Classical Wisdom Speaks
Episodes
151 episodes
How Philosophy Can Help When Things Go Wrong - With Philip Freeman
How Do You Cope When Everything Falls Apart? | Philip Freeman on Boethius & Ancient WisdomWhat can philosophy do for you when you have lost everything—your power, your freedom, your friends, and perhaps even your life?In thi...
Why Does Marcus Aurelius Still Speak To Us Today?
Why Is Marcus Aurelius Still So Powerful Today? | Aaron Poochigian on Stoicism & MeditationsNearly 2,000 years after his death, Marcus Aurelius still speaks directly to millions of readers. But why?In this episode of Classic...
Success & Stoicism: Practical Philosophy You Can Use - With Tom Morris
Can Ancient Philosophy Teach Us How to Succeed? | Tom Morris on Aristotle, Stoicism & Living WellWhat does it actually mean to succeed in life? And could Aristotle, the Stoics and other ancient thinkers have better answers than our ...
Spirituality in the Ancient World: What Have We Lost?
How Did Beliefs Really Work in the Ancient World?| Michael Satlow on Ancient Religion & RitualFor people in Late Antiquity, gods, spirits and invisible forces weren't simply matters of faith: they were part of everyday reality. ...
What Can Roman Homes Tell Us About Life TODAY?
What Did Roman Houses Reveal About the People Who Lived Inside Them? | Ancient Architecture & MoralityRoman houses were more than places to live—they were reflections of identity, values, status, and ideas about how to live a good l...
Do We Really Have Free Will?
Do we truly have free will, or are our choices shaped by biology, habits, and unconscious forces? This fascinating panel explores one of humanity's oldest and most important questions.Join philosopher Tamar Gendler, psychol...
Mesopotamia and the Making of the Modern World
Mesopotamia and the Making of the Modern World | The Ancient Civilization That Still Shapes Your LifeMesopotamia changed the world.Many of the systems you use every day began thousands of years ago between the Tigris and Euphrat...
Secrets of Forgotten Pharaohs
The Amarna Letters: Love, War & Diplomacy in the Bronze Age World | Eric ClineWhat can 3,400-year-old diplomatic letters teach us about international politics, trade, misinformation, and human nature?Archaeologist and histor...
Life Lessons From the Odyssey: Strength, Resilience, and Purpose
What can Homer's Odyssey teach us about resilience, trauma, grief, purpose, and living a meaningful life in the modern world?Clinical psychologist Dr. Sam Akbar joins Classical Wisdom Speaks to explore why The Odyssey remains one of the...
The Secret Legacy of Rome's Scholar-Slaves
Intellectual Slaves in Ancient Rome: The Hidden Minds Behind Roman Literature & PowerWhat is an intellectual slave, and why did some of the most educated people in ancient Rome live in bondage?In this fascinating conversatio...
The Power of the Bull
Why Did Ancient Civilizations Worship Bulls?From the Minotaur to Taurus, explore how bull symbolism shaped mythology, religion, power, and identity across the ancient world.This episode is for anyone fascinated by ancient mythol...
Should We Teach Philosophy to Children?
Should philosophy start in childhood?Discover how philosophy for children can improve critical thinking, empathy, communication, and emotional resilience in the modern world.This episode is for parents, teachers, students, and a...
Does Ancient History Have A Future?
What Is the Future of Ancient History? In this deep, thought-provoking discussion, leading historians and philosophers explore what “ancient history” really means, how it’s taught today, and why it matters more than ever. <...
The Ancients and the Afterlife: Mythology, Mourning, and Mummies
What Did Ancient People Believe About Death and the Afterlife?Robert Garland explores how Greeks, Egyptians, Romans, and other ancient cultures understood death, grief, burial, and the afterlife. This episode is for anyone fa...
The Man Who Tried to Save Athenian Democracy
This episode is for anyone interested in ancient Greece, democracy, political history, and rhetoric, especially if you want to understand how the past connects to modern political challenges. You’ll learn who Demosthenes was, how he...
The Misunderstood Myth: Persephone, Hades & Demeter
What does the story of Demeter really tell us about loss, power, and the human experience? In this episode, renowned translator and classicist Diane Rayor unpacks the Homeric Hymn to Demeter: one of the most powerful and enduring my...
Mary Beard: Why You Should Argue With the Ancients
What is the point of studying Classics today? Mary Beard explains why the ancient world still shocks, challenges, and reshapes how we think. Discover how Greek and Roman history can change your perspective, without offering easy ans...
Rebellions Against Rome: The Jewish Revolts
An age of apocalyptic thinking, a clash of empires, and a legacy that still shapes the world today... Today Anya is joined by Professor Barry Strauss to discuss the Jewish Revolts against the Roman Empire. Discover what fueled these...
Natalie Haynes on Medea: Greek Tragedy's Most Shocking Heroine
Barbarian, witch, murderer… and mother.Today Anya is joined by author and broadcaster Natalie Haynes to discuss one of Greek mythology’s most famous and dramatic characters, Medea. Discover the complex legends and legacy of M...
The Roman Guide to War
What were the secrets of Roman warfare?What is the best way to defeat an enemy… and what does all this have to do with aqueducts?Today Anya is joined by George Thomas to discuss the life of Frontinus, an ancient Roman general and ...
What Can Ancient History Tell Us About Revolutions?
Long before crowds stormed Bastille or Winter Palace, Greek thinkers treated revolution as the ultimate civic nightmare. So how did an existential danger morph into a promise of liberation—and what happens when that promise curdles into violenc...
Slave of God: Should We Rethink St. Augustine?
Existing at the very edge of the Classical world, in both time and geography, Saint Augustine has proven to be immensely influential on the modern world… but not always in a good way.Today Anya is joined by Tony Alimi to discuss the life...
How Plato Explains the Modern World
What can Plato tell us about life TODAY?Quite a lot, it turns out…Today Anya is joined by Professor Angie Hobbs to discuss the essential and enduringly relevant nature of Plato’s ideas. Discover how they are infused in ...