Classical Wisdom Speaks

If Seneca said Luck is when preparation meets opportunity... is Resilience when preparation meets struggle? Even if you aren't suffering pain, loss, or anxiety now... the reality is one day you will, and how you handle it can be greatly influenced by how you prepare for it... Aka, it's always worthwhile to do the 'work', philosophically speaking that is... 😉 Stoicism can help...

The Time has come... to tell the other side of the myth... the one where Medea isn't so bad... but Penelope is. What if Pandora didn’t have a box? And it wasn’t even filled with evils? What if Helen of Troy (nay Sparta) wasn’t really the face that launched a thousand ships? Perhaps it’s time to look at the Greek myths a bit more carefully... and see what versions we are choosing to reiterate....

Donald Robertson's upcoming Graphic Novel tells the tale of Marcus Aurelius like never before... How did Marcus Aurelius get his nickname? And why was it such a slap in the face... to his brother? And how does this new medium teach about both the Roman emperor and Stoic philosophy at the same time? We delve into the man, the legend, and who exactly should play Marcus Aurelius in the next Holl...

The Myth of Atlantis has captured the imagination since ancient times... when even then people questioned whether it was true or not. Renowned British philosopher and academic, Angie Hobbs delves into the validity of Plato's myth... and what it means for us today. More about Angie: Angie Hobbs is Professor of the Public Understanding of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield.  She contribu...

Sarcophagus comes from Greek, with "sarco" meaning flesh and "phagus" meaning eater... but what can a flesh eating box tell us about the ancient Romans? Dr. Ferst drove a hundred thousand miles across four continents in over fourteen expeditions in search of the remaining 2000 stone Sarcophagi scattered across the globe. Barry Ferst is Professor of Ancient Philosophy, Islam: Ph...

Why doesn't Homer mention Thebes? It was a powerful city-state, at one point the most powerful in the Mediterranean... and yet it's conspicuously not prevalent in the great epics. Perhaps its absence speaks volumes... This Classical Wisdom Speaks episode is with Elton Barker and Joel Christensen, joint authors of both Homer’s Thebes: Epic Rivalries and the Appropriation of Mythical Pasts...

It was said her poetry will be sung as long as there are boats on the nile... There are still boats on the nile (last I checked) and yet almost no one know her works... So who exactly was Sappho? Why was she so controversial and what happened to her prolific body of work?  Discover the remarkable life, work and loss of the 7th century BC poetess who was considered equal to Homer in this week'...

Skepticism has woven its way throughout the entire history of philosophy... and yet as a formal school of thought it was (and still is) fairly niche and unknown. Why is that? What does Skepticism REALLY entail? And what can we learn from the remaining Skeptic works (of which there are so few) that can help us bridge our political divides? Richard Bett, Professor of Philosophy and Classics at Johns...

It's not the most intuitive comparison: Alexander the Great and Hernán Cortés... but what does the Macedonian Conquerer and the Spanish Conquistador have in common? We look at their commanding abilities, motivations as well as some of the larger questions that emerge from comparing the conquests of the Persian and Aztec Empires.... Featuring Justin D. Lyons, Associate Professor of Political S...

Is Sparta under attack? Or is it time for a new look at the ancient power? Myke Cole, author of “The Bronze Lie: Shattering the Myth of Spartan Warrior Supremacy” counts up Sparta’s wins and losses and asks: What if, in fact, the Spartans weren’t such great warriors? And what does that mean for us today? We discuss if this is true, the implications of this research and just as importantly... How s...

Why did a system of over 1,500 autonomous city-states that had resisted a massive invasion in 480 BC, lose their independent statuses to Macedon 150 years later when they were far richer and more powerful? Victor Davis Hanson, Professor Emeritus of classics at California State University and Martin and Illie Anderson Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, delves into the fall of ancient Greece&a...

Celebrated historians Niall Ferguson, James Hankins of Harvard University and renowned philosopher Angie Hobbs delve into the end of empires: How they meet their demise and what that means to us in the here and now. Hosted by Jack Visnjic of Ancient Greece Declassified Podcast, this conversation covers Ancient, Renaissance and the more modern state of states.    This discussion took place LIVE on...

What control do we have over the End of Empires? And how can we prepare for their inevitable fall? Professors A.A. Long and William B Irvine and cognitive behavior therapist, Donald Robertson discuss the role we as individuals can play during the decay of empires...and how we can mentally fortify ourselves for inevitable changes.  This discussion took place LIVE on Sunday, August 22nd as part of C...

