This lecture discusses key ideas from the ancient Stoic philosopher Seneca's Letters, this one looking at Letter 3

It focuses specifically on Seneca discussing a paradox of calling someone a friend but not trusting them with information.  This leads Seneca to say that his correspondent, Lucilius doesn't seem to know what genuine friendship really is or involves, and to make a distinction between the common but mistaken use of the term "friend" and the proper sense of the term. He also suggests that many make mistakes by first loving someone and trusting them as a friend and only later on forming a correct judgement of them as a person, when the order of this ought to be reversed.

To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler

If you'd like to make a direct contribution, you can do so here - www.paypal.me/ReasonIO - or at BuyMeACoffee - www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM

You can find over 3500 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler

Purchase Seneca's Letters - https://amzn.to/2Myx6os

Seneca, Letter 3 - True and False Friendship - Sadler's Lectures

Mama alimwambia mtoto wake, Ulale salama.

Baada ya mazungumzo marefu, Mume na Mke walishikana mikono na kusema, ‘Ulale salama.

Kila usiku ninamtumia ujumbe, Ulale salama.

Unlocked after 1 year for patrons only:  
He is the earliest human being whose name and life story are known to history. We examine the origins and contents of the most ancient narrative ever found anywhere on Earth, and trace how it has been rediscovered, re-used, and re-translated in the modern world, becoming a living and evolving text in a time of anxiety over the fate of civilization.

Please sign on as a patron in order to keep the podcast going and to hear patron-only lectures, including part 2 on the Epic of Gilgamesh! -- https://www.patreon.com/c/u5530632

Image: Sumerian bas-relief sculpture of a man subduing a bull, possibly representing Gilgamesh slaying the Bull of Heaven, 2200s BC.

Our previous lecture on the discovery of the Library of Ashurbanipal, where the Epic of Gilgamesh was rediscovered: https://soundcloud.com/historiansplaining/unlocked-the-great-archaeological-discoveries-pt-3-the-library-of-ashurbanipal

Suggested further reading: George, "The Epic of Gilgamesh"; N.K. Sandars, "The Epic of Gilgamesh"; Heidel, "The Epic of Gilgamesh and Old Testament Parallels"; Stephen Mitchell, "Gilgamesh"; Michael Schmidt, "Gilgamesh: The Life of a Poem."

UNLOCKED:  Myth of the Month 24: The Epic of Gilgamesh -- pt. 1: The History

Mix I did for "Project XLR G.R.O.W. #4: un-words" Broadcasted @ WORM radio on 19/05 (Rotterdam)

special shout-out to Kristia Michael and Alex Mastichiadis for being gorgeous on the photo which was taken by Francesco Andriollo

/////////////

"un-words" is a mixtape dedicated to people who work in/through/with language, semantics, words, phonemes and vocalizations.
Language controls narratives of (state-sanctioned) oppression and also works as an indicator of belonging to a specific social group, thus becoming a tool of safety. With language as a tool for self-determination, the “common people” are able to take back some power to revolt against institutional and political violence that actively thwarts and denies our existences. But language is flawed and reifies - that is, it treats a complex idea (or being) as a somewhat well-defined “thing”. It’s worth considering a hybrid bio-digital vocal tract that embraces the elasticity of digital media so as to find new vocabulary that encapsulates the multitudes of personhoods within us.

Tracklist 
Robert Ashley - Automatic Writing 
Yannis Kyriakides - pensioner_0496 (Wordless) 
Elif Gülin Soğuksu - Plastic Searchery 
Ka Baird - Gate X 
Ka Baird - Gate II 
Yannis Kyriakides - Paramyth 
Abdullah Miniawy - Awrah 
Kristia Michael - End of the world 
Barbara Ellison - Cybersongs #3 Periodemesh 
Barbara Ellison - nº2 (Murdúchann) 
Emekah Ogboh - We Die Hia 
Genevieve Murphy - Mother (I don't want to be an individual all on my own)


un-words

We often invoke the idea of language by showing the mouth or the hands. But the nose is important to both signed and spoken languages: it can be a resonating chamber that air can get shaped by, as well as a salient location for the hand to be in contact with. 

In this episode, your hosts Gretchen McCulloch and Lauren Gawne get enthusiastic about the nose! We talk about why noses are so popular cross-linguistically (seriously, nasals are in 98% of the world's languages), what the nose looks like inside (it's bigger than you think!), and increasingly cursed methods that linguists have tried to use to see inside the nose (from giving yourself the worst headache to, yes, sticking earbuds up your nostrils). We also share our favourite obscure nose-related idioms, map the surprisingly large distribution of the "cock-a-snook" gesture, and try to pin down why the nose feels like an intrinsically funny part of the body. 

