The Greats

The Greats is back—with David Atkinson joining Colton as the podcast’s new co-host.

In this episode, Colton and David explore Cicero’s reflections on old age, friendship, virtue, purpose, and death. Cicero identifies four reasons people fear growing older: withdrawing from active work, losing physical strength, experiencing fewer pleasures, and drawing closer to death. But are these unavoidable miseries—or can the way we live now shape the kind of old age we experience later?

The conversation examines why growing older doesn’t have to mean becoming useless, how possibilities are exchanged for realities as life progresses, why influence may be the crowning achievement of old age, and where Cicero’s view of death falls short without a fuller Christian understanding of providence and eternal life.

They also discuss the importance of staying intellectually active, investing in younger generations, cultivating genuine friendships, and building a life worth looking back on.

Want to Read with us in preparation to the next episode?   Here's a link to Lucretius' The Nature of Things that will will be discussing next episode!  

https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-nature-of-things-lucretius/41ff8e75cb209a58?ean=9780140447965&affiliate=104046

In this episode of The Greats, Colton and Doc explore Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics and its enduring ideas about happiness, virtue, courage, justice, friendship, and human flourishing. They discuss Aristotle’s “golden mean,” the importance of developing good character, and why happiness is more than a temporary feeling.

The conversation also considers where Aristotle’s philosophy overlaps with—and differs from—the Christian understanding of human purpose, grace, friendship with God, and the hope of the kingdom.

They also share an update about the future of The Greats and the projects they will be pursuing next.

For More from Colton, visit https://substack.com/@coltoncauthen

00:00 Intro
00:25 The Future of The Greats
02:03 Who Was Aristotle?
04:37 What Is the Good Life?
07:26 Happiness and Human Flourishing
11:06 Virtue and Human Nature
17:43 Understanding Nicomachean Ethics
22:26 Is Good Discovered or Determined?
24:21 Aristotle and Christianity
33:50 Aristotle, Jesus, and the Beatitudes
36:37 Virtue and the Golden Mean
43:45 Extremes, Criticism, and Online Culture
47:42 Choice and Moral Responsibility
52:34 Courage and Magnanimity
56:06 Justice by Nature and Convention
01:01:55 The Three Types of Friendship
01:03:49 Marriage and Mutual Goodness
01:06:26 Friendship With God
01:08:00 Aristotle’s Influence on Christian Thought
01:11:38 Contemplation and Closing Thoughts

This episode explores why Plato remains one of the most influential thinkers in human history—and how his ideas continue to shape not just how we think, but how we live.

Starting with the historical context of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, the conversation traces a pivotal shift—from myth and scattered ideas to a more intentional, structured pursuit of truth. Along the way, we wrestle with questions that still matter today:

•  Did Plato help lay the foundation for the way we understand truth itself? 
•  Why do many thinkers say everything after him is, in some way, responding to his ideas? 
•  What can we learn from the life—and death—of Socrates? 
•  And how do we discern what is true, especially when voices overlap and interpretations differ? 

But this isn’t just a conversation about ancient philosophy.

It’s about what happens when truth moves from theory into practice.

Because if truth is real—if it can be known, pursued, and lived—then it inevitably shapes the way we see the world, the way we make decisions, and the way we carry ourselves in everyday life.

From this Episode:

The Republic of Plato - https://bookshop.org/a/104046/9780465094080

The Last Days of Socrates by Plato - https://bookshop.org/a/104046/9780140455496

The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis - https://bookshop.org/a/104046/9780060652944

Reading for Next Time:

Treatises on Friendship and Old Age by Cicero - https://bookshop.org/a/104046/9781805478270

Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics - https://bookshop.org/a/104046/9780140449495

Follow us Elsewhere:

Colton on Substack: https://substack.com/@coltoncauthen

Article on Plato’s Republic: https://open.substack.com/pub/coltoncauthen/p/platos-republic-and-the-problem-with

What do Solomon, Buddha, and the Bhagavad Gita teach about truth, suffering, and the meaning of life?

In this episode we explore the wisdom of the ancient sages and evaluate how the sacred texts of the world’s major religions approach some of humanity’s biggest questions. Drawing from the writings of King Solomon, the teachings of the Buddha, and the philosophy found in the Bhagavad Gita, we compare Eastern and Western perspectives on truth, morality, suffering, and the purpose of human life.

Along the way we discuss:

• The wisdom tradition of Solomon in the Hebrew Bible
• The life and teachings of the Buddha
• The philosophical message of the Bhagavad Gita
• The role of karma and reincarnation in Eastern religions
• Why many Eastern traditions see liberation from the cycle of rebirth as the ultimate goal
• How ancient thinkers understood truth, morality, and the search for meaning

This conversation looks at how different traditions wrestle with the same fundamental questions: Why do we suffer? What is truth? And what does it mean to live a good life?

Further Resources:

A Very Short Introduction to Hinduism: https://bookshop.org/a/104046/9780198745549

A Very Short Introduction to Buddhism: https://bookshop.org/a/104046/9780199663835

Bhagavad Gita: https://bookshop.org/a/104046/9781586380199

CSB Study Bible (for Ecclesiastes): https://bookshop.org/a/104046/9781433648090

Ecclesiastes: https://youtu.be/lrsQ1tc-2wk?si=mtUmx55x8e_7FkLb

In this episode of The Greats Doc & Colton talk Homer's The Odyssey!  Hear not only how this book was revolutionary in it's on time, but also how it should change the way we thing about hospitality, family, God and fate.

Big questions deserve serious conversation.

Who am I? Why am I here? How should I live?

On this channel, we explore the enduring works of the greatest minds in human history — Solomon, Homer, Plato, Augustine, Dante, Milton, Hegel, and others — not as distant monuments of the past, but as living voices speaking into the present.

Each episode engages the primary texts directly, drawing out insights that are intellectually rigorous and practically meaningful. Whether you are new to the classics or returning to them with experience, this is a place for thoughtful, accessible dialogue about the ideas that shape a life.