Best OpenDoorPhilosophy Podcasts (2024)

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Ep. 85 Character and Virtue with Guest Christian Miller 1:19:05

9d ago1:19:05

1:19:05

Send us a Text Message. People do not have any virtues, and people do not have any vices. You wouldn't be blamed for thinking this is a surprising take, but our guest Christian Miller thinks this is the case. Join us as Dr. Miller walks us through the argument in this captivating interview that canvases the landscape of character and virtue. Sign u…

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Ep. 84 Our Fourth Annual Marcus Aurelius Extravaganza! 50:49

23d ago50:49

50:49

Send us a Text Message. Roughly 1800 years ago, the most powerful person in the world wrote a book. Actually, back then it was only his journal, but today it is considered one of the great books of world wisdom. Known simply as Meditations, the emperor of the Roman Empire, Marcus Aurelius, for ten years wrote most mornings about the challenges he w…

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Ep. 83 Is Morality Relative? 59:35

1M ago59:35

59:35

Send us a Text Message. Can morality be entirely relative to an individual or a cultural standard? Does the diversity of moral beliefs across cultures undermine the existence of objective moral principles? Does the fact that human sacrifice once existed in one culture but looked down upon but another disprove the fact that there are objective moral…

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Ep. 82 Religious Experience, Part 2 1:03:13

2M ago1:03:13

1:03:13

Send us a Text Message. Last weekend, as I was driving down the interstate in Houston, I noticed, not for the first time, a billboard that claims, “Signs, Miracles, and Wonders! Every Sunday at 11:00 AM.” I turned towards my wife and quipped, “I didn’t realize you could schedule them.” But in all seriousness, how should one express such things to o…

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Ep. 81 Religious Experience, Part 1 1:07:49

2M ago1:07:49

1:07:49

Send us a Text Message. In the book of Exodus, God appears to the biblical patriarch Moses in the form of a burning bush, and tells him he is to lead the Isrealites, enslaved by the Egyptians, to freedom. In the Bhagavad Gita, the source of all things, lord Krisha, appears to prince Arjuna as his charioteer and helps him understand his identity and…

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Ep. 80 Philosophers on God with Guest Jack Symes 1:15:21

3M ago1:15:21

1:15:21

Send us a Text Message. What’s the most important question in philosophy? Our guest Jack Symes believes it to be the question of God’s existence, no matter where you fall on the belief spectrum. In this episode, Jack discusses with us his latest book, Philosophers on God: Talking about Existence which directly address this question. What is the ori…

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Ep. 79 From Wollstonecraft to Wolf: Women Who Shaped Philosophy, Part 3 54:35

3M ago54:35

54:35

Send us a Text Message. Included in this episode are feminist icons Mary Wollstonecraft and Simone de Beauvoir, champions of new ethics Mary Midgley, Iris Murdoch, Philippa Foot, and Elizabeth Anscombe, and contemporary powerhouse on love and other moral stances Susan Wolf. It's a lot packed into one hour! Join us for this final installment of the …

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Ep. 78 Ban Zhao and Christine de Piaza: Women Who Shaped Philosophy, Part 2 39:15

4M ago39:15

39:15

Send us a Text Message. Throughout the history of philosophy, women have been active, yet markedly absent from much of the scholarship. If you go into a book store or do a google search for the greatest philosophers, you would most likely see one or two women, at most on any given list. How can those two things coexist together? In Han Dynasty Chin…

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Ep. 77 Diotima and Hypatia: Women Who Shaped Philosophy, Part 1 39:14

4M ago39:14

39:14

Send us a Text Message. Throughout the history of philosophy, women have been active, yet markedly absent from much of the scholarship. If you go into a book store or do a google search for the greates philosohers, you would most likely see one or two women, at most on any given list. How can those two things coexist together? In Ancient Greece and…

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Ep. 76 Looking for Beauty: The Philosophy of Beauty, Part 2 1:07:41

