The Wisdom Of

The Sirens in Homer’s Odyssey - How to stay on course in your life despite the temptations!

Mon, 13 Jul 2026 11:00:00 -0700

Again, apologize for the audio. The episode of the Sirens in the Odyssey can be interpreted as a cautionary tale for us today! Enjoy! ... Check out my new books! This one is called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Cormac McCarthy - Blood Meridian

Mon, 06 Jul 2026 11:00:00 -0700

Apologize for the audio - The new Wisdom Of compound is currently under construction, and may be for a while! But hey, it's McCarthy, so the message survives the medium! ... Check out my new books! This one is called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Why wisdom is more important than ever today!

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 20:00:00 -0700

We have lots of expertise today, but what good is any of it without wisdom? ... Check out my new books! This one is called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Joyce vs. Beckett - Everything or Nothing?

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 20:00:00 -0700

James Joyce believed language could capture reality; Samuel Beckett believed it exposed its absence. Super interesting stuff! And, a Wisdom Of update! ... Check out my new books! This one is called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Pythagoras on diet - The beauty of vegetarianism!

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 18:00:00 -0700

The Greek philosopher Pythagoras could be considered the world's first vegetarian! ... Check out my new books! This one is called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Nietzsche on diet and self-overcoming!

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 20:00:00 -0700

For Nietzsche, diet isn't a medical issue, it's about the cultivation of the full realization of our potential! ... Check out my new books! This one is called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

How philosophy can save your life!

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 19:00:00 -0700

What do Socrates, Aurelius, Boethius and Wittgenstein have in common? They all believe in the power of philosophy as a form of consolation! ... Check out my new books! This one is called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Hegel - Is history really moving towards freedom?

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 18:00:00 -0700

The German philosopher Hegel believes that history has a purpose, which is the realization of human freedom. Is he right? Is that really where we're trending today? ... Check out my new books! This one is called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Business culture and the corruption of moral language

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 08:00:00 -0700

Ideas and concepts that at one time belonged to deep philosophical thinking and religion are now mostly being presented through, and appropriated by, entrepreneurial and corporate terms. ... Check out my new books! This one is called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Socrates versus Heidegger - Can trees teach us anything?

Wed, 27 May 2026 18:00:00 -0700

Socrates doesn't believe nature has much to teach us. Heidegger seems to disagree! ... Check out my new books! This one is called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

On Memory and the Dead - A Defence against Oblivion

Sat, 23 May 2026 11:00:00 -0700

Why remembering matters in age of cultural and historical amnesia! Check out my new books! This one is called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Nietzsche - Have you understood me? Dionysus versus Christ.

Sun, 17 May 2026 19:00:00 -0700

In his last book Ecce Homo, Nietzsche leaves us with one of his most dramatic and powerful lines! Dionysus versus Christ! ... Check out my new books! This one is called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Karl Jaspers - What does it mean to be a hero in the modern age?

Sun, 10 May 2026 18:00:00 -0700

The philosopher Karl Jaspers wrote a little book called Man in the Modern Age, where, among other things, he talks about what it means to be a hero in our modern age, something, I think, we’d do well to reflect on a bit! ... Check out my new books! This one is called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Byung-Chul Han - The disappearance of thinking!

Sun, 03 May 2026 18:00:00 -0700

The philosopher Byung-Chul Han doesn't view our contemporary society as one that's conducive to genuine thinking. We need to recover a deeper form of thinking! ... Check out my new books! This one is called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Freedom, Happiness, and Control: Dostoevsky’s The Grand Inquisitor and Huxley's Mustapha Mond!

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 13:00:00 -0700

Through these two seminal fictional characters, Dostoevsky and Huxley offer us a stark warning about our future! ... Check out my new books! This one is called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Stop deferring - Choose yourself into existence!

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 19:00:00 -0700

Kierkegaard on how to avoid a life never fully lived and a self never fully realized! .. Check out my new books! This one is called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Nietzsche and van Gogh - The significance of the year 1888!

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 08:00:00 -0700

The trajectories in the lives of Nietzsche and van Gogh in the year 1888 reveal remarkable parallels! ... Check out my new books! This one is called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Dostoevsky on the limitations of innocence!

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 14:00:00 -0700

In some of his novels, the great Russian Dostoevsky writer explores the limitations of innocence in a complex world. I think he might be helpful to the younger generation today! ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Boccaccio's DeCameron - Escaping the chaos and living rightly again!

Sun, 05 Apr 2026 20:00:00 -0700

In his The Decameron, written in 1353, Giovanni Boccaccio responded to the devastation of the Black Death by imagining a small group of young people who flee plague-ridden Florence and escape to the countryside. Can this be made relevant today? ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Hegel and Plato - The Problem of Democracy

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 09:00:00 -0700

In their own ways, both Hegel and Plato criticize democracy. But their criticisms might be useful because they can push us to identify some of democracy’s vulnerabilities and get us to see how it is it might be improved.... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Simone Weil - Gravity, Grace and Love!

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 20:00:00 -0700

Simone Weil was a French philosopher and mystic! ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

The Great Gatsby, CARELESSNESS and AI

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 20:00:00 -0700

A major theme in Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is carelessness. It's more relevant than ever today... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

The Rise of the Emoticons

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 18:00:00 -0700

Are emoticons and emojis as benign as they seem? ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Kaufman's The Faith of a Heretic - The dissent that keeps knowledge alive!

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 14:00:00 -0700

Walter Kaufman was a German-American philosopher. Let's see what he has to say about intellectual heresy! ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

The Personal Journals of Camus and Kierkegaard!

Sat, 07 Mar 2026 12:00:00 -0800

The philosophers Kierkegaard and Camus left us more than just their formal works! Let's explore their private journals! ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

The Samurai Sword and AI

Sat, 07 Mar 2026 12:00:00 -0800

In wielding our dangerous technology, we could learn from the Samurai.

Max Weber - The age of the disenchantment of the world!

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 10:00:00 -0800

The German sociologist Max Weber uses the word disenchantment to describe the character of a highly modernized, secular and bureaucratic society. Couldn't we all do with some re-enchantment! ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 19:00:00 -0800

Neil Postman was a media theorist and a prophetic critic of modern technology... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Heidegger - The Disappearance of the World!

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 12:00:00 -0800

The German philosopher Martin Heidegger argued that human existence is grounded in meaningful relationships to things. When we lose these relationships, we lose nothing less than the world.... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet - Writing as an existential necessity!

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 18:00:00 -0800

The great poet Rainer Maria Rilke advises all aspiring artists to ask themselves one question: Are you prepared to sacrifice everything? Because that's what it takes! ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Epicurus on Gratitude

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 20:00:00 -0800

What Epicurus has to say about gratitude deserves our attention, especially today... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

William James - Pluralism and Free Will!

Sat, 31 Jan 2026 20:00:00 -0800

James argues for a world where we actively participate in the building of reality and where there are multiple sources of transcendence! ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Let's bring back the language of the SOUL!

Sun, 25 Jan 2026 16:00:00 -0800

We really need to revive a character-based account of the soul!... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Rousseau and Han - Today's Loneliness Epidemic!

Sun, 18 Jan 2026 17:00:00 -0800

Why is there such a large increase in loneliness around the world? I think the philosophers Jean-Jacque Rousseau and Byung-Chul Han might be helpful here! ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

The Spirit of Ancient Greek Tragedy - Why we need it so badly today!

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 17:00:00 -0800

Reviving the spirit of Greek tragedy can offer us a powerful corrective against today's lack of humility and moral polarization.... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

La Mettrie's Man the Machine - From Cartesian Dualism to Joyful Materialism!

Wed, 07 Jan 2026 13:00:00 -0800

This French philosopher argues that there is no immaterial soul, and that this doesn't strip life of its value! .... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Edmund Burke - Inherited Wisdom and the Perils of Starting Anew!

Sat, 03 Jan 2026 21:00:00 -0800

Edmund Burke is the founder of cultural and political conservatism. Dostoevsky, Aristophanes and T.S. Eliot also share in a similar spirit. They all warn against dismissing the past! .... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Rollo May - How Art Overcomes Nihilism!

Mon, 29 Dec 2025 17:00:00 -0800

For the psychologist Rollo May, art is no dispensable luxury, it's an essential response to nihilism! .... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

A reminder from Mircea Eliade on the significance of the New Year!

Sat, 27 Dec 2025 16:00:00 -0800

Happy New Year to all across lands and seas! ...... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

The Poverty of Wealth: Nietzsche on Money and Mediocrity!

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 20:00:00 -0800

Nietzsche criticizes our modern infatuation with money-making, an infatuation that he thinks reveals a deep spiritual impoverishment and an erosion of character...... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

In the spirit of Christmas - Why the path of self-interest will always fail you

Tue, 09 Dec 2025 11:00:00 -0800

Self-interest is directionless and ultimately, is an enemy of both self-actualization and love. For these things, we need a relation to something outside of our own egos. .... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Walter Benjamin - Against the Copy: Holding On to the Real in an Age of Reproduction!

Tue, 02 Dec 2025 17:00:00 -0800

When everything can be reproduced, why do we still crave the original? The psychologist Paul Bloom and the philosopher Walter Benjamin offer up some insight! ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Barthes, Kierkegaard, Han - What happened to the erotic?

Thu, 27 Nov 2025 09:00:00 -0800

What is eroticism? And does it still exist today? Find out more! .... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Hesse's Narcissus and Goldmund - Pick a path, pay the price, live the life!

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 15:00:00 -0800

Choosing one path in life means letting go of another! And that's okay! .... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Bertrand Russell and Byung-Chul Han: Self-absorption is the source of unhappiness!

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 09:00:00 -0800

The philosophers Russell and Han come from different historical contexts, but they both agree on one thing: if you want to be happy stop being pre-occupied with yourself! .... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Great philosophers on how to stay young as we get older!

Thu, 13 Nov 2025 20:00:00 -0800

Aging doesn't have to involve loss of possibilities and heaviness. Just ask Nietzsche, the Taoists, Hannah Arendt and Camus! ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Why Samuel Beckett is so funny!

Mon, 10 Nov 2025 15:00:00 -0800

Beckett is bleak but he's also hilarious. I try to explore why so many of us laugh when we read him! ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Voltaire's "Crush the infamous thing" and our age of tragic regression

Thu, 06 Nov 2025 19:00:00 -0800

Voltaire called for enlightenment and progress against the dogmas and powers of his day. Our world today needs more Voltaires.... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Dostoevsky, Ricoeur, Kierkegaard - The future needs the past!

Sun, 02 Nov 2025 17:00:00 -0800

There is no future without a past. That's because the past is the ground of transformation! ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Orwell's 1984 - Fake News and the destruction of language

Tue, 28 Oct 2025 11:00:00 -0700

Orwell's 1984 has seen a massive surge in sales in the last 8 years. That's no surprise.... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Feuerbach and Marx - We created God in our own image!

