This week, we continue our series on Plato's Republic by discussing the topics covered in Book 5 -- the most feminist book of the Republic. Socrates suggests that women and men should both be guardians, training in and engaging in battle together. He also argues for a eugenic breeding program and communal child-rearing. But in the end, we are also returned to the original context of the discussion, and a brief apologia for idealism itself. 🔥 This conversation happened Live on YouTube at 7PM...

This week, we continue our series on Plato's Republic by discussing the topics covered in Book 3 and 4, which really capture the title of the book as Socrates and others talk about man using the metaphor of a city-state, or "republic." Republic is actually a Roman translation of Plato's title, which was "Politeia." 🔥 This conversation happened on YouTube at 7PM PST on Thursday, May 16, 2024. 🔥 Buy PH2T3R - The Journal of Solar Culture Vol. 01 on Amazon. https://a.co/d/fAce4Ti Or order...

This week, we continue our series on Plato's Republic by discussing the topics covered in Book 2. The examination of Justice continues with a discussion about the social contract and whether people behave justly on their own accord or simply to avoid punishment. The Ring of Gyges is introduced—a ring that grants invisibility and, therefore, freedom from punishment. The Ring of Gyges influenced J. R. R. Tolkien, and it inspired the Ring of Power from The Lord of the Rings. 🔥 This...

This week we begin our series on Plato's Republic. Beginning with Book 1, we'll briefly revisit last week's discussion about aging and then delve into the primary question at hand: "What is Justice?"  @ChristopherRobertson  has done a few podcasts on Plato already for anyone who is interested. What is Plato's Republic About? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2-iAb2w7LE Caffeine Stream 41: Defending Plato's Republic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWJxwu_C8I0 Also recommended: Great...

Last week CB Robertson and Jack Donovan fielded a bunch of questions from readers and followers and ended up having some fantastic discussions about a wide range of topics. This conversation was recorded live on YouTube at 7 PM PST on April 25, 2024. 🔥 Buy PH2T3R - The Journal of Solar Culture Vol. 01 on Amazon. https://a.co/d/fAce4Ti Or order direct through the Order of Fire store. https://orderoffire.shop/ 🔥C. B. Robertson, author of The Hero and the Man, Holy Nihilism, and Letter to...

Humans gossip. It's part of our nature. Men tend to want to minimize gossip and the importance of gossip in public life, and gossip is often regarded as trashy and vulgar. Today, people tend to prefer gossip to substance. Is there a place for gossip in a better society? Is an ad hominem attack always wrong? What would Washington do? In this week's show, C. B. Robertson and Jack Donovan discuss how much the man matters when considering the message. 🔥 This conversation happened on YouTube at...

Dragons EXIST. Heroes -- Strikers -- become what they are to fight dragons. Dragons and serpents are found in mythologies all around the world. Occasionally, especially in the far east and sometimes in the Americas, dragons are seen as "lucky," protective, or benevolent, and serpents are even harnessed by the forces of righteousness in some Western lore. However, Dragons are most often seen as the enemies of men and Order. In the syncretic mythic system of Solar Idealism, Dragons are...

How do we reach an escape velocity that allows us to surpass cynicism and the dragon's wink and nod? How do we convince men that creation is part of the work of men -- as it has been discouraged and regarded as effeminate and communistic for decades? CB Robertson issues a creative challenge for men to engage with our time and find the beauty and inspiration in it. This show aired on YouTube at 7PM PST on April 4, 2024. 🔥 Buy PH2T3R - The Journal of Solar Culture Vol. 01 on Amazon....

What is the solar path out of postmodernism? Co-host C.B. Robertson synthesized a new perspective in his tour-de-force essay "Descending Odin's Throne" written for the PH2T3R print journal, which is now finally available. We'll be discussing his essay and the rest of the contents of the book during this week's live show. 🔥 This conversation happened on YouTube at 7PM PST on March 28. 🔥 Buy PH2T3R - The Journal of Solar Culture Vol. 01 on Amazon. https://a.co/d/fAce4Ti 🔥C. B. Robertson,...

Isn't freedom just another word for nothing left to lose? How much freedom is enough? How much is too much? Solar Idealism holds that freedom is better than servitude, but where are the lines? 🔥 This conversation happened LIVE on YouTube at 7PM PST on March 21. 🔥C. B. Robertson, author of The Hero and the Man, Holy Nihilism, and Letter to Anwei, shares insights his blog, Caffeine and Philosophy. Explore his thoughts at https://caffeineandphilosophy.com/ 🌐📝 Connect with C. B....

What is the appeal of ritual? And...what is the point? As The Order of Fire begins gathering to hike out into the mountains to perform our Spring Equinox Fire Ritual, we thought we'd sit down to talk about what we're doing, why we do it, and the point and process of ritual itself. C.B. Robertson and I were joined again by Dustin Lindsey. 🔥 This show aired LIVE on YouTube at 7PM PST on March 14. 🔥C. B. Robertson, author of The Hero and the Man, Holy Nihilism, and Letter to Anwei, shares...

What is the difference between optimism and foolishness? What are the benefits of optimism over pessimism? How can we avoid "dooming" -- while being realistic and making choices based on the world as it is and not as we would like to pretend it is? How do we avoid walking into traps if we are TOO optimistic? 🔥C. B. Robertson, author of The Hero and the Man, Holy Nihilism, and Letter to Anwei, shares insights his blog, Caffeine and Philosophy. Explore his thoughts at...

