What makes a society lose its moral strength?Did Aristotle already warn us about how virtue slowly fades not through sudden corruption, but through small unnoticed habits that change who we become?In Book V of Aristotle’s Politics, he explores why even the best systems weaken over time, and why preserving balance depends less on power and more on character.
I sat down with Dr. Stephen Hicks, philosopher and author of Explaining Postmodernism, to explore some of the biggest questions in modern thought: what the Enlightenment really changed, how confidence in reason began to crack over time, and why modern philosophy still struggles with truth, meaning, and progress.
What is the source of all conflicts? Aristotle thought that the answer had something to do with human nature itself. In this episode, I talk about Book V of Aristotle's Politics, where Aristotle finally stops describing systems and now also starts dissecting their psychology. He explores how ambition, resentment, and pride drive people toward conflict, and why the rich and poor never agree on what “justice” means.
Source of discussion in the video: Aristotle’s Politics, Book V, Chapters 1–6.
I sat down with Dr. Massimo Pigliucci, philosopher, evolutionary biologist, and one of the most influential voices bringing Stoicism into the modern age. In this episode, we explore timeless ideas that matter more than ever today: Why Stoicism keeps returning in times of crisis? What you actually control, and what you don’t? The biggest misconceptions about Stoicism. How Stoicism compares with Nietzsche, Aristotle, and Christianity? What Stoicism can teach us about living well in chaotic times?
Aristotle links his ethics to politics, arguing that just as virtue is found in the middle, so too is stability in the city.The middle class, the “middling element,” becomes the true stabilizer, citizens who know both how to rule and how to be ruled. From there, Aristotle maps how regimes endure or fall, how incentives like fines and pay shape participation, and how military power cavalry or infantry reshapes constitutions.Finally, he lays out a three-part system of deliberation, offices, and courts, a design that looks strikingly like an early form of checks and balances.
Source of discussion in the video: Aristotle’s Politics, Book IV, Chapters 11–16.
I sat down with Dr. Roman Yampolskiy, a leading voice in AI safety and author of AI: Unexplainable, Unpredictable, Uncontrollable. In this episode, we dive into questions that challenge reality itself: Are we living in a simulation? Can superintelligent AI ever be controlled? What makes humans truly special? Could we one day solve death itself?
Should the wealthy few rule, or the poor majority? Should politics belong to those with leisure, or can every citizen truly take part? In these chapters, Aristotle digs into the messy reality behind democracy, oligarchy, polity, and tyranny.
He shows that oligarchies, like democracies, come in degrees. He insists that politics always returns to one fact: those with leisure have the time to rule, while those busy with survival often step aside. Out of this tension, the mixed constitution of polity emerges, balancing rich and poor, freedom and wealth.
This episode explores how Aristotle moves past theory to confront the lived struggles between the few, the many, and the one.
Aristotle’s Politics, Book IV, Chapters 5–10.
Chapters:
(00:00) The Few, the Many, or the One?
(02:23) Four Faces of Oligarchy
(03:33) When Regimes Wear Masks
(06:31) Politics Requires Leisure
(11:30) Soft, Strong and Extreme Oligarchies
(14:48) Aristocracy vs Polity: Virtue or Balance?
(19:08) Defining Polity
(24:43) The Emergence of Polity
(28:57) Aristotle's Political Realism
Is politics about ideals, or about what actually works? Aristotle shifts from dreaming about the perfect city to wrestling with the messy reality of real regimes.
Instead of chasing one utopia, he asks sharper questions: what is the best regime most cities can actually attain? Should we measure politics by ideals of justice and virtue, or by what circumstances allow? And who shapes whom do laws make constitutions, or do constitutions give birth to laws?
This episode dives into that pivot: from ideals to practice, from perfect blueprints to the lived struggle of real constitutions.
Aristotle’s Politics, Book IV, Chapters 1–4.
Chapters:
(00:00) The Question That Won’t Die
(04:52) Balancing Idealism with Reality
(07:13) Who Shapes Who: Laws or Regimes?
