Podcasts about Glaucon

Jordan Peterson sits down with author, professor, and Dean of Intellectual Foundations at the University of Austin, Jacob Howland. They discuss man's finitude and his grasping for the infinite, how orientation can provide limitless abundance or a bottomless fall, where Socrates and the Talmud overlap, and why God offers Abraham adventure as the covenant. Jacob Howland is the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Dean of Intellectual Foundations at the University of Austin. Previously he was McFarlin Professor of Philosophy Emeritus at the University of Tulsa, where he taught from 1988 to 2020. Howland has published five books and roughly sixty scholarly articles and review essays on the thought of Plato, Aristotle, Xenophon, Kierkegaard, the Talmud, the Holocaust, ideological tyranny, and other subjects  A past winner of the University of Tulsa Outstanding Teacher Award and the College of Arts and Sciences Excellence in Teaching Award, he has received grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, The Littauer Foundation, the Earhart Foundation, and the Koch Foundation, and has lectured in Israel, France, England, Romania, Brazil, Denmark, Norway, and at universities around the United States.  His most recent book is Glaucon's Fate: History, Myth, and Character in Plato's Republic, Paul Dry Books, 2018. This episode was filmed on March 15th, 2025.  | Links | For Jacob Howland: Read Howland's most recent publication “Glaucon's Fate: History, Myth, and Character in Plato's Republic” https://a.co/d/7EGH57y Howland's philosophy website and blog https://www.jacobhowland.com/?_sm_nck=1 

Subscriber-only episodeThis is my second discussion on Homer's Odyssey for the Fathers & Sons series.  This discussion consists in showing how an education from reading the Odyssey translates into everything involved in the following constellation of overlapping themes: (1) The meaning of justice in the life of man and the divine(2) The unmanliness of gossip in the becoming of a man from adolescence and, just as importantly, the effeminacy of men regressing into adolescence by trafficking in gossip(3) The importance of the element of experience for knowledge to properly be called knowledge, with emphasis upon Achilles in Hades(4) The meaning of "nature" and, in particular, "natural right"(5) The relevance of poetry for Aristotle as a helpful lens through which to understand the opening scene with Odysseus's son Telemachus(6) The meaning of the imagery of the bow and the lyre in Homer(7) The relevance of Glaucon and Socrates from Plato's Republic for understanding Telemachus and Athena in the absence of Odysseus(8) The meaning of fathers and sons amid nihilism(9) The meaning of all these things for what we call "life" and "education"

In this episode I look at the classic text of Western philosophy, Plato's Republic, as detailed by Constance Meinwald in her wide-ranging book Plato. I focus on the early portions of The Republic dealing with the quest for a definition of Justice, including the arguments of Glaucon and Thrasymachus.

Controversial things are happening on the campus of the University of Austin (UATX), the brand new anti-woke university designed to “dare” its students to “think”. Last week, we interviewed UATX's founding president, Pano Kanelos, who explained how he was trying to build what he called a 21st century “liberal university”. Today, in this KEEN ON America interview, we talk to Jacob Howland, UATX's founding Provost, on what should be taught at this university. For some, of course, Howland's focus on a 21st century anti-woke university education represents a new humanism; for others, it's the last gasps of a reactionary 20th century intellectual elite. In either case, UATX is a provocative pedagogical experiment which we, at KEEN ON America, will be following as the new university opens its doors to students this month.JACOB HOWLAND is Provost, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Dean of Intellectual Foundations at the University of Austin. Previously he was McFarlin Professor of Philosophy Emeritus at the University of Tulsa, where he taught from 1988 to 2020. He has published five books and roughly sixty scholarly articles and review essays on the thought of Plato, Aristotle, Xenophon, Kierkegaard, the Talmud, the Holocaust, ideological tyranny, and other subjects  A past winner of the University of Tulsa Outstanding Teacher Award and the College of Arts and Sciences Excellence in Teaching Award, Howland has received grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, The Littauer Foundation, the Earhart Foundation, and the Koch Foundation, and has lectured in Israel, France, England, Romania, Brazil, Denmark, Norway, and at universities around the United States.  His most recent book is Glaucon's Fate: History, Myth, and Character in Plato's Republic, Paul Dry Books, 2018. In addition, his articles have appeared in The New Criterion, Commentary, Newsweek, the Claremont Review of Books, the Jewish Review of Books, City Journal, Mosaic, Tablet, the New York Post, Unherd, Quillette, Forbes, and The Nation, among other venues. He has appeared in numerous podcasts including The Symbolic World, The Art of Manliness, and the podcast of City Journal and First Things.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.Keen On is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe

Can art and poetry lead us astray from the path of truth? In this episode, we summarize Socrates' critical take on poetry and the arts as outlined in Book 10 of Plato's Republic. Socrates argues that mimesis, or artistic representation, is a distorted reflection of reality that can misguide citizens by amplifying their passions over rational thought. Using a clever analogy of a basketball shoe, we break down the varying levels of understanding and the distinct roles of creators, users, and advertisers. Furthermore, we scrutinize Socrates' critique of Homer's epics and their potential to incite irrational behavior, setting the stage for a deeper exploration of philosophical themes and the quest for truth.Our discussion then shifts to a profound dialogue between Socrates and Glaucon, where Socrates presents his compelling case for the immortality of the soul. We dissect his logical reasoning, distinguishing between elements that preserve or destroy entities like the human body and soul. Socrates posits that while vice and injustice might corrupt the soul, they don't annihilate it, thus suggesting its eternal nature. This segment also addresses Glaucon's doubts and examines how the belief in an immortal soul can shape one's pursuit of justice and virtue.Finally, we delve into the intricate nature of the soul, inspired by Socratic philosophy and the allegory of the sea god Glaucus. We explore the soul's inherent love for wisdom and how it becomes distorted by human desires. The discussion leads to a rich examination of justice and the contrasting lives of just and unjust individuals. We reflect on the rewards of a just life, both in this world and beyond, to highlight the importance of living an examined life for true fulfillment. Join us for a thought-provoking journey through Socratic insights that challenge us to look beyond the surface appearance and aim for a life of virtue and wisdom.

