The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast
A Philosophy Podcast and Philosophy Blog
Shilo Brooks returns for Book IV of Xenophon’s “The Education of Cyrus.” We discuss Cyrus’ attack on the Assyrians, consolidation, cavalry, and Cyrus’ first boyfriend returns (::kiss::kiss::) and the Susan woman.
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Shilo Brooks returns for another episode of “The Education of Cyrus” by Xenophon. We discuss moderation, virtue, risk and a brief mention of the ugly boyfriend.
Dr. Joseph Wood (Institute for World Politics and Cana Academy) joins Brian and Jeff to discuss Pierre Manent’s “The Metamorphoses of the City,” Chapter 2: The Poetic Birth of the City.
We discuss the relationships between war and politics, especially as it relates to The Iliad.
Shilo Brooks returns to continue our exploration of Xenophon’s “The Education of Cyrus” Book II where Cyrus goes to war against the Assyrians and we try to tease out what fundamentals of warfare Cyrus discovers versus what he’s taught by the Persians.
Shilo Brooks returns to discuss Book I of Xenophon’s “Education of Cyrus” where we discuss Cyrus’ early upbringing and the nature of government.
Andrea Radasanu of Northern Illinois University returns to discuss the Sicilian Expedition by the Athenian Empire from Thucydides “History of the Peloponnesian War.”
Jeff and Brian are joined by Shilo Brooks, Director of the Engineering Leadership Program at the University of Colorado – Boulder, to discuss the role of engineering in the liberal arts and his lovely essay on the Wright Brothers for Scientific American:
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/why-did-the-wright-brothers-succeed-when-others-failed/
Jeff and Brian are joined by Dr. Andrea Radasanu, Acting Director of the University Honors Program at Northern Illinois University, to discuss Thucydides “History of the Peloponnesian War,” specifically the Athenian plague and Pericles funeral oration.
Brian and Jeff are joined by Claudia Hauer, St. John’s College tutor and visiting professor of moral philosophy at the United States Air Force Academy to discuss her new book “Strategic Humanism: Lessons on Leadership from the Ancient Greeks.”
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What is the relationship between the natural world and the human world?
In this belated Halloween episode, Lise, Jeff, and Brian discuss Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Fall of the House of Usher.”
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What is slavery? What does slavery have to do with the household or the state? Brian, Lise, and Jeff dig deeper into the Politics in part 3 of their discussion of this series.
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How do human beings confront a crisis? Anne Kniggendorf and Matt Young join Brian for a conversation about Ernest Hemingway’s short story “Hills Like White Elephants.”
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Lise, Jeff, and Brian continue their conversation about Book I of Aristotle’s Politics.
They address Aristotle’s discussion of how a city comes to be, and his assertion that humans reach their full potential by living in a city.
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Brian interviews Matt Young, Marine Corps veteran, English professor, and author of Eat the Apple, a memoir that has been described as “The Iliad of the Iraq war.”
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Jeff, Lise, and Brian roll up their sleeves and dig in to Aristotle’s Politics.
How are this and other “Great Books” relevant to how we live our lives? What is good political rule? What does it mean to be “just” within a political system? The team tackles those questions and much more in this episode.
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Douglas Lensing joins the show to talk about his path from the Navy to St. John’s College and his paper “Passion and Mind: Homer’s Formula for Victory in the Iliad.”
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Is human life “nada”—nothing? In their discussion of Hemingway’s (very) short story, Brian, Lise, and Jeff examine the contrast between youth and old age and the states of being hurried versus unhurried.
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Can you simultaneously hate and love the same thing? What is the relationship between virtue and love? Lise, Jeff, and Brian tackle those questions and more in this episode on Jean Racine’s play, Phèdre.
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Jeff, Lise, and Brian discuss “On Transience,” in which Freud ruminates on the transitory nature of, and beautiful things in, life. The piece prompts a conversation about a variety of topics Freud raises, from death to libido to war.
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Brian interviews St. John’s College alum and US Navy veteran Anne Kniggendorf. They have an engaging discussion about the relationship between liberal arts and the military.
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Combat and Classics is a series of podcasts and online seminars that explores the nature of man in conflict and cooperation through socratic dialogue and the great books. For more info visit 
