Welcome to The Western Traditions Podcast!

Episodes

Episode XIB.007 - Genesis 6:1-9:29
Jan. 5, 2025

Episode XIB.007 - Genesis 6:1-9:29

God chastises the world with the Flood. Only Noah and his family are spared. A breakdown of symbols and morality in the flood narrative.RECOMMENDED READS - Click Image for Link:
Episode II.42 - Greek Twilight
Dec. 20, 2024

Episode II.42 - Greek Twilight

Pyrrhus, Greek king and general, fights the Roman tide that threatens to wash over the entire Greek world. The Seleucid Empire and Ptolemaic Egypt flourish and endure. The Maccabees revolt in Judea and start the Hasmonean dynasty of kings in Jerusalem.
Episode II.41 - The Rise of the Diadochi
Nov. 29, 2024

Episode II.41 - The Rise of the Diadochi

Alexander the Great dies and leaves behind a fragmented world of multi-cultural states led by Greek soldiers. The Hellenistic period which follows brings western ideas in to East. More than anything, it paves the way for Eastern religions, like Judaism, Buddhism and Christianity, to infiltrate the West.
Episode II.40 - Alexander the Great: The Conquest of Asia
152
Nov. 15, 2024

Episode II.40 - Alexander the Great: The Conquest of Asia

Alexander the Great at the Battle of Granicus, the Battle of Issus and at Gaugamela. Jerusalem and Gaza. The Temple of Ammon in Egypt. His horse Bucephalus. His strategos Parmenio. Darius III flees to the East.RECOMMENDED READS - Click Image for Link:
Episode II.39 - Alexander the Great: Hegemon of Greece
Oct. 28, 2024

Episode II.39 - Alexander the Great: Hegemon of Greece

The youth of Alexander the Great. His strange mother Olympias. His friends Ptolemy, Nearchus and others. Cleopatra , Darius III and the fall of Thebes.RECOMMENDED READS - Click Image for Link:
Episode III.03 - The Aeneid
Oct. 17, 2024

Episode III.03 - The Aeneid

Virgil writes of Aeneas and the Trojan origins of Rome. The tale is both distinctively Roman and notably Greek. Heroes such as Odysseus and Achilles are recalled, as are monsters such as Scylla and Cerberus. The relationship between Roman mythology and Greek myths.RECOMMENDED READS - Click Image for Link:
Episode II.38 - Introduction to the Hellenic Period
146
Oct. 2, 2024

Episode II.38 - Introduction to the Hellenic Period

Phillip II of Macedonia. Alexander the Great. The Sacred Band of Thebes. A brief digression on Greek sexuality. Olympias. Leuctra, Mantinea, Chaeronea. Epaminondas. PelopidasRECOMMENDED READS - Click Image for Link:
Episode XIB.006 - Genesis 4:17 - 5:32
Sept. 20, 2024

Episode XIB.006 - Genesis 4:17 - 5:32

Exitus and Reditus. The theology of the genealogies in the Bible.RECOMMENDED READS - Click Image for Link:
Episode II.37 - Greek Philosophy VI: Aristotle
Sept. 11, 2024

Episode II.37 - Greek Philosophy VI: Aristotle

The philosophical works of Aristotle. Metaphysics, Ethics and Politics.RECOMMENDED READS - Click Image for Link:
Episode IX.05 - Sympathy for the Bully: Part One - Sit and Listen
Aug. 30, 2024

Episode IX.05 - Sympathy for the Bully: Part One - Sit and Listen

Who is rewarded by the school system? Who benefits from the regimentation? Who benefits from the system of alienation? The child who sits still. The child who is quiet. The child who keeps his hands to himself. The child who doesn’t ask to go outside. We are trained to be docile from day one.
Episode XII.003 - The Study Method II
Aug. 22, 2024

Episode XII.003 - The Study Method II

The next step up in sophistication with regard to note-taking.
Episode II.36 - Greek Math
Aug. 15, 2024

