
Socrates, Alcibiades, and 'The Quest for Character,' with Massimo Pigliucci
From Sandra Day O'Connor Institute by Sandra Day O'Connor Institute for American Democracy
November 3, 2025 · 47 min
About this episode
Massimo Pigliucci explores the concept of character education through the lens of Greek and Roman philosophy.
In his book The Quest for Character, Massimo Pigliucci asks: can good character be taught? Through an exploration of Greek and Roman philosophy, and especially the interaction of Socrates and Alcibiades, Pigliucci helps us understand what makes a good leader, and how we can educate others, and ourselves, to be better people and citizens. This podcast is created by the Sandra Day O'Connor Institute. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the Sandra Day O'Connor Institute. ...
People in this episode
Host: Sandra Day O'Connor Institute
Guest: Massimo Pigliucci
Topics covered
- character education
- Greek philosophy
- leadership
- Socrates
- Alcibiades
- self-improvement
Keywords
- character
- education
- philosophy
- leadership
- Socrates
- Alcibiades
- self-improvement
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Sandra Day O'Connor Institute
Books & works: The Quest for Character
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