The Podcast of the Lotus Eaters

Why Everything Is Falling Apart

Oct 6, 2025
Dr. Stelios Panagiotou, an expert in ancient Greek virtue ethics, joins the discussion to explore how modern society undermines our moral agency. He critiques the externalized, rules-based morality that reduces individuals to passive followers. Stelios argues for reclaiming personal judgment and navigating moral complexities through virtues. They dive into Aristotle's teachings on seeking the mean and contrast ancient ethics with contemporary materialism's failures. The conversation encourages listeners to engage in moral self-examination and responsibility.
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INSIGHT

Modern Morality As A Fragmented Reconstruction

  • Modern morality is fragmented and resembles a partial reconstruction of a lost tradition.
  • Alasdair MacIntyre's thought experiment shows reconstructed morals lack the power of the original tradition.
INSIGHT

From Judgment To Rule-Following

  • Modern morality shifted from judgment-based character ethics to external rule-following.
  • That shift produces compliant bureaucratic citizens rather than genuinely moral people.
INSIGHT

Materialism Erodes Agency

  • Analytic philosophy's materialism reduces human beings to 'meat machines' and undermines agency.
  • Stelios argues moral behaviour under materialism is accidental, not grounded in the worldview itself.
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