The Ancient Philosophy Podcast
The Ancient Philosophy Podcast explores important topics in ancient philosophy across regions including India, China, Greece, Rome, the Near East, and beyond. It is hosted by Doug Campbell, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College in Michigan. The show examines ideas and debates from a range of ancient philosophical traditions.
Episodes
50. The Pythagorean Music of the Spheres
In this episode, I discuss the famous Pythagorean doctrine of the music of the heavenly spheres: what our source is for this doctrine, what the view is, and why Aristotle disagreed with it.
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College in Michigan.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcast. There is a YouTube channel available wi
49. Did Plato Write a Proto-Republic?
In this episode, I consider whether Plato wrote an earlier version of his masterpiece, the Republic, which is sometimes called the Ideal City or the Proto-Republic.
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College in Michigan.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcast. There is a YouTube channel available with video episodes.
I have
48. Ermioni Prokopaki: Knowledge and Perception in Plato's Theaetetus
In this episode, I speak with Ermioni Prokopaki about Plato's Theaetetus. We discuss the central problem that animates the dialogue as well as how it fits into Plato's overall philosophy, but the largest part of our interview, just like the largest part of the Theaetetus, is concerned with whether knowledge is perception.
Host: Doug Campbell, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy
47. Aristotle on Sexual Difference in Biology and Politics
In this episode, I discuss and reflect on Marguerite Deslauriers’ article, "Sexual Difference in Aristotle’s Politics and His Biology," which was published in Classical World in 2009.
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College in Michigan.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcast. There is a YouTube channel available with vid
46. Justin Vlasits: Aristotle's Criticisms of Plato's Theory of Forms
In this episode, I speak with Justin Vlasits about Aristotle's criticisms of Plato's theory of Forms. We begin with a brief summary of Plato's theory of Forms for those who might benefit from an introduction to it.
Host: Doug Campbell, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
Interviewee: Justin Vlasits, an Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the U
45. Han Feizi and the Basics of Legalism
In this episode, I discuss the basics of legalism, from ancient China, with particular attention paid to the Han Feizi.
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast on all major podcast platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcast, etc.), as well as on YouTube.
I have a Substack: platosfishtrap.substack.com.
You can show your
44. Plato's Lecture on the Good
In this episode, I discuss Plato's famous lecture on the Good. Much of the discussion here is a reflection on Konrad Gaiser's article, "Plato's Enigmatic Lecture on the Good," which was published in Phronesis in 1980.
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast on all major podcast platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcas
43. The Sisyphus Fragment
In this episode, I discuss the so-called Sisyphus fragment, which contains a rare bit of atheistic philosophy from the fifth century BCE.
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast on all major podcast platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcast, etc.), as well as on YouTube.
I have a Substack: platosfishtrap.substack.com.
42. Did Aristotle Believe in the Wandering Womb?
In this episode, I discuss whether Aristotle believed in the wandering womb. The answer is 'yes, he did', but his view of the wandering womb is different from, say, Plato's, as I talk about in the episode.
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast on all major podcast platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcast, etc.), as
41. Rachel O'Keefe: Plotinus on Beauty
In this episode, I speak with Rachel O'Keefe about Plotinus' thoughts on beauty. We focus on the arguments and ideas from Enneads I.6. Note: if you are looking for an introduction to who Plotinus was, his Enneads, and his metaphysical system, check out episode 3 of this podcast for an interview with Rachel in which we dive into these topics.
Host: Doug Campbell, an Assistant Professor in the Depar
40. Why Plato Thought that the Whole World Had a Soul
In this episode, I discuss Plato's view that the world had a soul.
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast on all major podcast platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcast, etc.), as well as on YouTube.
I have a Substack: platosfishtrap.substack.com.
You can show your support at: https://buymeacoffee.com/ancientphiloso
39. Aristotle on Human Nature
In this episode, I discuss Aristotle's view, developed in the Nicomachean Ethics, that human nature is neither good nor bad.
