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Ancient Greece Declassified

The podcast that transports you to the ancient world and back, with some good conversation along the way. It's not just about ancient Greece. It's about a huge chunk of human history that the Greek texts give us access to: from Egypt and Babylon, to ancient Persia, to Carthage and Rome, we'll sail the wine-dark sea of history with some expert guides at the helm. Topics include archaeology, literature, and philosophy. New episode every month.
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Now displaying: Category: philosophy
Aug 21, 2023

As our world becomes increasingly hi-tech, more and more people have been turning to ancient wisdom traditions in search of meaning. There are two schools of ancient philosophy in particular that have seen a meteoric revival in recent years: Platonism and Stoicism. Cognitive scientist John Vervaeke joins us to explore why this is happening. 

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Oct 1, 2022

Plato argued that the inevitable next step in political evolution after democracy is tyranny. Many political thinkers throughout history agreed with him. Were they right?

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A full transcript of this episode with references can be found on our website at greecepodcast.com

Jul 31, 2022

Was Marcus Aurelius really the enlightened ruler that history books and modern movies portray him as? And is his brand of Stoic philosophy applicable to the modern world?

With us to discuss these and other questions is Donald Robertson, a psychotherapist and the author of How to Think Like and Emperor and Verissimus.

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May 13, 2022

Philosophers today often dismiss Plato's Theory of Forms as an outdated and failed attempt by a pre-modern thinker to explain knowledge. However, cognitive scientist John Vervaeke offers a radically different take on Plato's theory and how it ties in with recent debates about the nature of intelligence.

John Vervaeke is a professor at the University of Toronto and the creator of the popular YouTube series Awakening from the Meaning Crisis. 

Apr 30, 2022

The cave analogy, which takes up the majority of book 7 of the Republic, is one of the most famous passages in all of western philosophy.

In this episode, we are joined by Ben Morison, professor of philosophy at Princeton, to dive deep into the allegory and unpack its various levels of meaning. 

Apr 29, 2022

Plato is at once the most loved and possibly the most hated philosopher of all time. This episode explores five reasons why he drives some people mad.

Contents of the episode, with timestamps:

Reason 1: Who should rule? [7:30]

Reason 2: What political system is best? [12:20]

The Ship of State [15:10]

Reason 3: What is truth? [20:20]

Reason 4: What is knowledge? [30:35]

The Divided Line [40:25]

Reason 5: What is good?

Jan 27, 2022

Where does the notion of 'moral duty' come from? In this conversation with Simon E. Drew we dive deep into the history of the concept and discuss my recent book The Invention of Duty

This episode was originally published on The Walled Garden podcast and is here republished as a crosscast. 

Dec 12, 2021

Book 6 of the Republic is the work’s core section where Plato lays out his metaphysics. Appealing to his signature Theory of Forms, Plato offers a transcendent vision of the Good as the ultimate source of human knowledge.

Joining us to help us unpack this theory is Gabriel Richardson Lear, professor of philosophy at the University of Chicago and author of the book Happy Lives and the Highest Good: An Essay on Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics.

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Oct 18, 2021

The most controversial part of Plato's Republic is its fifth book, wherein Socrates argues for the political equality of men and women, the abolition of the nuclear family, a strange eugenics program, and the idea that philosophers kings and philosopher queens should be put in charge of political affairs. 

With us to discuss book 5 is Mary Townsend, assistant professor of philosophy at Saint John’s University in Queens and author of the book The Woman Question in Plato’s Republic.

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Sep 24, 2021

In book 4 of the Republic, Plato sets forth perhaps the most famous psychological theory from Greco-Roman antiquity: the tripartite model of the human soul. But how good of a model is it? How does it hold up from the perspective of modern psychology?

With us to discuss these questions and more is Jonathan Lear, professor of philosophy at the University of Chicago and a practicing psychoanalyst who serves on the faculty of the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis. His article "Inside and Outside the Republic" remains one of the most important pieces of scholarship on the psychological theory offered in book 4. 

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Sep 7, 2021

What do Plato's Republic, Sigmund Freud, and the Harry Potter saga have in common? Find out in this episode, which offers an exploration of book 4 of Plato's Republic and its many parallels in modern literature and psychology. 

May 15, 2021

In the second half of book 3 of the Republic, Plato lays out the controversial theory of mimesis, which states that all art, man-made objects, and cultural products in our environment have profound effects on the health of our souls. 

With us to help us unpack, analyze, and evaluate Plato’s arguments is, once again, Angie Hobbs, professor of the public understanding of philosophy at the University of Sheffield, England. 

