Pleased to host Matt Benjamin, friend of the channel, YouTube host, and author of the new novel We Are Icarus on the podcast to discuss his new novel in an authentic, unsponsored conversation. Matt’s novel explores timeless philosophy through a futuristic sci-fi dystopia setting. Join us as we discuss the timeless power of story, explore Ancient Greek philosophy and mythology, explore the creative process for an author in 2024, and talk about mythic heroes from ancient legends through professional wrestling!

Order We Are Icarus: https://a.co/d/gjjA8jf

Timestamps:00:00 Introduction to Matt Benjamin, author of We Are Icarus01:38 The Power of Story03:10 The Universality of Myth06:42 The Myth of Theseus & the Minotaur, Daedalus and Icarus11:33 Aristotle’s Golden Mean & the Buddha’s Middle Path13:38 Philosophy & Fiction18:57 World Building & Dystopia in We Are Icarus21:40 Productivity, Creativity, & Community23:33 Positive & Negative Commandments24:58 Transcendent Truth in a Dystopian World27:55 The Creative Process32:49 Teaching & Entertaining in Story36:26 Storytelling in Professional Wrestling40:04 The Power of Great Stories

This video is not sponsored by Matt or anyone else; I genuinely enjoy his work. If you enjoy this conversation, I have a great feeling you will, too.