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast on all major podcast platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcast, etc.), as well as on YouTube.
I have a Substack: platosfishtrap.substack.com.
You can show
38. Plato's Theory of the Divided Soul
On July 19, 2026, I gave a free lecture on Substack. It was entitled “The divided soul: Plato’s theory that the soul has parts.” This podcast episode is an audio recording of the lecture. I apologize for the worse-than-usual audio quality and editing.
The lecture has these parts:
A general discussion of the soul in ancient Greek philosophy.
The so-called principle of opposites, which lies at t
37. Heraclitus and the Unity of Opposites
In this episode, I discuss Heraclitus' doctrine that scholars call "the unity of opposites."
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast on all major podcast platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcast, etc.), as well as on YouTube.
I have a Substack: platosfishtrap.substack.com.
You can show your support at: https://buymea
36. Why Democritus Believed in the Void
In this episode, I discuss what Democritus thought the void was and why he thought that it existed.
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast on all major podcast platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcast, etc.), as well as on YouTube.
I have a Substack: platosfishtrap.substack.com.
You can show your support at: https:/
35. Galen on the Parts of the Soul
In this episode, I discuss Galen's views on the parts of the soul: what are these parts, and how do they relate to the body?
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast on all major podcast platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcast, etc.), as well as on YouTube.
I have a Substack: platosfishtrap.substack.com.
You can show
34. Xunzi on Human Nature
In this episode, I discuss the arguments, given by Xunzi, an ancient Confucian philosopher, that human nature is evil.
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast on all major podcast platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcast, etc.), as well as on YouTube.
I have a Substack: platosfishtrap.substack.com.
You can show your
33. The Future of Ancient Science
In this episode, I discuss and reflect on G.E.R. Lloyd's "Does Ancient Science Have a Future?" that was published in the Proceedings of the Cambridge Philological Society and was, I believe, a speech that he gave at Cambridge before that.
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast on all major podcast platforms (
32. Stylometry and the Chronology of Plato's Dialogues
In this episode, I discuss how scholars have used stylometry to date the composition of Plato's dialogues. I introduce and explain basic stylometric methods as well as their application in the case of Plato's dialogues in particular.
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast on all major podcast platforms (Spoti
31. Monte Johnson: The Reconstruction of Aristotle's Protrepticus
In this episode, I speak with Prof. Monte Johnson about the work that he has done in collaboration with Prof. Doug Hutchinson in reconstructing Aristotle's Protrepticus. The Protrepticus is a lost work by Aristotle. Most ancient texts were written, copied, and then lost. As Monte discusses in this interview, 99% of ancient Greek literature is lost. Monte Johnson and Doug Hutchinson have done very
30. The Non-Mouthpiece View of Plato's Characters
In this episode, I discuss some considerations related to whether Plato's characters should be thought of as his mouthpieces. I focus on Debra Nails' essay, "Mouthpiece Schmouthpiece," published in Who Speaks for Plato? Issues in Platonic Anonymity.
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast on all major podcast
29. The Buddha's First Noble Truth
In this episode, I discuss the Buddha's first Noble Truth.
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast on all major podcast platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcast, etc.), as well as on YouTube.
I have a Substack: platosfishtrap.substack.com.
You can show your support at: https://buymeacoffee.com/ancientphilosophy
I a
28. The Origins of Organs
In this episode, I discuss the origins of the concept of 'organ' in ancient Greek science and philosophy.
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast on all major podcast platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcast, etc.), as well as on YouTube.
I have a Substack: platosfishtrap.substack.com.
You can show your support at: h
27. The Basics of Skepticism
In this episode, I discuss the basics of ancient skepticism as it was developed by Sextus Empiricus.
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast on all major podcast platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcast, etc.), as well as on YouTube.
I have a Substack: platosfishtrap.substack.com.
