Editor’s Note: This is a re-broadcast. This episode originally aired in April 2019. 

Plato’s Republic is a seminal treatise in Western political philosophy and thought. It hits on ideas that we’re still grappling with in our own time, including the nature of justice and what the ideal political system looks like. But my guest today argues that The Republic also has a lot to say about manliness, character development, and education in our current climate of safe spaces and trigger warnings. 

His name is Jacob Howland. He’s a professor of philosophy at the University of Tulsa and the author of the recent book Glaucon’s Fate: History, Myth, and Character in Plato’s Republic. We begin our conversation with an outline of Plato’s Republic and how it combines literature and philosophy. Jacob then makes the case that in The Republic, Socrates was attempting to save the soul of Plato’s politically ambitious brother, Glaucon, and why he thinks Socrates failed. Along the way we discuss what Socrates’ attempt to save Glaucon can teach us about andreia or manliness and what it means to seek the Good in life. We end our conversation discussing the way The Republic teaches us of the need to possess not only physical courage, but the courage to think for oneself and stand up for one’s beliefs — a courage that is tested in a time like our own, where it can feel difficult to ask hard questions and wrestle with thorny issues. 

Get the show notes at aom.is/republic.

#496: What Plato’s Republic Has to Say About Being a Man

https://cryochamber.bandcamp.com/album/echoes-from-outer-silence

Cryo Chamber welcomes Iranian Mehdi Saleh from Alphaxone back with his 4th album on the label. A space voyage ambient album of drone mixed with electronic overtones and a healthy dose of field recordings. 

Echoes from Outer Silence take us through space and to the archaic signals of civilizations beyond the stars, Mehdi this time packing some serious analogue warmth to his droney dreamscapes. 

He once again polishes up his already splendid sound quality and excellent production to reach new heights. This is an album best enjoyed when relaxing with a cup of freeze dried coffe in zero G.

Full Album

Alphaxone - Solitude

Ager Sonus is back with his second Egyptian themed album on Cryo Chamber, the first being Book of the Black Earth. 

You open your eyes. Darkness. Silence. Oppressing silence. Your breath feels shallow, the air too thin to breathe. The space you are in feels narrow, the ceiling so close you can almost touch it. Your heart starts pounding as the feeling of panic brings you to your senses. You seem to be.. Underground, buried! 

How did you get here? Fragments of your memories hover in front of you in the darkness like thin layers of fog, guiding you. Sand.. A desert.. Symbols.. Hieroglyphs… A faint voice calling you.. 

Ager Sonus brings us an ambient album set against the backdrop of lost civilization. Explore occult secrets buried in ancient tombs.

Necropolis

Bandcamp

Ager Sonus - Of Ashes and Dust

Ugasanie returns with his 5th album on Cryo Chamber. This time exploring the vast landscapes of Antarctica. 

The snowstorm builds on the horizon as the ice crackles under your feet. The faint call of someone beyond the blinding blizzard. 

A subdued and chilly album in the isolated style that is Ugasanie's expertise.

Ice Breath of Antarctica

Ugasanie - On the Ice Shelf

Home

One of the most burning questions in life is what it is you’re called to do with it. What is your life’s purpose? What great work are you meant to do?

Guidance on this question can come from many sources, and my guest today says that one of the best is the Bhagavad Gita, a text of Hindu scripture thousands of years old. He’s a psychotherapist, yoga teacher, and author of The Great Work of Your Life: A Guide for the Journey to Your True Calling. Stephen Cope and I begin our conversation with an introduction to the Bhagavad Gita, the significant influence it’s had on philosophers and leaders for ages, and what it can teach us about making difficult decisions. We then discuss the insights the Gita offers on the four pillars of right living, beginning with discerning your true calling or sacred duty. We unpack the three areas in your life to examine for clues to your life’s purpose, and why that purpose may be small and quiet rather than big and splashy. Stephen then explains the doctrine of unified action, why you have to pursue your calling full out, and why that pursuit should include the habit of deliberate practice. We also discuss why it’s central to let go of the outcome of actions to focus on the work itself, and the need to turn your efforts over to something bigger than yourself. All along the way, Stephen offers examples of how these pillars were embodied in the lives of eminent individuals who lived out their purpose.

#616: A Guide for the Journey to Your True Calling

JBPWAVE: AESTHETIC

Demonically Warped Aesthetic

Beauty Is so Valuable (And We’re so Afraid of It)

Back to the Lobsters

You'll Pay for It

Suffering Exists

Artist, DJ, WaveLord. 🌊👑 Architect of the Meaningwave® Universe enquiries@meaningwave.com

Suffering Exists

AKIRA THE DON

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