In this episode we unpack Paradiso from The Divine Comedy by Italian Poet, Dante Alighieri.

This Poem Explores...

-The Limits of Language and The Importance of Experience

-Divine Justice & The Problem of Evil

-Dante's Vision of God and The Returning of the Boon

Links to Books/Articles Mention in the Episode

⁠⁠The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri⁠⁠

⁠The Aeneid by Virgil⁠

⁠The Great Course Plus-Dante's Divine Comedy Lecture Series⁠

*note* reading is not required to enjoy this episode!

Host: Zach Stehura  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠UnpackingIdeas.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Guest: Philip Kobosov

Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Polyenso⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

In this episode we unpack Purgatorio from The Divine Comedy by Italian Poet, Dante Alighieri.

This Poem Explores...

-The Severity of the Sin of Pride

-The Significance of Momentum When Climbing the Mount of Purgatory

-The Importance of Humility When Reforming the Soul

Links to Books/Articles Mention in the Episode

⁠⁠The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri⁠⁠

⁠The Aeneid by Virgil⁠

⁠The Great Course Plus-Dante's Divine Comedy Lecture Series⁠

*note* reading is not required to enjoy this episode!

Host: Zach Stehura  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠UnpackingIdeas.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Guest: Philip Kobosov

Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Polyenso⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

In this episode we unpack Inferno from The Divine Comedy by Italian Poet, Dante Alighieri from 1321.

This Poem Explores...

Links to Books/Articles Mention in the Episode

⁠The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri⁠

The Aeneid by Virgil

The Odyssey by Homer

*note* reading is not required to enjoy this episode!

Host: Zach Stehura  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠UnpackingIdeas.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Guest: Philip Kobosov

Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Polyenso⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

In this episode we unpack, British Mathematician, G.H. Hardy's classic book, "A Mathematician's Apology" written in 1940.

This book explores

-The Permanence of Mathematical Discovery

-The Metaphysics of Mathematical Reality

-The Moral Responsibility of the Mathematician

Links to Reading & Articles mentioned

A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy

The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker

Good Will Hunting (movie)

Euclid's Proof of Infinitely Many Primes (explained)

Pythagoras's Proof of Irrationality of Square Root of 2 (explained)

*note* reading is not required to enjoy this episode!

Host: Zach Stehura  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠UnpackingIdeas.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Guest: Brian Allen

Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Polyenso⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Time Stamps

In this episode we unpack, Swiss Psychologist, Marie-Louise von Franz's classic book, "The Problem of the Puer Aeternus" from a series of lectures she gave in 1959.

This book explores

-The Eternal Child Archetype

-The Mother Complex (Jungian)

-The Loss of Initiation Rituals in the Modern Age

Links to Reading & Articles mentioned

The Problem of the Puer Aeternus by Marie-Louis von Franz

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

*note* reading is not required to enjoy this episode!

Host: Zach Stehura  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠UnpackingIdeas.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Guest: David Bloome

Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Polyenso⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Time Stamps

0:00:00 Introduction

0:02:24 David’s Story Discovering the book

0:12:07 Characteristics of The Puer Aeternus

0:16:14 Commitmentphobia/Megalomania 

0:23:00 The Mother Complex

0:28:46 Enmeshment

0:37:45 Analysis of “The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

0:40:47 Symbolism of the Boa Constrictor choking the Elephant 

0:46:00 Symbolism of the Little Prince Image

0:50:45 Symbolism of The Overgrown Baobob Trees

0:54:11 The Literal and Figurative Crash of Individuals suffering from the Eternal Child Complex

0:58:04 Von Franz’s Antidote to the Problem - Initiation Rituals 

1:02:02 Consequences of the Lack of Initiation Rituals in the Modern Age

1:06:00  The literal and Figurative crash of Societies Suffering from the Eternal Child Complex 

1:08:40 Jung’s Antidote to the Problem- Work

1:17:18 outro 

In this episode we unpack the Inferno section of The Divine Comedy by Italian Poet Dante Alighieri.

This Books Explores...

Links to Reading & Articles mentioned

The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri (John Ciardi Translation)

*note* reading is not required to enjoy this episode!

Host: Zach Stehura  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠UnpackingIdeas.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Guest: Phil Kobasov

Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Polyenso⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Time Stamps

0:00:00 Introduction

In this episode we unpack "Common Sense" by English-American Political Activist Thomas Paine.

This Books Explores...

Links to Reading & Articles mentioned

Common Sense by Thomas Paine

*note* reading is not required to enjoy this episode!

Host: Zach Stehura  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠UnpackingIdeas.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Guest: Jared Shoup

Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Polyenso⁠⁠⁠⁠

Time Stamps

0:00:00 Introduction

0:05:01 Historical Context of Common Sense

0:13:37 Thomas Paine’s Background 

0:20:48 The Differences Between Society and Government 

00:25:00 Government as a Necessary Evil

00:27:28 Anti-Monarchy Sentiments in The Old Testament 

0:30:11 Parallels Between The 12 Tribes of Israel and The 13 American Colonies 

0:32:01 The Origins of Kings

0:35:35 Paine’s Critiques of Hereditary Succession

00:37:35 Paine’s Critiques of Constitutional Monarchy  

0:42:13 The Disease of Monarchy 

0:44:19 Paine’s Ad Hominem Attacks

0:45:14 The Present State of American Affairs

0:46:26 Why Separation from England is Necessary

0:47:40 England as “The Mother Country”    

0:50:00 Why America Doesn’t Need England for Protection

0:51:16 Why America Doesn’t Need England for Trade

0:52:20 Logistical Nightmare of Communication with England

0:53:52 Why Now is the Time for Separation

0:54:58 The Paradoxical Correlation between a Nation’s Population and Military Size

0:58:00 “Relapse More Wretched Than the First”

0:59:56 Paine’s Ideas in What an American Government Should Look Like

1:04:06 America’s Naval Potential 

1:07:44 Paine’s Call to Unite America

1:10:35 The Impact of “Common Sense”

1:13:05 Wrapping Up/Outro

In this episode we unpack several essays from Swiss psychologist Carl Jung's Collected Works on Dreams.

