Fears about COVID-19 can take an emotional toll, leading to a growing sense of worry and panic. We ask: How can philosophy help us cope with adversity in a pandemic?

We go in pursuit of wisdom and discovery with journalist and author Eric Weiner, author of the new book, "The Socrates Express: In Search of Life Lessons From Dead Philosophers". This episode is a rollicking ride, as we follow in the footsteps of history’s greatest thinkers—from Epicurus to Nietzsche, Thoreau to Gandhi— who show us practical and spiritual lessons for today’s unsettled times.

Philosophy helps us as we struggle with disturbing questions raised by coronavirus. How to find a level of calm and certainty in an uncertain age? How do we endure tough times? There are no easy answers, but as with religious texts, philosophy helps us ask better questions. 

"We often confuse knowledge and wisdom, and we think that what we need to get out of this mess is more information," Erik tells us. "More information, we think, is always better. And that's clearly not the case."

The age-old lesson from philosophy, says Erik, is that you can "put down your iPhone and close your laptop and stop acquiring more bits of data"

Recommendation: Richard enjoys "Tiny Vampires," a podcast series about about disease, science and blood sucking insects.

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