The Wisdom Of
Kristian Urstad and Stephen Webb
In this podcast we explore great works of philosophy and literature and art, and try to pull out of them what’s most interesting and inspiring! Whether they come from the works of Plato, or Dostoevsky or Picasso, here we explore ideas that move mountains and rock the soul! So, come join us, won’t you? Come worship at the alter of ideas, and come celebrate the dancing of thought. Welcome to the Wisdom Of!
Episodes
Mentioned books
May 7, 2023 • 11min
Negative Visualization: the art of coping with tragedy!
Maybe the best way to cope with misfortune is to imagine it in advance. Maybe the best way to happiness is cultivate the gratitude that comes with the recognition that we may lose our loved ones.
May 4, 2023 • 12min
Why we should care about classical antiquity!
Don't care about the likes of Homer and Sophocles and Thucydides? You should!
Apr 28, 2023 • 12min
Gabriel Marcel's Man Against Mass Society
Gabriel Marcel was a French existentialist Christian philosopher. What he had to say is very relevant today, more so than in his own time!
Apr 25, 2023 • 9min
A Philosophy Short: Privilege the present over the past! (Sartre and Nietzsche)
Both Jean-Paul Sartre and Friedrich Nietzsche privilege the present over the past. Let's find out why!
Apr 22, 2023 • 22min
Badiou's In Praise of Love
Alain Badiou is a French philosopher. In this episode, we discuss his In Praise of Love. The work is a passionate defence of love in a time when romance is being threatened from all directions!
Apr 14, 2023 • 14min
Nussbaum and Nietzsche on Revenge and Punishment
In this episode, I talk a bit about the notions of revenge and retribution and punishment. The Book of Revelation, Nietzsche, Martha Nussbaum and Hannah Arendt all make appearances!
Apr 10, 2023 • 7min
A Philosophy Short: Only humans can die! (Rousseau and Heidegger)
Don't all living things die? Well, not according to Rousseau and Heidegger!
Apr 8, 2023 • 28min
Heidegger, ChatGPT, Buber and our bot relationships!
ChatGPT spit out some prose on our command. Is it art? What might Heidegger say? What should our relationship be to objects and artifacts? What does Martin Buber think? Are our relationships with our bots a good idea? Let's explore!
Mar 31, 2023 • 15min
Niceness is Overrated!
Is it actually good to be nice? Is niceness a virtue? That’s to say, is it a character trait that’s admirable? At the end of the day, should we value niceness as much as we do? Let's explore!
Mar 27, 2023 • 11min
Why our death isn't always about ourselves!
There's a social aspect to our death that philosophers often tend to overlook when discussing the issue of death, or so it might be argued. In this episode, we hear from Epicurus, Heidegger and Levinas!
