This isn't a politics podcast, but sometimes politics comes for you. We've just lived through a deadly serious event--the kind that defines an epoch and brings us face-to-face with some of the most consequential political realities of our era. There couldn't possibly be a better use case for stepping back and using the archives of the Western Canon to get some distance on the situation. And there could hardly be a better guide through this kind of event than Niccolò Machiavelli, realist extraordinaire.  Check out our sponsor, the Ancient Language Institute: https://ancientlanguage.com/youngheretics/ I maked this: Light of the Mind, Light of the World: https://a.co/d/0fUMLN9f Gateway to the Epicureans: https://a.co/d/03RaCAP5 Subscribe to be in the mailbag: https://rejoiceevermore.substack.com Subscribe to my joint substack with Andrew Klavan (no relation): https://thenewjerusalem.substack.com

I know you've been waiting with bated breath...at long last, it's the much-anticipated conclusion to our two-part episode on what happens when a word just doesn't want to be translated. I've covered some bad options here, now I'm proposing a few good ones. These will help not just if you want to write a translation of your own, but if you're not interested in any of that noise and just want to pick a good English version of a book you've heard rules in the original. Plus I sing in this one, so I'm pretty sure that's more than enough podcasting for one day. Check out our sponsor, the Ancient Language Institute (now offering Old English instruction!): https://ancientlanguage.com/youngheretics/ Pre-order my new book, Light of the Mind, Light of the World: https://a.co/d/2QccOfM Subscribe to my new joint Substack with Andrew Klavan (no relation): https://thenewjerusalem.substack.com

Sex, violence, arson, theological disputes...the story of the Nika Riots has it all. Today, in response to a listener question, I'm telling one of history's most underappreciated stories about an utterly bananas and ultimately catastrophic breakdown in law and order that began with a rivalry over chariot racing. But the full story, like all sports stories, is about so much more than that. It reveals profound and perhaps unsettling truths about our human nature and the strange forces I've come to call allegregores. Check out our sponsor, the Ancient Language Institute: https://ancientlanguage.com/youngheretics/ I maked this: Light of the Mind, Light of the World: https://a.co/d/0fUMLN9f Gateway to the Epicureans: https://a.co/d/03RaCAP5 Subscribe to be in the mailbag: https://rejoiceevermore.substack.com Subscribe to my joint substack with Andrew Klavan (no relation): https://thenewjerusalem.substack.com

If you thought I was all patriotism-ed out...you'd be wrong! The banger of a July 4 poem we read on Tuesday is a perfect chance to learn more about the basics of poetry analysis. Turns out, Tennyson was pretty good at like, writing poetry and stuff. His ode to England and America is an absolutely metal fusion of old-timey balladeer adventure and statetly classical grandeur. A perfect mash-up, kind of like England and America themselves. If you struggle to get into poems, but want to start, here are three steps that can get you started reading the vibes. The Making of a Poem: https://wwnorton.com/books/The-Making-of-a-Poem/ Check out our sponsor, the Ancient Language Institute: https://ancientlanguage.com/youngheretics/ Pre-order my new book, Light of the Mind, Light of the World: https://a.co/d/2QccOfM Subscribe to be in the mailbag: https://rejoiceevermore.substack.com

It's not the most inspiring July 4 I've ever lived through, I'll say that much. But even after a thoroughly disorienting debate experience, and even with the Brits stealing thunder from our special day by hosting their own election (rude!), what we celebrate on the 4th isn't whatever happens to be going on at this particular moment, since in any given year it's likely to be grim. What we celebrate is the Anglo-American spirit of ordered liberty, which Alfred Lord Tennyson knew better than anyone how to salute. So raise a white claw to him this Thursday, and to our embattled old flag--she's still the best around. Check out our sponsor, the Ancient Language Institute: https://ancientlanguage.com/youngheretics/ I maked this: Light of the Mind, Light of the World: https://a.co/d/0fUMLN9f Gateway to the Epicureans: https://a.co/d/03RaCAP5 Subscribe to be in the mailbag: https://rejoiceevermore.substack.com Subscribe to my joint substack with Andrew Klavan (no relation): https://thenewjerusalem.substack.com Ongoing series on conservative art at The American Mind: https://americanmind.org/feature/how-the-right-recovers-art/

The conversation after this week's episode on demons and psychology has been so fascinating that I wanted to add one more thing. If on Tuesdays we wear pink, on Fridays we talk about language--so in this episode I'm exploring what it means to think about the transition from soul-talk to therapy-talk as an act of translation, by which, as in all such cases, some things are lost and some are gained. Like a camera lens shifting in and out of focus, we may need both sets of vocabulary--spiritual and scientific--for seeing the whole depth of field. Check out our sponsor, the Ancient Language Institute (now offering Old English instruction!): https://ancientlanguage.com/youngheretics/ Pre-order my new book, Light of the Mind, Light of the World: https://a.co/d/2QccOfM Subscribe to my new joint Substack with Andrew Klavan (no relation): https://thenewjerusalem.substack.com Umberto Eco, Mouse or Rat: https://a.co/d/000FYjjB

Untranslatable...that's what you are...and forevermore...that's how you'll...stay? This week, prompted by a listener who's working on a very cool coding project, I'm talking a little bit about famously untranslatable words like logos, ruach, and my personal favorite, aphiēmi. It's an ancient problem, debated and fussed over basicaly since the Bible was written...can it be solved? Where to begin? I'll crack open the question today, and try to answer it next week. Check out our sponsor, the Ancient Language Institute (now offering Old English instruction!): https://ancientlanguage.com/youngheretics/ Pre-order my new book, Light of the Mind, Light of the World: https://a.co/d/2QccOfM Subscribe to my new joint Substack with Andrew Klavan (no relation): https://thenewjerusalem.substack.com  

Exploring the concept of soul in modern pop culture through Inside Out, challenging traditional views on therapy and exploring medieval philosophy. Analyzing the intersection of allegories and demonology, questioning the supernatural influences on mental challenges.

Delving into the allegorical nature of AI, this podcast examines the anthropomorphism and spiritualization of machines, intertwined with historical perspectives on natural philosophy and AI creation. It explores the idea that when we fear machines becoming like us, we are truly afraid of becoming like our machines. Alan Turing's views on intelligence and the concept of AI consciousness are also discussed, alongside strategies for overcoming writing challenges and embracing creative consistency.

Delve into the power of Old English by shouting HWÆT! as a speech opener. Explore the richness of grammar in Beowulf and Seamus Heaney's translations. Uncover the beauty of Old English language and its connection to shared human experiences. Discover the blend of Christian and pagan elements in Old English texts like Beowulf.