x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

John Vespasian

JOHN VESPASIAN is the author of sixteen books, including “When everything fails, try this” (2009), “Rationality is the way to happiness” (2009), “The philosophy of builders” (2010), “The 10 principles of rational living” (2012), “Rational living, rational working” (2013), “Consistency: The key to permanent stress relief” (2014), “On becoming unbreakable” (2015), “Thriving in difficult times” (2016), “Causality: Aristotle’s life and ideas” (2024), “Foresight: Schopenhauer’s life and ideas” (2024),

science social sciences

All Episodes

5:41

Personal growth and Montaigne’s concept of virtue

John Vespasian ·

2025/10/14

I am always amazed to see people devote vast energies to growing “more effective” without having a clear idea of their goals. How is one supposed to measure “effectiveness” if there is no avowed goal to pursue? Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) was suspicious of vague promises in any area of life. He considered it self-evident that the first step is to define one’s goals, and that “effectiveness” is to be measured in relation to the achievement of that goal. Objectives vary depending on the person,

en

6:15

Hard decisions and Montaigne’s concept of virtue

John Vespasian ·

2025/10/14

I find it reasonable to question any ethical system that does not deliver success and happiness. What’s the point of being a good person if there are no tangible rewards? Why should one practise virtue if it does not bring practical advantages? Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) asked those questions in the context of the sixteenth century, but today’s circumstances are not fundamentally different. We all face moral choices, and must figure out how those are going to impact our success and happiness. I

en

6:22

The essays by Michel de Montaigne

John Vespasian ·

2025/10/14

Imagine devoting two decades of your life to writing dozens of essays with no expectation of anyone ever reading them. For most people, such a perspective would not make sense. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) thought otherwise. Why? Because he was primarily writing for himself. There were a few best-selling books in the sixteenth century but they made little money for their authors. Literature became a business only in the nineteenth century, when technology made it possible to print novels at a

en

6:10

How Michel de Montaigne wrote his essays

John Vespasian ·

2025/10/09

In the vast critical commentary on the essays by Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592), I haven’t found detailed explanations of Montaigne’s writing method. The question is intriguing and worth answering: Montaigne proved capable of producing dozens of high-quality essays, but he lacked sophisticated tools. He possessed a relatively small book collection, paper, ink, a feather, and a writing desk. How did he manage to produce such an extensive literary output? How did he manage to keep a high level of

en

6:29

The structure of Michel de Montaigne’s essays

John Vespasian ·

2025/10/09

Nowadays, writers privilege structure above all. Before they write down the first word, they want to know precisely where they are going. They want to select in advance their destination and all the stops along the way. For writing his essays, Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) embraced a different approach; he managed to supply structure and pace to his works without doing lots of advance planning. I find Montaigne’s approach worth studying because of its vast potential. It can teach us not only how

en

6:10

Michel de Montaigne and free will

John Vespasian ·

2025/10/09

When in doubt, it is wise to develop a theory and check if it matches the facts; experience will tell us if the theory is correct or if it needs revising. Trial and error can prove tiresome but it is the best of methods to figure out the truth. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) wasn’t a scientist, but he possessed an immense curiosity. He read incessantly (although his library was not large), asked questions, developed theories, and put them through the test. When he was in his late thirties, he

en

7:37

Michel de Montaigne and wisdom

John Vespasian ·

2025/10/09

I have a simple definition of wisdom. It consists of just seven words. I define wisdom as “the habit of seeing what is hidden.” It is a short, but highly demanding definition, which disqualifies most mindless rituals and educated nonsense. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) never quite managed to define wisdom, but his writings interpreted it in a fashion that astonished his contemporaries. He would pass review not only to the hidden elements, but also to their long-term consequences. For twenty years,

en

8:19

Analysis of Schopenhauer’s views on the meaning of life

John Vespasian ·

2025/10/02

Was Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) a subjectivist? Did he reject an objective philosophy, where the concepts of good and bad are universally defined? What’s the difference between Schopenhauer and subjectivist thinkers? Schopenhauer wasn’t a subjectivist. His book “The world as will and representation” (1818) outlines the theory of the will, which sustains that all living entities are driven by a life force (“the will”) to ensure their survival and reproduction. According to Schopenhauer, the will

en

9:22

Aristotle’s thoughts on the purpose of art and beauty

John Vespasian ·

2025/10/02

Aristotle (384-322 BC) devoted his “Poetics” to defining art and beauty, especially in the field of theatre. For Aristotle, art consists of a reality imitation or reflection (“mimesis”) with a purpose determined by the artist. The Aristotelian concept of art goes beyond defining what is pretty, pleasant or appealing. The goal of art is not to entertain or make your time more pleasant, but to identify truths that are not self-evident. Art conveys ideas that cannot be apprehended in the course of

en

7:18

Schopenhauer on determinism

John Vespasian ·

2025/09/30

It’s not correct to say that Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) embraced a form of metaphysical determinism. His philosophy rests on the assumption that the will (which I translate as “life force”) influences all events, but there is a substantial distance between influencing and determining. The difference between influence and determinism has large consequences. I am not pointing to a trivial linguistic variance. If you want to make good decisions and keep anxiety at bay, it is crucial that you

en

7:38

Aristotle’s understanding of human flourishing and...