These Essays Explore...

Links to Reading & Articles mentioned

Dreams (excepts from collected works) by Carl Jung

Memories, Dreams, and Reflections by Carl Jung

Man and His Symbols by Carl Jung

The Interpretation of Dreams by Sigmund Freud

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

*note* reading is not required to enjoy this episode!

Host: Zach Stehura  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠UnpackingIdeas.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Guest: Aiden Moore ⁠*For one-on-one dream interpretation sessions with Aiden visit AidenMoore.com

Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Polyenso⁠⁠⁠

Time Stamps

00:00:00 Introduction

00:03:19 Differences Between Freudian & Jungian Dream Interpretation

00:05:09 Beginner's Mind

00:08:14 Assimilation vs. Accommodation

00:12:30 Taking up the Context of the Dream

00:19:45 The Dream as Repressed Wish-Fulfillment

00:24:11 The Language of the Unconscious

00:29:47 Causal vs. Final Explanations of Dreams

00:35:05 Compensatory Dreams

00:37:31 Prospective Dreams

00:41:39 Little Dreams vs. Big Dreams

00:44:07 Archetypes/The Collective Unconscious 

00:49:07 The Objective vs. Subjective Interpretation of Dreams

00:55:30 Practical Application to Dream Interpretation

00:56:56 The "Punny" Character of Dream Images

01:00:12 Resisting the "Correct" Interpretation of a Dream

01:03:43 Slowing Integrating Unconscious Material

01:06:03 Repressed Material Will Follow You Until You Face It

01:08:46 The Empathy & Tact needed to Interpret Dreams

01:10:26 Resisting the "Correct" Interpretation of a Dream

01:13:38 The Consequences of Ignoring Recurring Dreams

01:18:10 Wrapping Up/Outro

In this episode we unpack The Bhagavad Gita from The Mahabharata written circa 500-200 BCE.

This Book Explores...

Links to Reading & Articles mentioned

The Bhagavad Gita (Translation: Gita Press)

The Bhagavad Gita (Translation: Eknath Easwaran)

Bhagavad Gita Lecture Series by Gandhar Mandlik *youtube*

*note* reading is not required to enjoy this episode!

Host: Zach Stehura  ⁠⁠⁠⁠UnpackingIdeas.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

Guest: Gandhar Mandlik YogaPoint.com Online/In-Person Yoga Courses and Teacher Training

Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Polyenso⁠⁠

Time Stamps

00:00 Introduction

03:00 Gandhar’s Personal Relationship to the Gita

04:36 Background of the Gita Story

08:56 All Problems are Interconnected 

12:16 False Identification with the Physical Body

15:56 Cosmic Consciousness 

18:22 The Trap of Sensual Desires

25:43 Right Understanding & Right Action

27:36 The Two Paths to Self Realization (Monk & Householder)

29:20 Karma Yoga / Dharma

32:20 Nonattached Action

35:00 Contributing to the Ecology

40:37 Bhakti & Jnana Yoga

48:07 Nondualism /The Cosmic Form

57:05 Characteristics of the Self-Realized Person

59:49 Service to Others as a key for Fighting Depression

1:00:47 Wrapping Up/Outro

In this episode we unpack the Second essay in German Existentialist Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche's classic work "The Genealogy of Morals" from 1887.

This Essay Explores...

Links to Reading & Articles mentioned

⁠On the Genealogy of Morals by Friedrich Nietzsche⁠

*note* reading is not required to enjoy this episode!

Host: Zach Stehura  ⁠⁠⁠UnpackingIdeas.com⁠⁠⁠

Guest: Samuel Le Coutour

Theme Music: ⁠⁠⁠Polyenso⁠

Time Stamps

00:00 Intro

03:16 Questions Nietzsche is Trying to Answer

04:12 Origin of Punishment vs. Utility of Punishment

08:25 Punishment Hardens the Individual

10:24 The Etymology of the word “Guilt”

11:01 The Creditor/Debtor Relationship

12:32 Suffering as Compensation

13:48 Suffering as Entertainment Throughout History 

14:39 The Link between Sadism and Social Status

17:14 Grace as a Form of Domination

19:31 The Social Contract

22:52 Lack of Free Will in Early Punishment

24:20 Nietzsche’s Hypothesis on the Origin of Bad Conscience

24:30 The State of Nature Theory

27:10 Turing The Will to Power Against Oneself

32:30 Masochism 

33:34 Punishment as Entertainment for the Gods

34:47 Aristocrats Create Bad Conscience in Slaves

37:46 Ancestor Worship

40:22 Original Sin / The Psychology of Guilt

44:43 Debt Becoming Spiritual and Internal

46:19 Internalizing the Creditor/Debtor Dynamic within One’s own Conscience

48:59 Nietzsche’s Views on Bad Conscience / The Sovereign Individual

52:40 Wrapping up/ Outro