Sun, 26 Oct 2025 19:00:00 -0700

Man makes religion, religion does not make man, says the German philosopher Feuerbach. Karl Marx agrees. But why do we do this, and should we? Find out more! ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Aristotle - Why Competency is essential for Happiness!

Fri, 24 Oct 2025 09:00:00 -0700

You want lasting joy and fulfillment in your life? Then strive for excellence and competency! Or so argues Aristotle.... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Consciousness and the Universe - From Matter to Meaning!

Sun, 19 Oct 2025 15:00:00 -0700

What is the universe without human consciousness? Strangely, not much! Or so I argue! .... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Byung-Chul Han and Fromm - Clean shiny machines and our Necrophilia!

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 21:00:00 -0700

We prefer machines to people and mechanical precision to messy human qualities. What is this but our love of death over life! Or so argue Byung-Chul Han and Erich Fromm! ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Kant vs. Aristotle - Duty vs. Character!

Sun, 12 Oct 2025 14:00:00 -0700

Check out my new book! It's called The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

The rise and the danger of binary thinking

Wed, 08 Oct 2025 20:00:00 -0700

Check out my new book! It's called The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Montaigne's self-fashioning vs. the curated facade of today's self!

Mon, 06 Oct 2025 13:00:00 -0700

The French philosopher Montaigne made the exploration of selfhood the most important thing in his life. How does his project compare to today's version of self-fashioning? ... Check out my new book! It's called The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Optimize this! - The cost of constant improvement

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 12:00:00 -0700

Beneath today's trend of optimizing everything lies some deep philosophical and existential problems. ... Check out my new book! It's called The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Three famous philosophers who were practically unknown in their own time!

Mon, 29 Sep 2025 18:00:00 -0700

Ahead of their age, awaiting ours: Kierkegaard, Schopenhauer, and Nietzsche! ... Check out my new book! It's called The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

The death of expertise is the demise of civilization!

Fri, 26 Sep 2025 16:00:00 -0700

Our growing distrust of expertise and of universities is terminally stupid. We will all pay the price.... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

David Abram's The Spell of the Sensuous - Living in attunement with the earth!

Mon, 22 Sep 2025 17:00:00 -0700

Abstract time and space sever our ties to place, rhythm, and responsibility! Or so argues the philosopher and ecologist, David Abram! .... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

When Religion becomes Shallow

Thu, 18 Sep 2025 15:00:00 -0700

When religion becomes shallow it's no longer truly religion. Many philosophers have warned us of this, of religion being reduced to self-serving functions.... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Julian Jaynes - The Origin of Consciousness and the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind, and AI!

Sun, 14 Sep 2025 17:00:00 -0700

The American psychologist argued that before modern consciousness, we heard and obeyed the voices of the gods. With AI, is it any different today? ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

A human history of intelligence without kindness - A cautionary analogy for the advent of AI

Wed, 10 Sep 2025 18:00:00 -0700

We've set a bleak precedent for what's to come.... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Cicero and Simone de Beauvoir on Old Age - The Self, the Other and growing old authentically!

Sun, 07 Sep 2025 19:00:00 -0700

Cicero and Simone de Beauvoir offer us two very different visions of growing old and the philosophy of aging! ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Eden, Adam and Eve: Thank God for the Fall! - Why paradise is deeply problematic!

Sun, 31 Aug 2025 15:00:00 -0700

Living an Edenic existence fails to give us what we truly need and want: namely, responsibility, love and meaning! ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Byung-Chul Han - The Transparency Society

Tue, 26 Aug 2025 18:00:00 -0700

According to Han, we live in a culture of constant self-exposure and exhibition. And, despite what we think, it makes us flat, banal and powerless! ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

To our Children

Fri, 22 Aug 2025 20:00:00 -0700

We walk in the shadows we cast. Let's be the architects of a better future.... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Samuel Beckett - "I can't go on. I'll go on."

Thu, 21 Aug 2025 21:00:00 -0700

This is the famous last line in one of Beckett's novels. But it's not just a last line, it's a credo for human existence! ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Reclaiming the power of Melancholy!

Sun, 17 Aug 2025 16:00:00 -0700

We treat melancholy as a pathology, something to be cured or eradicated. But we've lost sight of it's real value! ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Alexander Nehamas - Platonic Irony!

Sun, 17 Aug 2025 15:00:00 -0700

Socrates doesn't just undermine his interlocutors, Plato undermines us! Or so argues the contemporary philosopher Alexander Nehamas! ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

The Pathetic Nature of the Sycophant!

Wed, 13 Aug 2025 18:00:00 -0700

They all gushed over Nero, and they're no different today! It's all very embarrassing and sad.... Check out my new book! It's called The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

The Absurd and the Sand: A Camusian Reading of Woman in the Dunes

Thu, 07 Aug 2025 17:00:00 -0700

Woman in the Dunes is a 1964 Japanese film directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara. It's about a guy who gets trapped in a sandpit and has to keep shovelling sand to stay alive! It's a repetitive and futile situation! Ring any bells? ... Check out my new book! It's called The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Aristotle and Nietzsche - A return to TOUCH in a disembodied age!

Thu, 07 Aug 2025 17:00:00 -0700

In our age of digitization, our sense of touch has clearly been demoted. For thinkers like Aristotle and Nietzsche, the cost is enormous! ... Check out my new book! It's called The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

The Philosopher and his Poodles: Schopenhauer's Ethics of Compassion!

Sun, 03 Aug 2025 18:00:00 -0700

The German philosopher Schopenhauer believed that compassion was the true foundation of morality. It worked best when it came to his dogs! ... Check out my new book! It's called The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

The Fissure of Being, or Why You’re Never Whole: Sartre’s Existential Bombshell!

Tue, 22 Jul 2025 19:00:00 -0700

Why are we not like rocks or cabbage? Because there's a hole or fissure at the heart of our being! Or so says the French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre! ... Check out my new book! It's called The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Carl Jung, Heidegger, and the California Gold Rush!

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 18:00:00 -0700

The value of gold used to be largely symbolic. The Gold Rush marks a complete philosophical turning point when it comes to the perceived value of gold! And I think Jung and Heidegger would agree! ... Check out my new book! It's called The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Star Wars vs. Star Trek - Why Star Trek is better!

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 17:00:00 -0700

Star Wars and Star Trek: Which of these is more philosophically interesting? And which of these two universes would you want to live in? I got my answer! ... Check out my new book! It's called The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Byung-Chul Han - Why so many of us feel so empty today!

Sun, 06 Jul 2025 17:00:00 -0700

Han thinks there's a deep existential hollowness lurking beneath the shiny veneer and the noise of modern life. He attributes this to many things about our contemporary society.... Check out my new book! It's called The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

ASMR - A sensory rebellion against our disembodied age!

Thu, 03 Jul 2025 17:00:00 -0700

Is ASMR just some superficial Youtube phenomenon? Or is there something important and deep behind its popularity? Find out more! ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Susan Wolf and Dostoevsky - The Problem with being a Moral Saint!

Mon, 30 Jun 2025 17:00:00 -0700

On the surface, being a moral saint sounds like a great thing. But, not so fast! The contemporary philosopher Susan Wolf doesn't think so. And both Dostoevsky and Camus have their own concerns about thinking of yourself as morally pure! ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Wisdom as Content, Grifters, and why Socrates wouldn’t have used Patreon!

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 09:00:00 -0700

In our attention-economy wisdom has now become content - ready-made for monetization! Socrates warned against this trend long ago! ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

The Cynics - Ya gotta be TOUGH to be happy!

Sat, 21 Jun 2025 10:00:00 -0700

These ancient philosophers argued that physical toughness was a discipline essential to happiness. Relevant for us today? I think so!

If interested, check out my new book series! The second book is available now!
www.amazon.com/Manifesto-Beauty-Reclaim-Digital-World/dp/1069510815/

Learning to Love: Nietzsche, Beauty and the Beast, and Don Quixote!

Mon, 16 Jun 2025 20:00:00 -0700

Nietzsche tells us that one must LEARN to love. That might sound a bit odd to us. What does he mean and why is it important? Find out more! ... Check out my new book! It's called The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Astrology - The Zodiac delusion!

Thu, 12 Jun 2025 15:00:00 -0700

Does astrology make any sense? And if not, why do we still believe in it? ... Check out my new book! It's called The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Jesus and Rousseau on Hypocrisy (or Wolves in Virtue's clothing!)

Mon, 09 Jun 2025 07:00:00 -0700

What's wrong with hypocrisy? Well, Jesus and Jean-Jacques Rousseau agree on at least one thing that's wrong with it! ... Check out my new book! It's called The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Will Durant - The top ten greatest thinkers of all time!

Tue, 03 Jun 2025 16:00:00 -0700

The distinguished historian Will Durant published a book where he ranked the greatest thinkers ever! See who made the list! ... Check out my new book! It's called The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Henri Bergson - Overcoming the tyranny of mechanical time!

Fri, 30 May 2025 19:00:00 -0700

The French philosopher Bergson criticized the scientific notion of time, instead turning to what he called lived time. Find out more! ... Check out my new book! It's called The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Greek tragedy, Pollution and AI! + announcement!

Sun, 25 May 2025 17:00:00 -0700

Check out my new book! It's called The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

If I could time travel....Cafe, Paris, 1940's!

Tue, 20 May 2025 20:00:00 -0700

If I could time travel anywhere, I’d skip the big battles and royal balls.
Drop me in a smoky café in 1940s Paris—existentialism, espresso, and all! If you're not convinced, take a listen! ... Check out my new book! It's called The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Dylan Thomas' Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night - Don't surrender the flame!

Fri, 16 May 2025 08:00:00 -0700

How should we meet death? With rage! Or so says the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas! And he's not the only one! ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Kafka's A Hunger Artist - The Death of Uncompromising Art!

Fri, 16 May 2025 08:00:00 -0700

What would Kafka think about our attention economy today? And what about the state of our art? .... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Naomi Klein - The Apocalypse, Mars, and the Bunker Nation!

Sat, 10 May 2025 12:00:00 -0700

Naomi Klein, the Canadian author and social activist, argues for what she sees as the apocalyptic mindset of the far Right. Along with Klein, I offer up a few of my own concerns! ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Why We Can't Avoid Making JUDGMENTS—And Why That's a Great Thing!

Thu, 08 May 2025 20:00:00 -0700

So as we all know, there’s the popular or cliched idea that we should be “nonjudgmental”. But by and large, I don’t think that’s right! ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Adorno on Animals - "The degradation of a creature to the status of a mere thing"

Tue, 06 May 2025 20:00:00 -0700

The philosopher Theodor Adorno lays a powerful groundwork for thinking ethically about animals! ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Humour as Social Critique - Let's keep LAUGHING at POWER!

