Becoming Human

What if what Hawthorne called the supernatural is actually a profound way of showing in literature what modern psychology has proven to be the case?

In episode five of The Scarlet Letter series, Alexandra Barylski discusses the mental health crisis, why Hawthorne might have understood our moden moment better than us, and how Hester Prynne can help us see that choice is the key to our spiritual freedom.

Who really was John the Baptist? A prophet? An antiestablishment rebel and activist? Jesus' teacher? In this Becoming Human Conversation, philosopher and scholar of religion Samuel Loncar interviews the scholar James F. McGrath about his groundbreaking research on John the Baptist.

James F. McGrath, author of "Christmaker: A Life of John the Baptist" and "John of History, Baptist of Faith: The Quest for the Historical Baptizer," and the Clarence L. Goodwin Chair in New Testament Language and Literature at Butler University, shows how John is a fascinating religious figure in his own right.

Aside from his influence on Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, John is also revered by the Mandaeans, the last extant gnostic sect, who revere John the Baptist and see themselves as part of his prophetic tradition.

ABOUT James F. McGrath Dr. James F. McGrath is the Clarence L. Goodwin Chair in New Testament Language and Literature at Butler University. His PhD is from the University of Durham in England. His interests include early Christianity, John the Baptist and the Mandaeans, science fiction, and the intersection of religion and science. He blogs at ReligionProf on the Patheos web site.

This public work is made possible by the support of Becoming Human Members. Become a Member of Becomging Human today: https://www.samuelloncar.com/join-becoming-human-project-1

ABOUT Samuel Loncar Born in Athens, Greece, Samuel's ancestors' give him global roots: in Okinawa, Japan, among the Chippewa (or Ojibwe) people, and in Eastern Europe. Samuel's diverse background motivated his search for a truth that would respect his upbringing but answer his hardest questions, leading him to discover, at age 14, an ancient philosophy text that converted him to philosophy as a way of life.

He received his Ph.D. from Yale University in 2019 and specializes in philosophy and its connection to religion, science, and the growth and preservation of knowledge in the digital age. Samuel is the founder and creator of the Becoming Human Project, a multi-media project to bring philosophy as a way of life to everyone and build a community of creators seeking a more meaningful life. Samuel Loncar, Ph.D. (Yale) is a philosopher, scholar of religion and science, poet, and Editor of the Marginalia Review of Books.

In this episode of The Poetry Peddler Scarlet Letter series, poet, writer, and editor Alexandra and discusses why the path to self-knowledge begins with aknowledging our fear.

Public shaming is central to The Scarlet Letter, and it's one of the reasons that the story of Hester Pryne feels so relatable to our world today.

In this episode of The Poetry Peddler series on Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Alexandra Barylski - the show's host, a poet, and long time English teacher - explores the psychological effects of public shaming and how women must learn to navigate their public and private lives while learning to avoid (or carry) archetypal female labels.

In this episode, Alexandra Barylski, host of The Poetry Peddler, introduces Nathanial Hawthorne and The Scarlet Letter through a discussion of the often skimmed (or totally skipped) introductory chapter, "The Custom House" before her discussion of "Chapter One: The Prison." She reads some ghostly passages from introduction directly, which are perfect for Halloween, so you'll get a taste of Hawthorne's own language through her audio.

You may not think that The Scarlet Letter, a novel set in Puritan America, has much to say about our contemporary crisis around what it means to human, and therefore what it means to be a woman, the plummeting literacy rates, and the ongoing debates about feminism. But, I think, it does. And I will prove it to you in these series.

As part of the project, I am recording every chapter of the book with my commentary. As English teacher of many years, this is one the primary ways that I taught my students how to read deeply and think philosophically. So, this series is also very much about the act of reading itself, the act of interpretation, which is a major theme of Nathaniel Hathorne's The Scarlet Letter. The full audio book, released chapter by chapter, will be available for my paid Substack subscribers.

