The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast
A Philosophy Podcast and Philosophy Blog
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. Former Marine Corps officer Brian Wilson is joined by Shilo Brooks (Princeton University) and Jeff J.S. Black (St. John's College, Annapolis) and occasional guests.
For more info visit combatandclassics.org.
Andrea Radasanu of Northern Illinois University returns to discuss the Sicilian Expedition by the Athenian Empire from Thucydides "History of the Peloponnesian War." Continue Reading …
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/ Continue Reading …
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. For more info on Andrea and NIU, click here: https://www.niu.edu/honors/about/staff.shtml Continue Reading …
Join Brian, Ashley Johnson (https://www.writethinkdream.com/) and Anne Kniggendorf (twitter: @annekniggendorf) in their discussion of the 19th century classic, Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert. Get more C&C on the PEL site or at combatandclassics.org. Continue Reading …
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." To pre-order, click below: https://www.politicalanimalpress.com/product/strategic-humanism/ Get more C&C on the PEL Continue Reading …
Our dear friend, co-founder, co-host and great-souled human, Lise van Boxel, has passed away. We present our humble tribute. Continue Reading …
We begin our next “close read” series with the first two sections of Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra, which conclude with the famous line “God is dead.” Lise, Jeff, and Brian discuss Nietzsche’s imagery, allusions, and treatment of questions concerning love, envy, and humanity. Get more C&C on the PEL site or at combatandclassics.org. Continue Reading …
Brian interviews Daniel Elkins, founder and director of the Veterans Education Project, which works to address issues faced by veterans in higher education. You can find more information on the Project’s website. And tune in to the Project’s podcast “Coffee with Congress” here, where it shares conversations with members of Congress about everything but politics. Get more Continue Reading …
We're joined today by actor Matt Eitzen, who is also a Shakespeare and Roman History aficionado. You can catch Matt in upcoming productions at The Guinea Pig Theater in Dallas, Texas through this link: https://www.facebook.com/theguineapigdallas/. You can rent Brian's favorite interpretation, Caesar Must Die on YouTube Continue Reading …
Brian is joined by guest George Eckerle, St. John's College grad and co-founder (with Brian) of the Plato Project, a series of online seminars for discussion of Plato’s complete works. In this episode they discuss one of William Shakespeare’s most well-known tragedies, King Lear. Get more C&C on the PEL site or at combatandclassics.org. Continue Reading …
How does speech move the human soul? How can a leader use speech inspire others to action? Lise, Jeff, and Brian tackle those questions in their discussion of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s address to the graduating class of Harvard’s divinity school in 1838. Get more C&C on the PEL site or at combatandclassics.org. Continue Reading …
Jeff, Lise, and Brian continue a "close-read" series on Aristotle's Politics. They continue to tackle Aristotle's discussion of slavery, which raises questions about nature, law, and virtue. Get more C&C on the PEL site or at combatandclassics.org. Continue Reading …
Brian sits down with St. John's College alum Jennifer Wright, who is a writer and the author of several books including It Ended Badly: Thirteen of the Worst Breakups in History. They talk about Ms. Wright's informed and fun take on history, as well as her career path from SJC to professional writer. Get more C&C on the PEL site or at combatandclassics.org. Continue Reading …
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.” Get more C&C on the PEL site or at combatandclassics.org. Continue Reading …
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. Get more C&C on the PEL site or at combatandclassics.org. Continue Reading …
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.” In case you missed them: Tune in to Brian’s interviews with Anne and Matt in previous episodes. Get more C&C on the PEL site or at combatandclassics.org. Continue Reading …
Man is by nature a political animal. Lise, Jeff, and Brian continue their conversation about Book I of Aristotle’s Politics, in which that famous line appears. 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. Get more C&C on the PEL site or at combatandclassics.org. Continue Reading …
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.” They begin by discussing maintaining your humanity (or not) while serving in and returning from war. They go on to talk about the relationship between civilian and military citizens and how literature and writing can Continue Reading …
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? What problems can politics solve? What problems can it not solve? The team tackles those questions and much more in this episode. Get Continue Reading …
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.” Doug joined the Navy on a Naval Special Warfare contract, but after failing to complete BUD/S went to Defense Language Institute, learned Farsi and worked at Fort Gordon, Georgia as a linguist. Doug will be Continue Reading …