Sun, 04 May 2025 19:00:00 -0700

Humour can have real revolutionary force! Ask the philosopher Mikhail Bakhtin. Let's keep laughing at the powerful. It will work! ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Tolstoy vs. Dostoevsky - Some major DIFFERENCES!

Wed, 30 Apr 2025 09:00:00 -0700

These giants of literature, they're often viewed as similar from afar. But they're not. Especially when it comes to how they see the human soul and the road to salvation! ... Check out my new book! It's called The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Miles Davis - Why LESS IS MORE!

Wed, 30 Apr 2025 09:00:00 -0700

In our world of more and faster and louder, we might do well to remember that less is often more! Just ask Miles! ... Check out my new book! It's called The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Heidegger - The death of the LOVE LETTER in the time of the digital message!

Wed, 30 Apr 2025 09:00:00 -0700

The love letter has become an extinct species! This is a symptom of a much larger problem - at least according to Heidegger! ... Check out my new book! It's called The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Buddhism and NON-ATTACHMENT - Some Objections!

Sun, 20 Apr 2025 16:00:00 -0700

Is human well-being and flourishing really all about detachment? I would argue, no! ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Byung-Chul Han and Plato on the POWER of BEAUTY!

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 20:00:00 -0700

Modern beauty has become tepid and smooth. It lacks the depth and friction and power of genuine beauty! Or so say Han and Plato! ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

What does it mean to be a GOOD FATHER?

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 20:00:00 -0700

Inspired by Gabriel Marcel and Martin Buber, I argue that being a good father requires the invisible labor of presence.... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Foucault and Kierkegaard - Where the heck has YOUTHFUL REBELLION gone?

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 07:00:00 -0700

When I was growing up teenage rebellion seemed to be everywhere! Where is it now? At the heart of this decline: social media and technology! ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Simone De Beauvoir and Hannah Arendt - A Happiness of ENGAGEMENT!

Sat, 05 Apr 2025 18:00:00 -0700

De Beauvoir and Arendt both argue against passive forms of happiness! Find out more! ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Socrates - Power and Stupidity: A Destructive Combination!

Sat, 05 Apr 2025 18:00:00 -0700

Socrates argues that ignorance is the worst of all evils! Especially in the service of power! Ring any bells today? ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Pascal and Kierkegaard on the SUPERFICIAL LIFE - Owning up to one's SELF!

Tue, 01 Apr 2025 21:00:00 -0700

One could argue that we live more superficially than ever before. Pascal and Kierkegaard are particularly relevant here! ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Why Plato wrote dialogues - Let's bring back the power of real conversation!

Sun, 30 Mar 2025 11:00:00 -0700

Plato chose not to write essays. He wrote dialogues instead. Why? And how is this relevant for us today? Find out more! ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

The Myth of Icarus and Daedalus - Melting the wings of our children!

Tue, 25 Mar 2025 16:00:00 -0700

I think this ancient myth is more relevant today than ever before! Find out more! ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Nietzsche - DECADENT Culture!

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 19:00:00 -0700

According to Nietzsche, cultures can be healthy or decadent. How do we see the culture today? ... Check out my new book! It's called The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Erich Fromm - Submission to Authoritarianism!

Fri, 14 Mar 2025 18:00:00 -0700

The psychologist Erich Fromm argues that we tend to willingly submit to authoritarianism! Relevant today? ... Check out my new book! It's called The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Carl Jung - UFOs and their PSYCHIC SIGNIFICANCE!

Sun, 09 Mar 2025 16:00:00 -0700

Carl Jung believed that UFOs have their basis in a vital psychic need! Find out more! ... Check out my new book! It's called The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Camus's The Rebel - Helping us to find MEASURE in a time of EXTREMES!

Mon, 03 Mar 2025 19:00:00 -0800

What Camus has to say in The Rebel is very relevant to our current trend towards absolutist and binary thinking! ... Check out my new book! It's called The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

The Cult of Personality and CEO worship!

Tue, 25 Feb 2025 18:00:00 -0800

Scary times... Check out my new book! It's called The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Kierkegaard - We've forgotten how to exist! Passion in the age of apathy!

Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:00:00 -0800

Kierkegaard spends a lot of time talking about the connection between existence and passion! We'd do well to listen to him!

Dostoevsky - Kiss the earth! Why the soil matters!

Thu, 13 Feb 2025 17:00:00 -0800

The archetype of the earth is crucial for understanding Dostoevsky's view! Find out more!

Byung-Chul Han and Aristotle - Why real friends shouldn't be afraid of conflict!

Fri, 07 Feb 2025 10:00:00 -0800

As friends we gratify and pamper too much, or so these philosophers say! Find out more!

What time is it? - Chronos vs. Kairos!

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 15:00:00 -0800

The Ancient Greeks had two words for time - chronos and kairos. What is this distinction and how might it be important for us today? ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

The Beat Writers - If it ain't got that swing, it don't mean a thing!

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 15:00:00 -0800

The Beats were a group of poets and writers who emerged after WWII. What was their philosophy all about? Find out more! ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Why the death of Socrates matters!

Fri, 17 Jan 2025 10:00:00 -0800

Apart from the death of Jesus, no death has been discussed more than that of Socrates. And for very good reasons! ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Selflessness as the antidote to death!

Wed, 08 Jan 2025 20:00:00 -0800

How do we take the sting off of death? How about a little less ego, a little more selflessness! ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Kant's "What is Enlightenment?" - Emancipate your thinking!

Thu, 02 Jan 2025 20:00:00 -0800

Dare to know and think! This was Kant's calling in his famous 1784 essay "What is Enlightenment?" ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

The Delphic Injunction - KNOW THYSELF!

Sat, 28 Dec 2024 10:00:00 -0800

The words “know thyself” were carved into stone at the entrance to the revered temple of Apollo at Delphi in Greece. What does it mean? Well, the Greek playwright Sophocles and the philosopher Socrates interpret it in their own way! ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Bertrand Russell - Why I am not a Christian

Thu, 19 Dec 2024 19:00:00 -0800

In 1927 the philosopher Bertrand Russell gave a lecture called Why I am not a Christian... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Dostoevsky and Heidegger - How to escape the algorithm!

Wed, 11 Dec 2024 20:00:00 -0800

Both Dostoevsky and Heidegger, in their own way, look for ways to salvage some deeper meaning and experience in the midst of our increasingly technological and rational-scientific world! ... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Cormac McCarthy's The Road - Each the other's world entire!

Thu, 05 Dec 2024 21:00:00 -0800

One of the most emotionally powerful novels ever written! A father and son try to make their way across a post-apocalyptic America trying to get to a better place... Check out my new book! It's called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Byung-Chul Han and Gabriel Marcel on Hope!

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 20:00:00 -0800

Is there anything more important than hope, especially today? These two profound philosophers have lots to say about this!

Selfies and Existentialism!

Mon, 18 Nov 2024 20:00:00 -0800

Selfie-ism permeates our world culture! Do we have cause for concern? What would the existentialists think?

What the heck happened to integrity and character?!

Wed, 13 Nov 2024 20:00:00 -0800

What's going on? Why don't we care about character anymore? This is very troubling.

Marinetti and Futurism - Welcome to the machine!

Thu, 07 Nov 2024 20:00:00 -0800

The Italian futurist Marinetti called for the absolute glorification of everything new and modern, a worship of everything machine! What resonance all this has today!

The lost art of reading! And why reading makes us truly happy!

Tue, 29 Oct 2024 21:00:00 -0700

Reading has become nearly obsolete in our age of momentary gratification. This is a great loss as reading engenders all sorts of important qualities that benefit us!

The problem with lying and liars!

Sat, 19 Oct 2024 19:00:00 -0700

Lying seems to be on the rise, especially in the political world! I don't think we realize how dangerous and how morally problematic it is!

Why the existentialists hate the bourgeois!

Sun, 13 Oct 2024 21:00:00 -0700

The French existentialists have a problem with bourgeois morality and relationships! What's their beef all about? Find out more!

Aristotle, Leisure and AI - Outsourcing our humanity!

Fri, 04 Oct 2024 20:00:00 -0700

For Aristotle, leisure is the most important human activity. Unfortunately we're contracting out our leisure activities to AI, and with it, our humanity!

Freud, the Uncanny and AI!

Sun, 29 Sep 2024 17:00:00 -0700

Why do we feel so disturbed by dolls and robots that are human-like? Why do we really fear AI? Freud has an answer!

Can you be good WITHOUT god?

Sat, 21 Sep 2024 19:00:00 -0700

Dostoevsky said that if God is dead, then everything is permitted. In other words, morality depends on religion. Is that true? I don't think so!

Horace and Carpe Diem - What this famous phrase REALLY means!

Thu, 12 Sep 2024 19:00:00 -0700

Carpe Diem is usually translated as seize the day. But that's not quite accurate, and it's a reflection of our times! Sit back and enjoy, like a good Epicurean!

The Presocratic philosophers - From myth to matter!

Sat, 07 Sep 2024 19:00:00 -0700

The Presocratics, the first philosophers and scientists, rejected traditional mythological explanations in favour of rational ones! Huge turning point! Find out more!

The THREE most important things I learned from graduate school!

Sun, 01 Sep 2024 18:00:00 -0700

Going to graduate school gave me some important abilities and approaches to things that have proven beneficial for my life as a whole!

Kierkegaard's The Present Age - Why Kierkegaard would have HATED the internet!

Wed, 28 Aug 2024 21:00:00 -0700

What would Kierkegaard have thought of our age of the internet? The philosopher Herbert Dreyfus argues that he'd be no fan, to say the least! Find out more!

Socrates - The Hemlock Controversy!

Fri, 23 Aug 2024 14:00:00 -0700

Did Socrates really die the way Plato describes it? And Socrates may have been a philosophical martyr but did he give much consideration to his FAMILY when he decided to take his life? Important questions!

Karl Jaspers - Boundary situations and Transcendence!

Fri, 23 Aug 2024 14:00:00 -0700

The philosopher Karl Jaspers argues that we only truly self-realize when we learn to confront the inevitable hardships of life properly! Find out more!

Callicles versus Socrates - On sound and leaky barrels!

Mon, 12 Aug 2024 20:00:00 -0700

Apart from Socrates, Callicles is Plato's most formidable character. And he doesn't hold back! He thinks happiness is all about the full throttle pursuit of desires! Is he right? Has Socrates finally met his match? Find out more!

Byung-Chul Han's The Crisis of Narration - Why information is not enough!

Sun, 04 Aug 2024 10:00:00 -0700

There's a crisis of narration today, Han argues. Instead of narrative, we have information. And, unlike narrative, information can't give us any direction or meaning! We need to bring back narrative!

Love's Resurgence - Part 3 - Love as an Activity!

Fri, 12 Jul 2024 18:00:00 -0700

This is Part 3 of a 3 Part series on love! It should be listened to in sequence! In it, I explore the state of love today and what, if anything, we might learn from some of the great writers, poets and philosophers who take love very seriously.

