Roosevelt Montás on Socrates and the Universality of the Classics

Mar 12, 2022

Roosevelt Montás, Director of the Freedom and Citizenship Program at Columbia University and author of "Rescuing Socrates," shares his transformative journey sparked by discovering a copy of Socrates. He delves into how classical texts blur racial and class lines, emphasizing their universal relevance today. Montás highlights the importance of philosophical inquiry for youth, the interconnectedness of ancient thinkers, and how classical ideas have fueled modern civil rights movements. He advocates for diversifying the literary canon to include marginalized voices.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Truth as a Guiding Principle

Socrates offered Montás a life guided by a rational pursuit of truth.
This resonated deeply and shaped his life's trajectory.

ANECDOTE

Universal Appeal

Montás finds that many young people connect with Socrates's ideas.
He sees this in a program he runs where low-income students engage with Plato.

INSIGHT

Transcending Boundaries

The classics' universality transcends race and culture.
They address fundamental human questions relevant to all people.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Ryan talks to Roosevelt Montás about his new book "Rescuing Socrates," how his life changed at 16 when he discovered a copy of Socrates in his neighbors trash, how the universality of the ancient texts blur the lines between our conceptions of race and class, and more.

Roosevelt Montás is Director of the Freedom and Citizenship Program. He was born in the Dominican Republic and moved to New York as a teenager. He attended public schools in Queens and was admitted to Columbia College in 1991 through its Opportunity Programs. In 2003, he completed a Ph.D. in English, also at Columbia. From 2008 to 2018, he served as Director of the Center for the Core Curriculum and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at Columbia College. Roosevelt is the author of “Rescuing Socrates: How the Great Books Changed My Life and Why They Matter for a New Generation.”

Go Macro is a family-owned maker of some of the finest protein bars around. They're vegan, non-GMO, and they come in a bunch of delicious flavors. Visit gomacro.com and use promo code STOIC for 30% off your order plus free shipping on all orders over $50.

The Jordan Harbinger Show is one of the most interesting podcasts on the web, with guests like Kobe Bryant, Mark Manson, Eric Schmidt, and more. Listen to one of Ryan's episodes right now (1, 2), and subscribe to the Jordan Harbinger Show today.

Talkspace is an online and mobile therapy company. Visit talkspace.com and get $100 off your first month when you use promo code STOIC at sign-up. That’s $100 off at talkspace.com, promo code STOIC.

LinkedIn Jobs helps you find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Every week, nearly 40 million job seekers visit LinkedIn? Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/STOIC. Terms and conditions apply.

Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.