Episode II.36 - Greek Math

Pythagoras, Euclid, Archimedes and more. Over the centuries, the ancient Greeks separate Mathematics and other fields of study from philosophy.RECOMMENDED READS - Click Image for Link:
Episode II.35 - Greek Science II: Introduction to Aristotle
Aug. 9, 2024

Episode II.35 - Greek Science II: Introduction to Aristotle

The Aristotelian contribution to Greek Science. Defining first principles. Substance, Accidents and the nature of being.RECOMMENDED READS - Click Image for Link:
Episode XII.002 - The Study Method I
July 26, 2024

Episode XII.002 - The Study Method I

Asking questions about your reading projects to increase retention of information. The power of handwriting. Avoiding negative input during the early stages of learning.RECOMMENDED READS - Click Image for Link:
Episode XIB.005 - Genesis 4:1-16
July 25, 2024

Episode XIB.005 - Genesis 4:1-16

The blood of thy brother cries out to me from the earth! The typology of Abel and Christ.RECOMMENDED READS - Click Image for Link:
Episode II.34 - Greek Philosophy V: Plato’s Republic
July 19, 2024

Episode II.34 - Greek Philosophy V: Plato’s Republic

Socrates envisions a just society in which men and women are equals, and all are suited perfectly for their station in life. But is the cost of this just society too high? Censorship, lies and eugenics in the philosophy of Plato.RECOMMENDED READS - Click Image for Link:
Episode II.33 - Greek Philosophy IV: The Death of Socrates
126
July 11, 2024

Episode II.33 - Greek Philosophy IV: The Death of Socrates

From his jail cell in Athens, Socrates makes his last argument in defense of the immortal soul. Death as separation of body and soul. The essences of Beauty, Justice and more. The perfection and purity of the soul.RECOMMENDED READS - Click Image for Link:
Episode XIB.004 - Genesis 3
July 4, 2024

Episode XIB.004 - Genesis 3

Adam and Eve listen to the serpent, and suffer exile from Paradise as a consequence. Adam, Eve, the tree and the serpent prefigure Christ, Mary, the cross and Satan.RECOMMENDED READS - Click Image for Link:
Episode II.32 - The Anabasis of Xenophon
June 27, 2024

Episode II.32 - The Anabasis of Xenophon

Xenophon disregards the advice of Socrates and joins the army of Cyrus the Younger. When Cyrus dies in combat against his brother, Artaxerxes, King of Persia, Xenophon and others lead ten thousand Greek soldiers on a long retreat home.RECOMMENDED READS - Click Image for Link:
Episode XIB.003 - Genesis 2:4 - 25
June 13, 2024

Episode XIB.003 - Genesis 2:4 - 25

Made from earth, and from each other, man and woman meet in Paradise. The meaning of marriage. The eschatology of Genesis.RECOMMENDED READS - Click Image for Link:
Episode X.002 - Paleo-American Origins I: The Beringia Theory
June 7, 2024

Episode X.002 - Paleo-American Origins I: The Beringia Theory

The Beringia Theory. Clovis points and the extinction of the megafauna.RECOMMENDED READS - Click Image for Link:
Episode XIB.002 - Genesis 1:1 - 2:3
May 30, 2024

Episode XIB.002 - Genesis 1:1 - 2:3

The creation of the world in seven days. Allegory and Anagogy. The textual loop of Scripture.RECOMMENDED READS - Click Image for Link:
Episode II.31 - Greek Philosophy III: The Trial of Socrates
May 24, 2024

Episode II.31 - Greek Philosophy III: The Trial of Socrates

Socrates stands trial for impiety. The Apology and the Crito. The similarities between Socrates and Christ.RECOMMENDED READS - Click Image for Link:
Episode II.30 - Greek Drama III: Aristophanes
May 16, 2024

Episode II.30 - Greek Drama III: Aristophanes

Aristophanes mocks and derides the latest developments in Athenian society, and lambasts the motives for the seemingly endless Peloponnesus War. His play, The Clouds, takes aim at Socrates and all philosophers.RECOMMENDED READS - Click Image for Link: