Unpacking Ideas

Zach Stehura
  • 3.9 (11)
  • PHILOSOPHY
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Unpacking the most influential ideas from the past to make them more accessible in the present. To read along with us visit www.unpackingideas.com/podcast

  1. JUL 14

    39. Erving Goffman on The Performative Self

    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

    1h 24m

  2. JUN 9

    38. Plato on Platonic Love

    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

    1h 33m

  3. 12/23/2024

    37. Dante Alighieri on Paradise

    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

    1h 14m

  4. 12/04/2024

    36. Dante Alighieri on Purgatory

    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

    1h 28m

  5. 12/03/2024

    35. Dante Alighieri on Inferno

    In this episode we unpack Inferno from The Divine Comedy by Italian Poet, Dante Alighieri from 1321. This Poem Explores... Why One Must Journey Through Hell Before Entering Heaven Why Fraud is the Considered the Most Severe Sin How Earthly Love Can Inspire Divine love 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

    1h 16m

  6. 11/12/2024

    34. G.H. Hardy on The Beauty of Mathematics

    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

    1h 6m

  7. 06/17/2024

    33. Marie-Louise von Franz on The Problem of the Eternal Child

    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

    1h 18m

  8. 12/21/2023

    32. Thomas Paine on Tyranny

    In this episode we unpack "Common Sense" by English-American Political Activist Thomas Paine. This Books Explores... The Functions of Society and Government The Evils of Monarchy The Path Forward for the American Colonies 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

    1h 14m
See All (39)

3.9
out of 5
11 Ratings

About

Unpacking the most influential ideas from the past to make them more accessible in the present. To read along with us visit www.unpackingideas.com/podcast

Information

  • Creator
    Zach Stehura
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2025
  • Episodes
    39
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Zach Stehura
  • Show Website
    Unpacking Ideas

You Might Also Like