This is my second discussion on Homer's Odyssey for the Fathers & Sons series on my website (AthensCorner.com).  I've provided the entirety of the discussion here because I believe that what Homer provides us with is still so very urgent and relevant for us today and, in particular, for fathers seeking to have a direct involvement in educating their sons toward virtue.  A few of the ways I demonstrate how fathers can do that in this discussion consists in showing how such an education from reading the Odyssey translates into everything involved in the following constellation of overlapping themes: (1) The meaning of justice in the life of man and the divine(2) The unmanliness of gossip in the becoming of a man from adolescence and, just as importantly, the effeminacy of men regressing into adolescence by trafficking in gossip(3) The importance of the element of experience for knowledge to properly be called knowledge, with emphasis upon Achilles in Hades(4) The meaning of "nature" and, in particular, "natural right"(5) The relevance of poetry for Aristotle as a helpful lens through which to understand the opening scene with Odysseus's son Telemachus(6) The meaning of the imagery of the bow and the lyre in Homer(7) The relevance of Glaucon and Socrates from Plato's Republic for understanding Telemachus and Athena in the absence of Odysseus(8) The meaning of fathers and sons amid nihilism(9) The meaning of all these things for what we call "life" and "education"

Ellie and David are serving… dinner! In episode 88 of Overthink, your favorite podcasters explore the philosophy of food, discussing everything from Glaucon's plea for fancy meals in the Republic, to the rich ways in which food is intertwined with our individual and cultural identities. They welcome food critic and philosophy professor Shanti Chu for a lively conversation about the gendering of meals, the ethics of food systems (lab-grown meat, anyone?), the future of restaurants, and much more. Bon appetit!Check out the episode's extended cut here!Works DiscussedCarol J. Adams, The Sexual Politics of MeatShanti Chu, “Nonviolence through Veganism” and “Public Philosophy and Food: Foodies, Ethics, and Activism”Claude Fischler, "Food, Self, and Identity"A. Breeze Harper, Sistah VeganEmmanuel Levinas, Totality and InfinityPlato, RepublicEric Scholsser, Fast Food NationPatreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast Website | overthinkpodcast.comInstagram & Twitter | @overthink_podEmail |  Dearoverthink@gmail.comYouTube | Overthink podcastSupport the show

I had an amazing discussion with Jacob Howland about the fundamental question of technology. We investigate from both the Biblical and ancient Greek perspectives what technology is and its effects on the human spirit. We discuss the notion of memory and recollection, Plato's Phaedrus, the Biblical notion of garments of skin, ChatGPT and AI, work and leisure, technology's effects on human capabilities, paganism and idolatry, intelligence, and “the matrix”, the internet, intuition, and much more. Jacob Howland is the Provost and Director of the Intellectual Foundations Program at UATX, commonly known as the University of Austin. His latest book is Glaucon's Fate: History, Myth, and Character in Plato's Republic (Paul Dry Books, 2018): https://www.amazon.com/Glaucons-Fate-History-Character-Republic/dp/1589881346 Jacob Howland's website: https://www.jacobhowland.com/ His articles on Unherd: https://unherd.com/author/jacob-howlandunherd-com/ Original YouTube version: https://youtu.be/o468OtytbVQ Timestamps: 00:00 - Coming up 01:02 - Intro music 01:28 - Introduction 01:59 - Different narratives about technology 04:09 - Technology from the Greek perspective 05:01 - Plato's Phaedra - and fixing words 08:16 - Egypt 09:29 - Suppressing recollection 11:13 - The garments of skin 15:02 - Work - sorting chaos 18:17 - Human capabilities diminishing 19:53 - ChatGPT cannibalizes itself 22:06 - A pagan god that feeds on humans 23:52 - Human batteries 26:03 - Intuition - direct access to reality 28:49 - What do we mean by intelligence? 30:47 - Understand AI as idolatry 32:19 - The gold of the golden calf 34:53 - The tabernacle 35:33 - A body of power 37:39 - card: Beasts in Revelation 39:16 - Work and leisure 47:45 - Monastic life and leisure 49:18 - Not anti-technology 50:54 - The Henry Adams curve 56:56 - The Beast kills the whore 1:00:17 - Plato's cave 1:01:19 - There is no "solution" 1:03:24 - Prometheus' cycle of desire 1:05:58 - The flip side of all of this 1:10:15 - Paradise Lost 1:11:09 - The need for transcendence 1:12:26 - Re-engage at the human scale

This lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient philosopher Plato's work, The Republic, in particular book 2. Specifically it examines the theory about the nature and origin of justice presented there by Glaucon -- a view that justice arises primarily because human beings realize that their chances of getting away with committing injustice are lower than their chances -- or the harm done -- of avoiding suffering injustice. To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler If you'd like to make a direct contribution, you can do so here - www.paypal.me/ReasonIO - or at BuyMeACoffee - www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM You can find over 2500 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler You can get a copy of Plato's Republic here - amzn.to/2wHmi3p

This week, the guys are joined by Jacob Howland, author of Glaucon's Fate: History, Myth, and Character in Plato's Republic, among other impressive works, and the McFarlin Professor of Philosophy Emeritus at the University of Tulsa. Howland goes through his analysis and conclusion of Glaucon's fate in Plato's Republic, as well as touhch on additional points concerning the full work. Plus: Greg's (in)famous lightning round!

