The Dialog

In ancient Athens, almost everything came down to a vote. If you could get the crowd on your side, it didn't matter whether you were right or wrong. You won. The teachers who trained people to argue that way were called sophists, and their goal was never truth. It was winning. Today we'd call them influencers.

This is the first episode of The Dialog. My co-host Nick Surface and I start with why we're doing this at all: to want the truth more than we want to win. Nick put a name on something I've believed for a long time, the joy of being wrong. If someone proves you wrong, you're the one that conversation served, because now you can fix it and get better.

What is philosophy?
The Stoic Musonius Rufus said philosophy is nothing more than to search out by reason what is right and proper, and by deeds to put it into practice. Your philosophy is your criteria for making decisions every day, so everyone is a philosopher. The question is whether yours is a winning philosophy of life.

Why do good decisions blow up on us?
Every experience colors the glasses we see through. In any situation, the most intentional person wins, and you can't be intentional without a goal for your whole life.

What does "dialog" mean?
It comes from διά (dia), meaning through, and λόγος (logos), reason. Socrates and Plato believed that when people reason together, a third partner shows up: an answer neither person had before.

Our rules for an honest conversation
1. Say what you believe, and live it.
2. Want the truth more than you want to win.
3. Be open and honest about what you really believe.
4. Don't treat an attack on your belief as an attack on you.
5. Embrace the limits of what you know.

Scriptures
Ephesians 2:10 · Ecclesiastes 1:9

Thinkers and books
Musonius Rufus · Socrates · Heraclitus · Plato · Augustine · Dan Sullivan, Who Not How · Josh Craft, The Way to Live

Chapters
0:00 Cold open and show intro
0:52 Who, not how: why we're doing this together
3:18 Learning the art of living (Ephesians 2:10)
4:09 Is happiness a worthy goal?
7:49 Philosophy isn't just a period of history
9:29 What is philosophy? Musonius Rufus's answer
11:24 Who gets to define what's good?
12:06 Sophists: the original influencers
14:56 How past choices color your glasses
16:13 The most intentional person wins
17:35 What's the goal for your whole life?
19:29 Socrates and "know thyself"
20:48 Logos and what "dialog" means
21:53 The third partner in every conversation
25:00 Social media, trolls and hand grenades
28:00 The joy of being wrong
28:41 Our rules for honest conversation
31:24 Truth, or an interpretation you agree with?
33:32 Rule 5: Embrace the limits of what you know
34:13 Here's to being wrong

Next: 1.2 / What is true happiness?

New episodes most weeks.
Follow Nick on IG / https://www.instagram.com/nicksurface1/
Follow me on IG / https://www.instagram.com/joshuakcraft/
Go to my website / https://jkc.is

What is The Dialog?

Ancient philosophers used the dialog to find answers to life’s greatest questions. The Dialog is a search for truth in modern life through the lens of ancient philosophy, history, and theology. This podcast will challenge your assumptions, change your thinking and show you how to master modern living.