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
Dec 6, 2022 • 10min
The Allure of Mystery Novels
Why are mystery novels so popular? Maybe it's because, unlike real life, they promise to explain everything!
Dec 4, 2022 • 24min
Homer's Iliad
The Iliad is one of the two major Ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer, the other being The Odyssey. In this episode, we discuss the prophecy about Achilles: that either he'll live a long but uneventful life , or he'll live a short but glorious one!
Nov 30, 2022 • 11min
Climate Change, Solidarity and Love
In this episode, I talk about our attitude or approach to future generations and to climate change.
Nov 26, 2022 • 17min
Eliade's The Sacred and the Profane
Mircea Eliade was a Romanian historian of religion. In this episode, we talk about his book The Sacred and the Profane, which is about how archaic and religious people experience the sacred and how it is we modern nonreligious people don’t!
4 snips
Nov 19, 2022 • 10min
Rollo May on Anxiety, Freedom and Creativity!
According to the psychologist Rollo May, anxiety and despair isn't as bad as we might think. Facing up to these emotions can be vitalizing and the beginning of genuine freedom!
Nov 15, 2022 • 26min
Why Socrates is Still Important Today!
Socrates was an ancient Greek philosopher, born 470 BC, who’s often seen as the founder of western philosophy. In this episode, we discuss how it is Socrates is still relevant or topical today!
Nov 6, 2022 • 13min
Fromm's The Art of Loving
Erich Fromm was a German psychologist. Among other great works, he wrote The Art of Loving, published in 1956. The central message: love is active not passive!
Nov 3, 2022 • 10min
Nietzsche on Happiness, Meaning and Overcoming Resistance
Happiness isn't about pleasure, says Nietzsche, it's about meaning and overcoming resistance!
Nov 1, 2022 • 27min
Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
Mary Wollstonecraft was a British philosopher and writer. She’s maybe most famous for her seminal work, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, which was published in 1792, and is one of the earliest works of feminist philosophy. In this episode, we discuss how it is she understands independence and what she thinks education should be about!
Oct 24, 2022 • 9min
Moral Purity and Dirty Hands
In this brief episode, I reflect a bit on what genuine morality requires. It requires, not that we maintain a pure conscience, but that we accept getting our hands dirty!
