Classical Stuff You Should Know

We continue our long journey toward Jerusalem with the Templar. In this episode: Assassins who would vote in favor of the "legalize it" legislation, leper kings, a bunch of bros who go to Jerusalem to get gold, and REALLY INTENSE HANDSHAKES.

The Knights Templar weren't always the folks running our governments and engineering the weather. Once upon a time, they were holy mercenaries.

St. Francis lived a colorful life, one full of passion, boldly stated vows, and animal congregations.

This is the continuation of the series on Plato's Republic. Book III is where Plato goes a little off the rails. Got a terminal disease? Might as well kick the bucket.

The commonplace book is a compendium of knowledge gleaned from years of reading, but it has to start somewhere.

In this episode we discuss Josh Gibbs's excellent book, "Something They Will Not Forget." Check it. It's pretty solid.

This episode is the continuation of A.J.'s series on Plato's Republic.

In this episode, Graeme teaches us about the notion of teaching through mimesis, which is that knowing the soul of the learner and teaching through example are paramount.

Thomas takes us further into the Enneagram, and teaches us about all the extra information that comes with the Ennegram that makes it useful for practical counselling and life in general.

This is a little history of the seven deadly sins and the seven virtues. I know we've hit this topic before, but . . . uh . . . here it is again.

It's Paideia week at Veritas, which means we get to record a live podcast. Graeme is at the helm for this one, and we discuss hermeneutics.

In this episode, we review the life and heresies of Augustine of Hippo, who's apparently far more relatable than OTHER saints I could mention.

This is the first episode of a series on Plato's Republic. I swear it's not as boring as it sounds. We'll see how far we get before A.J. gets distracted and decides to do something else.

The Romans thought much of discipline, and we can learn from them a good way to balance the Folly we talked about last episode.

Desiderius Erasmus is a great name, and he wrote a satire in which the goddess Folly gives an extemporaneous speech in praise of herself. It's great. Let's get silly.

We didn't get into the story of Brave New World in the last podcast about Huxley's excellent novel, but we do in this one! Take some Soma, hop in your Ford, and come along.

No episode this week. See you next week!

In this episode, we return to T.S. and learn a little about his later poetry and stuff. Turns out he's a pretty neat guy (who had a four year stint of crazy no-poetry-time).

Jason and his homies needed a golden fleece. What better way to get it than with the help of a crazy witch priestess, a talking ship, and a trip to Libya?

This is all about our current world. Just kidding, it's about a dystopian world invented by Aldous Huxley.

Thomas has been reading some James Schall lately, and walks us through his book, "Another Sort of Learning." We have heated debates about grades and what a student owes a teacher (Money. The answer is money.).

Here I am at . . . Camp Granada!

We are on the brink of a new slavery, but Graeme is here to save us.

Oscar Wilde is an interesting study in contradictions, and his book, "The Picture of Dorian Gray," is an absolute hoot.

Thomas walks us through some thoughts on mimetic learning. In other words, the teacher is the curriculum.

We're taking a break this week. See you next week!

Dude. ol' Richie the Two is a pretty interesting character. You ever cow an entire army with your majesty? Probs not. He did.

While we skip a couple of stories (the Miller and Reeve are bawdy fellows), it turns out that a lawyer and a cereal widow are pretty good at spinning a yarn.

I tried so hard And got so far But in the end It doesn't even matter

You guys. It's spring. If you find yourself ready to take a walk, go on a journey, or otherwise just be outside, you're no different from anyone in the 1300s. In this episode, we'll journey with Chaucer and his buddies on their trip to Canterbury.

So, who IS allowed to pass judgment on great works of art? Is the layman? Is a college freshman? Where does the dollar stop?

The saga of English kings continues, and in this one they go to France! Granted, it's to take over, but that's cool, right?

The third part of Cicero's "On Duty" doesn't fail to disappoint. Or, at least, it wasn't what A.J. was expecting going in. On the other hand, we get to go through some fun moral cases involving vermin, grain, and two drowning wise men having discussions about boards.

One of our last episodes elicited more listener emails than we've ever received, and a fair bit of consternation. We address a little of that here.

In the fourth installment of the Plantagenet series, we learn about Edward Longshanks and his son, Edward Shortshanks.

Take just a short pause from smooching, listener to aurally imbibe these ancient tales of ardent amory. .

The first book of Cicero's "On Duty" concerns what is morally right for men to do. The second is what is expedient, or how to get what you want. Cicero isn't exactly a face-melter, so it's easier to get the synopsis here than it is to read on your own (don't let me stop you, just don't say I didn't warn ya).

In Milton's Paradise Lost, the demons hold council after the fall to decide their next course of action. Three demons stand and make suggestions. We discuss their infernal ideas.

Turns out that the heretics weren't usually burned at the stake. Sure, sometimes they got punched in the mouth by Santa, but most of the time they lived happy lives. Let's chat about em.

Cicero was a legendary statesman and orator. He wrote a treatise on moral philosophy to his son in the hopes that his son would follow in his footsteps. In this episode, we review part one (with parts two and three to come), and make a few poop jokes. Heh. Doody.

Hamlet is a complicated play, and probably, besides the star-crossed-lovers, his most famous. Graeme helps us understand Hamlet's web of lies.

All those tests you take on the internet might be helpful, but we take some serious beef with the Meyers-Briggs test and its implications.

Merry Christmas from all of us at Classical Stuff! In this episode, we fight through the background noise of a vigorous floor buffing to bring you tales of Ol' Saint Nicholas, who was real. . . and leaks.

We discuss whether the classical movement, or even a preference for old things (books especially), is really just veiled chronological snobbery.

Thucydides wrote down, best he could, the funeral oration of Pericles, one of the greatest rulers(ish) of Athens. You'll hear the whole thing, then we discuss.

Satire: can it ever be virtuous? We submit that it can.

William Blake was a printer and a precursor to the Romantics. In this episode, we discuss his "Marriage of Heaven and Hell."

As the history of the Brits continues, so does our podcast about it. In this episode, Graeme tells us about how Edward's shanks were indeed long.

Josh Gibbs is a scholar we're all fond of, and in this episode we discuss his new book.

Sir Gawain was a member of King Arthur's court . . . and a pipsqueak. This is his story.