📖🎧 Want to dive deeper into ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠After Wisdom? Get the book Amazon ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. (As an Amazon Associate, Book Decoded earns from qualifying purchases.)

In this episode, we explore After Wisdom: Sapiential Traditions and Ancient Scholarship in Comparative Perspective by Glenn W. Most and Michael Puett. This insightful work delves into the concept of "wisdom literature" across ancient Greek and Chinese cultures, examining its evolution from oral traditions (mythos) to written forms (logos). The authors compare how wisdom, knowledge, and the transmission of ideas were approached in both cultures, analyzing texts ranging from oracles and proverbs to philosophical treatises and historical records.

Through specific examples from influential works such as the Laozi, Heraclitus, Confucius' Analects, Herodotus' Histories, and the Shan Hai Jing, the episode highlights the diverse ways wisdom was embodied and understood, from personal cultivation to political administration and the depiction of wonders. The book emphasizes a comparative methodology that uncovers both the unique characteristics and surprising similarities between these ancient intellectual traditions.

Key Takeaways:

• Understanding the evolution of wisdom literature from oral to written traditions

• Comparative analysis of ancient Greek and Chinese approaches to wisdom

• Insights from key texts like Laozi, Heraclitus, and Confucius' Analects

• The role of wisdom in personal development, politics, and historical accounts

#AncientWisdom #ComparativePhilosophy #GreekPhilosophy #ChinesePhilosophy #Laozi #Confucius #Heraclitus #Herodotus #WisdomLiterature #PhilosophyPodcast #CulturalTraditions #SapientialTraditions #IntellectualHistory #WisdomAcrossCultures #AncientScholarship #PhilosophicalComparisons