Love's Resurgence - Part 2 - Love as Expansion!

Thu, 11 Jul 2024 19:00:00 -0700

This is Part 2 of a 3 Part series on love! It should be listened to in sequence! In it, I explore the state of love today and what, if anything, we might learn from some of the great writers, poets and philosophers who take love very seriously.

Love's Resurgence - Part 1 - The Fall of Eros!

Thu, 11 Jul 2024 19:00:00 -0700

This is Part 1 of a 3 Part series on love! It should be listened to in sequence! In it, I explore the state of love today and what, if anything, we might learn from some of the great writers, poets and philosophers who take love very seriously.

Orwell's 1984 - The abuse of language and history!

Thu, 27 Jun 2024 20:00:00 -0700

George Orwell's 1984 warns against the dangers of a totalitarian society! Take away our language and our history and it's all over! Find out more!

Nietzsche on why art is crucially important for us!

Thu, 27 Jun 2024 20:00:00 -0700

For Nietzsche there's no such thing as art for art's sake! No, art has indispensable practical value for our existence! Find out more!

Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea - Beyond the customary fishing grounds!

Thu, 13 Jun 2024 17:00:00 -0700

Exploring the themes of skill and heroism in Hemingway's Pulitzer Prize novel!

Socrates - The Man of Mystery!

Tue, 21 May 2024 19:00:00 -0700

Socrates influenced many of his contemporaries, but the strange thing is they all went on to develop very different outlooks! What does that say about Socrates? I speculate!

The Ethics of Lawns!

Sun, 05 May 2024 19:00:00 -0700

Why do we cultivate lawns? Should we have them? Let's explore!

Bertrand Russell - Fear of Public Opinion!

Fri, 05 Apr 2024 08:00:00 -0700

The philosopher Bertrand Russell has some interesting things to say about how it is our fear of public opinion affects our happiness! Find out more!

William Barrett - The disappearance of mystery in a world of technique!

Thu, 14 Mar 2024 18:00:00 -0700

The philosophers William Barrett and Gabriel Marcel argue that the hegemony of technique is closing us off from what is truly most important - the realm of mystery!
Find out more!

The benefits of living a more simple life!

Sun, 18 Feb 2024 15:00:00 -0800

For millennia, voluntarily adopting a more simple life has been a calling by almost all wisdom seekers. For good reason! Find out more!

Final Regular Podcast Episode - The six thinkers and artists that have inspired me the most!

Sat, 06 Jan 2024 20:00:00 -0800

Though there may be some future episodes from time to time, this is the last regular episode of The Wisdom Of! In this episode, I talk about six of my favourite thinkers and artists of all time!

Jung and The Stages of Life - Mid-life crisis and old age!

Mon, 01 Jan 2024 13:00:00 -0800

We need to start a college course designed to deal with the typical midlife crisis! Or so says Carl Jung! Find out more!

The degeneration of gift-giving! A Christmas special!

Wed, 20 Dec 2023 16:00:00 -0800

What's happened to the joy and authenticity of gift-giving? Find out more!

Nietzsche on Buddhism!

Thu, 14 Dec 2023 18:00:00 -0800

Nietzsche had mixed feelings about Buddhism. Find out more!

Kafka's Letter to his Father!

Thu, 07 Dec 2023 19:00:00 -0800

Kafka's Letter to his Father offers an incredibly striking and penetrating analysis of the psychological roots and the effects of power within a family.... Check out my new book! It's called The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Human
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/

Sartre vs. Camus: Revolutionary vs. Rebel - The Big Dispute!

Sat, 02 Dec 2023 12:00:00 -0800

Once close friends, Sartre and Camus had a huge public falling out. Find out why!

Can you be GRATEFUL for life if you're an ATHEIST?

Fri, 24 Nov 2023 17:00:00 -0800

Can non-theists feel existential gratitude? Let's explore!

Existentialism and Cezanne's Doubt!

Fri, 17 Nov 2023 18:00:00 -0800

Why is there such a close connection between existentialism and the artist? Let's explore!

Lucretius - A spoonful of sugar!

Thu, 09 Nov 2023 18:00:00 -0800

In his On The Nature of Things, a work devoted to an explanation of the views of Epicurus, Lucretius writes poetically rather than using standard prose. Why? Let's explore!

Heraclitus - The times they are a-changin!

Sat, 04 Nov 2023 13:00:00 -0700

Change is normal, Heraclitus tells us. But how about the sort of rapid change we see happening today? Is it too much even for Heraclitus? Let's explore!

Thanatos - The fear of, and the desire for, death!

Thu, 26 Oct 2023 13:00:00 -0700

From plastic surgery to Freud's death-drive, we seem to both fear death and secretly welcome it at the same time! Welcome to the underworld!

Some thoughts on the notion of the SUFFERING ARTIST!

Fri, 20 Oct 2023 18:00:00 -0700

Why is suffering and self-destruction associated with the artist? Has it always been this way? Let's explore!

John Stuart Mill - The marketplace of ideas, and the question of Truth!

Thu, 12 Oct 2023 13:00:00 -0700

Does the marketplace of ideas really produce the truth? Let’s explore!

Flaubert, le mot juste, and Schopenhauer's philosophy of language!

Sat, 07 Oct 2023 14:00:00 -0700

Always searching for that exact right word? You're not alone, so did Flaubert and Schopenhauer!

Euripides' Medea - Revenge turned into something inhuman!

Thu, 28 Sep 2023 18:00:00 -0700

What's this shocking play where filicide happens about? Let's explore!

Vico and The New Science - The Barbarism of Reflection!

Sat, 23 Sep 2023 12:00:00 -0700

Giambattista Vico was a philosopher of the Italian Enlightenment. He believed history moved through stages only to culminate in what he called the barbarism of reflection!

St. Paul and Nietzsche - Make work a VOCATION not a job!

Sun, 17 Sep 2023 17:00:00 -0700

What's the difference between a job and a vocation? And why does the distinction matter? Let's explore!

Saving the sublime and bringing back the awe in awesome!

Tue, 12 Sep 2023 17:00:00 -0700

What does the word sublime really mean? And why does getting this right matter? Find out!

Some differences between Eastern and Western philosophy

Fri, 08 Sep 2023 18:00:00 -0700

What are some of the fundamental differences between Eastern and Western philosophy? Find out!

Karl Marx - Religion is a product of social disorder!

Fri, 01 Sep 2023 18:00:00 -0700

Marx believed that if you fix our social condition, then religion will disappear! Find out why!

Can the immoralist be happy?

Thu, 24 Aug 2023 19:00:00 -0700

Can a bad or evil person be happy? Seems so, but maybe it's not so straight forward after all!

Do you really want to live forever?

Sat, 19 Aug 2023 14:00:00 -0700

Is immortality all that it's cracked up to be? I don't think so! Find out why!

Are you a Platonist or an Aristotelian?

Fri, 11 Aug 2023 16:00:00 -0700

Do you share Plato's orientation or Aristotle's? Find out!

The Pros and Cons of Nostalgia!

Sat, 05 Aug 2023 15:00:00 -0700

What is nostalgia exactly? And is it beneficial or can it be disadvantageous? Let's find out!

Eros and Agape - Two great but very different kinds of love!

Thu, 27 Jul 2023 15:00:00 -0700

The history of eros and agape is super interesting, and each, in their own way, express incredibly powerful and important aspects of love! Find out more!

Lou Salome - Was Nietzsche actually religious?

Thu, 20 Jul 2023 19:00:00 -0700

Lou Salome was a personal friend of Nietzsche for a short time. Later she wrote a book about him. Let's find out what she said!

What I like about Robinson Crusoe!

Sat, 15 Jul 2023 15:00:00 -0700

In this episode, I try to explain what I love about Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe! (I think I called him Willam Defoe, but, who cares, there are worse mistakes to make in life.)

Paul Tillich and Plato on Courage!

Mon, 10 Jul 2023 12:00:00 -0700

What is courage exactly? Whatever it is, it's more than a Tragically Hip song!

Descartes' I think, therefore I am!

Mon, 10 Jul 2023 12:00:00 -0700

In this episode, I talk a bit about Descartes' famous line and what sort of influence it's had on us!

Marcuse and Nietzsche - Rebellion against the Masses!

Sat, 01 Jul 2023 08:00:00 -0700

Why rebel against mass society? Let me count the ways!

Fromm's To Have or To Be?

Fri, 23 Jun 2023 11:00:00 -0700

A little less having and a little more being! So says the famous psychologist Erich Fromm!

Does money bring happiness?!

Sun, 18 Jun 2023 17:00:00 -0700

What's the correlation between wealth and happiness? Not a good one! Find out why!

Negative and Positive Freedom! (Isaiah Berlin, Plato and Fromm)

Fri, 09 Jun 2023 13:00:00 -0700

Sure, you might be free from things, but now what are you free to do?! Coming up, negative and positive freedom!

The power and sound of silence!

Fri, 02 Jun 2023 15:00:00 -0700

In our age of noise and distraction, we need to remember the benefits of silence!

My problem with Tolstoy's Confession!

Sat, 27 May 2023 14:00:00 -0700

Tolstoy's autobiographical memoir always bugged me. Here's why!

Pierre Hadot's Philosophy as a Way of Life

Wed, 17 May 2023 14:00:00 -0700

Philosophy as a Way of Life was written by Pierre Hadot, a French historian of philosophy. He takes us back to a time when philosophy meant real personal transformation!

Plato's Allegory of the Cave: A warning to us!

Sat, 13 May 2023 15:00:00 -0700

Plato’s allegory of the cave, a section in his great philosophical masterpiece Republic, is one of the most iconic and influential passages ever written. It's still relevant today!

Negative Visualization: the art of coping with tragedy!

Sat, 06 May 2023 20:00:00 -0700

Maybe the best way to cope with misfortune is to imagine it in advance. Maybe the best way to happiness is cultivate the gratitude that comes with the recognition that we may lose our loved ones.

Why we should care about classical antiquity!

Wed, 03 May 2023 20:00:00 -0700

Don't care about the likes of Homer and Sophocles and Thucydides? You should!

Gabriel Marcel's Man Against Mass Society

Thu, 27 Apr 2023 21:00:00 -0700

Gabriel Marcel was a French existentialist Christian philosopher. What he had to say is very relevant today, more so than in his own time!

A Philosophy Short: Privilege the present over the past! (Sartre and Nietzsche)

Mon, 24 Apr 2023 19:00:00 -0700

Both Jean-Paul Sartre and Friedrich Nietzsche privilege the present over the past. Let's find out why!

Badiou's In Praise of Love

Fri, 21 Apr 2023 21:00:00 -0700

Alain Badiou is a French philosopher. In this episode, we discuss his In Praise of Love. The work is a passionate defence of love in a time when romance is being threatened from all directions!

