Godward: A Lit-Wisdom Podcast

Episode 90: Philo on the Riot in Alexandria, 38 A.D.

This episode is a bit delicate... but very relevant, and very worth listening to, in my opinion. What was the cause of the riot among the native Alexandrians in 38 A.D.?

Episode 89: Trees

It's really about trees -- not a metaphor!

Episode 88: Are Covid Masks Here to Stay?

The title says it all -- this episode's better on YouTube.

Episode 87: Against the Law

Anacharsis vs. Solon -- is the Law the way, or does it just make things worse?

Episode 86: Lao Tzu | The Tao Te Ching

Dao / Tao

Episode 85: Confucius on The Rectification of Names

Confucius!

Episode 84: Horace | The Willing Suspension of Disbelief

The Roman poet, Horace!

Episode 83: Lu Xun's "Diary of a Madman"

Lu Xun

Episode 82: Paul's Letter to the Romans

This episode is about Paul's Letter to the Romans. It helps if you've read it.

Episode 81: IDEALISM vs. DEMOCRACY

In this episode, hear a summary of philosophical idealism, and learn how it is related to the question of Realism vs. Nominalism that dominated philosophy during the Middle Ages. Then, think through the consequences of these world-views. Was William of Ockham a genius, or was he wrong -- or was he subversive? How does an idealist imagine that education should work? How do our convictions about these things change how we might raise our children? Finally: what if I'm not perfectly beautiful and I...

Episode 80: Institutional Religion and Supernatural Conversion

Episode 79: Psychiatry as a False Religion

Episode 78: Plato's Greater Hippias & the Odalisque Paintings

Make sure to look at the YouTube version of this episode -- much more visually stimulating~

Episode 77: On Dostoevsky's The Grand Inquisitor

Episode 76: Justin Martyr's Dialog with Trypho

Episode 75: Mystical Philosophy in the Third Age of the Buddha (after Heidegger)

Episode 74: Michel de Montaigne's Essays

Episode 73: Emil Cioran, Poet-Philosopher

Episode 72: On Plutarch's Lycurgus

Episode 71: Night-Sea Journey, by John Barth

A reading of a story

Episode 70.4: Blithedale, Concluded

Episode 70.3: Blithedale Seminar, cont'd

More of the same, for die-hard fans only. Hawthorne, The Blithedale Romance. Part 3. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Godward Odysee: https://odysee.com/ @Godward:5?r=FFgMAmWyyzJ2b8HrstejXYp7UaTdV9ep

Episode 70.2: Hawthorne's "The Blithedale Romance" (part 2)

Part 2 in the video series on Hawthorne's 1852 book, "The Blithedale Romance" Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Godward Odysee: https://odysee.com/ @Godward:5?r=FFgMAmWyyzJ2b8HrstejXYp7UaTdV9ep

Episode 70: Utopia & the Passions in Hawthorne's "The Blithedale Romance"

In this introductory episode, hear about Brook Farm and 19th century socialism in America, the influence of Fourier, and the necessity of skepticism and doubt. "The Blithedale Romance" was published in 1854, about 12 years after Hawthorne lived for a time at Brook Farm with a bunch of unitarians who wanted to reform the world. In the long run, he wasn't buying it. Part 1 in a series. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Godward Odysee: https://odysee.com/ @Godward:5?r=FFgMAmWyyzJ2b8HrstejXYp7UaTdV9e...

Episode 69: Suffering, Wisdom, & Buddha's Diamond Sutra

In this eclectic episode, hear about Montaigne's approach to essay-writing, my own health difficulties, and Buddha's teachings -- plus, a general review of the channel and a discussion of what sorts of directions we might pursue in the future. There's a little bit of everything here. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Godward Odysee: https://odysee.com/ @Godward:5?r=FFgMAmWyyzJ2b8HrstejXYp7UaTdV9ep

Episode 68: The Dark Lady & The Red Pill in Herman Melville's "Pierre"

In this high-verbal IQ episode, hear a reasonable attempt at summarizing Melville's very dense follow-up novel to Moby-Dick, "Pierre, or, The Ambiguities." What happens when mom wants you to like Reese Witherspoon but you fall for Helena Bonham Carter instead -- and then discover she's your half-sister? You move to New York City and try to become a great Truth-Telling writer, of course! But seriously, epistemological uncertainty can be a real drag, but it might also be how things really are -- a...

Episode 67: Intro to Walt Whitman's Thinking & Writing

Continuing in the thread of 19th century liberals and why we love them, this episode considers "Song of Myself" and a couple of shorter poems by Whitman. Is he a very modern, post-Christian, sexually-depraved degenerate? Probably yes to all those. Do we still love his poetry?--yes!--even though it doesn't rhyme?--still, I think yes! There's never been a more anti-nationalist writer than Whitman, unless you count Anacharsis Cloots, but at the same time, Whitman is the most American-American ever....

Episode 66: Zarathustra is a Liberal

Nietzsche's ubermensch, eternal recurrence, anti-Christianism. Enjoy the analysis and commentary on "Thus Spake Zarathustra." Plus, honoring Jerry Rubin! This episode gives you all the content you want in a way that will make some of you (the ones who don't know what they're talking about) mad. Seriously, Nietzsche is not a conservative. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Godward Odysee: https://odysee.com/ @Godward:5?r=FFgMAmWyyzJ2b8HrstejXYp7UaTdV9ep...

Episode 65: Reactionary Self-Culture in Huysmans' "Against Nature"

In this Francophilic video, enjoy lots of pretty pictures and some sympathetic talk about Huysmans' 1884 cult classic, "Against Nature," which is also translated as "Against the Grain." The idea of this book is that the French Decadent period was sort of the end of an age. Ennui was dominating French intellectuals and the opium dens and brothels were lining the streets of Paris. Some visionaries like Baudelaire and Rimbaud challenged the optimistic narrative of Progress and secularism. Some beca...

Episode 64: The Moral Teaching of Shakespeare's King Lear

In this misleadingly titled video, hear a reasonable attempt at summarizing one of Shakespeare's greatest plays, as well as some thoughts about its meaning and dominant themes. See some famous paintings of the play, and hear something about how Shakespeare changed English drama, as well as how he influenced later writers like Herman Melville. Pull your tights up, gentlemen! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Godward Odysee: https://odysee.com/ @Godward:5?r=FFgMAmWyyzJ2b8HrstejXYp7UaTdV9ep...