Joel Bowman, of Bonner Private Research, interviews Anya Leonard from Classical Wisdom about the End of Empires and the Fall of Nations... in anticipation of this week's Symposium 2021 (August 21/22). Make sure to secure your tickets (and Pay what YOU want) here: https://classicalwisdom.com/symposium-2021-speakers/ Find out more about Bonner Private Research: https://www.bonnerprivateresearch...

Who were the Seleucids?? The largest and most diverse empire of the Hellenistic world, and yet so under-appreciated and overlooked... What do we know about this empire and why do we know so little? This week's podcast is with Derek L., the host and creator of the Hellenistic Age Podcast about this vast and vastly overlooked period of history. Now, if you find the rise and fall of empires fasc...

Formed in 379 BC to combat the Spartan threat... Hailed by Plato as a force that could never be beaten... The last hope to preserve the freedom of Greece... Buried together on the spot they fell.... 300 male lovers reveal a dramatic ancient tale whose story will leave you gripped into the end.  James Romm of Bard College, and author of the Sacred Band, discusses Sex, Soldiers and Thebes with Cambr...

Super heroes and super twisted plots... is Sophocles a better psychological playwright than Euripides? How can we understand ancient art? And would Plato have liked cubism?  This Classical Wisdom Speaks Episode is with Nickolas Pappas, Professor of Philosophy and Executive Officer of the Philosophy Program, at the City University of New York Graduate Center. He is an expert in Plato and author of...

What about Thebes?  When thinking of the ancient Greek world, Athens and Sparta are the cities that jump to mind. Of Course the birth of Democracy and the Elite Warrior society capture the imagination right away. Perhaps after that, with the help of capitals and Hannibal's elephants, one might conjure Corinth or Carthage... but Poor little Thebes, so instrumental in history and mythology, oft...

Can we understand the Classics without the Classroom? A guide to getting (really) educated… with Dr. James Hankins, Professor of History at Harvard University, Anya Leonard of Classical Wisdom, and Alexandra Hudson of Civic Renaissance. If you already know WHY we should preserve the classics... It's time to ask HOW... and how YOU can help. What are the resources? Where can we begin? And who c...

How can we Truly be lost in thought? What does the love of learning look like... can it be corrupted? And how can we find the time for leisure?  This week’s episode is with Dr. Zena Hitz, Tutor at St. John's College in Annapolis, MD and Winner of the Hiett Prize in the Humanities, The Dallas Institute. Zena is also the author of Lost in Thought: The Hidden Pleasures of an Intellectual Life . ...

It’s Niche. Very Niche... But how exactly did ancient Athens bury their soldiers? How did this change over time? And what huge implications could this difference mean both then... and now?  This week's Classical Wisdom Speaks is with Cezary Kucewicz, a National Science Centre Postdoctoral Fellow, Faculty of History, University of Gdansk, Poland, and Junior Research Fellow, Wolfson College, Un...

How are the Classics relevant to modern leaders? What lessons can they learn from Homer, Herodotus, Thucydides or Aristotle? And what can these ancient texts teach us in light of our modern technology and the state of democracy? This week's Classical Wisdom Speaks episode is with Claudia Hauer, an expert on liberal education, military education, and the relationship between the two. Claudia t...

What is the Canon? How is it defined? What should it look like... and should we even have it in the first place?  This week’s Classical Wisdom Speaks is with Zachary Davis, the founder and president of Lyceum , an educational audio studio, the VP of Content for Himalaya as well as the organizer of the Sound Education conference. Zachary is also the host of Ministry of Ideas and Writ Large , a foun...

What was the Stoic Formula for living the good life? When was the idea of moral duty conceived? And why was its invention so controversial?  This week's Classical Wisdom Speaks Podcast is with Jack Visnjic, also known as Lantern Jack, host of the  - Ancient Greece Declassified Podcast and Director of Research at the Anacyclosis Institute. He is also author the new book, “The Invention of Duty...

Can we experience Stoic Joy? Why has there been a dramatic change in how we perceive Stoicism? And how can the ancient philosophy reduce stress and anxiety as well as help us achieve our goals? This week's Classical Wisdom Speaks Podcast is with William B. Irvine, Professor of Philosophy at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. Author of seven books, including The Stoic Challenge, and A Gu...