Nussbaum and Nietzsche on Revenge and Punishment

Fri, 14 Apr 2023 10:00:00 -0700

In this episode, I talk a bit about the notions of revenge and retribution and punishment. The Book of Revelation, Nietzsche, Martha Nussbaum and Hannah Arendt all make appearances!

A Philosophy Short: Only humans can die! (Rousseau and Heidegger)

Mon, 10 Apr 2023 14:00:00 -0700

Don't all living things die? Well, not according to Rousseau and Heidegger!

Heidegger, ChatGPT, Buber and our bot relationships!

Sat, 08 Apr 2023 13:00:00 -0700

ChatGPT spit out some prose on our command. Is it art? What might Heidegger say? What should our relationship be to objects and artifacts? What does Martin Buber think? Are our relationships with our bots a good idea? Let's explore!

Niceness is Overrated!

Fri, 31 Mar 2023 13:00:00 -0700

Is it actually good to be nice? Is niceness a virtue? That’s to say, is it a character trait that’s admirable? At the end of the day, should we value niceness as much as we do? Let's explore!

Why our death isn't always about ourselves!

Mon, 27 Mar 2023 14:00:00 -0700

There's a social aspect to our death that philosophers often tend to overlook when discussing the issue of death, or so it might be argued. In this episode, we hear from Epicurus, Heidegger and Levinas!

Aldous Huxley, Psychedelics and God!

Tue, 21 Mar 2023 12:00:00 -0700

In this episode I try to say a little something about the writer Aldous Huxley and his view on psychedelics!

Indigenous thought

Sat, 18 Mar 2023 15:00:00 -0700

In this episode on indigenous thought, we try to discuss the importance of storytelling and the cyclical nature of time!

Thoreau and the Companionship of Solitude

Thu, 09 Mar 2023 21:00:00 -0800

What is solitude? How is it different from loneliness and alienation? What does Thoreau think about solitude? Let's explore!

Marcus Aurelius - Even emperors have no power over death!

Mon, 06 Mar 2023 14:00:00 -0800

In this episode I try to say something about Marcus Aurelius and what's going on in his book the Meditations.

William Barrett on Modern Art and Existentialism

Sat, 04 Mar 2023 10:00:00 -0800

William Barrett was a professor of philosophy. He wrote a book called Irrational Man, published in 1958, that’s considered to be one of the finest introductions to the philosophy of existentialism ever written!

Ideology!

Sun, 26 Feb 2023 19:00:00 -0800

In this episode I try to briefly say a few words about the role and nature of ideology and ideological thinking!

D.H. Lawrence and Schopenhauer on Sex and Love

Thu, 23 Feb 2023 16:00:00 -0800

In this episode, I try to talk a little bit about the nature and importance of sex and love according to the philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer and the writer D.H. Lawrence!

Ayn Rand

Thu, 16 Feb 2023 16:00:00 -0800

Ayn Rand is a Russian born writer. She’s best known for her two novels, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. In this episode, we discuss Nietzsche's and Aristotle's influence on her!

Boethius's Consolations and the Talking Cure

Thu, 09 Feb 2023 17:00:00 -0800

Boethius was a Roman philosopher and political statesman. In this episode, I discuss his great work On the Consolation of Philosophy!

Camus' The Fall

Sat, 04 Feb 2023 11:00:00 -0800

The Fall was Camus’ last complete work and it was published in 1956. In this episode, we discuss the themes of insincerity and virtue-signalling.

Shatner's tears and Earth's little onion skin

Sun, 29 Jan 2023 14:00:00 -0800

Some thoughts about what happened to the actor William Shatner when he went to space aboard a capsule operated by Jeff Bezos’s company Blue Origin.

The love letters of Heloise and Abelard

Fri, 27 Jan 2023 20:00:00 -0800

Peter Abelard and Heloise are one of the most celebrated couples of all time, known for their love affair and for the tragedy that separated them. In this episode, we discuss their love letters!

Courage, Tillich, and that coward Silenus!

Thu, 19 Jan 2023 18:00:00 -0800

What's courage? Are there different kinds of courage? Why is courage important? Let's see what Plato and Paul Tillich think!

Happiness is Overrated!

Sun, 15 Jan 2023 17:00:00 -0800

Is happiness just about feeling good? Is that the way we should view it? Or is there more to it than that? Let's find out!

Evil

Wed, 11 Jan 2023 15:00:00 -0800

In this episode I try to talk a bit about the nature of evil. I use Susan Neiman's book Evil in Modern Thought as the context.

Byung-Chul Han on Fingers, Phones and the Strangeness of Socrates!

Sat, 07 Jan 2023 13:00:00 -0800

Byung-Chul Han is a south Korean born philosopher and he’s currently professor at the Berlin University of Arts in Germany. In this episode, we talk a bit about his views on phones, social media and the nature of thinking in our contemporary world!

Existentialism - The Philosophy of Affirmation!

Sat, 31 Dec 2022 21:00:00 -0800

For all its focus on the struggles of the human condition and on our spiritual ailments, ultimately existentialism is a deeply affirmative and constructive philosophy!

Santa and Ethics!

Fri, 23 Dec 2022 20:00:00 -0800

Should we lie to children about Santa? What about Santa's exchange of gifts for good behaviour? These are some of the questions I reflect on in this episode! Happy holidays!

Nehamas's Only a Promise of Happiness - The Place of Beauty in a World of Art

Thu, 22 Dec 2022 17:00:00 -0800

Alexander Nehamas is a professor of philosophy and comparative literature at Princeton University. In this episode, we discuss some of the main themes of his book Only a Promise of Happiness.

Atheism! (Part 2/2)

Thu, 15 Dec 2022 18:00:00 -0800

Atheism! (Part 1/2)

Tue, 13 Dec 2022 19:00:00 -0800

In this first of two episodes, I discuss the big bad A word - Atheism!

Pascal's Pensées

Sat, 10 Dec 2022 19:00:00 -0800

Pensées was written by the 17th century French mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal. In this episode, we talk about Pascal's famous quote that "the heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of" and his criticism of living the distracted life!

The Allure of Mystery Novels

Tue, 06 Dec 2022 13:00:00 -0800

Why are mystery novels so popular? Maybe it's because, unlike real life, they promise to explain everything!

Homer's Iliad

Sun, 04 Dec 2022 15:00:00 -0800

The Iliad is one of the two major Ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer, the other being The Odyssey. In this episode, we discuss the prophecy about Achilles: that either he'll live a long but uneventful life , or he'll live a short but glorious one!

Climate Change, Solidarity and Love

Tue, 29 Nov 2022 17:00:00 -0800

In this episode, I talk about our attitude or approach to future generations and to climate change.

Eliade's The Sacred and the Profane

Fri, 25 Nov 2022 16:00:00 -0800

Mircea Eliade was a Romanian historian of religion. In this episode, we talk about his book The Sacred and the Profane, which is about how archaic and religious people experience the sacred and how it is we modern nonreligious people don’t!

Rollo May on Anxiety, Freedom and Creativity!

Fri, 18 Nov 2022 18:00:00 -0800

According to the psychologist Rollo May, anxiety and despair isn't as bad as we might think. Facing up to these emotions can be vitalizing and the beginning of genuine freedom!

Why Socrates is Still Important Today!

Mon, 14 Nov 2022 16:00:00 -0800

Socrates was an ancient Greek philosopher, born 470 BC, who’s often seen as the founder of western philosophy. In this episode, we discuss how it is Socrates is still relevant or topical today!

Fromm's The Art of Loving

Sun, 06 Nov 2022 12:00:00 -0800

Erich Fromm was a German psychologist. Among other great works, he wrote The Art of Loving, published in 1956. The central message: love is active not passive!

Nietzsche on Happiness, Meaning and Overcoming Resistance

Wed, 02 Nov 2022 19:00:00 -0700

Happiness isn't about pleasure, says Nietzsche, it's about meaning and overcoming resistance!

Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Woman

Mon, 31 Oct 2022 18:00:00 -0700

Mary Wollstonecraft was a British philosopher and writer. She’s maybe most famous for her seminal work, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, which was published in 1792, and is one of the earliest works of feminist philosophy. In this episode, we discuss how it is she understands independence and what she thinks education should be about!

Moral Purity and Dirty Hands

Mon, 24 Oct 2022 10:00:00 -0700

In this brief episode, I reflect a bit on what genuine morality requires. It requires, not that we maintain a pure conscience, but that we accept getting our hands dirty!

Carl Jung and Becoming All That You Are!

Sat, 22 Oct 2022 16:00:00 -0700

Carl Jung, born 1875, was a Swiss psychoanalyst whose work has been enormously influential. In this episode, we discuss why it is he thinks there's a crisis of meaning today and what we can do to fix it!

The Copernican Revolution

Tue, 18 Oct 2022 13:00:00 -0700

In this brief episode, I reflect a bit on the Copernican Revolution and its influence on us!

Plato on Education and Beauty

Tue, 11 Oct 2022 18:00:00 -0700

In this brief episode, I reflect a bit on Plato's view of education!

Voltaire's Candide - It's not all for the best!

Sun, 09 Oct 2022 19:00:00 -0700

Candide is a satirical novel written by Voltaire, a French writer and philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment. In this episode, we discuss Voltaire's criticism of Leibniz's optimistic theodicy and also what he meant by his famous ending, that "one must cultivate one's garden".

Camus and Nietzsche on Hope

Tue, 04 Oct 2022 18:00:00 -0700

In this brief episode, I talk about Nietzsche and Camus' views on hope!

Rationalism versus Irrationalism

Sun, 02 Oct 2022 15:00:00 -0700

In this episode, we discuss the history of rationalism and irrationalism within philosophy. We also talk about the perils of being overly rational!

Tolstoy's How Much Land Does a Man Need?

Mon, 26 Sep 2022 20:00:00 -0700

In this brief episode, I reflect a bit on Tolstoy's short story How Much Land Does a Man Need? It's pretty topical or relevant for us today!

The Top Philosophy Quotes of All Time! - Epictetus and Camus

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 16:00:00 -0700

In this episode, we discuss the Stoic philosopher Epictetus' quote, "What upsets people is not things themselves, but their judgements about these things", and the French philosopher Camus' quote, "I do not believe in God and I am not an atheist".

Turgenev's Fathers and Sons

Mon, 19 Sep 2022 18:00:00 -0700

Fathers and Sons is a novel written by the Russian writer Ivan Turgenev. It was published in 1862. The story centres around Bazarov—a self-proclaimed nihilist. In this episode, we discuss some of the perils of being a nihilist!

Nietzsche's Three Metamorphoses of the Spirit

Wed, 14 Sep 2022 18:00:00 -0700

In this brief episode, I discuss Nietzsche's Three Metamorphoses of the Spirit as described in his masterpiece Thus Spoke Zarathustra!

