The Wisdom Of

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. 

Journey to the East is a novel written by the German author Herman Hesse, published in 1932.  J ourney 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. 

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

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. 

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

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. 

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

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.  

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

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

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 mea...

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

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. 

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

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. 

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

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. 

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. 

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.  

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. 

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.      

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

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.