Western Civ

In this episode, Galileo finally turns his attention firmly to the heavens. Quickly, Galileo recognizes that, with this new technology, the telescope, he can decisively prove that both Ptolemy and Tycho Brahe were wrong. Copernicus was right. Today Galileo sets himself on a collision course with the Inquisition and the Roman Catholic Church.

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In this author interview, I sit down with Peter Sarris and discuss his latest book: Justinian: Emperor, Soldier, Saint. It is an excellent historical biography that covers the importance of one of the most influential figures of the Early Middle Ages. We talk about Rome, Persia, the plague, Belisarius, and, of course, Hagia Sophia.

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In this historian interview, I sit down with Tom Wheeler, author of Techlash: Who Makes the Rules in the Digital Gilded Age? We talk about economic explosion, social unrest, international competition, and even fake news. Can the problems of the past provide inspiration to the solutions of the future? Are we doomed to repeat the growing pains of the early Twentieth Century? We discuss all this and more.

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Here is a bonus, sneak peak of Western Civ 2.0. In my Patreon feed, we hit the proverbial reset button and start from scratch. The episodes are more detailed but the storytelling is the same. This is the principal way I support the show. Patreon offers a variety of options for support running as low as $1 per month. There is also a free trial wherein you check it out for a week free of charge.

In this episode, I wrap up the Wars of the Successors. Alexander the Great's death in 323 BCE shattered his empire before it had the chance to get up and going. Ptolemy, Seleucus, and a slew of others fought over the remains until Rome gobbled it all up.

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Today we get more into the meat of Galileo. He is remembered as someone willing to challenge the church on the issue of the geocentric universe. But he actually challenged a lot more than that. Today we will explore how Galileo challenged Aristotle's perceived truths and how that changed science.

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We come now to the most recognizable name from the early Scientific Revolution: Galileo. Galileo studied motion, falling bodies, and, of course, the stars. His infamous Inquisition trial has made him a nearly household name. Today we begin his story.

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In this author interview, I sit down with renowned mathematician Marcus Du Sautoy and talk about his newest book: Around the World in 80 Games. I LOVE games, as will be apparent in this interview. And I could not miss the chance to talk to a mathematician about how, for example, my Risk strategy has been all wrong.

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Nicholas Copernicus and Galileo Galilei usually get all the credit for the breakthroughs in astronomy in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries and rightfully so to an extent. However, though his efforts were far from "sexy", Tycho Brahe was an essential innovator in his own right during the early Scientific Revolution. Without Brahe, we might not get many aspects of modern science that we, frankly, take for granted today. In today's episode, I tell the tale of the early modern astronomer who lost half his nose in a duel.

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Today we finish Copernicus and inch toward Tycho Brahe. On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres was a truly monumental achievement. Sadly, its release was marred by a poorly added preface by Andreas Osiander. In the end, no one involved with its publication was pleased by the final product. Still, in this history podcast, we evaluate the role the work played in the beginning of the Scientific Revolution.

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There is no discussion of modern Roman Historiography without Tom Holland. He is one of the premier historians covering the medieval, classical, and ancient world. Today I get the pleasure of talking to him about his new book: Pax: War and Peace in Rome's Golden Age. We discuss Nero, Vesuvius, the Year of the Four Emperors, Vespasian and his sons: Titus and Domitian, and then the emperors of Rome's true golden age: Trajan and Hadrian.

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