In this episode we unpack the ancient Chinese classic, "The Tao Te Ching" by Lao Tzu from circa 400 BCE

This book explores...

*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: 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)

Timestamps

0:00 Introduction

4:51 Amon’s background 

10:10 Historical Context of the Tao Te Ching

11:50 Confucianism vs. Taoism

15:38 Wu Wei

22:25 Going with the flow

27:26 De

37:22 Wu Wei Government

39:56 Wu Wei vs. Flow

42:33 Restraint of taking action

46:29 “The Tao that can be spoken is not the Eternal Tao”

51:10 Mistaking the word for the thing 

55:37 Yin and Yang

1:03:15 The cyclical nature of everything

1:10:55 Wrapping up

1:15:09 Outro

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

This book explores...

* The art of impression management

*The desire to maintain consistent performances

*The self as a social construct

Host: Zach Stehura  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠UnpackingIdeas.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Guest: Jason Doe

Intro Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Polyenso⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Free PDF of the book: ⁠free pdf

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

Timestamps

0:00:00 Introduction

0:04:46 Historical Context

0:06:43 “All the World is a Stage…”

0:08:13 Audience/Performer Dynamic

0:10:45 First Impressions 

0:12:00  Consistent Performances

0:13:45 Working Consensus

0:17:30 Idealization

0:20:24 Mystification

0:22:27 Audience Segregation

0:25:53 Dramatization 

0:28:27 Front Stage/Back Stage

0:37:40 Teams

0:42:00 Discrepant Roles

0:51:38 Failed Performances

0:52:20 Audience Tact 

0:54:35 The Moral Character of the Definition of the Situation

0:57:13 False Notes

1:08:09 Performing for Ourselves

1:13:25 The Self as Social Construct

1:18:11 Cynical and Sincere Performances

1:20:17 Masks Becoming Personality

1:22:21 Outro

In this episode we unpack The Symposium by ancient Greek Philosopher Plato.

This dialogue explores...

* The Nature of Eros

*The Human desire for immortality

*The Guru Disciple Relationship

Free Pdf of The Symposium

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

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

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 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