podcast
by Doug Metzger
A literature PhD's chronological history of literature, starting with Sumerian cuneiform and moving through the Hebrew Bible, Greece and Rome, early Christianity and, currently, early Islam. Episodes run about two hours: an introduction, a full summary that assumes no prior knowledge, then the history and culture that produced the work, with free transcripts.
July 13, 2026
Scott Alexander's team publishes its plan for AI going well, Joel Mokyr defends his Nobel thesis, and Ted Gioia argues the Odyssey belongs in the music department.
January 12, 2026
Dan Carlin's Alexander the Great series reaches its third installment, Quanta reports on weakening dark energy, and a Philosophize This! episode on Dostoevsky's demons.
March 30, 2026
Veritasium tells the story of antimatter's discovery, PBS Space Time asks if we can test quantum gravity, and Experimental History on why being serious matters.