You can show your support at: https:
26. Marcus Aurelius' Meditations
In this episode, I discuss Marcus Aurelius' life and his Meditations.
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast on all major podcast platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcast, etc.), as well as on YouTube.
I have a Substack: platosfishtrap.substack.com.
You can show your support at: https://buymeacoffee.com/ancientphil
25. Ecclesiastes
In this episode, I talk about Ecclesiastes, an important and philosophically rich text in the Hebrew Bible.
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast on all major podcast platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcast, etc.), as well as on YouTube.
I have a Substack: platosfishtrap.substack.com.
You can show your support at
24. Aristotle on the Soul
In this episode, I talk about what Aristotle thought the soul was.
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast on all major podcast platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcast, etc.), as well as on YouTube.
I have a Substack: platosfishtrap.substack.com.
You can show your support at: https://buymeacoffee.com/ancientphilosop
23. Plato's Marriage-Lottery System
In this episode, I talk about the complicated and weird marriage-lottery system that Plato developed in the Republic.
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast on all major podcast platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcast, etc.), as well as on YouTube.
I have a Substack: platosfishtrap.substack.com.
You can show your
22. Socrates' Last Words
In this episode, I talk about different interpretations of Socrates' last words in Plato's Phaedo.
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast on all major podcast platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcast, etc.), as well as on YouTube.
I have a Substack: platosfishtrap.substack.com.
You can show your support at: https:/
21. Aristotle's Four Causes
In this episode, I talk about one of Aristotle's most famous philosophical ideas: the Four Causes.
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast on all major podcast platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcast, etc.), as well as on YouTube.
I have a Substack: platosfishtrap.substack.com.
You can show your support at: https:/
20. The Sacred Disease
In this episode, I talk about the sacred disease in antiquity.
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast on all major podcast platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcast, etc.), as well as on YouTube.
I have a Substack: platosfishtrap.substack.com.
You can show your support at: https://buymeacoffee.com/ancientphilosophy
19. Stoicism and the Great Conflagration
In this episode, I talk about the great conflagration that will one day consume the cosmos, according to the ancient Stoic philosophers.
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast on all major podcast platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcast, etc.), as well as on YouTube.
I have a Substack: platosfishtrap.substack.com.
18. The Confucian Tao
In this episode, I talk about the tao in ancient Confucian philosophy.
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast on all major podcast platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcast, etc.), as well as on YouTube.
I have a Substack: platosfishtrap.substack.com.
You can show your support at: https://buymeacoffee.com/ancientphil
17. Anaximander Thought that Humans Used to be Born Inside Fish
In this episode, I talk about Anaximander's unusual account of human origins: we used to be born inside fish.
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast on all major podcast platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcast, etc.), as well as on YouTube.
I have a Substack: platosfishtrap.substack.com.
You can show your support a
16. Was Timaeus a Real Person?
In this episode, I discuss whether Timaeus, who appears in Plato's Timaeus and Critias, was a real person.
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast on all major podcast platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcast, etc.), as well as on YouTube.
I have a Substack: platosfishtrap.substack.com.
You can show your support at:
15. Cecilia Li: Rhetoric and Ruling in Plato's Gorgias
In this episode, I speak with Cecilia Li about Plato's criticisms of rhetoric as it was practiced in the 5th century BC. We also discuss the nature of political rule, and our discussion focuses on the Gorgias, although we bring up the Republic, Statesman, and Apology occasionally, too.
Host: Doug Campbell, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
Interviewee: Cecilia
14. Human Dissection and Vivisection in Antiquity
In this episode, I talk about the practice of human dissection (and even vivisection) in antiquity.
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast on all major podcast platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcast, etc.), as well as on YouTube.
I have a Substack: platosfishtrap.substack.com.
You can show your support at: https:/
13. The Wandering Womb
In this episode, I talk about an important idea in ancient biology: the wandering womb.
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast on all major podcast platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcast, etc.), as well as on YouTube.
