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
Jan 29, 2023 • 8min
Shatner's tears and Earth's little onion skin
Some thoughts about what happened to the actor William Shatner when he went to space aboard a capsule operated by Jeff Bezos’s company Blue Origin.
Jan 28, 2023 • 24min
The love letters of Heloise and Abelard
Peter Abelard and Heloise are one of the most celebrated couples of all time, known for their love affair and for the tragedy that separated them. In this episode, we discuss their love letters!
Jan 20, 2023 • 19min
Courage, Tillich, and that coward Silenus!
What's courage? Are there different kinds of courage? Why is courage important? Let's see what Plato and Paul Tillich think!
Jan 16, 2023 • 22min
Happiness is Overrated!
Is happiness just about feeling good? Is that the way we should view it? Or is there more to it than that? Let's find out!
Jan 11, 2023 • 10min
Evil
In this episode I try to talk a bit about the nature of evil. I use Susan Neiman's book Evil in Modern Thought as the context.
Jan 7, 2023 • 24min
Byung-Chul Han on Fingers, Phones and the Strangeness of Socrates!
Byung-Chul Han is a south Korean born philosopher and he’s currently professor at the Berlin University of Arts in Germany. In this episode, we talk a bit about his views on phones, social media and the nature of thinking in our contemporary world!
Jan 1, 2023 • 23min
Existentialism - The Philosophy of Affirmation!
For all its focus on the struggles of the human condition and on our spiritual ailments, ultimately existentialism is a deeply affirmative and constructive philosophy!
Dec 24, 2022 • 11min
Santa and Ethics!
Should we lie to children about Santa? What about Santa's exchange of gifts for good behaviour? These are some of the questions I reflect on in this episode! Happy holidays!
Dec 23, 2022 • 19min
Nehamas's Only a Promise of Happiness - The Place of Beauty in a World of Art
Alexander Nehamas is a professor of philosophy and comparative literature at Princeton University. In this episode, we discuss some of the main themes of his book Only a Promise of Happiness.
Dec 16, 2022 • 12min
