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
Mar 15, 2022 • 8min
Buber and The Tyranny of the IT
In this brief episode, I discuss what Buber calls the I-Thou and I-It attitudes to life.
Mar 14, 2022 • 25min
Ibsen's A Doll's House
A Doll’s House is a play written by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It premiered in 1879. The play has as it central theme something like the fate of being a married woman in a male dominated world. In this episode, we explore Ibsen's feminism and the importance he places on self-realization.
Mar 8, 2022 • 10min
Sartre and the Creation of Value
In this brief episode, I discuss Sartre and his view in Existentialism is a Humanism that values don't come from God but rather that they're created by us.
Mar 6, 2022 • 24min
Hesse's Journey to the East
Journey to the East is a novel written by the German author Herman Hesse, published in 1932. Journey to the East is about a man who becomes a member of what’s known as The League, a branch of which goes on a pilgrimage to "the East" in search of the ultimate Truth. In this episode, we discuss St. Francis of Assisi, Servant Leadership, and what going East really means.
Mar 1, 2022 • 8min
Nietzsche and the Tightrope Walker
In this brief episode, I discuss the meaning of the tightrope walker in Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra.
Feb 27, 2022 • 26min
Lao Tzu and Taoism
Lao Tzu was an ancient Chinese philosopher, born sometime in the 6th century BC. He’s supposedly the founder of Taoism. Taoism emphasizes living in harmony with what’s called the Tao or the way, which is taken to be the underlying natural order of the universe. In this episode, we discuss Lao Tzu's view on language and his notion of inaction.
Feb 23, 2022 • 10min
Free Speech
In this brief episode, I talk about how it actually personally benefits us to not shy away from false or disagreeable ideas.
Feb 20, 2022 • 23min
Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilyich
The Death of Ivan Ilyich was written by the great Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, and it was published in 1886. The story’s about Ivan, an inauthentic, upper class individual, who learns that he’s dying from a terminal disease. In this episode, we discuss the theme of insincerity and of death.
Feb 16, 2022 • 9min
Pain
In this brief episode, I talk about the importance of some discomfort and pain in life.
Feb 14, 2022 • 25min
The Fragility of Goodness
The Fragility of Goodness was written by Martha Nussbaum, published in 1986. Nussbaum is an American philosopher who works at the University of Chicago. In this episode, we reflect on the question of how immune and how safe it is we should make ourselves, or conversely, how open we should be to life, in order to live in such a way that’s best and most valuable for a human being.
