Virtue in the Wasteland Podcast

Commencement is about beginnings.  We address those who graduate this spring and all those who are adults and out of school.  We talk abou the importance of ongoing exploration of the world and ways to stay sharp.  We share some of our favorite podcasts for learning as adults.  

Direct download: ViW43_A_Graduation_Special.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:00am PDT

What do amateur ornithology and coffee snobbery have to do with anything?  We explain the personal and cultural value that avoocations bring.    Dan explains some ways to enjoy a better coffee.  Jeff explains why he loves birds so much and explains how to get started as an amateur bird watcher.

Direct download: ViW42_The_Birds_and_The_Beans.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:00am PDT

What is virtue anyway, and can it be taught?  This is not our dissertation on the subject, just some friendly conversation with several colleagues who participated in a panel conversation on great texts.  Dr. Scott Ashmon, Dr. John Lu, Dr. C.J. Armstrong, and Prof. Dan Deen gathered in Dr. Ashmon's Hilton suite for beverages and conversation.  We talk about ethos, pathos, logos, virtue, habituation, Aristotle, Virgil, and love.  This affects everything from parenting to pedagogy, so give it a listen.

Direct download: ViW41_Can_Virtue_Be_Taught_.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:00am PDT

We explore the beauty of language, classic and contemporary with Dr. Stanley Lombardo, a translator of classics like the Illiad and Aeneid.  Listen even if classic Latin and Greek epics aren't familiar to you.  If nothing else, listen for the first twenty minutes to hear Dr. Lombardo recite poetry in classical Greek.  The sound itself will demonstrate the importance of our topic.  Topics include the art of translation, Homeric legends, Virgil, Zen Buddhism, and poetry in general.  

B-Sides are in depth discussions with professors and professionals about the beauty and importance of their callings.

Direct download: ViW39b_Its_Epic.mp3
Category:Bonus B-Side -- posted at: 6:00am PDT

Classicist C.J. Armstrong explains the importance and beauty of Homer's Iliad.  This is the first of several Wasteland Companions, shows where we give you the important background and summary of a great book.  Unfortunately, Jeff's mic wasn't working right.  Fortunately, this is one of the few shows where he doesn't talk too much.  Share with a high schooler or college student perhaps who is reading this in their studies, or a friend who likes to go back and pick up great works they missed in school.

Direct download: ViW40wc_The_Illiad.mp3
Category:Wasteland Companion -- posted at: 5:00am PDT

Dr. Uwe Siemon-Netto has seen it all.  The JFK assassination coverage, the rise of the Nazis, a famous drinking horse in Germany, the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall, and of course the Vietnam War.  Uwe talks about getting a doctorate after a not so good high school experience.  We learn why our news media has gone so far away from its original calling or vocation today.  Learn why you should not criticize a German town’s beer. Learn who can drink more beer and not slur: Catholic priests or Lutheran pastors.  Find out how clumsy and immature JFK was, but also how he rose to the occasion when global annihilation loomed.  What should a journalist do when they come across a scandal?  Find out why Uwe wouldn't mind being a horse poop specialist.  By the way, you wish you were as cool as the guy in the picture here.  I suppose you can be.  Just become a journalist in the old school style.  Learn about how Uwe came to study with Peter Berger, thanks to his wife, Gillian's wise sense of Uwe's suitability for the clergy ranks, or lack thereof.  

Direct download: ViW39b_A_Journalists_Vocation.mp3
Category:Bonus B-Side -- posted at: 5:00am PDT

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