Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?

You're Dead to Me

BBC

Comedy, History

4.7 • 10.9K Ratings

🗓️ 31 January 2025

⏱️ 57 minutes

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Summary

Greg Jenner is joined in ancient Greece by Professor Edith Hall and comedian Dan Schreiber to learn all about famous philosopher Aristotle and his world changing ideas. Born a doctor’s son in the coastal settlement of Stagira, Aristotle would go on to revolutionise intellectual life in the west, writing on everything from theatre and the arts to politics, moral philosophy and zoology. After studying under Plato at his academy, Aristotle became a teacher himself, tutoring none other than a young Alexander the Great in Macedon before returning to Athens to found his own school, the Lyceum. And yet this extraordinary life came to an end in exile, after he was banished from his beloved Athens. This episode charts Aristotle’s incredible rise and fall, exploring his intellectual career and philosophical ideas alongside his friendships and romances, and asking whether despite his views on women and slavery he deserves the title of the greatest Greek philosopher.

If you’re a fan of ancient academic rivalries, bloodthirsty kings, and incredible scientific discoveries, you’ll love our episode on Aristotle.

If you want more Greek philosophers with Professor Edith, check out our episode on Pythagoras. And for more from Dan Schreiber, listen to our episode on Young Napoleon.

You’re Dead to Me is the comedy podcast that takes history seriously. Every episode, Greg Jenner brings together the best names in history and comedy to learn and laugh about the past.

Hosted by: Greg Jenner Research by: Madeleine Bracey Written by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner Produced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner Audio Producer: Steve Hankey Production Coordinator: Ben Hollands Senior Producer: Emma Nagouse Executive Editor: James Cook

Transcript

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0:40.8	BBC Sounds Music, radio, podcasts. You're about to listen to You're Dead to Me. episodes will be
0:46.8	released on Fridays wherever you get your podcasts, but if you are in the UK, you can listen to
0:51.7	the latest episodes 28 days earlier than anywhere else. First,
0:56.2	on BBC Sounds. Hello and welcome to You're Dead to Me, the Radio 4 comedy podcast that takes
1:02.8	history seriously. My name is Greg Jenner. I'm a public historian, author and broadcaster,
1:07.2	and today we are dusting off our philosophy textbooks and going back nearly
1:10.8	2,400 years to ancient Greece to learn all about one of history's greatest beardy chin
1:16.2	strokers, Aristotle. And to help us tell our virtue ethics from our empiricism, we have one
1:22.0	top-notch teacher and one very eager pupil. In History Corner, she's Professor of Classics
1:26.4	at Durham University and a fellow
1:27.8	of the British Academy. You might have heard her on Radio 4's Natalie Hayne stand up for the classics,
1:31.9	or Radio 4's Great Lives. Maybe you've read one of her many books, including Aristotle's Way,
1:36.5	how ancient wisdom can change your life and her most recent book, Facing Down the Furies. And you'll
	...

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