Course · 10 lessons · 2h 16m
Introduction to Ancient and Classical Philosophy
Move from Socratic questioning through classical Greek, Chinese, Buddhist, Stoic, and Cynic traditions.
By the end, you'll be able to
- Socrates and the Art of Questioning
- Plato's Cave, Forms, and the Fight for Truth
- Aristotle's Four Causes, Form, and Change
- Confucius, Ren, and the Power of Ritual
Curriculum
10 lessons- 01Socrates and the Art of QuestioningExplore how Socrates turned philosophy toward ethics, self-examination, and the search for virtue through relentless questioning. This episode also untangles the challenge of separating the historical Socrates from the portraits left by Plato, Xenophon, and Aristophanes.18 min
- 02Plato's Cave, Forms, and the Fight for TruthThis episode traces how Plato’s experience of Socrates’ death shaped his lifelong project, from the dialogue form and the Academy to his theory of Forms. It also breaks down the Allegory of the Cave and what Plato means by education, reality, and the tension between truth and politics.14 min
- 03Aristotle's Four Causes, Form, and ChangeThis episode introduces Aristotle’s life, his break with but debt to Plato, and why his writing feels so systematic and dense. It also breaks down his ideas of four causes, matter and form, and the distinction between potentiality and actuality.15 min
- 04Confucius, Ren, and the Power of RitualThis episode explores Confucius in a time of political breakdown, tracing how ren and li shape humaneness, self-discipline, and trust. It also unpacks the Analects as a teaching tradition and shows why moral formation, not just abstract theory, sits at the heart of Confucian thought.14 min
- 05Laozi, Wu Wei, and the Way Behind the WorldThis episode explores the legendary figure of Laozi, the origins of the Dao De Jing, and the central ideas of Dao and de. It also breaks down wu wei, water imagery, and Laozi’s upside-down ethics of softness, humility, and effective action.12 min
- 06The Buddha, the Four Noble Truths, and the Middle WayThis episode introduces Siddhartha Gautama and the historical uncertainty around his life before unpacking the Buddha’s core diagnosis of dukkha, craving, and liberation. It also explains the Four Noble Truths, the Middle Way, and the Eightfold Path as a practical framework for understanding impermanence, non-self, and disciplined living.13 min
- 07Marcus Aurelius, Stoicism, and the Art of Self-RuleThis episode explores Marcus Aurelius as both Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher, unpacking the historical pressures behind Meditations and the core Stoic ideas of judgment, virtue, duty, and mortality. It also considers the tension in his legacy: a guide to inner discipline shaped by an empire built on power, war, and hierarchy.12 min
- 08Epicurus: Pleasure Without ExcessThis episode explores Epicurus beyond the stereotype of luxury, tracing his modest life, the Garden in Athens, and his radical view that happiness comes from simplicity, friendship, and freedom from fear. It also breaks down his ideas about desire, the gods, and death, showing why his philosophy was really a guide to calm and independence.12 min
- 09Diogenes and the Art of Living FreeThis episode explores Diogenes of Sinope, the ancient Cynic who turned simplicity, shamelessness, and blunt truth-telling into a philosophy of freedom. It traces how his radical rejection of convention challenged status, comfort, and power, and why his ideas still resonate with Stoicism, satire, and critiques of consumer culture.12 min
- 10Heraclitus and the Hidden Order of ChangeThis episode explores Heraclitus’s view that reality is always in motion, from rivers and fire to the tension of opposites. It also explains his idea of logos as the underlying pattern that gives change its intelligible structure.13 min
Your instructor
One Philosopher At A Time
One Philosopher At A Time is a story-driven philosophy podcast that explores the thinkers who shaped how we understand life, truth, morality, power, love, death, and meaning.
Each episode focuses on one philosopher: who they were, what they believed, the world they lived in, and why their ideas still matter today. From Socrates and Plato to Nietzsche, Confucius, Simone de Beauvoir, Marcus Aurelius, and beyond, this show makes philosophy clear, human, and useful.
No jargon. No academic gatekeeping. Just one thinker, one life, and one big idea at a time.
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