The Allegory of the Cave, or Plato's Cave, is an allegory presented by the Greek philosopher Plato in his work Republic  to compare "the effect of education(παιδεία) and the lack of it on our nature". It is written as a dialogue between Plato's brother Glaucon and his mentor Socrates, narrated by the latter. Along with my interpretation of the cave, what you will hear is the original text read by Dr. Jim Nielson, former faculty member in arts and humanities at University of British Columbia.Recommended reading:Plato, Republic Book VI-XThis podcast is sponsored by Riverside, the most efficient platform for video recording and editing for podcasters.Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched! Start for FREEDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

This course was recorded in 2015 in an informal setting by Fr. Schall himself. Book Two of the Republic begins with the concern of Glaucon and Adeimantus about the arguments of book one about justice. They want justice praised for its own sake, not for its awards and punishments. This conversation leads Socrates into forming a "city in speech or mind" to find out where injustice comes into or cities and souls. It turns out to be in our education.   For over 35 years, Fr. James Schall taught Political Philosophy at Georgetown University, where he was legendary among generations of students.  If you want an experience of what those students enjoyed, this course is the place to begin.  Fr. Schall starts with Aristotle's Ethics and Politics and then, with wisdom and wit, guides his listeners through the thought of the great Roman statesman Cicero, the French Catholic philosopher Yves Simon, the Old and New Testaments, the political thought of St. Augustine, Thomas Aquinas on Law, Machiavelli, politics in the plays of Shakespeare, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Nietzsche, and finally, Plato's masterwork, the Republic.  It is a historical and intellectual tour de force in 60 lectures.  What generations of students had to pay thousands of dollars in tuition to hear, you can now have in recorded lectures to listen to over and over again.  In preserving the lectures of Fr. Schall, we at the Catholic International University feel that we are fulfilling the mission set by our founder Ralph McInerny:  to make the best Catholic lectures available as widely as possible to the public. Please don't miss this opportunity to engage in one of the greatest intellectual journeys you'll ever take with one of this generation's wisest guides. catholicthinkers.org  

In this episode, I discuss the challenge raised by Glaucon concerning (a) the origin of justice, (b) that people are just only unwillingly, (c) the unjust life is more preferable than the just life. I also discuss the relationship between the city and the individual soul, the former being a macroscopic image (or icon) of the latter. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/creative-retrieval/message

Monsters of the Multiverse: Great or Grift? I consider myself somewhat plugged into Wizards of the Coast's release schedule, but this new Mordenkainen almost snuck past me. I saw “multiverse” in the title and immediately thought they chose the name to cleverly tie into “Spiderman” and "Doctor Strange.” There was an Unearthed Arcana in 2021 called “Travelers of the Multiverse” and it mainly featured player races associated with the “Spelljammer” setting, which we all knew was coming out in 2022. My mind immediately went there. “This must be some kind of additional bestiary for Spelljammer!” So that's on me for not investigating further before I supported my Local Gaming Store to the tune of $50. I sat there alternating between reading and feeling miffed until both activities merged into a melange of mild dejection. I put it away and sat with the feeling for a couple of days. tl;dr: I changed my mind. Listen to this episode and read the rest of the blog post from which I pulled the preceding! ALSO: Be sure to join our Discord. Then you can do things like one member, Dr. Glaucon, did and correct me about the ability to buy certain things ala carte from D&D Beyond. I had no idea! He was able to do this because he's on Patreon and got the video version of the episode three days early! Be like Dr. Glaucon! ----more---- Topics Delisting old content on D&D Beyond, Licensing Vs. Ownership What MotM is for. What has changed in MotM. Additional Resources  Dicebreaker article from shortly before the delisting of Guide to Monsters and Tome of Foes. https://www.dicebreaker.com/categories/roleplaying-game/news/dungeons-and-dragons-dndbeyond-delisting-books  Monsters of the Multiverse official page https://dnd.wizards.com/products/monsters-of-the-multiverse  Dragon+ Article on Monsters of the Multiverse https://dnd.dragonmag.com/2022/03/22/migrating-multiverse-mordenkainen-presents-monsters/content.html Be sure to check out the video interview series that Wizards of the Coast Produced about "Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse." https://youtu.be/DgV29biCjgM Listen, rate, and subscribe! If you like the show, please tell a friend about it. And if you want to tell more people, then please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. You can find and/or support us at all the places below: https://twitter.com/WayOfBrandolore  https://twitter.com/BlackCloakDM https://patreon.com/goblinsgrowlers https://facebook.com/GoblinsAndGrowlers https://goblinsandgrowlers.podbean.com (and basically any other podcatcher) https://quidproroll.podbean.com (our sister podcast, an actual play) JOIN OUR DISCORD: bit.ly/goblindiscord The Goblins and Growlers Podcast is produced by Goblins and Growlers, a Richmond, Virginia-based tabletop-roleplaying-game content and events company dedicated to inclusivity through TTRPGs.

As explained in its subtitle, Jonathan Haidt's 2012 book “The Righteous Mind” considers “Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion,” and James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana take a look at some of the key concepts presented in the book and discuss how they see some of them play out in our modern society. NOTE: This podcast contains spoilers.The Righteous Mind (Penguin Random House)

In this follow-up to the last episode on Plato's Republic, the guys are again looking at the concept of justice. Specifically, what issues one might take with it. The group analyze the speeches of Glaucon and his brother to get at the philosophic issues dwelling underneath what seems to be a universal concept.

Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: Bryan Caplan meets Socrates, published by Sam Enright on February 5, 2022 on LessWrong. Socrates and Glaucon are walking down from the Acropolis, when they encounter a stranger from a distant land. Caplan: Greetings, Socrates. Socrates: Greetings, stranger. From whence do you come? Caplan: I am from a faraway land. Socrates: Sparta? Thrace? Caplan: Much further out than that. Socrates: Where, then? Caplan: It is not important right now. I have heard that you are the wisest man in Athens, and I have sought your expertise. Socrates, what is the purpose of education? Socrates: To refine virtue, of course. Caplan: And so those with an education are more virtuous than those without? Socrates: Yes. Caplan: Is it not true, then, that those with an education will be entrusted with greater responsibilities? That they will be made rulers, put in charge of important military expeditions, and will be respected craftsmen? Socrates: Of course. Caplan: After a time, will men not seek out an education just for these good consequences? Socrates: They surely will. It would be better if they sought education for its own sake. Some men will seek it for its good consequences, but at least some will refine their virtues in doing so. Caplan: What if sophists took over the academies, and no longer taught virtue at all? Men would learn nothing of import, and only become educated to enter the skilled professions. Socrates: No one would trust such academies. Caplan: Perhaps. But what if the academies taught both virtue and sophistry? Would the self-interested man not take lessons so as to give the appearance of virtue, while exerting himself to the minimum extent? And imagine, Socrates, that you are employing a skilled professional. Would you not employ that man with the greatest education? Socrates: I surely would. Caplan: Is it not the case, then, that to the professionals looking for workers, it does not matter whether they had a valuable education? It only matters that their education signals them to be good workers, who will show up on time and work to their greatest extent? Socrates: It appears so. Glaucon: Your words are indeed convincing, traveller. However, I do not see their import. Athens is the most learned city of them all, and even here boys are educated only for a few years. Boys will not sit around learning sophistry if there are wars to fight, or if there is food to grow. Caplan: That is no doubt true, Glaucon. However, consider this: a ruler will be popular if he supports education. The people are not trained in philosophy, and they cannot follow the argument I have given you. And if they can, they do not wish to. Socrates: The purpose of a ruler is not to be popul- Caplan: Yes, yes! But it is only natural for a ruler to desire to be liked by his citizens. Socrates: The education of a ruler should rid him of such desires, as I discussed before with Glaucon. Caplan: Have we not already said that the academies can be infiltrated by sophists? Socrates: I know of no such academy that philosophers respect. Caplan: But men in the military and the skilled professions are not philosophers. They must rely on crude appearances, to save time. But let us put this aside for the moment. Rulers will be popular if they support education. They will also have been told from a young age that education instils virtue, even if it does not. Teachers themselves stand to gain a great deal from maintaining the prestige and wealth that rulers grant them. Rulers therefore will give much more wealth and esteem to education than it deserves. Glaucon: Rubbish! Socrates: Glaucon, restrain yourself! Our traveller has proved himself to be philosophically learned. But it is getting dark, and Glaucon must return home. I will think this over and we will discuss it in the morning. The next evening. Caplan: Socra...

Link to original articleWelcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: Bryan Caplan meets Socrates, published by Sam Enright on February 5, 2022 on LessWrong. Socrates and Glaucon are walking down from the Acropolis, when they encounter a stranger from a distant land. Caplan: Greetings, Socrates. Socrates: Greetings, stranger. From whence do you come? Caplan: I am from a faraway land. Socrates: Sparta? Thrace? Caplan: Much further out than that. Socrates: Where, then? Caplan: It is not important right now. I have heard that you are the wisest man in Athens, and I have sought your expertise. Socrates, what is the purpose of education? Socrates: To refine virtue, of course. Caplan: And so those with an education are more virtuous than those without? Socrates: Yes. Caplan: Is it not true, then, that those with an education will be entrusted with greater responsibilities? That they will be made rulers, put in charge of important military expeditions, and will be respected craftsmen? Socrates: Of course. Caplan: After a time, will men not seek out an education just for these good consequences? Socrates: They surely will. It would be better if they sought education for its own sake. Some men will seek it for its good consequences, but at least some will refine their virtues in doing so. Caplan: What if sophists took over the academies, and no longer taught virtue at all? Men would learn nothing of import, and only become educated to enter the skilled professions. Socrates: No one would trust such academies. Caplan: Perhaps. But what if the academies taught both virtue and sophistry? Would the self-interested man not take lessons so as to give the appearance of virtue, while exerting himself to the minimum extent? And imagine, Socrates, that you are employing a skilled professional. Would you not employ that man with the greatest education? Socrates: I surely would. Caplan: Is it not the case, then, that to the professionals looking for workers, it does not matter whether they had a valuable education? It only matters that their education signals them to be good workers, who will show up on time and work to their greatest extent? Socrates: It appears so. Glaucon: Your words are indeed convincing, traveller. However, I do not see their import. Athens is the most learned city of them all, and even here boys are educated only for a few years. Boys will not sit around learning sophistry if there are wars to fight, or if there is food to grow. Caplan: That is no doubt true, Glaucon. However, consider this: a ruler will be popular if he supports education. The people are not trained in philosophy, and they cannot follow the argument I have given you. And if they can, they do not wish to. Socrates: The purpose of a ruler is not to be popul- Caplan: Yes, yes! But it is only natural for a ruler to desire to be liked by his citizens. Socrates: The education of a ruler should rid him of such desires, as I discussed before with Glaucon. Caplan: Have we not already said that the academies can be infiltrated by sophists? Socrates: I know of no such academy that philosophers respect. Caplan: But men in the military and the skilled professions are not philosophers. They must rely on crude appearances, to save time. But let us put this aside for the moment. Rulers will be popular if they support education. They will also have been told from a young age that education instils virtue, even if it does not. Teachers themselves stand to gain a great deal from maintaining the prestige and wealth that rulers grant them. Rulers therefore will give much more wealth and esteem to education than it deserves. Glaucon: Rubbish! Socrates: Glaucon, restrain yourself! Our traveller has proved himself to be philosophically learned. But it is getting dark, and Glaucon must return home. I will think this over and we will discuss it in the morning. The next evening. Caplan: Socra...