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Apr 30, 2021

Following Socrates' claim that the ideal republic should be ruled by a class of "guardians," the question naturally arises: Who or what will keep these guardians in check? How do you prevent the government from becoming an unaccountable and oppressive regime?

Our exploration of Plato's Republic continues, this time with Angie Hobbs, professor of the public understanding of philosophy at the University of Sheffield in England. She has written several books including Plato and the Hero, which touches on a lot of the topics we will be discussing today. Her latest book is a short guide to Plato’s Republic in the Ladybird Expert Series. Stay tuned at the end of this episode for a chance to win a copy of the book.

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Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/greecepodcast

Or make a one-time donation: paypal.me/greecepodcast

Apr 30, 2021

Following Socrates' claim that the ideal republic should be ruled by a class of "guardians," the question naturally arises: Who or what will keep these guardians in check? How do you prevent the government from becoming an unaccountable and oppressive regime?

Our exploration of Plato's Republic continues, this time with Angie Hobbs, professor of the public understanding of philosophy at the University of Sheffield in England. She has written several books including Plato and the Hero, which touches on a lot of the topics we will be discussing today. Her latest book is a short guide to Plato’s Republic in the Ladybird Expert Series. Stay tuned at the end of this episode for a chance to win a copy of the book.

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Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/greecepodcast

Or make a one-time donation: paypal.me/greecepodcast

Apr 15, 2021

This episode is a crosscast in collaboration with the Classical Wisdom Speaks podcast. Anya Leonard, host of that pod and founder of classicalwisdom.com, interviews me about my new book The Invention of Duty: Stoicism as Deontology. 

Apr 4, 2021

Our exploration of Plato's Republic continues with this discussion of book 2 with philosopher Rachel Barney. Is the fear of God necessary for morality? How can you educate people so that they value and practice justice?

Rachel Barney is professor of classics and ancient philosophy at the University of Toronto. She specializes in the work Plato and has spent many years analyzing and unraveling some of the key issues in the Republic.

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Scholarly works mentioned during the conversation:

Rachel Barney. “Ring-Composition in Plato: the Case of Republic X,” in M. McPherran (ed.), Cambridge Critical Guide to Plato’s Republic. Cambridge University Press, 2010, 32-51. (pdf)

Jonathan Lear. "Inside and Outside The Republic," in Phronesis, 1992. vol. XXXVII/2 (pdf)

Mar 19, 2021

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

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The intro to this episode was provided by Dominic Perry, host of the History of Egypt podcast.

Feb 21, 2021

The second installment in our 11-part series on Plato's Republic. Use the following timestamps for easier navigation:

0:22 Introduction: virtues vs values

7:10 The beginning of the Republic

13:50 Cephalus’ “definition” of justice

15:10 Polemarchus tries to define justice

29:30 Thrasymachus challenges Socrates

34:20 Thrasymachus tries to define justice

42:25 Thrasymachus praises injustice

54:45 Epilogue I: Is this good philosophy?

1:08:10 Epilogue II: Is this good literature?

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Nov 16, 2020

A foundational text in both ethics and political thought, the Republic was shaped by Plato's traumatic experiences as a young man witnessing civil war and the collapse of Athenian democracy. This is the first installment in an 11-part series on this classic work. 

The episode has four parts, beginning at the following time-stamps:

0:22 Introduction to the work and to the series

8:50 Historical Background

25:25 Contents and Structure of the Republic

49:45 Conclusion: Irony and Foreboding

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For more information, check out greecepodcast.com/republic

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Aug 1, 2019

According to the historical evidence, the first stirrings of philosophical inquiry began 2600 years ago in ancient Greece with a group of thinkers known as the Presocratics (or pre-Socratics). In this episode we try to shed light on these early pioneers of philosophy.

Our guest is André Laks, professor of ancient philosophy at Universidad Panamericana in Mexico City. Laks is the co-editor of the recent 9-volume Harvard Loeb edition of the early Greek philosophical fragments – the first comprehensive edition to be made in over a hundred years. 

Stay tuned at the end of the episode for a chance to win an autographed, hard-cover edition of Laks' book The Concept of Presocratic Philosophy

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The intro to this episode was provided by host Drew Vahrencamp of Wonders of the World, a podcast that explores the most amazing historical sites around the world and the stories behind them (plus travel & food tips for visiting them). Check it out on your favorite app or at: wonderspodcast.com

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Or make a one-time donation: paypal.me/greecepodcast

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