ML164: Joel Christensen on Storytelling for Sensemaking, The Many Minded Man and Lessons from The Odyssey
Joel Christensen is a Professor of Classics at Brandeis University and author of the book The Many Minded Man. He also posts regularly on the popular Classics-oriented website Sententiae Antiquae.
At the end of 2020 I hosted a series of 5 long form conversations on the theme of calling and meaning, using Homer's Odyssey as an anchor, so when I came across Joel's book The Many Minded Man, I had to reach out to him.
The book explores Homer's Odyssey through a modern psychological lens, focusing on how it reflects the workings of the human mind and provides a model for coping with the challenges of chance and fate.
In this episode we discuss:
- The concept of agency and how The Odyssey helps us to understand what we can control
- How to use the power of storytelling to make sense of your life and the world around you
- What modern psychology can learn from Homer's Odyssey and Iliad
This was a wonderful conversation centred on some of the greatest stories ever told, which will show you how storytelling can shape a sense of agency and provide solutions to help you avoid destructive patterns.
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