The project is not only about great literature, it is about literacy: What is reading? Why does it matter? And how is the act of reading—or we might say, the act of making a meaningful judgement based on what we see, hear, or read—essential to the human experience. Women have been texts long misunderstood, and Hawthorne knew it and is trying to atone for it.

I am also thrilled to announce that my second collection of poetry, the Necessities of Mending, released today, and at the end of this episode I read two of my poems from the collection. One is about what Eve said to Adam and very much related to the themes of this novel.

Thank you so much for joining me and Samuel Loncar, the creator and host of Becoming Human in our conversation about The Scarlet Letter, Puritan America, the surprising connections between fashion and philosophy, and how flaming A's may become the hottest trend.

Ignorance, humanity's greatest enemy, yet also the secret source of wisdom according to Greece's greatest influencer, Socrates, whose ideas went viral, caused a cultural crisis, and led to his prosecution for impiety, disturbing the peace of a social order that refused to ask: what is real knowledge?

Shortly before his trial, Socrates encountered an expert in piety, Euthryphro, and asked: what is piety? What is justice? How do we know what something really is? Euthyphro's answer might shock you.

Presented by Samuel Loncar, Ph.D. (Yale University), Becoming Human Project Founder Plato Project,

Episode 1, Key quote from the Euthyphro: [Socrates to Euthyphro] "Tell me then, what this form itself is, so that i may lok upon it and, using it as a model, say that any action of yours or another's that is of that kind is pious, and if it is not that it is not."

Learn More About the Project ~ https://substack.com/@samuelloncar/p-175027592 Support the Project ~ https://www.samuelloncar.com/plato-parsha-project

Born in Athens, Greece, Samuel's ancestors' give him global roots: in Okinawa, Japan, among the Chippewa (or Ojibwe) people, and in Eastern Europe.

Samuel's diverse background motivated his search for a truth that would respect his upbringing but answer his hardest questions, leading him to discover, at age 14, an ancient philosophy text that converted him to philosophy as a way of life. He received his Ph.D. from Yale University in 2019 and specializes in philosophy and its connection to religion, science, and the growth and preservation of knowledge in the digital age.

Samuel is the founder and creator of the Becoming Human Project, a multi-media project to bring philosophy as a way of life to everyone and build a community of creators seeking a more meaningful life. Samuel Loncar, Ph.D. (Yale) is a philosopher, scholar of religion and science, poet, and Editor of the Marginalia Review of Books.

The Poetry Peddler podcast is a show celebrating living language as an expression of the human spirit.

The show explores poetry's crucial role in resisting the global language crisis. Each episode invites listeners into a world where language is a vital force of human spirit, freedom, and creativity, featuring original poems, and conversations on the transformative magic of words.

This episode features part two of my conversation with Christian Wiman who is the author, editor, or translator of fourteen books, most recently, Zero at the Bone, Fifty Entries Against Despair. From 2003-2013 he was the editor of Poetry magazine, and he is a former Guggenheim Fellow and the Clement-Muehl Professor of Communication Arts at Yale Divinity School and the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, where I had the privilege of studying with him.

Support the Peddler!

https://www.thepoetrypeddler.com

The Poetry Peddler podcast is a call to revive the living power of language through poetry as a way of life. Hosted by poet and editor Alexandra Barylski, this show explores poetry's crucial role in resisting the global language crisis. Each episode invites listeners into a world where language is a vital force of human spirit, freedom, and creativity, featuring original poems, and conversations on the transformative magic of words.

This inaugural episode features part one of her conversation with Christian Wiman who is the author, editor, or translator of fourteen books, most recently, Zero at the Bone, Fifty Entries Against Despair. From 2003-2013 he was the editor of Poetry, and he is a former Guggenheim Fellow and the Clement-Muehl Professor of Communication Arts at Yale Divinity School and the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, where she had the privilege of studying with him.

Why bother becoming human? In difficult times, it's easy to lose hope. After 5 years since launching this show with Becoming Human: Origins, I decided it's time for an update. This episode shares some of the impact of the work, its relevance today, and how you can access Becoming Human Origins right now.