The Wednesday Society:
A podcast that takes a philosophical deep dive into forgotten or intentionally neglected texts (and figures).
Season One: On beauty
Can neglected thinkers and texts transform our understanding (and experience) of beauty?
To think through this question with Dalia Nassar is concert pianist and writer, Simon Tedeschi. Simon brings an artist’s perspective to conversations about beauty, creativity, music and expression.
The season begins with the first philosophical discussion of beauty, a speech by a woman, and a seer, named Diotima. Diotima appears in Plato’s dialogue, The Symposium, and in her speech, she develops the idea of a ladder of love and beauty. We are told this by her student, Socrates, who explains what Diotima taught him: wisdom requires that the student ascend the ladder step by step. Each rung of the ladder exposes the student to a different experience - and different kind - of beauty.
Following Diotima’s steps, Dalia and Simon explore beauty in its different guises - often landing on non-trad notions of beauty. They do this by considering forgotten and neglected texts, by thinkers such as Germaine de Staël, Karoline von Günderrode, Simone Weil, Friedrich Schiller and Audre Lorde.
Have you heard of Romeo and Juliet? Most likely yes. What about the novel, Corinne, or Italy? Probably not.
Here’s the thing: Shakespeare’s plays weren’t always popular. Germaine de Staël’s novel on the other hand was an absolute best seller in her time. Romeo and Juliett and Corrine or Italy were both romances that ended in tragedy… andthey were both set in Italy.
So why do we know one but not the other?
The Wednesday Society brings neglected works and figures to the table for a provocative discussion.
We ask: who were these thinkers? And what were their ideas? Was there something subversive in what they wrote? What conversations have been forgotten, and what paths not taken? And might there be something in them that speaks to us today?
The Wednesday Society is inspired by The Wednesday Societies of the past. These radical intellectual clubs met in London, Berlin and Vienna - and their goal was to bring ideas to life.
The podcast is hosted by Dalia Nassar, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Sydney. Throughout the seasons, Dalia discusses forgotten or intentionally neglected texts and poses tough questions - about the texts and their authors, but also about the way philosophy has developed over time, how it has excluded swathes of thinkers and ideas, and why we need to bring their ideas back to the table. She invites listeners to slow down and get into stories in a deeper way - in a philosophical way.