A Bibliophile's Odyssey: Reading The Great Books
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Great Books Ep 111. Herodotus - The History - Book 2 (Euterpé), Part 3. Unstring Your Bow from Time to Time
Just as a bow needs to be unstrung to let it rest, our minds need to be released from the constant tension of serious work or thought.
Sep 12
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Rob, a bibliophile
2
August 2025
Great Books Ep 110. Herodotus - The History - Book 2 (Euterpé), Part 2. Egypt and the Sacred Life of Animals
To the Egyptians, animals were not lower creatures, but vessels of divine power.
Aug 31
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Rob, a bibliophile
Great Books Ep 109. Herodotus - The History - Book 2 (Euterpé), Part 1. Egypt - The Gift of Nile, The Land of Wonders
Reflecting on early childhood development, reduction of toil, who is a citizen, perils of infighting and food restriction customs
Aug 4
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Rob, a bibliophile
1
July 2025
Great Books Ep 108. Herodotus - The History - Book 1 (Clio), Part 3. The Persian Expansion and Fall of Cyrus
The Persian Empire under Cyrus conquers Greek cities, Babylon, and numerous kingdoms across Asia.
Jul 28
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Rob, a bibliophile
1
June 2025
Great Books Ep 107. Herodotus - The History - Book 1 (Clio), Part 2. How Trying to Prevent Fate Creates It
The attempts to control the future by trying to eliminate perceived threats like AI or human imperfection are probably less wise than guiding their…
Jun 1
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Rob, a bibliophile
May 2025
Great Books Ep 106. Herodotus - The History - Book 1 (Clio), Part 1. On the Fragility of Success
One can truly assess whether a person was happy or successful only after their death, not by the peaks of their glory.
May 27
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Rob, a bibliophile
2
Great Books Ep 105. Aristophanes - The Plutus. The Enduring Dream of Wealth Distribution
If everyone becomes rich, will people move on towards tackling bigger challenges or just enjoy the wealth and not do anything?
May 17
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Rob, a bibliophile
Great Books Ep 104. Aristophanes - The Ecclesiazusae. The Constant Yearning for Utopia
Idealistic systems fail in so many different ways because of the unpredictability of human nature. Still, people yearn for communal systems were…
May 10
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Rob, a bibliophile
March 2025
Great Books Ep 103. Aristophanes - The Thesmophoriazusae. Crashing a Women's Festival
With more prosperity, there could be less rigidity regarding what is masculine vs feminine.
Mar 30
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Rob, a bibliophile
Great Books Ep 102. Aristophanes - The Lysistrata. Intimacy in a Dopamine-Driven World
In a world where getting high is easy, is abstinence really a challenge?
Mar 23
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Rob, a bibliophile
Great Books Ep 101. Aristophanes - The Frogs. On the Freedom of Speech
Does the impulse to defend a god through violence reveal underlying insecurities about one's own faith?
Mar 10
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Rob, a bibliophile
Great Books Ep 100. Aristophanes - The Birds. Seeking Freedom and Utopia, Creating Autocracy
Revolutionary movements often end up recreating the very systems they sought to overthrow.
Mar 2
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Rob, a bibliophile
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