What does it mean to be “authentic?” It’s a question with many layers and aspects, and it seems to mean different things to different people. Is it merely a consistency between your public and private personae? Harmony between words and deeds? Even the word persona suggests a mask. How much of who we are is a performance for others? Is that “wrong,” or is that simply normal to our species as social animals? Don’t we often become different people to interact successfully with others? Where...

What does it mean to hate? Some would insist that you should be "above" hate -- but are they truly "above" it, or do they just hate different things or different people? Is the idea that you should love everyone in some great "brotherhood of man" simply a secularized echo of Christianity? Solar Idealism was conceived as a response to ideologies which seems to offer nothing but anger and hatred -- with no viable positive vision for the future (except to be rid of their enemies). However, it is...

What is the Übermensch? Superman, Overman, Beyond-man, Beyond-human... It seems to be a mirror in which people see what they want to see, regardless of what Nietzsche actually meant or wrote. One could easily imagine it as being a cyborg or AI. Many want the Übermensch to be the "blonde beast" -- some kind of Dolph Lundgren character. What is the Übermensch, is it a goal worth overcoming man for, and how does it relate to Solar Idealism? C. B. Robertson is the author of The Hero and the Man,...

Jonathan Smith is a former CIA agent with a special operations background who relocated his family to Russia to immerse himself in the ancient roots of shamanic traditions. In this interview, Jack Donovan delves into Jonathan's unique journey, unveiling the profound insights he gained from authentic shamans in the birthplace of shamanic culture. Discover the essence of shamanism as Jonathan shares his experiences and imparts valuable wisdom that promises to bring you closer to the shamanic...

What happened to the Men's Movement? A few years ago, there seemed to be a "big tent" men's movement that advanced a wide range of ideologies, all in the interest of helping men and dealing with the crisis of masculinity. The crisis certainly hasn't disappeared, but the "men's movement" and "manosphere" seem to have broken into competing factions largely driven by commercial interests and petty gossip. I've been writing about men and masculinity for 15 years, and I've been watching all of...

Last month, The Order of Fire read the Oresteia, a series of three plays by Aeschylus. On this week's live show, C.B. Robertson and Jack Donovan go over the plays and talk about why we think they are so important. Many of our members were surprised at how engaging the plays were -- especially in some of the BBC audio performances available on Audible and even on YouTube for free.     • Aeschylus' Oresteia - Agamemnon (BBC ...   The Oresteia is the story of Orestes, who killed his mother after...

Why bother writing? Is it worth doing if you have no aspirations as a (public) writer? Authors Jack Donovan and C.B. Robertson talk about the meaning and process and possibly some of the business of writing. In the second hour, they take questions from live viewers and answer questions submitted by newsletter and Instagram. C. B. Robertson is the author of The Hero and the Man, Holy Nihilism, Letter to Anwei, and more. He writes for PH2T3R and his own blog, Caffeine and Philosophy....

Join us for a thought-provoking live podcast featuring Jack Donovan and C.B. Robertson as they delve into the origins of the philosophy of humanism and inspect its ideological baggage. Then we'll throw all of that out with the "blank slate" it was scribbled on and talk about the need for an approach to living that acknowledges human nature as a product of our physiology and evolutionary history. What is the nature of the human animal - from a zoological perspective - and how do we live more...

In the absence of meaning, we must create it. In our last live broadcast, we discussed "The Meaning Crisis" -- what is perceived by many as an absence or loss of meaning. People say they want to "find meaning," but rarely seem to consider the possibility that they are capable of creating it. In this show, we'll discuss strategies for creating meaning and designing a more meaningful world. Specifically, we discuss four kinds of meaningful objects: Aesthetically Meaningful ObjectsSymbolically...

This year PH2T3R will produce a LIVE show on Thursday evenings at 7:00 PM PST. In our first episode, Jack Donovan and C.B. Robertson will discuss the first few episodes (1-3) of John Vervaeke's series "Awakening from the Meaning Crisis" from a Solar Idealist perspective. You can find the full playlist here:  • Awakening from the Meaning Crisis  --- C. B. Robertson is the author of The Hero and the Man, Holy Nihilism, Letter to Anwei, and more. He writes for PH2T3R and his own blog, Caffeine...

It's not that what they've told you is wrong, it's that they haven't told you the WHOLE story... That was C.B. Robertson's summary of the gnostic sales pitch during our recent PH2T3R podcast, and it's becoming an inside joke in our circle.  One of our best podcasts yet, we discuss Gnosticism and the "occult" as they relate to Solar Idealism. A note from CB Robertson: Gnosticism is not something to dwell on. But to avoid being led astray, it's probably wise to be aware of what Gnosticism...

Jack Donovan discusses Beowulf with Paul Begadon, Order of Fire member and author of The Layman's Havamal, who has spent the last year narrating and using AI to illustrate this classic heroic tale. Paul provides a thorough and engaging summary of the story of Beowulf and explains why he believes it is relevant today and how we can engage with it in such a way that it enriches and informs our own lives. For a more, read his essay, "Beowulf : An Ancient Model for Modern Heroism" on his web...

Jack Donovan and C.B. Robertson discuss Plato's dialogs concerning the Trial of Socrates and parallels to current events. We also attempt to place Socrates and some of the issues within the context of Solar Idealism. Mentioned: Plato's Dialogs - Euthyphro, Apology, and Crito C. B. Robertson is the author of The Hero and the Man, Holy Nihilism, Letter to Anwei and more. He writes for PH2T3R and his own blog, Caffeine and Philosophy....