are arguing about who's the greatest, and Jesus says, the greatest among you will be the slave of all… don't use power to help yourself. Use it to serve.”– Psychological explanations for delayed abolition– The psychological phenomenon of “motivated reasoning” that shapes moral conclusions– “The conclusions we reach aren't just shaped by the objective evidence the world provides. They're shaped also by the internal desires and goals and motivations people have.”– Economic self-interest and social consensus sustaining injustice– Quaker abolition through relational, conscience-driven confrontation– First major religious body to forbid slaveholding– Boycotts of slave-produced goods and naval blockade of slave trade– Modern slavery as organized criminal enterprise– ISIS enslavement of Yazidi women– Religious reasoning weaponized for genocide– “They said, for religious reasons, we just need to eradicate this entire outfit.”– Online slave auctions and cultural eradication– Internal Islamic arguments for abolition– Restricting the permissible for the common good– Informing conscience as first step toward action– Community sustaining long-term resistance– Catholic religious sisters as leading global abolitionists– Hidden slavery embedded in everyday consumer goods– “There's so much slavery flowing into our lives which is hidden… in our homes, our watches, our computers, the minerals, all this.”– Expanding moral imagination beyond immediate needs– “Your sphere of concern has to be wider… how do I start caring about something that I don't see?”– “It's time some person should see these calamities to their end.” (Thomas Clarkson, 1785)––––––––––––––––––#ModernSlavery#FaithAndJustice#HumanDignity#Abolition#FreeTheSlavesProduction NotesThis podcast featured Kevin Bales and Michael RotaEdited and Produced by Evan RosaHosted by Evan RosaProduction Assistance by Noah SenthilA Production of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School https://faith.yale.edu/aboutSupport For the Life of the World podcast by giving to the Yale Center for Faith & Culture: https://faith.yale.edu/give

Tad Delay came on to talk about his lecture from the Democracy in Tension summit, and we got into political philosophy and why democracy keeps sliding toward tyranny. Tad teaches Plato's Republic in his intro philosophy classes, and he makes this compelling case that Plato basically had us figured out - the fundamental problem is why do people desire their own servitude as though it were their salvation? We traced the history of democratic movements from the French Revolution through the revolutions of 1848 (which most people know nothing about), and Tad connected it all to our current moment with Gaza, Zionism, and how both parties seem to have lost any sense of shame about lying. The conversation got pretty dark but also weirdly hopeful - we talked about social media as a performance of fake happiness, the need to bring back shame about lying and abuse, and how billionaires like Peter Thiel don't even understand the basics of how power works. Plus we ended with the cheerful speculation that Trump could probably admit to his crimes and people would respect him more for it. Like I said, cheery stuff. You can get access to Tad's lecture and the entire Democracy in Tension series here. You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube Join us at Theology Beer Camp, October 8-10, in Kansas City!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS: The Rise of the Nones⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ One-third of Americans now claim no religious affiliation. That's 100 million people.  But here's what most church leaders get wrong: they're not all the same. Some still believe in God. Some are actively searching. Some are quietly indifferent. Some think religion is harmful.  Ryan Burge & Tony Jones have conducted the first large-scale survey of American "Nones", which reveals 4 distinct categories—each requiring a different approach. Understanding the difference could transform everything from your ministry to your own spiritual quest. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get info & join the donation-based class (including 0) here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ This podcast is a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠production. Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠the Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Nerd Throwdown⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Rise of Bonhoeffer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 75,000 other people by joining our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack - Process This!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get instant access to over 50 classes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.TheologyClass.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow the podcast, drop a review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, send ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠feedback/questions⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or become a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠member of the HBC Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

