Classical Wisdom Speaks

Anxiety disorders are the most common of all mental disorders. Considered pathology, it is the most diagnosed and medicated of all psychological disorders... but what if it isn't always or only a medical condition?

From Greek tragedies and Buddhism to actual practices from famous doctors like Galen, there are a myriad of important lessons about anxiety that can be gleaned from the past. Indeed the ancients had a lot to say about anxiety and mental conditions in general... and their perspective and observations were at times very different from those found in our modern era.

Perhaps it's time to rethink anxiety. With the help of both ancient philosophy and history, how can we see anxiety as a source not only of suffering, but also of insight?

Featuring professor emeritus of philosophy at Brooklyn College and author of “Anxiety: A Philosophical Guide”, Samir Chopra, along with Vanderbilt professor and author of “How to Be Healthy”, Katherine D. Van Schaik, and Michael Fontaine, professor of Classics at Cornell University and author of “How to Grieve”.

Hosted by Anya Leonard of Classical Wisdom. To learn more about Classical Wisdom, and sign up for our free newsletter, please go to https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/

Discover how the best physician is also a philosopher… 

From the gladiators’ arena to the imperial court, the life and career of the ancient doctor Galen is among the most extraordinary in the ancient world.

A Greek, a Roman, a doctor, and a thinker, Galen was also one of the most prolific of all ancient writers, having written ten per cent of all ancient texts from before 350CE.

Today, Anya is joined by KATHERINE D. VAN SCHAIK, herself both a Classicist and an MD, to discuss Galen’s immense legacy in medicine, what he got right and wrong about health… and how a dream may have changed the course of history.

Katherine D. Van Schaik is a MD, PhD, MA and author of “How to Be Healthy: An Ancient Guide to Wellness”. She received her PhD in Ancient History from the Harvard Department of the Classics and her MD from Harvard Medical School. 

You can buy How to Be Healthy: An Ancient Guide to Wellness here: https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691206271/how-to-be-healthy

Hosted by Anya Leonard of Classical Wisdom. To learn more about Classical Wisdom, and sign up for our free newsletter, please go to https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/ 

It’s philosophy’s ultimate dinner party… and you’re invited.

On today’s Classical Wisdom Speaks, Anya is joined by Professor Alex Priou to discuss Plato’s most joyful and playful work, The Symposium.

Discover how taking an unconventional approach to Plato can illuminate both this ancient text and how we live today.

ALEX PRIOU is Associate Professor of Political Philosophy at the University of Austin. He is the author of many books, including 'Musings on Plato’s Symposium', as well as a number of articles on the history of philosophy. He is also the co-host of a philosophy podcast, The New Thinkery. You can listen here: https://thenewthinkery.com/

You can purchase ‘Musings on Plato’s Symposium” by Alex Priou here: https://www.amazon.com/Musings-Platos-Symposium-Alex-Priou-ebook/dp/B0CHZ3WS69/

Hosted by Anya Leonard of Classical Wisdom. To learn more about Classical Wisdom, and sign up for our free newsletter, please go to https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/

Discover the ancient nomadic tribe that helped inspire the myth of the Amazons… and their legacy in the world today.

On today’s Classical Wisdom Speaks, Anya is joined by Professor Christopher Beckwith, an expert on the mysterious and compelling Scythians.

Join them as they discuss the secrets of this influential yet overlooked people, their vanished empire, how Herodotus is a very reliable source after all. 

You can purchase ‘The Scythian Empire: Central Eurasia and the Birth of the Classical Age from Persia to China’ by Christopher Beckwith here:

https://www.amazon.com/Scythian-Empire-Central-Eurasia-Classical/dp/0691240531

Christopher I. Beckwith is an American philologist and distinguished professor in the Department of Central Eurasian Studies at Indiana University Bloomington, Indiana.

Hosted by Anya Leonard of Classical Wisdom. To learn more about Classical Wisdom, and sign up for our free newsletter, please go to https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/

They say all philosophy is but a series of footnotes to Plato. Yet the remarkable story of the great philosopher’s life has remained untold—until now.

On today’s Classical Wisdom Speaks, Anya is joined by independent scholar and translator Robin Waterfield to discuss his latest book ‘Plato of Athens’, the first ever full-length biography of Plato.