The Philosophy in Film podcast is honored to welcome Adrian Martinez (@tasteofadrian) to the show, to discuss his directorial debut in "iGilbert", a movie he wrote, directed, produced and starred in. We roll through Producers' Notes (5:35), a brief synopsis (10:50) and Philosopher's Corner (17:56) to leave plenty of time for Adrian (24:23) and our round table discussion (48:40) of the philosophical and non-philosophical aspects of the movie that caught our attention. Hang around until the end to hear an explanation of the post-scene credits. Featured Beer: Tangerine Dream by Odd Company Brewing (Edmonton, Alberta)

We have come to the end of Plato's Republic and the end of the podcast. In the final episode, Socrates satisfies Glaucon's challenge to show that a just state is always preferable to an unjust state and being a just person is always better than being unjust. He has previously described the just and unjust governments (kingship and aristocracy) and corresponding souls. Socrates now contrasts them to each stage of the degradation of the city-state and soul, concluding with a discussion of Tyranny and the tyrannical soul. The conclusion is that kingship and aristocracy are always preferable to any other type of government or soul, especially tyrannical states and souls.

Our examination of The Republic continued on October 31, 2021 as members of the Toronto Philosophy and Calgary Philosophy Meetup groups discussed parts of Books III and IV. In the passages from 412(b)-445(e), Socrates, Adeimantus, and Glaucon consider the features of the guardians and auxiliaries who will protect the city from external enemies and internal divisions. Next, they proceed to look for the four virtues first in the city and then in the individual soul. We began with Socrates' definition of health at 445(d)-(e) as a state of self-regulation or balance in nature, a theme that is applied to the ruling class, the city's virtues, and the soul's unity. Is the guardian class necessitated by nature or is it unnatural? Is the imposition of a creation myth, sometimes now called the “noble lie”, that the guardians are born of the earth and contain metals, an illusion and is this an appropriate system to maintain in a healthy city? References were made to the allegory of the cave that featured in our first session on The Republic: are the guardians like the prisoner staring at images thinking them to be reality without knowing the source? If as Socrates suggests the city is a metaphor for the soul, in which justice consists of a community of three parts, how can one know harmony from disorder when there are many differing perspectives across the world? These and more fascinating questions and ideas were exchanged during our discussion that will lead, in our next episode, to consideration of the character of the philosopher ruler.

DON'T GO BREAKING MY ILLUSION   NOVEMBER 04, 2021      AARON SMITH      SEASON 1      EPISODE 2 SHOW NOTES: In Episode #2, we look into the "Allegory of the Cave," found in Book VII of Plato's most famous work, The Republic. In this imaginary interview between his older brother, Glaucon, and his philosophy teacher, Socrates, Plato does an amazing job of depicting how difficult it is for us to shift paradigms and challenge narratives. Admittedly, reading ancient writing doesn't always give us the nail-biting thrill we get from watching today's fast-paced movies and videos, but it's well worth our time to sift through the wisdom handed down to us by the great thinkers of Greece (the third one being, of course, Aristotle). Feel free to email me at subtlecain@protonmail.com with any questions or suggestions. Your support is always appreciated! You can support the show in these ways:Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/subtlecainPayPal: https://paypal.me/subtlecain?country.x=US&locale.x=en_USVenmo: https://venmo.com/u/subtlecainSupport the show (https://paypal.me/subtlecain?country.x=US&locale.x=en_US)

Socrates tells Glaucon that philosophers should be kings because only they have access to the Form (concept) of the Good. The concept of Justice cannot be understood unless one understands its relationship with the Form of the Good. In order to explain this relationship, Socrates turns to an analogy -- the Sun and the power of the sun to shed light on things and make them visible.

Continuing our discussion on The Republic, on October 17, 2021 participants from the Toronto Philosophy and Calgary Philosophy Meetup groups examined part of Book II in which Glaucon challenges his friends to seek the definition of justice in itself, without reference to outcomes. When Socrates proposes they look for justice first in a city and then in the individual, to observe the ways in which the smaller is similar to the larger, they proceed to create a theoretical society to examine its operation for evidence of justice. Our dialogue touched on many interesting points and raised some fascinating ideas and questions. We related some aspects of the theoretical city, which Socrates describes as unhealthy and feverish, to the allegory of the cave that was featured in our previous episode. One participant described the city of luxuries as a materialist civilization, and others asked whether shame or the desire for social acceptance drives us to justice. Is it in our nature to be unjust and labor to a state of justice? If we possessed the power of the Ring of Gyges, to make ourselves invisible, would we naturally be inclined to do injustice knowing that we could escape punishment – or would we find that justice itself is the reward for being just? Are we each suited to one skill in life and is justice to mind our own business? Do our guardians protect us from a sense of loyalty, or with a view to justice? We will resume our dialogue on The Republic in the next episode, with more on the guardians and then the four virtues and the nature of the soul.

If Socrates is to convince Glaucon that justice and injustice in the soul is like justice and injustice in the city-state, then he must prove that there are parts of the soul analogous to the three classes of the city-state. Socrates believes he can do this by using the Principle of Opposites. But having made his point he runs into another question: Is each part of the soul an entity (a "humunclus") that has its own parts?

Glaucon asks Socrates if he can provide a defense of justice (right conduct) that will show not only that justice is good for the sake of its consequences but it is good in and of itself. In one of the most famous parts of Book II, Glaucon presents the myth of Gyges ring -- the ring of invisibility. Socrates must show that a just person would never use the ring to make himself invisible and do an unjust (wrong) act. There are other challenges of Glaucon. At the conclusion of Book II, Socrates begins to build his case by drawing an analogy between a just city and a just person.