John Vespasian ·

2025/09/30

Aristotle (384-322 BC) addressed human flourishing in his work, “Nicomachean Ethics.” The key idea of “Nicomachean Ethics” is that the goal of human life should be happiness (in Greek “eudaimonia).” For Aristotle, happiness means “leading the good life” or “flourishing.” It means that the concerned person has attained steady, overall well-being, not just a fleeting pleasure. According to “Nicomachean Ethics,” eudaimonia requires cultivating intellectual and moral virtues day after day. What did

en

6:33

Schopenhauer and Buddhism

John Vespasian ·

2025/09/30

In the field of ethics, Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) was influenced by Buddhist thought. In particular, Schopenhauer held in high regard the Buddhist concern for suffering, placing empathy and compassion at the centre of his ethical system. Nonetheless, there are fundamental differences between the ideas of Schopenhauer and the Buddhist religion. In his book “The world as will and representation” (1808), Schopenhauer theorised that the universe is driven by the will (“life force”). Every living

en

5:28

Aristotle’s concepts of potentiality and actuality

John Vespasian ·

2025/09/30

If you walk the streets of any large city nowadays, the sheer number of homeless, confused people will make you wonder if Aristotle’s theory of potentiality and actuality has been totally forgotten. While most people today believe that self-development and self-actualisation are almost impossible, Aristotle had already observed twenty-five centuries ago that all creatures have the potential to actualise a better version of themselves. Aristotle defined “potentiality” as “the capacity for change that

en

6:37

Michel de Montaigne: how reading enhances self-reliance

John Vespasian ·

2025/09/23

Before quitting his job and retiring to live in the countryside, Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) had witnessed outrageous displays of prejudice and irrationality. Widespread violence had driven him close to losing all hope for humanity. Luckily, he opted for taking a step back and examining the situation. Montaigne’s conclusions are spread all over his essays. I can summarize here one of his main conclusions: People who don’t read books tend to be narrow-minded, gullible, emotional, and prone to

en

6:58

Michel de Montaigne’s literary appreciation and...

John Vespasian ·

2025/09/23

Due to their heterogeneous subjects, the essays of Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) cannot be easily summarised in quotes and one-liners. Nevertheless, I am going to present here the quotes that I consider most relevant for conveying Montaigne’s key messages. Montaigne’s essays constitute the output of twenty years of quiet labour. Amidst religious wars, political strife, famine and pestilence, Montaigne stayed loyal to his daily habits. He didn’t allow anyone or anything to disrupt his reading and

en

6:35

Lessons from Michel de Montaigne’s literary...

John Vespasian ·

2025/09/23

It is only recently that people have started to regard literary, historical, and philosophical studies as worthless. Parents warn their children against humanities studies, and instead, try to steer them towards medicine, law, or computer science. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) was the living proof that, in prior centuries, people had regarded literature, history, and philosophy as highly practical. In the sixteenth century, students viewed those disciplines as sources of wisdom and personal

en

7:45

Michel de Montaigne and the art of conversation

John Vespasian ·

2025/09/23

Everybody can talk and put forward his ideas, but it requires alertness and subtlety to draw the best of conversations. In life, time and energies are limited, and conversation takes up a fair measure of those. How can we carry out conversations in ways that enable us to draw maximum benefit? Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) spent twenty years of his life in the countryside, interacting with friends only from time to time. For this reason, whenever he had the chance, he took part in good

en

8:07

Montaigne’s cultural impact, especially on French...

John Vespasian ·

2025/09/18

After devoting twenty years of his life to writing essays, Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) had developed great expectations for the future. He believed that his essays would appeal to a large public and influence future generations. History has proven Montaigne right but not in the manner he expected. His essays did find a large audience, but their philosophical influence has been negligible. His quotations do appeal to truth-seekers, but they have seldom changed anyone’s life. Montaigne’s curiosity

en

6:28

Critique of Michel de Montaigne’s cultural impact

John Vespasian ·

2025/09/18

Sadly, the cultural impact of Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) has been mostly detrimental. Why? Because intellectuals have retained the worst part of Montaigne’s ideas and forgotten his valuable insights. Am I exaggerating in my assessment? I do not think so. Let us look at three wrong Montaigne’s ideas that have taken root in popular culture, and that many people regard as indisputable truths. Lack of intellectual structure is a severe deficiency that undermines Montaigne’s essays. It shows in his

en

6:31

Michel de Montaigne and self-awareness

John Vespasian ·

2025/09/16

Self-awareness remains as rare a phenomenon nowadays as it has been in prior generations. It requires the ability to apply philosophical ideas in daily life, weighing them against social pressures, personal convenience, and short-term practicality. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) was the first essayist in history to practise self-awareness systematically. He displayed enormous efforts to compare abstractions with facts, emotions with prejudices, ethics with rationalisations, and principles with

en

313 results

Similar Podcasts

Classic Radio Science Fiction

solgoodmedia.com

Mission to Mars

Inception Point Ai

The 365 Days of Astronomy

365DaysOfAstronomy.org

Creek Devil

william Jevning

UFO Chronicles Podcast

Nik Hunter