Enduring Wisdom Andrew Perlot

Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, Plato — The ancient philosophers who get so much praise were often old, privileged, straight, white men.
If you're not old, white, straight, male, and privileged, or you chafe at the constraints of a world you feel is stacked against you, you may wonder why you should care what these old men thought.
What good could their ideas do you, hobbled as they were by their prejudices and privilege?
There are probably two good reasons for you read philosophy if you consider yourself an outsider, a rebel, or want to change the world.
1) The greatest civil rights crusaders of the 20th century — who shook the very foundation of America to its core and brought about radical change — were steeped in the ideas of these old white philosophers. They admitted that their ideas shaped their own drive to better the world. They thought philosophical ideas so valuable that they fought hard to get the right to read them.
2) In many cases, the old white philosophers people disdain were actually the rebels of their day. Many came from underprivileged backgrounds.
Epictetus was a slave who only gained his freedom in later life. Musonius Rufus refused to stop criticizing the Roman Emperors, and so was repeatedly exiled and almost died on a desert island.  Diogenes lived like a homeless vagabond, trying to push the people of Greece to live more virtuous lives.
In this episode we're going to talk about how Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X, and Frederick Douglas all gained valuable ideas from ancient philosophers.
▬ Content of this Episode ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
00:00​ Intro 01:33​ Frederick Douglass: How ideas set us free. 03:23​ Malcolm X: Reading old white men doesn't make you like them. 05:54​ Martin Luther King Jr: Philosophy's revolutionary playbook 07:59​ Ancient philosophers were the rebels of their day. OTHER WAYS TO LEARN ABOUT THIS TOPIC:
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Do we need to give up on changing our world for the better if we're going to live a philosophic life? 
Stoicism demands adherents abandon ego, thoughts of fame, and, most importantly, that they act with courage, justice, wisdom, and moderation. Rising to power and influence usually involves getting your hands dirty, so we might think a Stoic changemaker would quickly abandon virtue. Power corrupts, the saying goes, and at the very least, it seems to inflate egos. So how did Stoic leaders manage to find a different path?
In this episode, we explore how Stoics take impactful action while keeping their values intact.
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Have you ever felt trapped between equally dogmatic extremes? Do those around you seem blinded by their beliefs?
Philosophical Skeptics see the firm opinions people want to shove down their throats and say, "Epoché," or "I hold back."
Keeping our minds unclouded by firm opinions and personal labels is a powerful strategy that's allowed many of history's greatest men and women to see alternatives their competitors missed.
In this episode we talk about the strands of Skepticism running through Stoics like the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, eclectic philosophers like Montaigne, and modern thinkers like Nassim Nicholas Taleb and investor and tech entrepreneur Paul Graham.
We also discuss why it's so hard to productively talk about topics people identify with strongly.
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