Hesse's Siddhartha

Mon, 12 Sep 2022 20:00:00 -0700

Siddhartha is a novel by the German writer Hermann Hesse. The story deals with the spiritual journey of a man named Siddhartha and it takes place during the time of the Buddha. In this episode, we discuss how it is Hesse, through Siddhartha, seems to present a more world-loving Buddhist view than that of traditional Buddhism.

Wall-E and the Soul of Dirt

Mon, 05 Sep 2022 20:00:00 -0700

In this brief episode, I share some thoughts on the 2008 Pixar film, Wall-E!

Simone de Beauvoir's The Ethics of Ambiguity

Fri, 02 Sep 2022 12:00:00 -0700

Simone de Beauvoir was a French existentialist philosopher. In this episode, we take a look at her important work The Ethics of Ambiguity. We talk about how it is she thinks we both evade and misuse our freedom!

Mill's Higher and Lower Pleasures

Tue, 30 Aug 2022 10:00:00 -0700

In this brief episode, I talk about the philosopher John Stuart Mill's view on pleasure!

The Immorality of Tipping

Thu, 25 Aug 2022 18:00:00 -0700

In this brief episode, I reflect a bit on the morality of tipping!

Heidegger and the Typewriter

Sun, 21 Aug 2022 19:00:00 -0700

In this brief episode, I try to say something about Heidegger's view of the typewriter and of technology in general.

The Top Philosophy Quotes of All Time! - Sartre and Nietzsche

Fri, 19 Aug 2022 17:00:00 -0700

In this episode, we discuss Sartre's quote "Hell is other people" and Nietzsche's quote "Without music, life would be a mistake"!

Dante and Vice

Sat, 13 Aug 2022 12:00:00 -0700

In this brief episode, I reflect a bit on Dante's view on sin and vice!

Byung-Chul Han's Non-Things

Sun, 07 Aug 2022 18:00:00 -0700

In this episode, I briefly introduce some of the main themes in the philosopher Byung-Chul Han's book Non-Things.

Orwell's Animal Farm

Sat, 06 Aug 2022 16:00:00 -0700

Animal Farm is an animal fable and novella written by George Orwell. The story is about a group of farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to establish a free and equal society. In this episode, we discuss the idea of revolution and utopia!

What is Philosophy?

Thu, 28 Jul 2022 20:00:00 -0700

In this brief episode, I reflect a bit on the goal of philosophy, especially from the point of view of Epicurus and Thoreau.

The Top Philosophy Quotes of All Time! - Kierkegaard and Locke

Mon, 25 Jul 2022 10:00:00 -0700

In this episode, we discuss Kierkegaard's quote "Truth is subjectivity", and John Locke's "The mind is a blank slate"!

Arendt's The Human Condition

Sun, 17 Jul 2022 19:00:00 -0700

Hannah Arendt was one of the most important political philosophers of the 20th century. In this episode, we discuss what she calls the active life, which includes her notions of labor, work and action.

What is a Work of Art?

Wed, 13 Jul 2022 16:00:00 -0700

In this episode, I talk a bit about what it is that might make something a work of art!

Thomas Nagel and Absurdity

Sun, 10 Jul 2022 21:00:00 -0700

Thomas Nagel is an American philosopher. In this episode, we discuss his notion of absurdity and how it is he thinks we should respond to it!

Nietzsche and the Love of Life

Thu, 07 Jul 2022 11:00:00 -0700

In this brief episode, I talk about Nietzsche's view on love, and the Platonic-Christian tradition he's reacting to.

Kierkegaard's Diary of the Seducer

Wed, 06 Jul 2022 09:00:00 -0700

The Diary of the Seducer appears in Kierkegaard’s first published work Either/Or. The Diary is about Johannes, an aesthete, who through careful manipulation, seduces a younger 17 year old girl called Cordelia. In this episode, we discuss what it means to live the aesthetic life and some of the problems associated with it.

Suffering and Happiness

Wed, 29 Jun 2022 09:00:00 -0700

In this brief episode, I reflect on the connection between suffering and a deeper form of happiness.

The Top Philosophy Quotes of All Time! - Protagoras and Marx

Sat, 25 Jun 2022 18:00:00 -0700

In this episode we discuss Protagoras' famous statement, "Man is the measure of all things" and Marx's, "Religion is the opium of the masses"!

Fromm's Escape From Freedom

Sat, 18 Jun 2022 12:00:00 -0700

Erich Fromm was a German psychologist and philosopher. He wrote the book called Escape from Freedom in 1941. In this episode, we discuss Fromm's conception of negative and positive freedom, and the various ways in which he thinks we try to escape the burden of our freedom!

Intro For New Listeners

Wed, 15 Jun 2022 19:00:00 -0700

Short introduction to the Wisdom Of podcast for new listeners.

Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning

Sat, 11 Jun 2022 20:00:00 -0700

Victor Frankl was a Viennese psychiatrist, and a concentration camp survivor. In this episode, we discuss his logotherapy and how it is we can find meaning in suffering.

Iris Murdoch

Tue, 07 Jun 2022 09:00:00 -0700

Iris Murdoch was a British novelist and philosopher. In this episode, we discuss her moral outlook, and how she conceives of the difference between literature and philosophy.

Sartre's Nausea: How to Live Your Life Like a Song!

Tue, 07 Jun 2022 09:00:00 -0700

In this episode, I reflect a bit on Sartre's novel Nausea and the importance that music plays in it!

The Burdens and Benefits of Boredom

Wed, 01 Jun 2022 18:00:00 -0700

In this brief episode, I reflect on the nature of boredom and how it might sometimes be beneficial!

The Top Philosophy Quotes of All Time! - Berkeley and Leibniz

Sat, 28 May 2022 11:00:00 -0700

This is the first episode in a once monthly series exploring the top philosophy quotes of all time. In this episode, we discuss Berkeley's To Be Is To Be Perceived, and Leibniz's This Is The Best Of All Possible Worlds.

Seneca's The Shortness of Life

Sun, 22 May 2022 19:00:00 -0700

The Roman Seneca was an important Stoic philosopher. In this episode, we discuss how it is we should value and allocate our time, and how it is philosophers from the past can help us to expand our short lives!

Would Socrates use Twitter?

Wed, 18 May 2022 08:00:00 -0700

In this brief episode, I reflect on what Socrates might say about Twitter and social media!

Heidegger's Being and Time

Sat, 14 May 2022 16:00:00 -0700

Martin Heidegger was a German philosopher who was born in 1889 and who died in 1976. He’s probably best known for his 1927 philosophical work Being and Time. In this episode, we discuss his reaction to Descartes, his concept of being-in-the-world, and his view on conformity or inauthenticity.

A Eulogy on Love

Mon, 09 May 2022 18:00:00 -0700

A little eulogy on love, Symposium style!

Elon Musk and Mars

Sun, 08 May 2022 18:00:00 -0700

In this brief episode, I reflect on Elon Musk's goal to colonize Mars.

Anton Chekhov

Sat, 07 May 2022 18:00:00 -0700

Anton Chekhov was a Russian short story writer and playwright. He was born in 1860 and died in 1904. He's regarded as one of the greatest short story writers in history. In this episode, we discuss his realist approach to art and what he takes an admirable life to be.

Love and Possession

Tue, 03 May 2022 21:00:00 -0700

In this brief episode, I discuss the philosopher Robert Solomon's view on love and possession.

The Sun

Mon, 02 May 2022 18:00:00 -0700

In this brief episode, I reflect on the sun and some of its associations throughout history. I touch on Christianity, Nietzsche, and Camus.

Peter Singer on Animals

Thu, 28 Apr 2022 19:00:00 -0700

Peter Singer is an Australian philosopher, who works at Princeton University. Outside of academic circles, he’s probably best known for his book Animal Liberation. In this episode, we discuss his view on the importance of the capacity for suffering, and his view on animals for food.

The Benefit of Being a Crab

Mon, 25 Apr 2022 20:00:00 -0700

In this brief episode, I discuss the Spanish philosopher Miguel Unamuno's concern with human consciousness.

Simone Weil

Sat, 23 Apr 2022 21:00:00 -0700

Simone Weil was a French philosopher who was born in 1909 and who died in 1943. In this episode, we discuss her poem on Homer's Iliad, called The Poem of Force, and we also talk about her view on attention and compassion.

Freedom and Responsibility

Tue, 19 Apr 2022 18:00:00 -0700

In this brief episode, I discuss some of the views of the existentialists as it relates to the notions of freedom and responsibility.

Ecclesiastes

Sat, 16 Apr 2022 17:00:00 -0700

Ecclesiastes is known as one of the wisdom books of the Old Testament, alongside the Book of Job, Song of Songs and Proverbs. It was written sometime between 450 and 200 BC and its author is unknown. In this episode, we discuss God's apparent lack of justice and His distance from us. Then we talk about some similarities between Ecclesiastes and Albert Camus' perspective.

Socrates and Care of the Soul

Mon, 11 Apr 2022 19:00:00 -0700

In this brief episode, I discuss the connection Socrates makes between shared dialogue and the state of our soul.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

Sat, 09 Apr 2022 19:00:00 -0700

The Unbearable Lightness of Being was written by the Czech Milan Kundera, and it was published in 1984. It tells the story of a young woman in love with a man torn between his love for her and his habitual womanizing. In this episode, we discuss living lightly versus living with weight, and Nietzsche's idea of the eternal return.

Gratitude

Mon, 04 Apr 2022 17:00:00 -0700

In this brief episode, I discuss the ancient idea of negative visualization and the connection it has to gratitude.

Buddhism and Stoicism on Anger

Sun, 03 Apr 2022 18:00:00 -0700

In this brief episode, I discuss how it is Buddhists and Stoics understand anger.

Beckett's Molloy

Fri, 01 Apr 2022 21:00:00 -0700

Molloy is a novel written by the Irish writer Samuel Beckett, published in 1951. It’s the first of a trilogy of novels, the other two being Malone Dies and The Unnamable. In this episode, we discuss the idea of being stuck inside your own mind, and the idea of the mid-life crisis.

Anthropocentrism

Mon, 28 Mar 2022 19:00:00 -0700

In this brief episode, I discuss the nature and the problem of our human-centered outlook.

Zorba the Greek

Fri, 25 Mar 2022 19:00:00 -0700

Zorba the Greek is a novel written by the Cretan author Nikos Kazantzakis and it was first published in 1946. The story is about a young English writer who meets Alexis Zorba, an older Greek man with a passion for life. As their friendship develops, the young writer is gradually transformed. In this episode, we discuss the contemplative life versus the life of action, and the importance of laughter and dance.

Narcissism

Sat, 19 Mar 2022 17:00:00 -0700

In this brief episode, I talk a little about the nature of narcissism through looking at the Greek myth of Narcissus and Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Plato's Republic

Thu, 17 Mar 2022 19:00:00 -0700

Plato is considered to be one of the greatest philosophers in history. In this episode, we take a look at his great dialogue the Republic and discuss the important connection he makes between being a good person and happiness.

