Welcome to Empyreon Academy, a podcast for lovers of wisdom and life.
I’m Ivan, a PhD candidate in philosophy and founder of Empyreon Academy.

Today, we turn to Leo Tolstoy and his Gospel in Brief — a radical return to the teachings of Christ, stripped of dogma and ritual. For Tolstoy, Christianity isn’t divine mystery or church tradition; it’s a way of life that gives meaning to existence.

We’ll explore three core ideas:
🕊️ The Teaching, Not the Theology — finding truth in Christ’s words, not institutions.
🌿 The Five Commandments — Tolstoy’s moral path of peace, love, and simplicity.
🔥 The Kingdom Within — a spiritual awakening lived here and now.

Tolstoy’s message is simple yet revolutionary: live the truth, don’t just believe it.

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Hi, I’m Ivan, PhD fellow at the University of Freiburg and I'm also the founder of Empyreon Academy.To join our community and download FREE content you can subscribe here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

To watch my YouTube videos: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠empyreonacademy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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About Empyreon Academy:

1. Our primary aim is to equip individuals with the intellectual tools needed to develop their thinking by engaging in dialogue with the greatest minds in history.

2. Our secondary goal is to create a community where people can share their deep understanding for the benefit of everyone.

What We Offer:

1. Online Courses – Covering a wide range of topics in philosophy and the fine arts, our courses are distinguished by their philosophical depth. We emphasize dialogue, enabling students to critically engage, discuss, and think alongside influential authors.

2. Conferences – Every three months, we host free, live online conferences, designed to welcome a wide audience and encourage meaningful participation.

3. Magazine – We regularly publish thoughtful book reviews, philosophical articles, and curated reading recommendations.

Who We Are:

We are an international team of scholars and educators, each specialized in different authors and traditions. What unites us is a shared passion for philosophy and the arts, and a commitment to guiding others on their own path of inquiry.

To echo the spirit of this approach:

“In short, the student should not learn thoughts, but should learn to think. The philosophy teacher should not carry him, but guide him…” – Immanuel Kant

“Learning to see – accustoming the eye to calmness, to patience, to letting things come to you…” – Friedrich Nietzsche