Episode
#107 - Graeme Garrard - How To Think Politically
51:53
Published: Mon Sep 30 2019
Description
Graeme Garrard is a Teacher at Cardiff University & Harvard Summer School and an author. Why do we need politics? And who are the individuals that have most shaped the world of political thought? Today we get to find out about some of the most influential thinkers in history from Marx to Plato, Nietzsche to Machiavelli and Plato to Locke. Extra Stuff: Buy How To Think Politically - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1472961781/ Follow Graeme on Twitter - https://twitter.com/GarrardGraeme Check out everything I recommend from books to products and help support the podcast at no extra cost to you by shopping through this link - https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/modernwisdom - Get in touch. Join the discussion with me and other like minded listeners in the episode comments on the MW YouTube Channel or message me... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ModernWisdomPodcast Email: https://www.chriswillx.com/contact
Chapters
Graham Garad discusses the history of politics and its importance, as well as interesting thinkers like Aristotle, Karl Marx, Machiavelli, Plato, Socrates, and Nietzsche.
00:00 - 02:25 (02:25)
Summary
Graham Garad discusses the history of politics and its importance, as well as interesting thinkers like Aristotle, Karl Marx, Machiavelli, Plato, Socrates, and Nietzsche. Listeners will receive a crash course in the foundational writers and ideas of politics and philosophy.
Episode#107 - Graeme Garrard - How To Think Politically
PodcastModern Wisdom
The political perspective on just a struggle for power is incomplete and lacks humanity.
02:26 - 12:33 (10:07)
Summary
The political perspective on just a struggle for power is incomplete and lacks humanity. Not all power involves politics.
Episode#107 - Graeme Garrard - How To Think Politically
PodcastModern Wisdom
The current trend of less tolerance towards different opinions is a return to normal in history, where political views have been closely linked to fundamental beliefs like religion and identity.
12:33 - 22:31 (09:58)
Summary
The current trend of less tolerance towards different opinions is a return to normal in history, where political views have been closely linked to fundamental beliefs like religion and identity. This has caused political thinkers throughout history to suffer consequences for their controversial views, emphasizing the importance of the purity and goodness of a person's soul over outward things.
Episode#107 - Graeme Garrard - How To Think Politically
PodcastModern Wisdom
The speaker expresses their interest in spending time with Thomas Hobbes who wrote Leviathan in response to the English civil war, but wonders how he would feel about his work being vindicated in the present time.
22:31 - 27:44 (05:12)
Summary
The speaker expresses their interest in spending time with Thomas Hobbes who wrote Leviathan in response to the English civil war, but wonders how he would feel about his work being vindicated in the present time.
Episode#107 - Graeme Garrard - How To Think Politically
PodcastModern Wisdom
This podcast discusses Nietzsche's views on the crisis of Western civilization centering around the idea of the death of God, the loss of belief that sustained Western civilization for 2000 years, and the effect of satisfying basic needs on the loss of tension, tragedy, and struggle.
27:44 - 35:22 (07:38)
Summary
This podcast discusses Nietzsche's views on the crisis of Western civilization centering around the idea of the death of God, the loss of belief that sustained Western civilization for 2000 years, and the effect of satisfying basic needs on the loss of tension, tragedy, and struggle.
Episode#107 - Graeme Garrard - How To Think Politically
PodcastModern Wisdom
In politics, having a clear understanding of the role that ideas and beliefs play is crucial for effective leadership.
35:22 - 46:55 (11:32)
Summary
In politics, having a clear understanding of the role that ideas and beliefs play is crucial for effective leadership. David Cameron's pragmatic approach to politics without a consideration for values and beliefs left him ill-equipped to handle the deep divisions that Brexit and the rise of populism have highlighted.
Episode#107 - Graeme Garrard - How To Think Politically
PodcastModern Wisdom
This podcast discusses the need for politicians to elevate political discourse by talking in more general terms and not always being overwhelmed by the horse race of politics.
46:55 - 51:40 (04:45)
Summary
This podcast discusses the need for politicians to elevate political discourse by talking in more general terms and not always being overwhelmed by the horse race of politics. The overall context within which politics happens could be elevated, rebalancing it a little bit in favor of trying to think at a slightly deeper level as the tone and language of public debate that surrounds politicians should be raised and improved to some extent.