Aristotle never treated philosophy as a luxury or something that you do when you are bored. In Book Seven of Politics, he forces a difficult question: can the philosophical life become a retreat from real action? And if so, what does that say about the lives we choose? What is worth pursuing at the end of the day? And what is ultimately meaning of life? In this episode, I break down Aristotle’s argument that happiness is found in living life according to virtue, and both philosophical / scientific life and active civic life are virtuous. Virtue comes from action and from the choices you make, the habits you build, and the character you sharpen. Thought without action becomes passivity. Action without thought becomes chaos. The good life lies in the tension between them. Aristotle also explores the oldest divide in human life: the active citizen versus the pure thinker.

In this episode, I walk through Book 6 of Aristotle’s Politics, a section where he becomes unusually practical. Here he stops talking about ideal systems and starts asking a simpler question: what actually keeps a community functioning? Why do some forms of shared rule remain stable while others constantly shift? Aristotle looks at freedom, equality, participation, and the habits of everyday life. He studies how farmers, merchants, and workers naturally shape different patterns of governance often without intending to. He examines why different groups see justice differently, how equality gets defined, and why the character of a population matters as much as its laws.

Source of discussion in the video: Aristotle’s Politics, Book VI, Chapters 1–8.

I talked to Dr. Anil Seth, neuroscientist, author of "Being You", and one of the world’s leading thinkers on consciousness, to explore one of the deepest questions in philosophy and science: What does it mean to be aware, and why does it feel like something to be you? Dr. Seth’s work is amazing as it bridges neuroscience, philosophy, and artificial intelligence. Just to be clear, the theory of controlled hallucination that Anil advocates doesn't suggest the external world doesn't exist. It simply means our access to it is always filtered through the interpretive and predictive mechanisms of our own brains. Portrait credit: Ramon Haindl / Die Ziet

What did Aristotle really think about monarchy? In this episode, I finish Book V of Aristotle’s Politics, exploring how monarchies rise, fall, and sometimes turn into their opposite. Along the way, we look at Aristotle’s comparisons with democracy, and his practical reflections on power, virtue, and moderation. This discussion is entirely historical and philosophical in nature, focusing on Aristotle’s ideas in their original context. Source of discussion in the video: Aristotle’s Politics, Book V, Chapters 10-12.

I sat down with Dr. Spencer Greenberg, mathematician, entrepreneur, and host of the Clearer Thinking podcast, to explore one of the most fascinating puzzles of human nature: why even the most intelligent minds can fall for irrational beliefs. In this conversation, we discuss: (1) Is intelligence alone to protect us from bias and self-deception? (2) How emotions, heuristics, and evolution shape our irrational choices (3) Is there any cost of being perfectly “rational”? (4) Whether truth-seeking can conflict with happiness or fulfillment (5) How to recognize when you’re playing status games instead of searching for truth (6) Why positive thinking and self-help can sometimes backfire (7) How to train your mind to think more clearly in a world full of noise.

What makes a society lose its moral strength?Did Aristotle already warn us about how virtue slowly fades not through sudden corruption, but through small unnoticed habits that change who we become?In Book V of Aristotle’s Politics, he explores why even the best systems weaken over time, and why preserving balance depends less on power and more on character.

I sat down with Dr. Stephen Hicks, philosopher and author of Explaining Postmodernism, to explore some of the biggest questions in modern thought: what the Enlightenment really changed, how confidence in reason began to crack over time, and why modern philosophy still struggles with truth, meaning, and progress.

What is the source of all conflicts? Aristotle thought that the answer had something to do with human nature itself. In this episode, I talk about Book V of Aristotle's Politics, where Aristotle finally stops describing systems and now also starts dissecting their psychology. He explores how ambition, resentment, and pride drive people toward conflict, and why the rich and poor never agree on what “justice” means.

Source of discussion in the video: Aristotle’s Politics, Book V, Chapters 1–6.