Buber and The Tyranny of the IT

Mon, 14 Mar 2022 21:00:00 -0700

In this brief episode, I discuss what Buber calls the I-Thou and I-It attitudes to life.

Ibsen's A Doll's House

Sun, 13 Mar 2022 18:00:00 -0700

A Doll’s House is a play written by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It premiered in 1879. The play has as it central theme something like the fate of being a married woman in a male dominated world. In this episode, we explore Ibsen's feminism and the importance he places on self-realization.

Sartre and the Creation of Value

Mon, 07 Mar 2022 17:00:00 -0800

In this brief episode, I discuss Sartre and his view in Existentialism is a Humanism that values don't come from God but rather that they're created by us.

Hesse's Journey to the East

Sat, 05 Mar 2022 21:00:00 -0800

Journey to the East is a novel written by the German author Herman Hesse, published in 1932. Journey to the East is about a man who becomes a member of what’s known as The League, a branch of which goes on a pilgrimage to "the East" in search of the ultimate Truth. In this episode, we discuss St. Francis of Assisi, Servant Leadership, and what going East really means.

Nietzsche and the Tightrope Walker

Mon, 28 Feb 2022 21:00:00 -0800

In this brief episode, I discuss the meaning of the tightrope walker in Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra.

Lao Tzu and Taoism

Sun, 27 Feb 2022 10:00:00 -0800

Lao Tzu was an ancient Chinese philosopher, born sometime in the 6th century BC. He’s supposedly the founder of Taoism. Taoism emphasizes living in harmony with what’s called the Tao or the way, which is taken to be the underlying natural order of the universe. In this episode, we discuss Lao Tzu's view on language and his notion of inaction.

Free Speech

Wed, 23 Feb 2022 13:00:00 -0800

In this brief episode, I talk about how it actually personally benefits us to not shy away from false or disagreeable ideas.

Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilyich

Sat, 19 Feb 2022 18:00:00 -0800

The Death of Ivan Ilyich was written by the great Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, and it was published in 1886. The story’s about Ivan, an inauthentic, upper class individual, who learns that he’s dying from a terminal disease. In this episode, we discuss the theme of insincerity and of death.

Pain

Tue, 15 Feb 2022 21:00:00 -0800

In this brief episode, I talk about the importance of some discomfort and pain in life.

The Fragility of Goodness

Sun, 13 Feb 2022 19:00:00 -0800

The Fragility of Goodness was written by Martha Nussbaum, published in 1986. Nussbaum is an American philosopher who works at the University of Chicago. In this episode, we reflect on the question of how immune and how safe it is we should make ourselves, or conversely, how open we should be to life, in order to live in such a way that’s best and most valuable for a human being.

Thinking in a Digital Age

Fri, 11 Feb 2022 10:00:00 -0800

In this brief episode, I talk about the importance of thinking as a form of deep attention.

Dostoevsky and The Problem of Evil

Mon, 07 Feb 2022 17:00:00 -0800

In this brief episode, I discuss the Problem of Evil in Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Sat, 05 Feb 2022 21:00:00 -0800

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a novel by American author Mark Twain which was first published in 1884. The story is about Huck, who runs away from his abusive father and, with his friend, the runaway slave Jim, makes a long and frequently interrupted voyage down the Mississippi River on a raft. In this episode, we discuss Huck and Jim's relationship, and then we talk about what it means to be free on the river.

The Cynic Diogenes and his Wine Barrel

Sun, 30 Jan 2022 19:00:00 -0800

In this brief episode, I discuss the Cynic Diogenes and his view on freedom.

Gods - Yahweh

Fri, 28 Jan 2022 18:00:00 -0800

Yahweh is the god of ancient Israel, who chooses a certain people, the Israelites, as his own. He’s viewed as the creator of the universe. In this episode, we discuss Yahweh's supposed moral perfection, and His distance from us.

Aristotle and Character Development

Mon, 24 Jan 2022 17:00:00 -0800

In this brief episode, I discuss Aristotle's view on the development of character or virtue, especially as it concerns the importance of habit.

Gods - Thor

Sat, 22 Jan 2022 14:00:00 -0800

Thor was the Norse god of thunder and lightning. And he was probably the most worshipped of any of the Heathen gods throughout pre-Christian Northern Europe. In this episode, we discuss his role as protector and his magical hammer.

The Stoics on Fate

Mon, 17 Jan 2022 17:00:00 -0800

Stoicism is a school of ancient Greek and Roman philosophy. In this episode, I discuss the Stoics view on fate and on emotions.

Gods - Buddha

Sun, 16 Jan 2022 13:00:00 -0800

Siddhartha Gautama, popularly known as the Buddha, was a teacher and religious leader who lived in Ancient India. His teachings form the basis of the Buddhist religion. In this episode, we discuss his notion of no-self, and we look at some later thinkers that were influenced by Buddhism.

Gods - Jesus

Sat, 08 Jan 2022 16:00:00 -0800

Jesus of Nazareth is the core figure of one of the world’s largest religions, Christianity. He’s regarded by most Christians as the incarnation or the son of God. In this episode, we discuss the importance he places on being like children. We also discuss Dostoevsky and Nietzsche within this context.

Gods - Gaia

Wed, 29 Dec 2021 17:00:00 -0800

The god Gaia, in Greek mythology, is the personification of the earth. In this episode, we explore her significance in the creation myth. We also discuss the concept Gaia in today's context.

Grace

Sun, 26 Dec 2021 19:00:00 -0800

Beauty - Camus' Lyrical Essays

Sat, 18 Dec 2021 18:00:00 -0800

Albert Camus’ Lyrical Essays are a collection of essays Camus wrote between 1937 and 1958. They include his very earliest writings and some of his very last. In this episode we focus on those early ones, which mostly take the form of prose-poetry, and which are overflowing with a lyrical and rhapsodic love of the earth.

Beauty - The Song of Songs

Sun, 12 Dec 2021 13:00:00 -0800

The Song of Songs is one of the shortest books of the Bible. It's basically a collection of love poems spoken to each other by a young man and a young woman. The Song of Songs is undoubtably one of the greatest and most beautiful love poems ever written. In this episode, we try to tackle the meaning of this poem and we take a look at the beauty of the language used.

The Ancient Greek countryside

Tue, 07 Dec 2021 13:00:00 -0800

Beauty - Sports

Sun, 05 Dec 2021 14:00:00 -0800

In this episode, we discuss the artistry and beauty of sports.

Beauty - Baudelaire's The Flowers of Evil

Sun, 28 Nov 2021 12:00:00 -0800

Charles Baudelaire was a french poet and art critic who was born in 1821. His most famous work, published in 1857, was The Flowers of Evil. The Flowers of Evil, explores, among other things, the good, the bad and the ugly of modern city life. In this episode, we explore themes like the connection between beauty and morality, and beauty as the commonplace.

The Passionate Life! Something to Inspire Your Mornings With!

Mon, 22 Nov 2021 20:00:00 -0800

A little something to get you going on those sluggish mornings!

Beauty - Nabokov's Lolita

Sun, 21 Nov 2021 17:00:00 -0800

The 1955 novel Lolita was written by the Russian American writer Vladimir Nabokov. The story’s about a European middle aged professor, Humbert, who’s obsessed with a 12 year old American girl, Dolores, whom he nicknames Lolita. In this episode we explore themes like beauty, desire and youth.

Science & Tech - The Dispossessed

Sat, 13 Nov 2021 17:00:00 -0800

The Dispossessed is a science fiction novel written by the American writer Ursula K. Le Guin. It was published in 1974. The story is about radically different societies on two twin planets, Urras and Annares. Urras is in part a capitalist economy, while Annares is without a government and anarchistic. In this episode, we explore the themes of promise-keeping, beauty, and environmental degradation.

Science & Tech - Brave New World

Sun, 07 Nov 2021 13:00:00 -0800

Brave New World was written by the English writer Aldous Huxley. It’s a dystopian novel and it was published in 1932. The story is set in a London six hundred years in the future. In this episode, we explore the themes of consumerism, pleasure and happiness.

Science & Tech - Star Trek

Sun, 31 Oct 2021 11:00:00 -0700

The Next Generation is a TV series created by Gene Roddenberry, which first aired in 1987. The show follows the adventures of the ship the USS Enterprise, as it explores the Milky Way galaxy, with captain Jean Luc Picard at the helm. In this episode, we discuss how it is Star Trek tries to make us aware of the shortcomings of the values we hold today, specifically, values centered around work and the pursuit of wealth.

Science & Tech - Nietzsche

Sun, 24 Oct 2021 14:00:00 -0700

Friedrich Nietzsche was a German philosopher born in 1844. His most famous and probably greatest work is Thus Spoke Zarathustra. In this episode, we take a look at some of the things he has to say about science and truth.

Science & Tech - Dostoevsky's Notes from the Underground

Sun, 17 Oct 2021 18:00:00 -0700

Notes from the Underground is a novella, written by the Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky. It was published in 1864. The novella presents itself as an excerpt from the meandering thoughts and memories of a stewing, secluded and unnamed narrator who’s a retired government bureaucrat living in St. Petersburg.

Listener Requests - Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale

Sun, 10 Oct 2021 18:00:00 -0700

The Handmaid’s Tale was written by Canadian author Margaret Atwood, published in 1985. It’s a dystopian novel, set in a patriarchal, religious totalitarian state known as the Gilead Republic. The protagonist is a woman named Offred, who’s belongs to the group of handmaids, a group of women who are forcibly assigned to produce children for the ruling class of men.

Listener Requests - Lord of the Flies

Sun, 03 Oct 2021 10:00:00 -0700

Lord of the Flies is a novel by the English author William Golding, published in 1954. It’s a book about a group of boys whose airplane crashes on an uninhabited island somewhere in the Pacific ocean. The story is about their attempt to govern themselves without any adults around.

Listener Requests - Shakespeare's Hamlet

Sun, 26 Sep 2021 14:00:00 -0700

William Shakespeare was an English playwright born in 1564. Some of his most famous works include Romeo and Juliet, The Merchant of Venice, King Lear, Macbeth and Hamlet. His plays, which include tragedies, comedies and histories, have been translated into nearly every language and they’re performed more than any other playwright. He’s often considered to be the greatest writer in the English language. The play we look at today is Hamlet.

Listener Requests - Dostoevsky's The Possessed

Sat, 18 Sep 2021 09:00:00 -0700

The Possessed, or Demons, is a novel written by the Russian writer Dostoevsky and it was first published in 1871. It’s a story concerned with the catastrophic consequences of the political and moral nihilism that were becoming more prevalent in Russia in the 1860s.

Ancient Happiness

Sun, 12 Sep 2021 10:00:00 -0700

In this episode we compare modern versus ancient conceptions of happiness.

