Can ingenuity alone advance civilization — or does it require something technical skill cannot replace? In this clip from Episode 5, Prof. W.K.C. Guthrie, Prof. Rachel Barney, and Prof. Mauro Bonazzi guide us through Protagoras’ Myth of Prometheus — and what it actually argues. The standard reading treats the myth…
What does it mean to build an institution around an idea? In this clip from Episode 8 of Notions of Progress, Marshall traces how Plato transformed the word philosophos — originally closer to a taunt than an honorific — into the founding claim of a school that would outlast him…
Where did the word "philosopher" come from — and who got to decide what it meant? In Episode 8, Part 1 of Notions of Progress, we trace the moment Plato took a word that had begun as a mocking label and transformed it into an institutional claim. Prof. Christopher Moore's…
Can rhetoric make better citizens — or does it simply make better manipulators through the art of persuasion? In Part 2 of our Plato vs. the Sophists arc, we follow Plato's argument from the Meno to the Gorgias to answer that question. Scholars including W.K.C. Guthrie, E.R. Dodds, and George…
The Sophists said that excellence was teachable—that skill could be accumulated, transmitted, and built upon across generations. Plato disagreed. He built a counter-proposal that called into question whether collective progress of the kind the Sophists imagined was even possible. In Part 1, we examine the first two of Plato’s four…
The word “sophist” is still in common use—and almost exclusively as an insult. Sophistry means clever but dishonest reasoning. Yet the people this label was first attached to were the most sought-after teachers in the most dynamic democratic society the ancient world produced. They advised statesmen, authored constitutions, and theorized…
In this episode of Notions of Progress - Part Two, we continue exploring the fascinating evolution of progress thinking with Professor Tyson Retz, author of "Progress in the Scale of History" (Cambridge University Press, 2022). In this episode, Professor Retz discusses categories 3-5 of his framework: Relative Progress, Everybody’s Progress…
In this episode of Notions of Progress, we explore the fascinating evolution of progress thinking with Professor Tyson Retz, author of "Progress in the Scale of History" (Cambridge University Press, 2022). Professor Retz introduces his innovative five-category framework that traces various conceptions of progress as part of a layered and…
In Episode 2 of Notions of Progress, we explore the "Promethean Question" - examining Greek antiquity's perspectives on technological progress from 700-300 BCE. Did the ancient Greeks view technology as a divine gift or a dangerous curse? 🎧 SUBSCRIBE & LISTEN: → YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@notionsofprogress?sub_confirmation=1 → Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/notions-of-progress/id1837506445 → Spotify:…
In "Notions of Progress," host Marshall Madow explores the concept of progress through history, examining technological advancements and philosophical ideas. This trailer delves into themes like AI, transhumanism, and technological determinism, tracing progress from ancient Greece to modern times. It questions the assumptions behind progress and its impact on human…