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. The Many Minded Man 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.