Unpacking Ideas

In this episode, we unpack Part 2 of Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, published in 1832.

Key Themes Explored

* The consequences of endless striving

*Rapid vs. slow transformation

* Nature as a reflection of the essence of reality

Host: Zach Stehura  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠UnpackingIdeas.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Guest: Philip Kubasov

Intro Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Polyenso⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Free PDF of the book: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Faust part 2 David Luke translation

Resources Mentioned:

Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe (book/play)

The Decline of the West by Oswald Spengler (book)

In this episode, we unpack Part 1 of Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, published in 1808.

Key themes explored:

* The consequences of endless striving

*The tension between higher and lower level desires

* The temptation of evil

Host: Zach Stehura  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠UnpackingIdeas.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Guest: Philip Kubasov

Intro Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Polyenso⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Free PDF of the book: ⁠Faust part 1 David Luke translation

Resources Mentioned

Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant (book)

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov (book)

Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe (book/play)

The Decline of the West by Oswald Spengler (book)

In this episode, we unpack Erich Fromm's 1976 book, "To Have or to Be?"

Key Themes Explored:

* The Myth of Progress

*The Consumer Personality

* Being vs. Having

Host: Zach Stehura  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠UnpackingIdeas.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Guest: Oriane Hakkila

Intro Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Polyenso⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Free PDF of the book: ⁠To Have or To Be by Erich Fromm

Resources Mentioned:

I and Thou by Martin Buber (book)

The Meaning of Anxiety by Rollo May (book)

The Value of Everything by Mariana Mazzucato (book)

The Myth of Normal by Gabor Mate (book)

In this episode, we unpack William James’s 1907 book, “Pragmatism.”

Key Themes Explored

*The Pragmatic Theory of Truth

*The Nature of Belief Change

* Psychology's connection to Philosophy

Host: Zach Stehura  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠UnpackingIdeas.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Guest: Brent Mondoskin

Intro Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Polyenso⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Free PDF of the book: Pragmatism by William James⁠

Resources Mentioned

The Metaphysical Club by Louis Menand(book)

The Essential Pierce vol.1 by C.S. Pierce(book)

Radical Empiricism by William James (book)

Mindset by Carol Dweck(book)

The Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo Tolstoy (book)

In this episode, we unpack the “Tao Te Ching,” traditionally attributed to Lao Tzu and composed around the 4th century BCE.

Key Themes Explored

*The art of not over-doing

*The cyclical nature of all things

*Acting in accordance with the nature of reality

Host: Zach Stehura  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠UnpackingIdeas.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Guest: Amon Greene [email protected]

Intro Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Polyenso⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Free PDF of the book: The Tao Te Ching Red Pine Translation

Resources Mentioned

Tao: The Watercourse Way by Alan Watts (book)

Trying Not to Try by Edward Slingerland (book)

Taoism: An Essential Guide by Eva Wong (book)

In this episode, we unpack Erving Goffman's 1954 book, "The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life."

Key Themes Explored

* The art of impression management

*The desire to maintain consistent performances

*The self as a social construct

Note: You don’t need to have read the book to enjoy this episode!

Host: Zach Stehura  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠UnpackingIdeas.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Guest: Jason Doe

Intro Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Polyenso⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Free PDF of the Book: ⁠The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life

In this episode, we unpack Plato’s “Symposium,” written circa 385 BCE.

Key themes include

* The Nature of Eros

*The Human desire for immortality

*The Guru Disciple Relationship

Host: Zach Stehura  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠UnpackingIdeas.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Guest: Kilaya Ciriello Author of: Socrates Guru: Plato's Spiritual Philosophy in Comparison with the Indian Tradition

The Fundamentalist Plato (blog/substack)

Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Polyenso⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Free PDF of the book: ⁠Symposium PDF

Timestamps

0:00:00 Introduction

0:02:42 Fundamentalist Platonism

0:06:15 The Tradition of The Symposium 

0:09:15 Narrative Structure of The Symposium

0:10:20 The Question of Plato’s Authorship

0:15:35 The Speech of Phaedrus

0:20:10 Historical Context of Pederastic Relationships Between Men and Boys

0:24:31 The Speech of Pausanias

0:28:18 The Speech of Eryximachus

0:31:49 The Speech of Aristophanes

0:38:10 The Speech of Agathon 

0:39:46 The Flattery & Humility of Socrates

0:43:25 The Significance of Diotima

0:46:28 Socrates First Argument on Eros

0:50:18 We Only Desire What we Lack

0:53:07 Love as an Intermediary between humans and Gods

0:57:43 The Pursuit of Immortality

1:06:08 Love of “The Good”

1:08:24 The Ladder of Love

1:13:49 Pure Rationality

1:16:24 Criticisms of The Ladder of Love

1:18:42 The Entrance of Alcibiades  

1:24:15 The Desire to Possess Another Person

1:27:42 Resentment towards Those Who Highlight our Shortcomings 

1:28:45 The Unlikely Chance one will succeed as a Philosopher

1:31:29 Wrapping up

In this episode, we unpack “Paradiso,” the third part of Dante Alighieri’s epic poem, “The Divine Comedy,” completed around 1321.

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 Kubasov

Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Polyenso⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

In this episode, we unpack “Purgatorio,” the second part of Dante Alighieri’s epic poem, “The Divine Comedy,” completed around 1321.

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 Kubasov

Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Polyenso⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

In this episode, we unpack “Inferno,” the first part of Dante Alighieri’s epic poem, “The Divine Comedy,” completed around 1321.

This Poem Explores...

• Why One Must Journey Through Hell Before Entering Heaven

• Why Fraud is the Considered the Most Severe Sin
• How Earthly Love Can Inspire Divine love

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 Kubasov

Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Polyenso⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