You were listening to the Partially Examined Life, a podcast by some guys who at one point said on doing philosophy for a living, but then thought better of it.

Our question for episode 362 is something like, is life meaningful, or perhaps just what is wisdom?

And we read the biblical book Ecclesiastes, written maybe around 250 BCE.

More information about the text and the podcast, please see Partially ExamineLife.com.

This is Mark Lentemeyer toiling for the wind in Madison, Wisconsin.

This is Seth Paskin, winning the race without being swift in Austin, Texas.

This is Wes All One playing the Under the Sun drinking game in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

This is Dylan Casey smelling some dead flies in the perfumers' ointment in Madison, Wisconsin.

And our special guest.

This is Jesse Peterson, making a test of pleasure in Portland, Oregon.

So we are doing this.

This was long, long, long on our list, but had fallen off of our list.

But then, Jesse, you were in one of my classes in my Continental Philosophy class and

mentioned your expertise in this area.

Tell us about your book and your background here before we

get into it. Sure. I'm an assistant professor of biblical studies at George Fox University here

near Portland, and I teach in the theology department, teach biblical studies there. And also,

by the way, we have a St. John's College style great books program, honors program at the school

as well. And I teach half of my load is teaching in that. But yeah, as far as my writing,

my first book is coming out hopefully now next month. It's been delayed a few times because of getting

the Hebrew straight, but as far as the Hebrew font and the formatting. But that's called

Kohelet and the philosophy of

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