A podcast that muses on the greater good of wine was never going to miss a chance to speak to one of the world’s most-renowned living thinkers.

Anthony Grayling is a prolific author, as well as Master of the New College of the Humanities and a Supernumerary Fellow of St Anne's College, Oxford.

I caught up with him at the tail-end of his three-week stint as philosopher-in-residence at Margaret River’s Voyager Estate, whose winemaker, Tim Shand, made this episode possible.

Professor Grayling is a regular visitor to Australia and appeared at this year’s Margaret River Readers and Writers Festival, followed by Melbourne Writers Festival, where he discussed his new book, Discriminations: Making Peace in the Culture Wars.

Our conversation centred upon his previous book, Philosophy and Life: Exploring the Great Questions of How to Live, and how we might apply those lessons to growing, drinking and enjoying wine.

A central concern is the Socratic challenge: the idea that the unconsidered life is not worth living—that if you don't reflect on your life and don't identify and choose the values you live by, then you are not fully living.

“Most people would rather die than think, and many of them do!” said Bertrand Russell. Well, for the sake of wine, the planet and each other, Vininspo! is a fierce advocate of freedom of thought—well, let’s go one further: our responsibility to question, think and act accordingly.

This was a fascinating discussion about curiosity, authenticity, resilience, fulfilment and much more.

As well as Socrates himself, we discuss the Cynics, Epicureans and Stoics. Plato comes up, as does Cicero’s work De Amicitia. Also mentioned are Spinoza, Walter Pater, Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre, whose Existentialism is a Humanism essay drives a complete answer on authenticity and commitment.

In addition, I quote Robyn Archer from her 20-year-old Alfred Deakin Innovation Lecture, “Imagination and the Audience: Commissioning for Creativity”, as well as an excerpt from Nietzsche as cited in Geoff Dyer’s brilliant book, The Last Days of Roger Federer.

A.C. Grayling among the organically farmed vines at Voyager Estate. Photo and cover image by Ovis Creative.

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