Socrates, Alcibiades, and 'The Quest for Character,' with Massimo Pigliucci

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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