The Nathan Jacobs Podcast The Pagan Blueprint For the Good Life | Plato, Aristotle, & the Stoics
Aug 7, 2025
Dive into the wisdom of ancient philosophers as they explore human nature and the quest for the good life. Discover how metaphysical dualism shaped views on the soul and virtue. Learn about Epicureanism's take on pleasure versus happiness and the Stoics' views on fate and emotion. Unpack Plato's cave allegory and his ideas on the immortality of the soul, contrasted with Aristotle's focus on earthly flourishing. The vibrant clash of these philosophies reveals timeless insights into ethics and our understanding of existence.
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Three Ancient Accounts Of Evil
- Ancient pagan philosophies framed good and evil as either real opposing principles, illusions, or privations of the good.
- This underlying metaphysical view shapes their anthropology and ethics by explaining internal human polarity.
Inner Polarity Shapes Ancient Anthropology
- The inner conflict we feel drove ancient thinkers toward dualistic anthropology: parts of us pull in different directions.
- That lived polarity became central to their accounts of soul, desire, and moral psychology.
Plato's Slave Demonstration
- Plato uses the slave geometry dialogue to argue knowledge is recollection rather than taught afresh.
- Socratic questioning teases out truths the soul already knows, supporting Platonic reminiscence.