

The Wes Cecil Podcast
Wes Cecil
My lectures are dedicated to making Philosophy in particular and the world of ideas in general available to everyone. My exploration of topics and thinkers is designed to provide a foundation for listeners to engage in further reading and thought and develop their own conceptions of the topics I introduce. I have PhD in Literature and Philosophy and was a college professor for over 20 years. I am working to remove the barriers that prevent many from experiencing and understanding the lives and thoughts of some of the world's greatest thinkers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 6, 2025 • 44min
The History of Philosophy in 16 Questions - Q1: What the hell happened?
The History of Philosophy in 16 Questions - Q1: What the hell happened?Sign-up for Wes’s PATREON to get your questions answered by Wes!Plus, gain access to course materials, reading lists, bonus lectures, and Wes’s weekly diaries from France. Only $2 / month. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aug 4, 2025 • 50min
Plato's Symposium: Tracking The Influence - Ep. 11
The influence of Plato grows from the repeated introduction of Platonic ideas into Catholicism, Calvinism, Humanism, Romanacism, Enlightenment thought and even Scientific Rationalism. Platonic ideals surround us in so many ways it is difficult to actually narrow our focus to a few key points.Sign-up for Wes’s PATREON to get your questions answered by Wes!Plus, gain access to course materials, reading lists, bonus lectures, and Wes’s weekly diaries from France. Only $2 / month. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aug 1, 2025 • 51min
Plato's Symposium: Q & A #1 - Ep. 5
Wes and Jeremy take questions from Patreon members on Plato's Symposium, Lectures 1 - 4Sign-up for Wes’s PATREON to get your questions answered by Wes!Plus, gain access to course materials, reading lists, bonus lectures, and Wes’s weekly diaries from France. Only $2 / month. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 30, 2025 • 44min
A Reflection on Taoism: - Ep. 8
Our culture in theory tells us not to be stressed and filled with anxiety yet structurally virtually guarantees we will feel this way. Taoism works the other way around and singles out stress and anxiety as signs that whatever you are doing something is going wrong because those are feelings that demonstrate you are not living in harmony with the great Tao. Sign-up for Wes’s PATREON to get your questions answered by Wes!Plus, gain access to course materials, reading lists, bonus lectures, and Wes’s weekly diaries from France. Only $2 / month. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 28, 2025 • 47min
Plato's Symposium: Enter Alcibiades - Ep. 10
Enter Alcibiades - seemingly disrupting the entire structure of Plato’s dialogue, he actually works to underscore the power and truth of Socrates’ argument without ever actually engaging with the claims Socrates has made. We see and hear the quality of Socrates as a person rather than engage with the rationality of his thought. A masterclass in using misdirection and action to make arguments that would be impossible to support or articulate more directly. Sign-up for Wes’s PATREON to get your questions answered by Wes!Plus, gain access to course materials, reading lists, bonus lectures, and Wes’s weekly diaries from France. Only $2 / month. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 24, 2025 • 1h 3min
The Transvaluation of All Values: Conclusion - Ep. 9
If you feel confused and uneasy in a seemingly directionless world you are not crazy. We are experiencing a rapid transformation in all of the elements that create a sense of meaning and belonging and we both need, and perhaps, must create a new set of values if we are to regain a sense of peace. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 21, 2025 • 39min
Plato's Symposium: The Speech of Diotima - Ep. 9
Wow, after all the build up, Socrates - through the voice of Diotima - delivers a truly radical conception of the nature of love. That it might lead us to personal divinity is perhaps the single most powerful in this section of the dialogue.Sign-up for Wes’s PATREON to get your questions answered by Wes!Plus, gain access to course materials, reading lists, bonus lectures, and Wes’s weekly diaries from France. Only $2 / month. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 18, 2025 • 21min
Techno Feudalism: A Follow Up - Ep. 7
Thanks for the questions and comments. A quick follow up to techno feudalism exploring some of the ideas in a little more depth and clarity - at least hopefully.Sign-up for Wes’s PATREON to get your questions answered by Wes!Plus, gain access to course materials, reading lists, bonus lectures, and Wes’s weekly diaries from France. Only $2 / month. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 16, 2025 • 54min
The Transvaluation of All Values: Weight, Weigher and Measure - Ep. 8
When our social narratives fail us, we are thrown back onto the values we create and defend. We can, and should, be the final arbiter of our world.Sign-up for Wes’s PATREON to get your questions answered by Wes!Plus, gain access to course materials, reading lists, bonus lectures, and Wes’s weekly diaries from France. Only $2 / month. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 14, 2025 • 44min
Plato's Symposium: Agathon and Socrates - Ep. 8
The final set-up for Socrates’ speech establishes both the importance of one who knows above generally accepted wisdom as well as the complete dismissal of the mythological concepts as presented so far. Plato has Socrates present a stunning refutation of the whole idea that what everyone has said so far can actually be true as a way of beginning his presentation of THE TRUTH.Sign-up for Wes’s PATREON to get your questions answered by Wes!Plus, gain access to course materials, reading lists, bonus lectures, and Wes’s weekly diaries from France. Only $2 / month. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.