5M ago1:07:41

1:07:41

Send us a Text Message. Whether concepts such as the Golden Ratio or more subjective standards of aesthetic judgments, beauty has been the subject of debate for every era of philosophical history. In the ancient world, it was the Greeks that formed much of what the ancient era would think about when considering beauty in concepts such as symmetry a…

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Ep. 75 Engaging with Beauty: The Philosophy of Beauty, Part 1 59:35

5M ago59:35

59:35

Send us a Text Message. Beauty and aesthetics seems to be one of the least discussed branches of philosophy, yet occupied the minds of some of the greatest philosophers such as: Plato, Aristotle, Kant, and Hume, just to name a few. Its appeal is immediately obvious, however, when someone asks the seemingly simple question of exactly what beauty is.…

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Trailer - Welcome To Open Door Philosophy! 0:35

5M ago0:35

0:35

Send us a Text Message. Welcome to Open Door Philosophy! We're happy you stopped by! Sign up for our newsletter here! Open Door Philosophy Newsletter Contact us via email at contact@opendoorphilosophy.com Open Door Philosophy on Instagram @opendoorphilosophy Open Door Philosophy website at opendoorphilosophy.com…

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Ep. 74 Preview of 2024 36:10

5M ago36:10

36:10

Send us a Text Message. Join us as we discuss our goals and plans for Open Door Philosophy in 2024. We discuss upcoming guests, episode topics, and more! Sign up for our newsletter here! Open Door Philosophy Newsletter Contact us via email at contact@opendoorphilosophy.com Open Door Philosophy on Instagram @opendoorphilosophy Open Door Philosophy w…

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ODP Nonsense 3: Latin, Booze, Neck Ties, Camera Angles 13:49

6M ago13:49

13:49

Send us a Text Message. In this bit of nonsense, Andrew tries to convince Mr. Parsons to learn Latin, no one is sure what whiskey is, Mr. Parsons ditches the neck ties, and there's some dissatisfaction with camera angles. Sign up for our newsletter here! Open Door Philosophy Newsletter Contact us via email at contact@opendoorphilosophy.com Open Doo…

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Ep. 73 Year-In-Review and Our Favorite Books of 2023 1:07:37

6M ago1:07:37

1:07:37

Send us a Text Message. In this episode, we put a bow on the year that was 2023! We look back on the podcast and this year's meaningful events in our lives. We then discuss our favorite books of 2023; No Spoilers! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all our listeners. We'll see you in 2024! Sign up for our newsletter here! Open Door Philosophy Ne…

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Ep. 72 The Concept of Property 1:10:52

6M ago1:10:52

1:10:52

Send us a Text Message. What do you own? Why do you own it? Are things owned individually or collectively? Do citizens own public parks and do they have an obligation to its maintenance? Can you own ideas or other intangible things like money and time? Join us for this exploratory episode on the concept of property. Sign up for our newsletter here!…

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ODP Nonsense 2: Cardigans, Fraud, Mysterious Travel, and Polish 6:27

7M ago6:27

6:27

Send us a Text Message. In this bit of nonsense, we talk about Taylor's cardigans, how Mr. Parsons avoided fraud, Andrew's mysterious travel, and the difficulties of the Polish language. Sign up for our newsletter here! Open Door Philosophy Newsletter Contact us via email at contact@opendoorphilosophy.com Open Door Philosophy on Instagram @opendoor…

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Ep. 71 Education, Justice, and the Ideal Society: 20th Century Political Philosophy with Strauss, Rawls, Nozick 59:24

7M ago59:24

59:24

Send us a Text Message. In this episode, we delve into the rich work of political philosophy by Leo Strauss, John Rawls, and Robert Nozick. We begin with Strauss's influential ideas on liberal education, examining how he views cultural cultivation as essential for intellectual development and a bulwark against the homogenization of mass culture. St…

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ODP Nonsense 1: Mullets, Football, Beckham, Astros 6:44

