The John Batchelor Show

Preview for Later Today: David Maxwell. David Maxwell examines North Korean construction in the DMZ , noting South Korean concern. He critiques the U.S. tendency to minimize these incidents to prioritize stability, potentially undermining deterrence to avoid direct conflict. 1951 KOREAS

Preview for Later Today: Henry Sokolski. Henry Sokolski warns that Iran 's Bushehr nuclear plant poses a proliferation risk. He notes the facility's spent fuel contains plutonium for hundreds of bombs, which could be chemically extracted for weapons relatively quickly. 1920 BUSHEHR

The Fragility of the Union and the Dismantling of the Republic. Guests in Londinium, 92 AD: Gaius and Germanicus. Reflecting on the anniversary of Gettysburg , the speakers suggest that the "sacred" unity and mission established by Lincoln and later reinforced by D-Day are being abandoned. The current leadership is depicted as "whipsawed" between a desire to be a "peace president" and the politica...

The Nation in Arms and the Decline into the Imperial Model. Guests in Londinium, 92 AD: Gaius and Germanicus. The speakers contrast the historical "American way of war" with its modern imperial iteration. From the Civil War through World War II , war was a "religious crusading war" requiring total national mobilization and immense sacrifice, as seen in the 600,000 dead during the Civil War—"missio...

The Drone Contest and the Existential War in the East. Guests in Londinium, 92 AD: Gaius and Germanicus. The speakers examine the significant shift in modern warfare embodied by the "drone contest" between Russia and Ukraine . This new form of engagement has produced a fuel crisis in Russia, with reports of diesel rationing and shortages in Crimea following Ukrainian drone strikes on refineries an...

Mortality and the RAGE OF ACHILLES. Guest: Professor Emily Wilson. The conclusion of the Iliad explores the resolution of Achilles ' rage following the death of Hector . Initially, Achilles attempts to prolong Hector's humiliation by dragging his body behind a chariot and refusing to allow a proper burial. However, the funeral games for Patroclus mark a shift toward maturity, as Achilles provides...

The Fall of Patroclus and the Killing Machine. Guest: Professor Emily Wilson. The turning point of the epic occurs when Patroclus enters the battle wearing Achilles' armor to deceive the Trojans and save the Greek ships. Ignoring Achilles' warning to return quickly, Patroclus is driven by a desire for honor and continues his assault until he is stripped of his armor by Apollo and killed by Hector...

The Gore of Battle and the Sanctity of the Dead. Guest: Professor Emily Wilson. The Iliad features vivid and gory battle scenes that Wilson rendered by consulting with combat veterans to understand the visceral nature of death. Homer emphasizes the specific details of how each man dies, often juxtaposing the brutality of a spear through an eyeball with beautiful similes from the natural world. A m...

The Plot Begins: Rage and Divine Bargains. Guest: Professor Emily Wilson. The plot of the Iliad is ignited by a clash of egos between Agamemnon and Achilles . When Agamemnon is forced to return his own war prize to appease Apollo , he seizes Achilles' enslaved woman, Briseis , to recoup his lost face. This action causes Achilles to withdraw from the fighting, perversely restoring his honor by demo...

Goddesses, Trophies, and the Bond of Achilles. Guest: Professor Emily Wilson. The gods in the Iliad often represent extreme human instincts, such as Aphrodite representing lust and Ares representing aggression. These deities are sometimes depicted as ridiculous because they flee the battlefield when wounded, whereas mortals must face their pain heroically. Within the Greek camp, the social structu...

Character Pairings and the Pressure of Honor. Guest: Professor Emily Wilson. The Iliad features vivid character relationships that function with the depth of a novel. Helen is portrayed as an ironic thinker and a storyteller who weaves the sufferings of the war into her textiles, much like the poet himself. She possesses a unique perspective on her own fate and the limited power mortals have again...

The Homeric Question and Epic Tradition. Guest: Professor Emily Wilson. The identity of Homer remains a subject of intense scholarly debate, as the Iliad emerged from a long oral tradition that existed before the return of literacy to Greece in the 8th century BCE. For centuries, performing poets developed stories of heroes like Achilles and Agamemnon , using dactylic hexameter to aid memory and p...

Mortality and the End of the Iliad. Guest: Professor Emily Wilson. The final stages of the Iliad focus on Achilles ' intense grief and the rituals surrounding death. Following the violent funeral pyre for Patroclus , Achilles organizes funeral games, which Wilson suggests represent his growing realization that all mortals are ultimately "losers" in the face of death. These games provide a new mode...