I have a Substack: platosfishtrap.substack.com.
You can show your support at: https://buymeacoffe
12. Plato on Exercise
In this episode, I talk about Plato's views of exercise in the Timaeus.
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast on all major podcast platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcast, etc.), as well as on YouTube.
I have a Substack: platosfishtrap.substack.com.
You can show your support at: https://buymeacoffee.com/ancientphi
11. Plato's Real Name
In this episode, I discuss this question: was 'Plato' Plato's real name?
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast on all major podcast platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcast, etc.), as well as on YouTube.
I have a Substack: platosfishtrap.substack.com.
You can show your support at: https://buymeacoffee.com/ancientp
10. Jacob Stump: The Stoic View of Emotions (and Its Flaws)
In this episode, I speak with Jacob Stump about the Stoic view of emotions. We spend the second half of the interview discussing some objections to and problems with the Stoic view.
Host: Doug Campbell, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
Interviewee: Jacob Stump, Associate Teaching Professor in the Philosophy Department at Northeastern University.
Check out Jac
9. Why the Greeks Avoided Human Dissection
This episode is about the (very) deep-seated tendency of ancient Greek intellectuals to avoid human dissection. While there was an exception to this tendency in the early Hellenistic period (which I shall discuss in a later episode), the avoidance of human dissection is almost total and universal throughout antiquity, and I cover the most important reasons why this was so.
I am an Assistant Profes
8. The Philosophy of Ancient Astrology: How Did It Work?
This episode is about ancient astrology, especially the form defended by Ptolemy in the Tetrabiblos.
Host: Doug Campbell, Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast on all major podcast platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcast, etc.), as well as on YouTube.
I have a Substack: platosfishtrap.substack.com.
You can show your suppo
7. Plato's Allegory of the Cave
This episode is about Plato's allegory of the cave from the seventh book of the Republic.
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast on all major podcast platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcast, etc.), as well as on YouTube.
I have a Substack: platosfishtrap.substack.com.
You can show your support at: https://buymeacof
6. The Buddha's Controller Argument for No-Self
This episode is about a complicated Buddhist argument for the theory of no-self.
The particular argument I explore is called the controller argument.
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast on all major podcast platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcast, etc.), as well as on YouTube.
I have a Substack: platosfishtrap.s
5. The Use of Dreams to Diagnose Patients
This episode is about the way that ancient Greek intellectuals believed that dreams were sometimes reliable sources of information about what was going on in the body. I focus on On Regimen IV in particular, an anonymous medical text from the 5th century BC.
Host: Doug Campbell, Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast
4. Aristotle on Character and Intellectual Virtues
This episode is about a crucial distinction that Aristotle draws between intellectual and character virtues in the Nicomachean Ethics.
Host: I am Doug Campbell, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcast, too.
I have a Substack: platosfishtrap.substack.com.
You can show your support at: ht
3. Rachel O'Keefe: Plotinus' Metaphysics
In this episode, I speak with Rachel O'Keefe about Plotinus' metaphysical system, especially the view of the hypostases that he develops in Enneads V.1. We begin the episode by discussing who Plotinus was.
Host: Doug Campbell, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
Interviewee: Rachel O'Keefe, who teaches and works at St. Thomas University in New Brunswick, Canada.
2. How Galileo Used the Telescope to Refute Aristotle and Ptolemy
This episode is about how Galileo used the then-recent invention of the telescope to refute ancient and long-standing views about the cosmos. In the process, he got in trouble with the Vatican.
Host: Doug Campbell, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast wherever you download podcasts. There is a YouTube channel av
1. The Stoic Conception of Philosophy
This episode is about what the Stoics thought philosophy was.
Host: Doug Campbell, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Alma College.
You can subscribe to The Ancient Philosophy Podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcast. There is a YouTube channel available with video episodes.
I have a Substack: platosfishtrap.substack.com.
You can show your support at: https://buymeacoffee.com/an
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