7M ago6:44

6:44

Send us a Text Message. Need a bit of the ODP crew without the philosophy? Welcome to ODP Shorts! Andrew needs a haircut and thinks David Beckham is a fine American, Mr. Parsons' football team is struggling, and Taylor reviews former Houston Astros Jerseys. Sign up for our newsletter here! Open Door Philosophy Newsletter Contact us via email at con…

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Ep. 70 Enlightenment Political Philosophy: Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau 1:13:48

7M ago1:13:48

1:13:48

Send us a Text Message. At one point in history, European countries were ruled by monarchs. The Catholic Church also exerted a great deal of control. And our physical explanations for why nature is comprised the way it is relied on metaphysical explanations reliant on God. Then enter the Enlightenment. Thinkers like Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and J…

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Ep. 69 Spooky Philosophers Halloween Spectacular! 1:10:33

8M ago1:10:33

1:10:33

Send us a Text Message. Welcome to a very spectral, spooky episode of Open Door Philosophy! Since this episode releases on Halloween, we thought how better to celebrate than talk about our spookiest philosophers! You'll have to listen to find out who they are though, because suspense is the name of the game! Sign up for our newsletter here! Open Do…

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Ep. 68 The Ethics of War 58:04

8M ago58:04

58:04

Send us a Text Message. We know war happens all the time, unfortunately. Caught up in war are states and individuals who wish for others to see their actions as reasonable, for the best, and ultimately just. But it seems war involves many actions which are considered wrong in other circumstances, killing another human being for example. Most people…

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Ep. 67 Where Should I Start with Philosophy? 1:09:44

9M ago1:09:44

1:09:44

Send us a Text Message. Philosophy is a notoriously massive subject, and for someone unfamiliar, it might be difficult to figure out where to start. Do you look for a famous name on the bookshelf? Try to choose a subject? Start with self-help? Maybe join a book club? In this episode, we answer a listener question by exploring how to get started in …

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Ep. 66 Can Science and Wisdom Traditions Complement Each Other?” 1:13:08

9M ago1:13:08

1:13:08

Send us a Text Message. The Shawnee, a native American tribe, tells a tale of brother crow and brother buffalo which imparts the wisdom of balance: to only hunt the buffalo when it is necessary for food and skins, but to remember that each creature is our brother and sister too. Tales like this one are not uncommon in many indigenous cultures aroun…

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Ep. 65 Authority, Labels, and Oranges 1:12:09

10M ago1:12:09

1:12:09

Send us a Text Message. On first listen, you might think this episode is about the Tao Te Ching. We thought it would be too, but it became a meandering conversations about the origin of authority, premises that lead to conclusion, justification, wisdom versus reason, and social media. Sign up for our newsletter here! Open Door Philosophy Newsletter…

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Ep. 64 What Is Happiness? 56:26

10M ago56:26

56:26

Send us a Text Message. It’s pretty common in the self-help age we live in, with piles of well meaning books and as many podcast as the stars, to pursue happiness. But often the focus is on what we can change or tweak in our life to obtain it rather than what exactly it is. What is happiness? Perhaps if we identify what happiness is, we can create …

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Ep.63 The Philosophy of Love, Part 2 1:04:05

11M ago1:04:05

1:04:05

Send us a Text Message. Love is a driving factor in our decisions. People plan their lives around who they love: they stay close to their parents, take a completely random job to stay with their spouse, and save hundreds of thousands of dollars for their future children’s education. But just as the people we love drive our decisions, so do what act…

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Ep. 62 The Philosophy of Love, Part 1 1:06:25

11M ago1:06:25

1:06:25

Send us a Text Message. Around 2500 years ago in Ancient Greece, Empedocles contemplated the essential questions of the universe, including the role of love and strife. Empedocles is known as a pre-Socratic philosopher, although he was primarily a poet. In his surviving works, On Nature and Purifications, Empedocles posits that the cosmic powers of…

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Ep. 61 Philosophy and Literature 1:06:29