With Thrasymachus the sophist thoroughly spanked and sent home crying, the real philosophers in the room get to work. That's the premise of Republic Book II, in which Socrates embarks with Glaucon and Adeimantus on a monumental project of imaginary civilization-building. In this episode of Young Heretics, Spencer Klavan explores the question, can they craft a city of pure justice, or just a totalitarian nightmare? -- Public Goods is the one stop shop for sustainable, high quality everyday essentials made from clean ingredients. Receive $15 off your first Public Goods order at https://publicgoods.com/HERETICS. -- The Spectator believes that life is bigger than politics, which is why it covers arts, culture, food, wine, travel, and life all around. Sign up today and receive three free months, plus a free hat with promo code HERETICS: https://spectatorworld.com/specialoffer. -- Everyone wants a beard that looks like Spencer Klavan's. Visit https://minimoustachery.com/heretics and use the code HERETICS to get 25% off men's grooming and shave kits. -- The Liz Wheeler Show is a personal, researched, and unapologetic take on how we think about our culture. Subscribe for new episodes three times each week at https://lizwheelershow.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Gang kills an aspect of Glaucon, saves Ecrustia, and (most importantly) Trevor gets decongested. Oggar then takes the rest of the BF on a field trip.

This episode covers book 9 of Plato's Republic. In this episode, Socrates is going to finally answer the question that started it all. Back in book 2, Glaucon and Adeimantus challenged Socrates to prove to them that it's worthwhile to be just. To them, the life of injustice looks pretty good, if you can get away with it. Money, sex, power, what's not to like?Socrates has been building up his answer since episode 4 of this series. He's built an imaginary city, and education system and a group of superhuman philosopher kings to rule it all. In this episode, he's going to finally explain what's wrong with injustice. While the tyrant's life may look fun from the outside, Socrates says it's not so great when you get behind the music. According to him, the tyrant's life is desperate, paranoid, and miserable. Not only is the philosopher king happier than the tyrant, he's 729 times happier!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=35146517&fan_landing=true)

“El Universo Observable” de Fulcanelli y “A Punto de Estallar” de We Are Mono. En el repaso a la historia del pop español, rescatamos grabaciones de, entre otros, Los Extraños (1964), Desechables (1988), Glaucon (2005) o Lori Meyers (2013).

Editor’s Note: This is a re-broadcast. This episode originally aired in April 2019.  Plato’s Republic is a seminal treatise in Western political philosophy and thought. It hits on ideas that we’re still grappling with in our own time, including the nature of justice and what the ideal political system looks like. But my guest today argues that The Republic also has a lot to say about manliness, character development, and education in our current climate of safe spaces and trigger warnings.  His name is Jacob Howland. He’s a professor of philosophy at the University of Tulsa and the author of the recent book Glaucon’s Fate: History, Myth, and Character in Plato’s Republic. We begin our conversation with an outline of Plato’s Republic and how it combines literature and philosophy. Jacob then makes the case that in The Republic, Socrates was attempting to save the soul of Plato’s politically ambitious brother, Glaucon, and why he thinks Socrates failed. Along the way we discuss what Socrates’ attempt to save Glaucon can teach us about andreia or manliness and what it means to seek the Good in life. We end our conversation discussing the way The Republic teaches us of the need to possess not only physical courage, but the courage to think for oneself and stand up for one’s beliefs — a courage that is tested in a time like our own, where it can feel difficult to ask hard questions and wrestle with thorny issues.  Get the show notes at aom.is/republic. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

GiT Episode 26: Horny for the Good Socrates is what I call a “philosopher of desire.” He cares more about the questions than the answers, the journey than the destination, the boner than the nut.  And he brings that energy to his teaching.  In this episode, Socrates tells the boys that the “form of the good” is the one thing that anyone who wants to live a good life absolutely needs to know about. So what is it? Glaucon wants to know so badly he yells out to Apollo and begs Socrates to tell him. But Socrates won’t go all the way. Instead, he teases Glaucon with the analogies of the sun, line and cave which also happen to tell us about: the invisible forms; the nature of human knowledge; and why STEM subjects should only be used as prep for philosophy.  Get your goggles on; this is a deep one.   ClifSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=35146517&fan_landing=true)

The third installment in our ongoing series on Plato's Republic. Use the following timestamps for easier navigation: 2:40 Introduction to book 2 11:35 Glaucon's speech in favor of injustice 20:00 Adeimantus' speech on the weakness of pro-justice arguments 26:30 Socrates reply; the city-soul analogy 38:20 The education of the Guardians 44:40 Analysis and conclusion ------------------ Support Ancient Greece Declassified on Patreon: patreon.com/greecepodcast Or make a one-time donation: paypal.me/greecepodcast ------------------ The intro to this episode was provided by Dominic Perry, host of the History of Egypt podcast.

I think, therefore I am - Rene Descartes This is our fourth episode in a series of four taking a look at Plato's best-known work, The Republic. We discuss Book Two specifically in this episode, looking at the continued argument for justice, but with a specific focus on the state. Plato responds to the argument put forth in last episode by Glaucon and Adeimantus by drawing parallels between the state and the individual with regards to justice. In many ways, to Plato, the state was a representation of the individual, and it is by looking there, that we can more easily see justice - and more importantly, how to be just in an unhealthy state. We discuss the role of censorship, the division of labor, a standing army, and political metaphors that still apply to the present day. Always feel free to let us know what you think, or any episode requests. We would love to hear from you!

The Bucket Fillers face a surprising battle against the BBEG himself--Glaucon. Audrey gets angry. The ending of this episode changes everything, and sets up the beginning of Arc 2.

Man is the measure of all things - Protagoras This is our third episode in a series of four (we recently decided to make Book Two into two episodes) where we will be taking a look at Plato's best-known work, The Republic. We discuss Book Two specifically in this episode, looking at the continued argument for justice, beginning in Book One with Thrasymachus. We start off briefly by discussing the divided line, and knowledge, before moving into The Ring of Gyges - or the ring of invisibility. We discuss how that influences the just and unjust person, and whether or not the just or unjust is happier. We also talk about how this information is applicable in looking back, as well as looking forward. Always feel free to let us know what you think, or any episode requests. We would love to hear from you!