   The Philippics, a Tragic Alliance, and a Heroic End. Guest Author: Josiah Osgood. In the chaotic aftermath of Caesar's death, Cicero delivered the Philippics to trash Mark Antony 's reputation. In an attempt to destroy Antony, Cicero formed an alliance with Caesar's young heir, Octavian . He believed he could use the boy to further his own political goals, but this strategy backfired. Octavian...

Civil War, the Ides of March, and the Spiritual Godfather. Guest Author: Josiah Osgood. Cicero eventually returned to Rome, but the republic was sliding toward civil war between Caesar and Pompey . Although Cicero tried to remain neutral, he eventually joined Pompey's side but was pardoned by Caesar after the latter's victory. Cicero was present in the Senate on the day Julius Caesar was assassina...

Exile, Humiliation, and the Power of the Tribune. Guest Author: Josiah Osgood. Seeking revenge for the Bona Dea trial, Clodius Pulcher transferred his status from patrician to plebeian to run for the office of tribune. Once elected, he passed legislation that targeted anyone who had put Roman citizens to death without a trial. This law was aimed directly at Cicero for his actions during the Catili...

The Bona Dea Scandal and the Creation of a Lifelong Foe. Guest Author: Josiah Osgood. Despite his careful rise to power, Cicero made a significant error during the aftermath of the Catiline conspiracy. He arrested five high-ranking collaborators who had remained in Rome to facilitate a coup. Cicero, feeling invincible after his recent successes, pushed for these men to be executed as traitors to t...

The Catiline Conspiracy and the Perils of Invincibility. Guest Author: Josiah Osgood. The rivalry between Cicero and Catiline represented a clash between a "new man" and an established aristocrat. Catiline was a brave soldier from an ancient family who felt humiliated after losing the consular election to the newcomer Cicero. As the economic situation in Italy worsened due to a credit crisis, Cati...

The Defeat of Verres Through Storytelling. Guest Author: Josiah Osgood. In 70 BCE, Cicero prosecuted Verres in a trial that showcased his masterful use of storytelling and emotional appeal. Rather than overwhelming the jury with complex financial data about embezzlement, Cicero created a vivid image of Verres as a negligent leader. He recounted how Verres ignored his duties during a pirate raid on...

Challenging the Crooked Establishment in Sicily. Guest Author: Josiah Osgood. The Roman Republic's political landscape was heavily influenced by money, a reality exemplified by the case of Verres . Verres was the governor of Sicily , the vital "breadbasket" of Rome , where he systematically plundered art and embezzled funds. Although Cicero usually preferred defense work to earn favors, he made a...

The Rise of a New Man and the Trial of Roscius. Guest Author: Josiah Osgood. Marcus Tullius Cicero was born into a non-elite family in 106 BCE, making him a "new man" in the Roman Republic . Rising through the political ranks required winning elections that were typically controlled by a small group of powerful families. Cicero gained fame as a masterful orator and defense attorney by navigating t...

ChatGPT and "The Blip." Guest Author: Keach Hagey. The final segment focuses on the viral success of ChatGPT and the resulting internal conflicts at OpenAI . Hagey notes that as ChatGPT's popularity grew, Altman's focus shifted from early safety warnings to aggressive commercialization, causing friction with researchers like Geoffrey Hinton . A significant power struggle with Elon Musk led to Musk...

Stanford, Loopt, and Y Combinator. Guest Author: Keach Hagey. Altman's career accelerated at Stanford , where he dropped out to co-found Loopt , a pioneering location-tracking startup. Although Loopt achieved visibility—including a famous appearance at an Apple event alongside Steve Jobs —it was financially a disappointment, selling for parts after the 2008 crisis. Following a period of global "ba...

Formative Years in St. Louis. Guest Author: Keach Hagey. This segment explores Sam Altman 's childhood in St. Louis during the 1980s and 90s. Hagey describes Altman's parents: Jerry , an idealistic real estate developer focused on affordable housing, and Connie , a highly ambitious dermatologist who set rigorous expectations for her four children. As the eldest, Sam was identified early as being i...

The Founding of OpenAI. Guest Author: Keach Hagey. In this opening segment, Keach Hagey discusses the January 2016 founding of OpenAI as a nonprofit research lab. Key figures included co-founder Greg Brockman and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever , a renowned researcher whose recruitment from Google signaled the lab's potential. Backed by a billion-dollar commitment from Elon Musk , Peter Thiel , and...