Greek History Archives - Public Seminar

Activism

Trojan Horse

Misusing Greek mythology on a college campus sneaks white supremacy in the back door

July 23, 2020 • by Amelia Jones and Tania Modleski

These cultural forms act as “Trojan horses,” sneaking offensive, even racist and sexist ideas into the fabric of the university where they lie in wait to do harm. In our case, one has to begin, of course, with the hyper-masculine bronze statue of Tommy Trojan (erected in 1930) at the center ...

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How Socrates Can Help Psychotherapists

When two minds meet like steel striking flint

January 30, 2019 • by James Overholser

As the field of psychotherapy focuses more on treatment manuals and the regimented nature of clinical research, the practice risks losing the subtle nuances that guide the interactive fluidity of therapy sessions. Can clinicians combat this loss by incorporating ideals from ancient philosophy into contemporary psychotherapy? In The Socratic Method of ...

Democracy

Defending “Open” Democracy

What would an open democracy based on different forms of non-electoral yet democratic representation look like?

October 5, 2018 • by Hélène Landemore

Democracy is in trouble, or so we are told. In this essay I argue that the crisis of democracy as we know it -- which has come to be symbolized by Trump or Brexit -- is a sign of its vitality as a normative ideal. People the Western world over ...

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Socrates and His Teaching

Isaac Bashevis Singer translated by David Stromberg

April 30, 2018 • by Isaac Bashevis Singer

Socrates is the best-known Greek philosopher among most people. The reason for his fame is not the philosopher himself but his mean wife, Xanthippe. People in no way interested in philosophy know that the great Socrates had a bitter spouse who caused him great suffering. Socrates is also famous for ...

Education

The Parthenon as a Mediator between Greek Mathematics and Liberal Education

An excerpt from Michael Weinman and Geoff Lehman’s latest book

April 2, 2018 • by Michael Weinman and Geoff Lehman

We propose here to pursue a method of speculative reconstruction to detail what can be learned about the “state of the art” in the early development of “liberal education” in ﬁfth-century Greece. One needs to be cautious in speaking about such a development at such a time, which predates ...

The Parthenon as a Mediator between Greek Mathematics and Liberal Education

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A Night of Philosophy

Reintroducing the flute player

March 26, 2018 • by Mériam Korichi

25 centuries after Plato’s Symposium… 1. “All you need is love”? “Make love not war”? These slogans were made famous by the radical counter-culture movement in the US in the early 1960’s and were to go viral in the year 1968 when the intellectual, social and political contestation spread to the whole ...

Feature

The Courage to Speak Truth in Untruthful Times

Reading Former FBI Director Comey as Parrhesiastes

August 20, 2017 • by Louis Jargow

On June 8th, James Comey, former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), gave honest and sincere testimony in front of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. His testimony concerned President Trump’s handling of the FBI investigation into General Flynn’s relationship to Russian interference in the United States presidential ...

The Courage to Speak Truth in Untruthful Times

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Why Engage Public Anger

A reply to Chakravarti’s Introduction to ‘Sing the Rage’

August 1, 2017 • by Michael Weinman

“Sing the Rage” is a bold title for a bold book. It is no small provocation to thus entitle a book that argues for a more robust engagement with anger in public life in today’s democratic societies. The title is a further challenge for readers who recall the proem[1] to ...