The Republic Where Plato lays down his ideas of an ideal state and its rulers. Plato's Utopian state is one which is just and his ideal rulers are philosophers. Presented as a series of dialogue between Socrates and Plato's brothers Adeimantus and Glaucon, in eleven parts Plato step by step forms his ideal state (Part I and II), its rulers (Part IV and Part VII), their education, women's position (Part VI) and the position of art and poetry (Part X) in the new state. Plato’s ideal republic; No democracy 3 classes Artisans, merchants and farmers Guardians Rulers - philosophers (could best judge what was in the interest of the community through their training) ### The noble lie People have souls of Gold, Silver and Brass/Iron (myth rulers would teach citizens) educators would keep track of natural abilities/virtues (Wisdom, courage, Discipline), so people can be assigned the right roles. Justice is the 4th virtue, and is the balance between all citizens.

This episode covers the second half of book 3 of Plato’s Republic. Glaucon and Socrates develop a completely immersive education program for the guardians that controls every aspect of their social and physical environment. Then, they tell them it never happened because actually they were sleeping underground being built by the god to defend the city. Glaucon doubts anyone would believe this “noble lie,” but Socrates isn’t too worried. Ideology finds a way. Credits: Glaucon: Zachary AmzallagAncient music: Michael LevyReferences: Mozart-brain Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=35146517&fan_landing=true)

This episode covers the first part of book 2 of Republic. Glaucon and Adeimantus take over the conversation with Socrates and challenge him to prove that it’s good to be good. Glaucon gets wild with a ring of invisibility. The gang builds a utopian city of pigs and meets an army of good-natured dogs. Pod Art: Marijke BouchierTheme music: David Zikotivz, Clayton Tapp Ancient music: Michael Levy Editing, episode art and social: SepidehAdeimantus: Rebecca AmzallagGlaucon: Zachary AmzallagSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=35146517&fan_landing=true)

Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and awe, the more often and steadily we reflect upon them: the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me - Kant On today's episode of Two Guys Searching For Truth On The Road That Never Ends, Crito and Glaucon explore whether or not the truth is relative. They discuss what it means to believe something is true versus to know truth, and the contours of objective truth. What would it mean if the truth were relative, find out on this episode.

Plato’s Republic is a seminal treatise in Western political philosophy and thought. It hits on ideas that we’re still grappling with in our own time, including the nature of justice and what the ideal political system looks like. But my guest today argues that The Republic also has a lot to say about manliness, character development, and education in our current climate of safe spaces and trigger warnings.  His name is Jacob Howland. He’s a professor of philosophy at the University of Tulsa and the author of the recent book Glaucon’s Fate: History, Myth, and Character in Plato’s Republic. We begin our conversation with an outline of Plato’s Republic and how it combines literature and philosophy. Jacob then makes the case that in The Republic, Socrates was attempting to save the soul of Plato’s politically ambitious brother, Glaucon, and why he thinks Socrates failed. Along the way we discuss what Socrates’ attempt to save Glaucon can teach us about andreia or manliness and what it means to seek the Good in life. We end our conversation discussing the way The Republic teaches us of the need to possess not only physical courage, but the courage to think for oneself and stand up for one's beliefs -- a courage that is tested in a time like our own, where it can feel difficult to ask hard questions and wrestle with thorny issues. Get the show notes at aom.is/republic.

L’allégorie de la caverne représente l’homme prisonnier d’une grotte souterraine. Bruno Roche, directeur du Collège supérieur de Lyon explique cette image et  nous partage un extrait d’un dialogue entre Socrate et Glaucon.

In part 3, we move to Book IV of the Republic where Socrates, Glaucon and Adeimantus both represent and discuss the tripartite caste system of the kallipolis, and the 3 parts of the soul. Covered here is the origins of eugenics among the Greeks, the ideal state, the Oracle at Delphi and the Appollonian mysteries as the center of theology for the Republic (and why that is). I also cover the historical parallels and influences of the Republic and its theories in Book IV in history, including the French Revolution, Marxism, Malthus, Galton and Huxley. Show Sponsor: MichiganMushrooms.net

SynTalk thinks about dying & death from medical, ethical, existential, legal, & sociocultural perspectives, while constantly wondering how & why death is important. Is death ‘master-able’? The concepts are derived off / from Socrates, Glaucon, Epicurus, Jesus Christ, Hobbes, Stalin, Sydney Brenner, Bill Gates, Melinda Gates, Woody Allen, & Aruna Shanbaug, among others. How the hope for immortality is conceptually similar to the hope for justice? Can we avoid death before old age? How difficult is it to call someone dead, & is death an objective event? How life has changed from being ‘brutish, nasty and short’ a few centuries ago, & how the 20th century was in many ways the century of life. How is mortality different across age groups, and the role played by sanitation, vaccination, and oral rehydration over the years? Is death becoming more medicalized and protracted? Are more people now dying in hospitals? Why is it important to fight child mortality, and why is it likely that this global battle might be won or lost in the districts of India? Why the first month after birth is the most important to prevent avoidable death? Why the inevitability of death need (& should) not prevent appropriate public policy actions. How there is an opposition between life & death. What do we write on the death certificate, and why the cardio-respiratory arrest (for example) as a cause is not sufficient? How ‘extreme old age’ caused the death of Queen Mother? The difference and links between between physician assisted suicide, gradual withdrawal of care, (passive & active) euthanasia, medical care system, oral opiates, life support, & brain death. Why is the brain (stem) death becoming more popular, & possible links with organ transplant. Can there be a technology for death? How differently do people die? Can one prepare oneself to die (via philosophizing?)? What would leading oncologists do when they themselves face a terminal case of cancer? How suicide is the opposite of capital punishment. Do only human beings commit suicide; Why? Is death available to the ‘self’, in a moment when the self knows that it is no longer? How is the post-operative death different? Is the living cell programmed to die? Do we know what life is only through the occurrence of death, & is death a summation of life in some way? Is it important to not allow Market to take over death, just as it has taken over life? The importance of care for the dying? The role of the state in minimizing ‘bad luck’ deaths. How death is increasingly becoming banal and matter-of-fact, but is still (somehow) repressed culturally. Is it alright to have a cemetery in the middle of a university? How to die beautifully? The SynTalkrs are: Dr. Saitya Brata Das (philosophy, JNU, Delhi), Prof. Prabhat Jha (epidemiology, CGHR, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto), & Dr. Sanjay Nagral (surgery, Jaslok Hospital, Mumbai).

