Before we begin today's episode, two quick announcements.

The first is a reminder that there is an upcoming tour in Greece this October.

So if you want to come on an adventure with me and other like-minded people,

then check out the previous mini episode in your podcast feed for the full announcement about that.

And the second point is a disclaimer that the following conversation you're about to hear

was actually recorded back in November of 2022. But due to both my parents falling gravely ill,

I wasn't able to get it ready for publication until now. With that all out of the way,

I hope you enjoy today's program.

Hi, thanks for tuning in to ancient Greece, Declassified.

Episode 53, Platonism versus Stoicism

As our world becomes more technologically advanced and ultra-modern, more and more people

have been turning to ancient wisdom in search of meaning, cases in point, yoga, Buddhism, and Tai Chi. Now, in the realm of ancient

Greek philosophy, two schools in particular have experienced a huge resurgence in recent years,

Stoicism and Platonism. Now, there were many philosophical schools in ancient Greece. So why are these

two making such a big comeback? And what value, meaning,

or practical wisdom can they offer us? That's what we're going to find out today. Now, before we

jump into the conversation, a quick timeline for those who are interested. Plato founded his

school in Athens, called the Academy, in the 380s BC. Zeno of Kidium founded his school, later known as

the Stoah or Stoicism, also in Athens in around 300 BC. Now, both of these schools continue to

exist for many hundreds of years, enduring long after the Roman conquest of Greece. During those many

centuries, groups of philosophers in each school incessantly debated,

refined, and expanded upon the work of their school's founders.

...