Quintus Curtius

In this podcast we discuss the subject of having the faith and confidence to follow your creative muse, without looking for the approval or endorsement of others. The herd is always going to try to enforce conformity. Do your homework, do your research, and learn your subject: but at the critical jumping-off moment, you need to keep your own counsel and not let anyone undermine your instinct.

This podcast is in two parts. The first part deals with a good question I received today from a girl who emailed me about a relationship question. The second part is a reading of some G Manifesto tweets, just to have a few laughs. Listen to these amusing tweets, as I try to control my laughter.

Today was a difficult one to bear. We grieve, and feel dismay. I wanted to honor the spirit that created Notre Dame by reading some selections from Joinville's "Life of Saint Louis." He was the king of France known as Louis IX, and he lived from 1214 to 1270. The pious and selfless ethic he professed infused every stone, every brick, and every timber of Notre Dame. France, do not forget your dead king. Vive la France.

Journalist Raphael Rowe's new Netflix documentary series "Inside the World's Toughest Prisons" provides a harrowing look at incarceration in different countries. It also prompts a larger, deeper question. What philosophy is better: rehabilitation, or retribution? We look at the arguments for both sides.

In this podcast we discuss some life advice offered by the medieval Arabic political theorist and philosopher Ibn Zafar in his treatise, "Consolation of the Ruler Amid the Hostility of His Subjects."

In this podcast we answer some of the most common questions I've received about the G Manifesto. "Who is he?" "What does he do?" "Is he really doing the things he says he's doing?" We discuss some of the take-away lessons, and then go into some recent tweet readings.

In this podcast we talk about how the media deliberately tries to foment discord for its own self-serving purposes, and how this aligns with the purposes of the plutocracy. We compare this ethic to an interesting anecdote related by the Roman historian Priscus that occurred while he was traveling to the court of Attila the Hun in 448 A.D. Most people just want to be left alone to live their lives in peace, and this is the ideal we should seek in an era of perpetual outrage.

I read some of the recent tweets of the G Manifesto (Twitter: @MichaelPorfirio. It's all here: chimp strength, coconuts, weesh dudes, game meats, deep ocean swims, swooping mass beautiful girls, and the whole nine yards. What the hell use is anything if you can't enjoy life? Unplug from those negative dorks out there and visualize some real fun.

In this podcast we discuss how fragile and perishable knowledge and learning can be. We discuss the loss of Latin literature in the West, and the dissipation of the holdings of the Alexandrian library of the Ptolemies. It is clear that even a short period of neglect can result in the loss of a catastrophic quantity of irreplaceable knowledge. Every generation must safeguard and promote the legacy of the past, so that future epochs are not deprived of their cultural inheritance. It only took about 200 years of neglect for the majority of Latin literature to become lost to history.  In the east, the great library of Alexandria, along with that of Pergamum, withered away from a combination of apathy, neglect, and the vicissitudes of time.  What lessons can be learned from these sobering facts?

In this podcast, I read a chapter from my 2015 book "Pantheon." The chapter is entitled "Ice Odyssey: Douglas Mawson's Race Against Death."

I didn't really know what to call this podcast.  It's a mix of a few different things.  I wanted to talk about the movies I reviewed in the last post here, but I also wanted to toss out an interesting comment made by Samuel Johnson on trade and pleasure.  And finally--to relax and unwind--I read a few recent tweets by the G Manifesto.  It's important in life to mix things up.  Idleness may be the Devil's servant, but so is monotony.

Men's clubs used to be places where like-minded individuals could congregate and discuss topics of mutual interest. As society has changed, this is becoming a rare tradition. To see just what a gentleman's club was like in London in 1783, we go to the original sources and read the club's by-laws. Nothing better illustrates how different that era was from today.

At what point does a man's dedication turn into obsession? And at what point can this obsession turn self-destructive? What role should judgment and restraint play in our lives? We discuss these issues, and offer the example of storm chaser Tim Samaras.

There are times when a leader must deliver a sharp rebuke to someone in order to get him or her back on the right track. It is a technique that has to be used carefully, as it is not appropriate for every situation. We relate an anecdote in which the holy man Athanasios of Athos used it effectively. We then turn to some irreverent fun, with a reading of some of the tweets of the G Manifesto (on Twitter: @MichaelPorfirio).

This podcast is the third and final lecture in a series of three on my translation of Cicero's "On Moral Ends." In this lecture, we focus on the fifth and final book of "On Moral Ends," which deals with the somewhat eclectic philosophy of Antiochus of Ascalon. The speakers in book V, Cicero and Marcus Piso, debate Antiochus's views and tussle over whether his conception of the Ultimate Good is better, or worse, than the Ultimate Good proposed by the Stoics and Epicureans. Can wisdom and virtue stand alone, or do other "goods" matter too? What do we really need for a happy life?

This podcast, the second in a series of three, discusses the highlights of books III and IV of Cicero's "On Moral Ends." In these two books, Cato and Cicero aggressively debate the merits of Stoicism and its conception of the Ultimate Good. The discussion takes place at Tusculum, Italy, a place that was extensively photographed by the translator in preparation of this work. When reading books III and IV, ask yourself what you think of the points raised by the disputants. How does Stoicism compare with Epicureanism, in your view?

This podcast is the first of a series of three podcasts that will discuss Cicero's treatise "On Moral Ends." I have just published an illustrated, annotated translation of this work and wanted to introduce readers to the book's major concepts and arguments. This podcast discusses the following subjects: 1. The origin and purpose of the work 2. The main ideas of, and arguments for, the Epicurean philosophy 3. The flaws and criticisms of Epicureanism After reading books I and 2 of "On Moral Ends," ask yourself what your own opinions are of Epicureanism, and Cicero's criticisms of it. Are they justified, or unjustified?

A reader tells how he had a very good mentor when he was young. As an older man, he now wants to be a mentor to a young person, but is not sure of the right way to go about it. We offer some suggestions.

My new, original translation of Cicero's "On Moral Ends" is now available. This podcast describes the unique features of the book, what it is about, and why it is important.

We discuss the importance of continuing to move forward, no matter what happens, and no matter how many bad things happen to you. Everyone's luck changes for the better sooner or later, and you have to be in the game when it happens. We compare and contrast the experiences of Nikki Sixx of the rock band Motley Crüe with that of television personality Anthony Bourdain. We close by reading a few tweets from the G Manifesto.