Podcasts
Story Tellers Podcast explores literature, history, culture, philosophy, and human experience through engaging narratives and conversations.
The Republic · Ep. 1
The Republic Episode 1: Why This Book Still Matters
More than 2,300 years after it was written, Plato's The Republic continues to shape conversations about justice, leadership, education, and the kind of society we want to build. In this opening episode, Abby introduces the historical context behind the book, explains why it remains one of the most influential works of political philosophy, and explores how its ideas resonate with contemporary issues. Rather than presenting philosophy as abstract theory, this episode invites listeners to see The Republic as a practical guide for understanding power, governance, morality, and human nature. It sets the stage for a thought-provoking journey through one of history's greatest intellectual masterpieces.
The Republic · Ep. 2
The Ring of Gyges – Would You Still Be Just If Nobody Could See You?
What would you do if you could become completely invisible and nobody could ever discover your actions? In Episode 2 of The Republic, Glaucon challenges Socrates with the famous Ring of Gyges. The story raises a disturbing question: are people genuinely just, or do we behave well because we fear punishment, shame, and public judgment? We also examine Adeimantus' challenge about reputation and the rewards society gives to those who only appear to be good. Socrates responds by building a city from the ground up, beginning with human needs, specialization, wealth, luxury, and eventually the need for Guardians. This episode explores why justice must be more than simply looking good in the eyes of others.
The Republic · Ep. 3
Building the City – The Birth of the Guardians
In Episode 3 of The Republic, Socrates continues the search for justice by building a city from the ground up. After Glaucon rejects the simple “city of pigs” and demands the comforts and luxuries of ordinary life, the city begins to expand. More wealth creates the desire for more land, and eventually the need for war. Socrates then introduces the Guardians, a professional class whose responsibility is to defend the city. But a serious problem emerges: how can a society create protectors who are fierce enough to confront its enemies while remaining gentle toward the people they serve? Through Plato’s famous comparison of the Guardian to a well-bred dog, this episode explores specialization, war, leadership, courage, character, and the difficult relationship between power and education.
The Republic · Ep. 4
The Three Waves – Plato's Radical Vision
In Episode 4 of The Republic, Socrates is forced to defend three of the most radical ideas in his ideal city. The first is that women should receive the same education as men and serve as Guardians if they possess the necessary abilities. The second is the controversial proposal that the Guardian class should hold families and children in common, removing private family interests in order to create greater unity within the State. The third and greatest wave is Plato's famous argument that society will not escape its troubles until philosophers become rulers or rulers become genuine philosophers. We examine what Plato means by a philosopher, the difference between knowledge and opinion, and why he believes wisdom rather than popularity, wealth, or power should determine who governs.
The Republic · Ep. 5
The Ship of State – Why Wisdom Is Rejected
Why do societies often reject the people who are best equipped to lead them? In Episode 5 of The Republic, Socrates uses the famous Ship of State analogy to explain why philosophers are often dismissed as useless while ambitious people compete for political power. The ship's captain represents the public, while the sailors represent political contenders fighting to control the State without understanding the art of navigation. The true navigator, who understands the stars, winds, and seasons, is mocked as a useless star-gazer. Socrates uses this image to distinguish genuine knowledge from political ambition and popularity. He then introduces the Similitude of the Sun and explains why the philosopher's search for the Good is essential to wise leadership.
The Republic · Ep. 6
The Cave – From Shadows to Reality
In Episode 6 of The Republic, Plato presents his most famous philosophical image: the Allegory of the Cave. Socrates asks us to imagine people who have spent their entire lives chained inside an underground cave, seeing only shadows projected onto a wall and believing those shadows are reality. When one prisoner is released and gradually makes his way into the sunlight, he begins a painful journey from appearance to knowledge and from ignorance to understanding. We connect Plato's Cave to contemporary Nigeria, examining how political narratives, economic assumptions, insecurity, propaganda, and public opinion can shape what people accept as reality. The episode asks a difficult question: are we willing to leave the comfort of familiar shadows and do the harder work of seeking truth?
The Republic · Ep. 7
The Ascent from the Cave – Truth, Power and Reality
In Episode 7 of The Republic, we continue Plato's journey beyond the Cave and examine what happens when a person moves from familiar appearances toward a deeper understanding of reality. The released prisoner initially struggles with the light, but gradually learns to see the world beyond the shadows he once accepted as truth. Plato uses this journey to explain education, knowledge, the Idea of the Good, and the difficult responsibility of returning to society after discovering a deeper truth. We connect Plato's argument to contemporary Nigeria, asking how citizens and leaders respond when evidence challenges political narratives, economic assumptions, public opinion, and comfortable beliefs. The episode explores why truth can be uncomfortable, why societies sometimes reject those who challenge prevailing ideas, and what it means to move from opinion to genuine knowledge.
The Republic · Ep. 8
The Spiral of Decay – How Societies Lose Their Way
In Episode 8 of The Republic, Plato turns from the ideal State to the question of political decline. He argues that no human society remains perfect forever and traces a progression from Timocracy, where honour and ambition dominate, to Oligarchy, where wealth becomes the basis of power, then Democracy, where freedom can become disorder, and finally Tyranny, where the desire for a strong protector can produce oppression. We examine how changes in human character produce changes in political institutions and connect Plato's argument to contemporary questions of wealth inequality, political ambition, democratic culture, leadership, and the growing frustration within society. The episode asks an important question: when a society begins to reward the wrong values, how far can its political system decline?