Separate fact from fiction and discover if Plato really died from not knowing a riddle, whether the so-called letters of Plato are authentic or not… and how Plato was like Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien.

You can purchase ‘Plato of Athens’ by Robin Waterfield here.

ROBIN WATERFIELD is the author of many books, including ‘Plato of Athens: A Life in Philosophy’, as well as ‘Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations: The Annotated Edition’.

Hosted by Anya Leonard of Classical Wisdom. To learn more about Classical Wisdom, and sign up for our free newsletter, please go to https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/

Take a deep dive into three of ancient Greece's most fascinating women - both historical and mythological.  What can we discover about Sappho, Medea and Antigone by studying the original texts?

Join Diane Rayor, an extremely talented and engaged translator as she takes you 'behind the scenes' of some of the most powerful works from the ancient world.

DIANE J. RAYOR is Professor Emerita of Classics at Grand Valley State University, Michigan. She has published six book translations of ancient Greek poetry and drama: Sappho: A New Translation of the Complete Works (Cambridge University Press, paperback 2nd edition Feb.

Hosted by Anya Leonard of Classical Wisdom. To learn more about Classical Wisdom, and sign up for our free newsletter, please go to https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/

In a world brimming with information and rapidly shifting beliefs, the lessons from Socrates resonate more than ever.

How do we seek knowledge in an age of uncertainty? How can we engage in meaningful dialogue that encourages critical thinking? What can his ideas teach us about social justice, politics, education and our own minds?

Enjoy this interdisciplinary discussion, looking at the relevance of Socrates today, drawing on the perspectives of classics, history, philosophy, and psychology and discover the life and legacy of one of history's most influential thinkers and why his ideas continue to inspire and provoke us today.

Featuring prominent professors and renowned authors including: Armand D’Angour, Donald Robertson, Angie Hobbs and Massimo Pigliucci. Moderated and hosted by Anya Leonard of Classical Wisdom.

Hosted by Anya Leonard of Classical Wisdom. To learn more about Classical Wisdom, and sign up for our free newsletter, please go to https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/

The ancients had plenty of thoughts about animals... but are their insights helpful to us now? How did they treat animals? What did they think of them? And should we eat meat?

Today’s Classical Wisdom Speaks podcast is with Mark Usher, the Lyman-Roberts Professor of Classical Languages and Literature and a member of the Department of Geography and Geosciences at the University of Vermont. With his wife, he also built, owns, and operates Works & Days Farm in Shoreham, Vermont. Today we’ll be talking about his most recent book, How to Care About Animals: An Ancient Guide to Creatures Great and Small.

You can purchase his book here

This podcast is brought to you by Classical Wisdom, a site dedicated to bringing ancient wisdom to modern minds. To learn more about the Classics and to sign up for our free newsletter, please go to:
https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/

Everyone knows Athens and Sparta...and yet, THEBES is not the common household name it should be.

From its captivating mythology to its fantastic history, we’ll look at the archeology, the military, the legends and the truth of this essential city state.

Featuring Paul Cartledge of Cambridge University, James Romm of Bard College, Stephen Dando-Collins of Turner Publishing, Stephanie Larson of Bucknell University, Joel Christensen of Brandeis University and Elton Barker of The Open University. 

Hosted by Anya Leonard of Classical Wisdom. To learn more about Classical Wisdom, please go to https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/

Should Ivanka Trump and Hunter Biden marry? Well, Plato might think that was a good idea... 

Today’’s Classical Wisdom speaks podcast is with Melissa Lane, the Class of 1943 Professor of Politics and a faculty member of the Program in Classical Philosophy at Princeton University. She is author of many books, including most recently, “Of Rule and Office: Plato's Ideas of the Political.”

We discuss Juvenal's conundrum, Plato’s political views of rulers and the nature of rule and ask: did Plato believe in ancient Checks and Balances? 

You can find Professor Lane's book, “Of Rule and Office: Plato's Ideas of the Political.” here: https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691192154/of-rule-and-office

If you are interested in learning more about ancient Philosophy specifically and the Classics in general, check out Classical Wisdom and sign up for our free newsletter here: https://classicalwisdom.substack.com/