REVOLUTION, ASSASSINATION, AND CHAOS Colleague Professor James Romm. Dion launched an invasion to liberate Syracuse, but the revolution unleashed chaotic populist passions he could not control. After ordering the assassination of a rival, Dion fell into a depression and was eventually assassinated by a faction of his own army. Rommnotes that ancient historians, including Plutarch, largely protected Dion's reputation to safeguard the prestige of Plato's Academy, despite Dion's failure to become a true philosopher king. NUMBER 9 1839 SYRACUSE

PLATO'S FAILED FIRST MISSION TO SICILY Colleague Professor James Romm. Professor Romm details Plato's background, including his connection to the Thirty Tyrants in Athens and his philosophy of "forms." Plato was invited to Syracuse by Dion, who hoped the philosopher could reform the tyrant Dionysius the Elder. However, this first visit was a disaster; Plato attempted to lecture the ruler on ethics and moral behavior, resulting in the philosopher being dismissed from the court with dishonor. NUMBER 6 1900 SYRACUSE

SHOW 12-29-25 CBS EYE ON THE WORLD WITH JOHN BATCHELOR UR THE PRINCESS'S MUSEUM AT THE DAWN OF HISTORY Colleague Moudhy Al-Rashid. Moudhy Al-Rashidintroduces Ennigaldi-Nanna, a princess and high priestess of the moon god in the ancient city of Ur. Excavators discovered a chamber in her palace containing carefully arranged artifacts from eras much older than her own, effectively serving as a museum. A clay cylinder found there acted as a museum label, preserving the history of ancient kings to lend legitimacy to her father, King Nabonidus, and his dynasty. NUMBER 1 THE STORIES TOLD BY MESOPOTAMIAN BRICKS Colleague Moudhy Al-Rashid. Moudhy Al-Rashidexplains how millions of mud bricks reveal the history of ancient Mesopotamia, from the construction of massive temples to the 9-kilometer wall of Uruk. These bricks were often stamped with the names of kings to ensure their deeds were known to the gods. Beyond royal propaganda, bricks preserve intimate moments, such as the accidental paw prints of dogs or footprints of children left while the clay dried in the sun. NUMBER 2 GILGAMESH AND THE BIRTH OF WRITTEN LEGEND Colleague Moudhy Al-Rashid. Al-Rashid discusses Cuneiform, a writing system used for over 3,000 years to record languages like Sumerian and Akkadian. She details the Epic of Gilgamesh, a tale of a tyrannical king who finds wisdom and friendship with the wild man Enkidu. While Gilgamesh was likely a real historical figure, his story evolved into high poetry about mortality and leadership. The segment notes that kingship was believed to have descended from heaven. NUMBER 3 HOMEWORK AND HEARTACHE IN ANCIENT SCHOOLS Colleague Moudhy Al-Rashid. Excavations of a "schoolhouse" in Nippur revealed thousands of practice tablets, showing the messy first attempts of children learning to write. These artifacts include literary accounts of school life, complaints about food, and even teeth marks from frustrated students. The curriculum was rigorous, covering literacy and advanced mathematics like geometry, which was essential for future scribes to calculate field yields and manage the bureaucracy. NUMBER 4 THE ALCOHOLIC TYRANTS OF THE WEST Colleague Professor James Romm. James Romm introduces Syracuse as a dominant power in the 4th century BCE under the rule of Dionysius the Elder, who rose from clerk to autocrat. Dionysius fortified the city's geography to create a secure military base and adopted the Persian custom of polygamy, marrying two women on the same day. This created a rivalrous, "unhappy family" dynamic in a court notorious for heavy drinking and "Syracusan tables" of excess. NUMBER 5 PLATO'S FAILED FIRST MISSION TO SICILY Colleague Professor James Romm. Professor Romm details Plato's background, including his connection to the Thirty Tyrants in Athens and his philosophy of "forms." Plato was invited to Syracuse by Dion, who hoped the philosopher could reform the tyrant Dionysius the Elder. However, this first visit was a disaster; Plato attempted to lecture the ruler on ethics and moral behavior, resulting in the philosopher being dismissed from the court with dishonor. NUMBER 6 THE BANISHMENT OF DION Colleague Professor James Romm. Plato returned to Syracuse to tutor Dionysius the Younger, hoping to create an enlightened monarch, but found a court defined by drunkenness and immaturity. The experiment failed when Dion, Plato's ally, sent a letter to Carthage that the tyrant interpreted as treason. Dionysiusbanished