(10:05) The Six Regimes Explained
(16:53) Why Regimes Differ Everywhere
(21:13) Against Lazy Binaries in Life
(26:08) Four Faces of Democracy
(27:56) When the People Become a Tyrant
(33:31) Conclusion: The Practicality of Politics
Who should rule, the one or the many?
Aristotle wrestled with this question in Politics, and his answer is anything but simple. On one side stands the idea of a single extraordinary ruler. A man of unmatched virtue, flexible enough to judge every situation like a wise doctor who can go beyond the handbook. On the other side is the law: impartial, passionless, reason stripped of jealousy and anger. Then there is the multitude, the collective judgment of free citizens whose perspectives balance out the flaws of any single person.
This episode explores the tension between law and leadership, between equality and excellence, and between the good citizen and the good man. Along the way I touch on modern echoes, from the corruption of crowds to the myth of genius leaders, even to Batman’s strange position as a bad citizen but a good person.
Aristotle's Politics Book III, Chapter 15-18
Chapters:
00:00 Collective Intelligence vs. Individual Insight
02:13 Should Laws Rule or Leaders?
06:30 Crowd Wisdom or Crowd Madness?
08:27 Historical Context of Governance
12:01 The Nature of Justice and Equality
15:41 The Problem With Absolute Power
21:59 Why the Masses Can’t Always Be Trusted
24:31 The Case for the Perfect King
28:30 Aristotle’s Final Answer: The True Ideal Regime
In this episode, I dive into Aristotle’s controversial idea, the “natural king.” This is the one person whose virtue and wisdom are so far above everyone else’s that ruling them would be unjust. Aristotle says such a ruler should lead willingly accepted by all, a model of kingship that sounds strangely familiar in the age of artificial intelligence.
Could a superintelligent AI fit this description? And if so, should we let it rule? Or would that be the fastest road to digital dystopia?
I also explore Aristotle’s blueprint for mixed government, his early version of checks and balances, and why he thought both mob rule and oligarchic control were dangerous.
Politics, Book III, Chapters 11–14
Chapters:
00:00 Are the Many Wiser or Dangerous?
01:48 Why Aristotle Didn’t Fully Trust the Crowd
05:06 Only Experts Can Judge Experts?
08:43 The Importance of Law and Authority
09:59 Justice Isn’t About Rich or Poor
12:06 Relevant Inequalities in Political Life
13:23 The Risks of Misidentifying Leadership
16:28 The Exceptional Individual: Blessing or Threat?
19:49 Natural Kingship: Aristotle’s Ideal Ruler
28:03 Would Aristotle Let Superintelligent AI Rule?
In this episode, I explore Aristotle’s brutal critique of both democracy and oligarchy and why he believed neither the rich nor the poor should rule simply because they can.
For Aristotle, justice is about purpose rather than wealth or equality. Cities exist for living well, and not just for mere survival.
This is where Aristotle draws the line between power and legitimacy. He doesn’t care how many people rule. He cares why they rule, and who actually benefits from it.
Politics, Book III, Chapters 6–10
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Aristotle's Politics
00:51 Transition to Regime Types
02:45 Understanding the Purpose of the City
06:19 Political Rule vs. Despotic Rule
09:27 Classification of Regimes
14:05 Critique of Democracy and Oligarchy
17:50 The Role of the Middle Class
21:54 Justice in Governance
26:26 Mob Rule vs. Tyranny
27:40 Critique of Law-Based Systems
28:18 Key Takeaways and Conclusion
Does being a good person automatically make you a good citizen? In this episode, I dive into one of Aristotle’s most important distinctions between moral virtue and political virtue. You can be honest, kind, and just, yet still fail the test of citizenship. Why?
Aristotle claims that the real citizen is someone who takes part in deliberation and decision-making in the community. That means power, participation, and free time to to engage in politics. So where does that leave others?
This is Aristotle at his most precise and provocative.
Politics, Book III, Chapters 1–5
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Citizenship in Aristotle's Politics
06:11 Practical Observations on Citizenship
12:54 Good Citizen vs. Good Person
22:10 The Virtue of Citizenship
Sparta was worshipped, by both ancient and modern admirers. But what if the truth behind the myth is weaker, even a little absurd?
In this episode, I go deep into Aristotle’s breakdown of Sparta. A regime that trained its men for war, ignored its women, enslaved its workforce, and collapsed the moment peace arrived.
I also explore what Aristotle thought about Crete, Carthage, and the lawgivers who tried and often failed to build the perfect city.
I also talk about Aristotle's criticism of his contemporary thinkers from Plato’s Republic to Phaleas of Chalcedon
Aristotle's Politics Book II, Chapters 6–12
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
02:49 Critique of Plato / Socrates
11:35 Understanding Conflict and Crime in Society
20:35 Further Critique of Utopian Thinkers
23:00 Lessons from Sparta, Crete, and Carthage
What if the perfect society is actually a trap?
In this episode, I dive into Book II of Aristotle’s Politics, where he dissects Plato’s idea of a utopia, shared property, shared families, total unity. On the surface, it sounds noble. But Aristotle peels back the layers and asks: what happens when everyone owns everything... and no one owns anything?
I talk about why radical equality might backfire, why too much unity can destroy what makes a city work, and how the push for perfection often ends in dysfunction.
Watch if you’ve ever questioned whether perfection is worth chasing.
From the “Politics” Book II, Chapters 1–6.
Chapters:
00:00 Exploring Aristotle's Political Philosophy
05:45 The Best Regime for Human Flourishing
08:06 Critique of Plato's Republic
13:19 Unity vs. Diversity in Society
28:27 Property: Common or Private?
37:33 Practical Feasibility of Political Theories
Is there such a thing as getting rich the right way?
In this episode, I dive into Aristotle’s views on wealth, money-making, and the purpose behind it all. Aristotle saw a clear difference between natural and unnatural ways of getting rich.
Why did he think the endless pursuit of profit could distort your soul?
What kind of wealth is worthy of respect, and what kind isn't?
This video is deeper look at how to live with purpose, even while building wealth. If you’ve ever felt uneasy about the race for “unlimited money,” Aristotle might help you ask better questions.
From the “Politics” Book I, Chapters 8–12.
Chapters:
00:00 Hierarchies and Political Animals
03:48 Economic Life and the Emergence of Commerce
08:19 The Purpose of Goods and Their Natural / Unnatural Uses
11:29 The Art of Making Money
15:16 Commerce and Self-Sufficiency
19:49 Natural vs. Unnatural Wealth
23:16 Thales and the Role of Knowledge in Wealth
26:41 Household Ruling
Why did Aristotle say that anyone who lives outside society is either a beast or a god?
In this first episode of the Politics series, I go back to the origins of the city, the household, and the idea that humans are, by nature, political animals. This is about what kind of creature the human being is, and what happens when he tries to exist alone.
I also dive into one of the most controversial parts of Aristotle’s thinking: slavery. Was he defending the brutal institution of his time, or was he describing a more uncomfortable truth about human inequality? Did he, in a strange way, predict the end of slavery with his thought experiment about self-moving tools?This episode covers Chapters 1–7 of Book I. It’s raw, it’s messy.
There’s a slight delay between my voice and video in some parts of this episode, first launch jitters. I decided to share it anyway rather than sit on it. Future episodes will be more professional. Thanks for sticking with it.If you prefer, you can also just listen in the background, the audio is clean throughout.
From the “Politics” Book I, Chapters 1–8.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Aristotle's Political Philosophy
05:22 Emergence of Political Communities
18:02 Understanding Households and Hierarchies
33:25 Justification for Hierarchies
44:15 Conclusion and Future Discussions
How do art, AI, and ideology shape how we see the world?In this first episode of Philosophy Everyday, I speak with Dr. Rebecca Marks, an art historian with a PhD from Cambridge University.
We explore one of my favorite paintings, Raphael’s The School of Athens, its meaning, symbolism, and place in the Renaissance.We also discuss how AI might influence the future of art, how ideology shapes perception, and the deeper philosophical questions behind creativity, meaning, and human experience.
Follow me on Instagram → https://instagram.com/philosophy.everydayFollow Rebecca on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/culture_dumper/Follow Rebecca's substack → https://culturedump.substack.com?utm_source=navbar&utm_medium=web
