![]() ![]() It’s very difficult to claim you have a certain virtue, say courage, unless you have a track record of behaving courageously. ![]() What’s the difference? Well, values are essentially beliefs Anyone can claim to have them. By contrast, the ancient Greeks didn’t care much for what we call values. Our society today seems obsessed with values-just think about how many times you’ve heard the phrase “our shared values” or “that goes against our values.” Every club, company, corporation, political party, and religious institution today touts its own list of values up on their website. I remember thinking, wow, that simple phrase really sums up a key difference between ancient Greek and modern approaches to ethics. “Virtues are more important than values.” That line jumped out at me from an audiobook my wife was listening to the other day. Or through a one-time donation: /greecepodcast What makes this good philosophy? What makes this fine literature? What does this first book accomplish in the context of the entire Republic? We then wrap up the episode by taking a step back, and considering the bigger picture. The bulk of this episode consists in a detailed summary of the first book and an analysis of the arguments it contains. Our series on Plato’s Republic continues with this deep dive into book 1. ![]()
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