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PODCAST

The Heart and the Head

Dr. Brenton G. Smith

The Heart and the Head is a podcast about changing our lives through taking up a philosophical life of seeking after truth. This is considered by examining the lives and teachings of great philosophers and thinkers throughout history.This is a show about how to change everything. It is for those of us who no longer find themselves reflected in the cultural narrative of seeking happiness through pursuit of wealth, achievement, or self-expression.In Republic, Plato tells a parable, imploring each of

society & culture philosophy

All Episodes

18:26

Reflecting on Scripture 6 - Isaiah 53:1-8 - The Blood...

The Heart and the Head ·

2025/11/23

In this episode, I focus my own reflections today on a portion of this well-known passage from Isaiah which often doesn’t get much attention. This is the portion at the beginning of the passage, from verses 2-3, where we learn that this messianic figure, who turns out to be Jesus was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering and familiar with pain,a man whom people hide their faces from, who was despised and held in low esteem. If you have questions or comments about content from...

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16:55

Reflecting on Scripture 5 - Genesis 28:10-17 -...

The Heart and the Head ·

2025/11/10

In this episode, I look at the account of what is sometimes referred to as "Jacob's Ladder". I argue that this is a depiction of an opposite way of life to what we examined last show, with the tower of Babel. -------------- If you have questions or comments about content from this episode, please send feedback to theheartandtheheadpodcast@gmail.com The passage I’ll look at for the next show will be Isaiah's account of a messianic figure in Isaiah 53: "He was despised and rejected by mankind, ...

en-us

15:15

Reflecting on Scripture 4 - Gen 11:1-9 - The...

The Heart and the Head ·

2025/10/26

In this episode, I look at the story of the tower of Babel found in the Bible's book of Genesis. I argue that the picture of "building monuments" represents an existential act we human beings take to try to try to make meaning for our own lives. I also argue that this is a clear depiction of the nature of sin. -------------- If you have questions or comments about content from this episode, please send feedback to theheartandtheheadpodcast@gmail.com The passage I’ll look at for the next show ...

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25:28

Reflecting on Scripture 3 - Mark 12:13-17 - Giving to...

The Heart and the Head ·

2025/10/13

In this episode I look at Jesus's response to the Pharisees and Herodians question about paying taxes to Rome. Jesus replies, "Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” I argue that Jesus is urging us to shift our point of view entirely about worldly authority, and recognize instead the authority of a loving God. -------------- If you have questions or comments about content from this episode, please send feedback to theheartandtheheadpodcast@gmail.com The passage I’ll l...

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25:12

Reflecting on Scripture 2 - Matthew 26:47 - Living by...

The Heart and the Head ·

2025/09/28

In this episode, I look at Jesus's arrest and his words to Peter, "all who draw the sword will die by the sword," in the context of a culture which increasingly condones the use of force, and sometimes violence to attain one's ends. -------------- If you have questions or comments about content from this episode, please send feedback to theheartandtheheadpodcast@gmail.com The passage I’ll look at for the next show will be Jesus’s confrontation with the Pharisees about paying taxes to Caesar, ...

en-us

27:02

The Heart and the Head's New Format

The Heart and the Head ·

2025/09/15

In this episode, I explain the new format I'll be using for the Heart and the Head going forward. New episodes of the Heart and the Head subsequently will be released with the title "The Heart and the Head - Reflecting on Scripture", and will feature Bible passages as springboards to reflection. I discuss why I am making this change and justify it in this podcast. If you have questions or comments about content from this episode, please send feedback to theheartandtheheadpodcast@gmail.com

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17:26

Reflecting on Scripture 1 - Ephesians 4:14 - Identity...

The Heart and the Head ·

2025/09/15

In this episode, I reflect on the following passage from Ephesians 4:14 in the Bible: "Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, g...

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46:35

6 - Political Polarization: A Problem of Self Identity

The Heart and the Head ·

2025/01/09

In this show, I'll start a two part series on the problem of polarization and identity politics, and what I see as the only lasting solution to that problem. As always, shows like this in a series are basically self contained in their discussions, though connected in their topics.In this first episode of the series, I'm going to discuss the phenomenon of polarization: what it is, and why it happens. By first figuring out the answers this show to what polarization is and why it occurs, next sh...

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40:39

5 - Responding to Suffering - Finding Meaning in...

The Heart and the Head ·

2024/12/14

In these three episodes, I look at different ways we might respond and choose to experience suffering we encounter in our lives.This episode looks at how we might begin to find meaning in our suffering. There are a few guiding texts which I reference during this discussion: Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning, Huxley's Brave New World, and the Bible's Book of Job.If you have questions or comments about content from this episode, please send feedback to theheartandtheheadpodcast@gmail.com

en-us

40:29

Responding to Suffering - Suffering as Meaningless

The Heart and the Head ·

2024/11/19

In the next three episodes, I look at different ways we might respond and choose to experience suffering we encounter in our lives.This episode looks at an option before us when we suffer: to see our suffering as meaningless. There are a few guiding texts which I reference during this discussion: Shakespeare’s Macbeth; as well as works by Albert Camus, Friedrich Nietzsche, and William Faulkner.If you have questions or comments about content from this episode, please send feedback to theh...

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29:04

Responding to Suffering - Avoiding Suffering

The Heart and the Head ·

2024/10/29

In the next three episodes, I look at different ways we might respond and choose to experience suffering we encounter in our lives. ·There are a few guiding texts which I'll use for my discussions over these shows: primarily Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning; Shakespeare’s Macbeth; Bessel Van De Kolk’s The Body Keeps the Score, Brene Browne’s lecture series, The Power of Vulnerability, Aldous Huxley's Brave New World; comments by the German Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche on this theme...

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34:26

Hitting Bottom

The Heart and the Head ·

2024/09/27

In this episode, we consider the role that suffering and pain play in the philosophical life. Suffering and pain can cause us to "hit a bottom", propelling us to live differently as a result. We consider this topic through a discussion of Boethius's consolation of philosophy, also considering a diversity of resources from Victor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning, an opinion piece by David Brooks in the NYTimes, Terrence Malick's film A Hidden Life, and the biography of Fyodor Dostoevsky.Let t...

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23:31

Living Philosophically

The Heart and the Head ·

2024/09/26

In the first episode of the podcast, I outline goals of the podcast, address the question of why anyone would want to live philosophically in the first place, and explain the name of the podcast - the Heart and the Head.

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13 results

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