Listener Requests - Emily Dickinson

Sun, 05 Sep 2021 18:00:00 -0700

Emily Dickinson was an American poet, born in Massachusetts, in 1830. In this episode, we explore her views on death, nature, the senses, and the affirmation of life.

A Thanks to the Listeners!

Mon, 30 Aug 2021 18:00:00 -0700

Tragedy - Moby Dick

Sat, 21 Aug 2021 14:00:00 -0700

Moby Dick was written by the American writer Herman Melville, and it was published in 1851

Tragedy - Freud's Civilization and Its Discontents

Sat, 14 Aug 2021 19:00:00 -0700

Civilization and its Discontents is a book by the founder of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud, published in 1930.

Tragedy - Euripides' Bacchae

Sat, 07 Aug 2021 17:00:00 -0700

The Bacchae was written by the Greek playwright and tragedian Euripides around 410 BC. It’s no doubt one of his most provocative and dreadful tragedies.

Tragedy - Waiting For Godot

Sat, 31 Jul 2021 09:00:00 -0700

Waiting for Godot is a play composed by the incomparable Irish writer Samuel Beckett, first written in French in 1948.

Films - Rashomon

Fri, 23 Jul 2021 19:00:00 -0700

Rashomon is a groundbreaking 1950 film directed by the master Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa.

Films - The Tree of Life

Fri, 16 Jul 2021 21:00:00 -0700

The Tree of Life is a 2011 film directed by the incomparable Terence Malick.

Q&A in the Deep Dark Forest!

Mon, 12 Jul 2021 18:00:00 -0700

We finally try to answer listener questions in our first group discussion!

Greek Hospitality

Sat, 03 Jul 2021 19:00:00 -0700

Schweitzer's Reverence For Life

Wed, 30 Jun 2021 19:00:00 -0700

Films - Fight Club

Sat, 26 Jun 2021 20:00:00 -0700

Fight Club is a 1999 American film directed by David Fincher. In this episode, we discuss the consumer life, Marcuse' s one-dimensional man, Nietzsche's death of God, and our tendency to submit to authority.

Films - Fellini's 8 1/2

Sat, 19 Jun 2021 16:00:00 -0700

8 1/2 is a 1963 Italian film directed by Federico Fellini.

Films - Star Wars

Thu, 10 Jun 2021 19:00:00 -0700

Star Wars is a science fiction movie from 1977. In this episode, we discuss Zoroastrianism, fairy tales, the Tao, and the character of Odysseus.

Empedocles' Cosmic Powers

Sun, 30 May 2021 18:00:00 -0700

Paintings - Van Gogh's Starry Night

Sat, 29 May 2021 10:00:00 -0700

Vincent Van Gogh was a Dutch painter who was born in 1853 and died in 1890. In 1889, plagued by depression and illness, Van Gogh committed himself to a mental asylum in France. It’s there, in his lucid periods, where he painted, among other masterpieces, Starry Night.

Paintings - Frida Kahlo

Sat, 22 May 2021 11:00:00 -0700

Frida Kahlo was a Mexican painter who has become one of the most significant artists of the 20th century.

Paintings - Munch's The Scream

Sat, 15 May 2021 13:00:00 -0700

The Scream is a painting by the Norwegian Edvard Munch. It's a forerunner of the Expressionist movement.

Seneca on the WIDE life!

Sun, 09 May 2021 18:00:00 -0700

Paintings - Picasso's The Young Ladies of Avignon

Sat, 08 May 2021 13:00:00 -0700

Created in 1907, The Young Ladies of Avignon is the single most important turning point in the evolution of modern art.

Masks

Sat, 01 May 2021 15:00:00 -0700

Paintings - The Lascaux Cave Paintings

Fri, 30 Apr 2021 19:00:00 -0700

The Lascaux Cave Paintings belong to the Paleolithic Age and are some of the oldest paintings in the world.

Authenticity - Camus' The Stranger

Sat, 24 Apr 2021 11:00:00 -0700

Season 5 Authenticity - The Stranger is about a young man who commits a murder without motive or explanation.

Carl Jung and Rollo May on the power of words and symbols!

Sun, 18 Apr 2021 19:00:00 -0700

Oh my, how much of our horizon do we lose when we impoverish our language!

Authenticity - Alice Munro

Sat, 17 Apr 2021 11:00:00 -0700

Season 5 Authenticity - Alice Munro is a Canadian short story writer.

Aristotle on Friendship

Mon, 12 Apr 2021 12:00:00 -0700

Authenticity - Salinger's Catcher in the Rye

Sun, 11 Apr 2021 12:00:00 -0700

Season 5 Authenticity - Catcher in the Rye is about a young adolescent seeking authenticity.

An ode to Dogs!

Sat, 03 Apr 2021 17:00:00 -0700

For you dog lovers!

Authenticity - Joyce's Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man

Fri, 02 Apr 2021 19:00:00 -0700

Season 5 Authenticity - Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man is about a young man who leaves his religion and his family to try to become an artist.

Authenticity - Bob Dylan

Sun, 28 Mar 2021 12:00:00 -0700

Season 5 Authenticity - Bob Dylan is an American singer song-writer born in 1941.

Authenticity - Kafka's Metamorphosis

Sat, 20 Mar 2021 11:00:00 -0700

Season 5 Authenticity - The Metamorphosis is about a traveling salesman who wakes up as an insect.

Morality - Rousseau's Emile

Sun, 14 Mar 2021 20:00:00 -0700

Season 4 Morality - Rousseau's Emile is about the education of a small child in nature.

Morality - Conrad's Heart of Darkness

Sat, 06 Mar 2021 11:00:00 -0800

Season 4 Morality - In the Heart of Darkness the central character Marlow tells the story of his journey up the Congo River where he meets Kurtz, an ivory trader.

Morality - Gide's The Immoralist

Sat, 27 Feb 2021 16:00:00 -0800

Gide's The Immoralist describes a confessional account of a man seeking the truth about his own nature.

Morality - Sophocles' Oedipus Rex

Sat, 20 Feb 2021 10:00:00 -0800

Sophocles' Oedipus Rex is a Greek tragedy about Oedipus, who is fated to kill his father and marry his mother.

Morality - The Story of Abraham and Isaac

Sat, 13 Feb 2021 15:00:00 -0800

The story of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis is about God's command to Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac.

Morality - Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment

Sat, 06 Feb 2021 10:00:00 -0800

Crime and Punishment is a novel by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. It's about a man who commits a murder and has to deal with his guilt.

Happiness - John Keats

Sat, 30 Jan 2021 11:00:00 -0800

John Keats is a Romantic poet. In this episode, we discuss a letter he wrote in 1817 where he talked about something he called "Negative Capability".

Happiness - F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby

Sun, 24 Jan 2021 14:00:00 -0800

The Great Gatsby is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, the novel depicts narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby and Gatsby's obsession to reunite with his former lover, Daisy Buchanan.

Happiness - Camus' The Myth of Sisyphus

Sat, 16 Jan 2021 11:00:00 -0800

The Myth of Sisyphus is a philosophical essay about the absurd, published in 1942.

Happiness - Tolstoy's Anna Karenina

Sat, 09 Jan 2021 21:00:00 -0800

Anna Karenina is a story of love and adultery set against the background of aristocratic society in Moscow and Saint Petersburg.

Happiness - Epicurus' Letter to Menoeceus

Sat, 02 Jan 2021 15:00:00 -0800

Epicurus’ Letter to Menoeceus is a brief summary of his philosophy of happiness, to his friend and disciple of the letter’s name.

Happiness - Herodotus

Mon, 28 Dec 2020 21:00:00 -0800

In The Histories, Herodotus tells the story of the encounter between King Croesus and Solon. They discuss what it means to be happy.

Love - Thomas Mann's Death in Venice

Tue, 22 Dec 2020 18:00:00 -0800

Mann's Death in Venice is about a great writer who visits Venice and becomes obsessed with a beautiful youth.

Love - Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov

Fri, 18 Dec 2020 20:00:00 -0800

Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov is a story of patricide, and it centers around the clashes of values and world views of the Karamazov family.

Love - Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Tue, 08 Dec 2020 18:00:00 -0800

In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Frankenstein sets out to create a person in what is one of the most unusual scientific experiments ever conceived.

Love - Homer's Odyssey

Sat, 05 Dec 2020 18:00:00 -0800

Homer's Odyssey is about the Greek hero Odysseus and his long journey home after the Trojan War where his wife Penelope and son Telemachus await him.

Love - Sappho

Sat, 28 Nov 2020 19:00:00 -0800

Sappho was a greek poet from the island of Lesbos in the Aegean sea. Sappho's sensual poetry often centred around the overwhelming power of love and it was often directed towards other women. In this episode, we talk about how intimate, physical, and personal her view of love was!

Love - Plato's Symposium

Fri, 27 Nov 2020 19:00:00 -0800

The Symposium is one of Plato's greatest dialogues. It's one of the most influential texts on love in the western world. In this episode, we discuss his idea of the ladder of love, and how it is love can completely transform our life!

Meaning - Cervantes' Don Quixote

Sat, 14 Nov 2020 19:00:00 -0800

Don Quixote is a book written by Miguel de Cervantes published in 1605. It's about an everyday man who one day turns into a knight errant and decides to right the wrongs of this world.

Meaning - Hemingway's A Clean Well Lighted Place

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 18:00:00 -0800

A Clean, Well-Lighted Place is a five page short story written by Ernest Hemingway, published in 1933. It’s about three people and their individual confrontation with nothingness or nada.

Meaning - Camus' The Plague

Mon, 02 Nov 2020 19:00:00 -0800

The Plague is a book written by Albert Camus, published in 1947. The story is about a deadly plague that ravages the town of Oran, and the people who try to fight against it. They do the best they can, even though they know that there is no cure and that their attempts are ultimately futile.

Meaning - Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra

Sat, 31 Oct 2020 11:00:00 -0700

Thus Spoke Zarathustra is a book written by Friedrich Nietzsche, published in 1883. The story chronicles the sayings and the travels of the sage Zarathustra. Zarathustra teaches that God is dead and that we must remain faithful to the earth.

Meaning - The Book of Job

Fri, 30 Oct 2020 14:00:00 -0700

The Book of Job is a book from the Old Testament. It was written around the 6th century BC. The story is about Job, a completely innocent and upright man, who is made to suffer terribly as a result of a bet made between God and Satan. Initially, Job can’t understand why God would allow for his to happen to him. Eventually he comes to realize that God’s creation is much bigger, and so less about him personally, than he had assumed.

Meaning - The Epic Of Gilgamesh

Sat, 24 Oct 2020 16:00:00 -0700

The Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest known story we have. It’s from Mesopotamia and it dates back all the way to around 1800 BC. The story is about Gilgamesh, the ruler of Uruk, and his quest for immortality. What he eventually realizes is that immortality is not what the aim of life is all about, but rather, in everyday projects and good deeds, in the concerns of this life.