Dion and kept Plato under a form of house arrest to maintain the appearance of an alliance, while the tyrant solidified his power. NUMBER 7 A PHILOSOPHER OBSERVES A COMING WAR Colleague Professor James Romm. At the Olympic Games, Plato met the exiled Dion and learned that the tyrant had confiscated Dion's property and given his wife to another man. Despite the growing tension, Plato visited Syracuse a third time in 361 BCE to attempt reconciliation. Romm argues that Plato's harsh description of the "tyrannical man" in The Republic was directly inspired by his personal observations of living under the roof of the Syracusan tyrant. NUMBER 8 REVOLUTION, ASSASSINATION, AND CHAOS Colleague Professor James Romm. Dion launched an invasion to liberate Syracuse, but the revolution unleashed chaotic populist passions he could not control. After ordering the assassination of a rival, Dion fell into a depression and was eventually assassinated by a faction of his own army. Rommnotes that ancient historians, including Plutarch, largely protected Dion's reputation to safeguard the prestige of Plato's Academy, despite Dion's failure to become a true philosopher king. NUMBER 9 THE TYRANT WHO BECAME A SCHOOLTEACHER Colleague Professor James Romm. Professor James Romm discusses the surprising fate of Dionysius II, the tyrant of Syracuse. After the Corinthian leader Timoleonarrived to liberate the city, Dionysius surrendered and was allowed to retire to Corinth rather than facing execution. There, the former absolute ruler became a music teacher, leading to the proverb "Dionysius is in Corinth," a saying used for centuries to describe the unpredictability of fortune and the fall of the powerful. NUMBER 10 PHILOSOPHER KINGS AND THE RIVER OF HEEDLESSNESS Colleague Professor James Romm. James Romm explores Plato's Republic, arguing that philosophers make the best kings because they perceive the true "forms" of justice rather than earthly shadows. The discussion turns to the "Myth of Er," a story of the afterlife where souls travel for a thousand years before choosing their next life. Plato warns that drinking too deeply from the River of Heedlessnesserases memory, whereas philosophers strive to recall the forms. NUMBER 11 PLATO'S LETTERS AND THE WHITEWASHING OF DION Colleague Professor James Romm. The conversation examines Plato's thirteen letters, specifically the five Romm believes are genuine regarding the Syracuse affair. Platoviewed himself as a wise lawgiver capable of reforming a tyrant, though he was naive about practical politics. In the seventh letter, Plato attempts to rehabilitate the reputation of his associate Dion, spinning the narrative to portray Dion as a virtuous victim of evil rather than admitting his political failures. NUMBER 12 THE RETURN OF THE NOBLE MONARCH Colleague Gregory Copley. Gregory Copley argues that the world has reached "peak republicanism," where republics have become inefficient political battlegrounds. He defines nobility not as a class structure, but as a quality of honorable leadership that embodies the state's values. Copley suggests modern monarchies, like that of King Charles III, are reinvigorating this role by acting as apolitical symbols of unity and diplomacy, unlike elected leaders who only represent their voters. NUMBER 13 THE DANGERS OF TRANSACTIONAL NATIONALISM Colleague Gregory Copley. Copley warns that suppression in republics often leads to uncontrollable demands for liberty, citing the collapse of the Shah's Iran and the USSR. He distinguishes between "tribal nationalism," based on shared history, and "state nationalism," which is often transactional. Copley argues that transactional systems eventually fail because the state runs out of resources to trade for support, leading to corruption and the potential fracturing of society. NUMBER 14 CONSTITUTIONS, BELIEF, AND THE EMPIRE Colleague Gregory Copley. Copley describes the US Constitution as the "de facto crown" holding the American empire together, though it faces challenges from populist movements. He argues that a "faith-based electorate" or a "belief in beliefs" is essential for social unity, noting that when people stop believing in God, they will believe in anything. Monarchy utilizes mysticism and continuity to maintain this unity, a quality difficult for republics to replicate. NUMBER 15 THE REASSERTION OF ANCIENT EMPIRES Colleague Gregory Copley. Copley contends that China is reasserting its identity as an empire, with the Communist Party seeking legitimacy by connecting with imperial history despite previous rejections of the past. Similarly, he views Vladimir Putin as a nationalist attempting to restore the memory and grandeur of the Russian Empire. The segment concludes by suggesting the US might "lease" the symbolic nobility of King Charles III during state visits to borrow necessary leadership prestige. NUMBER 16