Introducing: On Beauty - with Simon Tedeschi

Season one: On Beauty - What philosophers and writers have said about beauty over the centuries.

Philosopher Dalia Nassar takes you on a journey through experiences of beauty. She asks the question that so many philosophers, poets and artists have asked: Can beauty actually change our lives? To think through this question with Dalia is  concert pianist and writer, Simon Tedeschi.

In each episode Dalia and Simon discuss beauty in connection to a different neglected, ignored or forgotten text.

All episodes available now.

• Producer: Sarah Allely
• Composer: Russell Stapleton
• Sound engineer: Bethany Stewart

This podcast was made possible by the support of the Australian Research Council. It was supported by the School of Humanities and recorded at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Media Room at the University of Sydney. The Wednesday Society was created on Gadigal, Kuringai, and Dharug country.

Transcript

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SPEAKER_00 0:02

I'm gonna guess that you've heard of Romeo and Juliet. But what about Corinne or Italy? Probably not. Here's the crazy thing. Shakespeare's plays weren't always popular. Germain Dustal's novel, on the other hand, was an absolute bestseller in her time. Romeo and Juliet and Corinne or Italy were both romances that ended in tragedy. And they were set in Italy. So why do we know one but not the other? The Wednesday Society brings neglected works and figures to the table for a provocative discussion. Who were these people and what were their ideas? Was there something subversive about what they wrote? Maybe they were women or black. This podcast is inspired by the Wednesday societies of the past. These radical intellectual clubs met in London, Berlin, and Vienna. They wanted to bring ideas to life. I'm Dalian Assar, professor of philosophy at the University of Sydney. When I was an undergrad, my professors told me there were no women in the history of philosophy. I couldn't believe that. So I did some digging and guess what? It turns out there were dozens of women from ancient Greece onwards, all asking big philosophical questions. This podcast explores the exclusion of subversive and radical ideas from the philosophical canon. Our first season is on beauty. I asked the question that so many philosophers and writers have asked: can beauty actually change our lives? To think through this question with me is a practitioner of beauty, pianist and writer Simon Tedesky.

SPEAKER_01 1:52

She teaches Socrates, who dare I say must be the most annoying man in the history of Western thought.

SPEAKER_00 1:59

That's Simon's view, not everyone's.

SPEAKER_01 2:03

I mean, it must be an oh may okay.

SPEAKER_00 2:05

I think there's a lot of people who love Socrates, Simon.

SPEAKER_01 2:07

I love him, but I mean maybe second to Diogenes with his lantern.

SPEAKER_00 2:11

And yeah, we don't always agree. All episodes are out now and available wherever you get your podcasts.