#310: War and the Changing Nature of Masculinity

#310: War and the Changing Nature of Masculinity

One of the primary roles of men across time and culture is that of the warrior. Indeed, how we define masculinity at its core is centrally shaped by warfare. The virtues we think of as manly, like courage, physical strength, and daring, are vital in battle, and because men have primarily been the ones doing the fighting for thousands of years, we expect men to possess those masculine virtues.
But the way war is waged has changed throughout human history. If warfare informs our ideas of manhood, do the changes in war change our ideas about what it means to be a man?
My guest today on the show answers this question in the affirmative. His name is Leo Braudy. He’s a cultural historian and film critic and the author of several in-depth and engaging cultural histories. In his book "From Chivalry to Terrorism: War and the Changing Nature of Masculinity," Leo delves deep into the cultural history of warfare in the West and shows how the changes in battlefield weaponry and tactics have changed our ideas of manhood. Leo and I discuss how the different ways Achilles and Odysseus fought battles created competing ideas of manhood among the Ancient Greeks and how we see that competition still going on today.
We then dig deep into the chivalric code of the Middle Ages and how aristocratic warriors combined Christian piety with pagan warrior fierceness. Leo then walks us through how the rise of the democratic nation-state changed warfare and manliness. We end our conversation talking about how the current war on terror is subtly changing our ideas of masculinity today.

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

Jaksot(1158)

20 Secrets of Adulthood

20 Secrets of Adulthood

Figuring out the pitfalls and best practices of adulthood can be tricky. It's helpful to have some pearls of wisdom to guide you along the way.My guest today has spent decades collecting these kinds o...

6 Touko 202550min

Auto-Exploitation, Positive Violence, and the Palliative Society: A Modern Philosopher’s Ideas for Making Sense of the Present Age

Auto-Exploitation, Positive Violence, and the Palliative Society: A Modern Philosopher’s Ideas for Making Sense of the Present Age

Feelings of burnout and boredom have become prevalent in modern life. To understand the roots of and solutions to these issues, we can turn to both ancient philosophers and contemporary thinkers. Amon...

29 Huhti 202558min

The Power of NEAT — Move a Little to Lose a Lot

The Power of NEAT — Move a Little to Lose a Lot

Do you have a goal to lose weight? If so, you're probably thinking about how you need to exercise more. And that can certainly help. But what about the 23 hours a day you're not at the gym? How much y...

22 Huhti 202548min

Co-Intelligence — Using AI to Think Better, Create More, and Live Smarter

Co-Intelligence — Using AI to Think Better, Create More, and Live Smarter

The era of artificially intelligent large language models is upon us and isn't going away. Rather, AI tools like ChatGPT are only going to get better and better and affect more and more areas of human...

15 Huhti 202557min

From Public Citizens to Therapeutic Selves — The Hidden History of Modern Identity

From Public Citizens to Therapeutic Selves — The Hidden History of Modern Identity

When you scroll through social media feeds today, you’ll find countless posts about “living your truth” and “being authentic.” These ideas feel so natural to us now that we rarely stop to ask where th...

8 Huhti 202548min

Beyond Resilience — How to Become Shatterproof

Beyond Resilience — How to Become Shatterproof

Resilience is often touted as the end all, be all of coping with life's challenges and setbacks. But my guest knows from her studies, executive coaching, and her own life that sometimes resilience jus...

1 Huhti 202549min

The Art of Exploration — Why We Seek New Challenges and Search Out the Unknown

The Art of Exploration — Why We Seek New Challenges and Search Out the Unknown

The human urge to explore has taken us to every corner of the planet. From the highest peaks to far-flung islands to even the deepest dimensions of an idea, our species has an innate drive to venture ...

25 Maalis 202554min

Are You Not Entertained? The Myths and Truths About Roman Gladiators

Are You Not Entertained? The Myths and Truths About Roman Gladiators

When you think about ancient gladiators, you likely have a certain vision that comes to mind: slaves forced to fight to the death for the entertainment of bloodthirsty Romans.But much of what we think...

18 Maalis 202558min

Suosittua kategoriassa Koulutus

rss-murhan-anatomia
psykopodiaa-podcast
voi-hyvin-meditaatiot-2
rss-narsisti
adhd-podi
rss-rahamania
psykologia
rss-liian-kuuma-peruna
kesken
rss-valo-minussa-2
ihminen-tavattavissa-tommy-hellsten-instituutti
rss-duodecim-lehti
rss-tietoinen-yhteys-podcast-2
leikitaanko-laakaria
rss-vapaudu-voimaasi
rss-niinku-asia-on
jari-sarasvuo-podcast
mielipaivakirja
puhutaan-koiraa
rss-rentotapaus