Click here for a link to this episode in your podcast player of choice: https://pod.link/1186056137/episode/dGFnOnNvdW5kY2xvdWQsMjAxMDp0cmFja3MvMjE5MjExNjA3MQ
Read the transcript here: https://lingthusiasm.com/post/797612331588812800/transcript-episode-109-on-the-nose

Announcements:
We're 9 years old! For our anniversary, we're hope you could leave us a rating our review on your favourite podcast app to help people who encounter the show want to click "play" for the first time: we'll read out a few of our favourite reviews at the end of the show over the next year so this could be your words!  

People have responded super enthusiastically to the jazzed up version of our logo that we sent to patrons earlier this year! So we’ve now made this design available on some very cute merch. Wear your Lingthusiasm fandom on a shirt or a mug or a notebook to help spot fellow linguistics nerds! https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/172870982

We've also made a new greeting card design that says {Merry/marry/Mary} Holidays! Whether you say these words the same or differently, we hope this card leads to joyful discussions of linguistic variation: https://redbubble.com/shop/ap/172871033

In this month’s bonus episode we get enthusiastic about our favourite words ending in nym! We talk about We talk about how there are so many kinds of nym words that are weirder and wackier than classic synonyms and antonyms, how even synonyms and antonyms aren't quite as straightforward as they seem, and why retronyms make people mad but are Gretchen's absolute favourite. Plus: a tiny quiz segment on our favourite obscure and cool-sounding nyms!.

Join us on Patreon now to get access to this and 100+ other bonus episodes. You’ll also get access to the Lingthusiasm Discord server where you can chat with other language nerds.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/140247095

For links to things mentioned in this episode: https://lingthusiasm.com/post/797612132291182592/lingthusiasm-episode-109-on-the-nose-how-the

109: On the nose - How the nose shapes language

The timeline of the development of speech and language.

We Came to Talk

In this episode, Dennis continues his conversation with Cherokee speaker Rachel Girty of Tahlequah on the Cherokee Nation Reservation.

Episode 1216, October 19, 2025

A meditative Funebra composition blending Swahili soul and mathematical geometry.
Light of Stones is a journey through sound and space — where equations become melody.
Created by plugha using the Funebra Math-Art Engine & AI vocals (Funebra-GPT collaboration).
© pLabs Entertainment 2025 · All rights reserved.

Light of Stones (Funebra Edition)

Kwaheri, Rafiki Yangu.

Tuliagana kwa kusema, ‘Kwaheri.’

Holistic Support at Language Institute Laxmi Nagar

Suman Project Consultants (P) Ltd., established in 1971, is a leading food consultant in India, offering comprehensive services from project conceptualization to commissioning in the food processing sector. SUMAN PROJECT Their expertise spans various areas, including technical advisory, regulatory guidance, and engineering services, ensuring optimized manufacturing processes and enhanced efficiency for clients. With a team of seasoned professionals, they have successfully completed over 500 projects, contributing significantly to the advancement of India's food processing industry.
Visit us:- https://sumanproject.com/

Peter Lugha — Founder of the Funebra Math-Art Engine
Composer, experimentalist, and creator of Funebra™ sound geometry.
Every tone is a point in space. Every echo is a line through time.
Exploring light, memory, and the stones of mathematics through sound.
🌐 funebra.github.io/math-art-engine

💠 plabsfill.com

A podcast that's enthusiastic about linguistics by Gretchen McCulloch and Lauren Gawne. "A fascinating listen that will change the way you see everyday communications." –New York Times. "Joyously nerdy" –Buzzfeed.  

Weird and deep half-hour conversations about language on the third Thursday of the month.

Listened to all the episodes here and wish there were more? Want to talk with other people who are enthusiastic about linguistics? Get bonus episodes and access to our Discord community at www.patreon.com/lingthusiasm 
Shownotes and transcripts: www.lingthusiasm.com

History lectures by Samuel Biagetti, a historian (and antique dealer) with a Phd in early American history; my dissertation was on Freemasonry in the 1700s. I focus on the historical myths and distortions, from "the Middle Ages" to "Race," that people use to rationalize the world in which we live.   More info at www.historiansplaining.com

Please see my Patreon page, https://www.patreon.com/user?u=5530632, if you want to keep the lectures coming, and to hear the patron-only materials.

I'm that YouTube Philosophy Guy! Find more than 3,000 videos in my main channel.  Support my video and podcast work!  https://www.patreon.com/sadler or https://www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM

Learn more about this podcast channel - https://youtu.be/qRvL0gqlyrw and https://gregorybsadler.substack.com/p/the-sadlers-lectures-podcast

Due to popular demand - and with the work underwritten by my Patreon supporters - I have been converting my videos into MP3 files listeners can listen to anywhere they want!

I have a second podcast, Mind & Desire, publishing original episodes on a variety of topics in philosophy, which you can find here - https://gregorybsadler.substack.com/podcast

Ongea Swahili by Hotspot Promotion(HSP), is a platform that teaches and helps people in learning Swahili, and also promote Swahili Culture, traditions in Tanzania and parts of Africa who speaks the language.

Siyo! The Cherokee Nation is the largest tribe in the United States with more than 400,000 tribal citizens worldwide.

New tracks tagged #Language