Here's a modern adaptation of a very old story .... And so, a conversation between two of the worlds greatest philosophers, Socrates and Glaucon went something like this .... Socrates: "Why do people think that Personal Development is meaningless? Let me put it this way - imagine you're in a cave, all chained up so you can't turn your body at all, and all you get to look at is this one wall. Some assholes behind you are making shadow puppets using the light from a fire and making echo noises and that's all you or anyone else chained up has seen or heard all your life." "Sounds terrible, right? Except it's all you've ever known, shadows and echoes, and that's your whole world - there's no way you could know that, really, you're watching a slightly-improved M. Night Shyamalan film." "In fact, you get pretty good at understanding how the patterns in the show work, and everyone else chained up is like, 'Holy Cow man, how did you know that that tree was going to fall on that guy?' and you'd say something like, 'It's because I bloomin' well pay attention and I'm pretty darned smart!' You're the smartest of the chained, and they all revere you." Glaucon: "But Socrates, a tree didn't really hit a guy. It's all shadows!" Socrates: "You're absolutely right Glaucon, but you wouldn't know that. You'd think that the shadows are real things. Everyone does. Now shut up and let me finish!" "So eventually, someone comes and unchains you and drags you out of the cave. At first you'd say, 'Seriously, what's going on here?!' Well, actually, at first you'd say, 'HOLY COW, MY EYES' and you'd want to go back to the safe, familiar shadows. But even once your eyes worked you wouldn't believe them, because everything you ever thought was real is gone. You'd look at a tree, and say 'That's not a tree. I know trees. And you, sir, are no tree. THAT DOWN THERE is a tree.' But you're wrong. Down there is a shadow of a tree. "Slowly, as your eyes got better, you'd see more and more real stuff. Eventually, you'd see the sun, and realize that it's the source of all light. You can't see nothing without the sun. And eventually, you'd figure it out. Something would click in your brain: 'Holy Pyjama's, that IS a tree. Well, Blow me over with a bag of potato's! So... nothing in the cave was real? I feel like such an asshole.' But it's not your fault, so don't be so hard on yourself! "Finally you'd want to go down and tell everyone about everything you've discovered. Except, and here's the hilarious part, they think you've gone absolutely crazy. You'd say, 'Guys, real trees on the outside of this cave are green!' and they'd say, 'What's green you CRAZYMAN? THAT's a tree over there on the cave wall!' And you'd squint and look at the wall, but you know you're unable to see properly now that you're back in the cave because you've seen real sunlight, and now you can't see anything. So they'd laugh at you, and agree that wherever it was that you went, no one should go there because it turns people into CRAZIES! Personal Development is kind of the same thing, and in order to grow and develop your confidence, you need to grow and develop as a person. As we grow and develop our understanding of who we truly are and the true nature of everything, we eventually grasp the Idea that Truth gives light to everything else and exposes what's real from what's not. If the person who's ben developing them-self has to go back to the cave and attempt to explain what they have seen to people who don't even know what Green is, they might end up feeling like they don't have as much in common with those people as what perhaps they once did. It wasn't the guy who went outside of the cave who invented the Truth though, it was always there, and the only way to really make sense of it is to uncover it for yourself. You can't force knowledge into a fool any more than you can force sight into a blind man. "So if you want to learn, be prepared for a difficult journey, and be prepared to make some mistakes. That's okay, it's all part of the process. True knowledge must be obtained the hard way, and some people just don't want to see the light." This isn't a new story by the way - it's been about for centuries!

After introducing Plato's Republic, Professor Gendler turns to the discussion of Glaucon's challenge in Book II. Glaucon challenges Socrates to defend his claim that acting justly (morally) is valuable in itself, not merely as a means to some other end (in this case, the reputation one gets from seeming just). To bolster the opposing position--that acting justly is only valuable as a means to attaining a good reputation--Glaucon sketches the thought experiment of the Ring of Gyges. In the second half of the lecture, Professor Gendler discusses the experimental results of Daniel Batson, which suggest that, at least in certain controlled laboratory settings, people appear to care more about seeming moral than about actually acting fairly. These experimental results appear to support Glaucon's hypothesis in the Ring of Gyges thought experiment.

Professor Gendler begins with a poll of the class about whether students have elected to take a voluntary no-Internet pledge, and distributes stickers to help students who have made the pledge stick to their resolve. She then moves to the substantive part of the lecture, where she introduces Plato’s analogy between the city-state and the soul and articulates Plato’s response to Glaucon’s challenge: justice is a kind of health--the well-ordered working of each of the parts of the individual—and thus is intrinsically valuable. This theme is explored further via psychological research on the ‘progress principle’ and ‘hedonic treadmill,’ as well as in an introduction to Aristotle’s argument that reflection and reasoning are the function of humanity and thus the highest good. Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website: http://oyc.yale.edu This course was recorded in Spring 2011.

Transcript -- A debate on whether citizens follow the law because of their good nature, or because they fear retribution.

A debate on whether citizens follow the law because of their good nature, or because they fear retribution.

Socrates and Glaucon discuss the source of bravery

Socrates and Glaucon discuss justice.