12M ago1:06:29

1:06:29

Send us a Text Message. Roughly 3700 years ago, in the fertile crescent of mesopotamia, the first Western epic was composed. The character Gilgamesh, and his friend Enkidu, have many adventures battling mighty beasts. But when Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh is thrown into, what we would today call, an existential crisis, as Gilgamesh grapples with themes s…

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Ep. 60 Language and Meaning, Who Was Ludwig Wittgenstein? The Analytic Tradition, Part 2 59:47

12M ago59:47

59:47

Send us a Text Message. Ludwig Wittgenstein was born in 1889 into a wealthy and aristocratic family in Austria. He was a brilliant child, and he was educated at some of the best schools in the country. After graduating from Cambridge University, Wittgenstein began a career in mathematics and logic. He quickly made a name for himself as a brilliant …

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Ep. 59 Who Was Bertrand Russell? The Analytic Tradition, Part 1 56:01

1y ago56:01

56:01

Send us a Text Message. One of the most influential philosophers of the 20th century, British philosopher Bertrand Russell's reach is inescapable. He was a true polymath, with interests in mathematics, logic, philosophy, politics, and social reform. And he was also a controversial figure, often outspoken in his criticism of the status quo. Join us …

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Ep. 58 Should We Hope? 1:01:19

1y ago1:01:19

1:01:19

Send us a Text Message. Join us for this exploration of the concept of hope from a philosophical perspective. What is hope? Can hope ever be justified? What are the uses of hope? And what do different philosophical schools say about hope? Plus a visit to the bookshelf! The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet: John Green Life is…

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Ep. 57 Cultivation of the Soul 1:05:38

1y ago1:05:38

1:05:38

Send us a Text Message. The philosophy of Transcendentalism advocated for living simply, evaluating tradition, and cultivating your inner-self. Join us as we explore some of the practices that Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson participated in attempting to cultivate the soul. We also discuss the new Snapchat AI. Apologies for the poor aud…

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Ep. 56 Kierkegaard on Despair 55:18

1y ago55:18

55:18

Send us a Text Message. Surely despair is a state of mind we all experience from time to time, and once through it we never want to experience such a state again. The Danish philosopher and father of Existentialism, Søren Kierkegaard, believed that despair was a universal feature of existence. In other words, none of us are getting out of it, and i…

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Ep. 55 Our Third Annual Marcus Aurelius Extravaganza! 1:00:22

1y ago1:00:22

1:00:22

Send us a Text Message. Who doesn't love a little Marcus Aurelius? Join us for our third annual visit with our old philosophical friend, Marcus. He hasn't change much, but maybe we have. Also tune in for another installment of ChatGPT versus Mr. Parsons and Taylor orchestrated by the gamemaster Andrew, as well as a visit to the bookshelf! Good time…

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Ep. 54 Hinduism, Eastern Philosophy, Part 4 58:39

1y ago58:39

58:39

Send us a Text Message. Hinduism is the oldest continuous eastern philosophy in the world. In this episode we look at a bit of it's history, some of it's main beliefs, the influential Bhagavad Gita, and offer some practical application. Episode Resources The Bhagavad Gita Sign up for our newsletter here! Open Door Philosophy Newsletter Contact us v…

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Ep. 53 Buddhism, Eastern Philosophy, Part 3 1:00:59

1+ y ago1:00:59

1:00:59

Send us a Text Message. The Four Noble Truths, The Eight Fold Path, the interdependent nature of all things, and licking honey from a razor blade. Buddhism has a tremendous following world wide, but with such notoriety comes many misconceptions, or at least misguided approximations, from those who do not practice or live in a region where it is wid…

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Ep. 52 Confucianism, Eastern Philosophy, Part 2 58:55

1+ y ago58:55

58:55

Send us a Text Message. One of the three great Chinese philosophical traditions, join us as we explore Confucianism. What is the gentleman? What does it mean to be benevolent? And why follow the rites? Episode Resources The Analects Sign up for our newsletter here! Open Door Philosophy Newsletter Contact us via email at contact@opendoorphilosophy.c…

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Ep. 51 Taoism, Eastern Philosophy, Part 1 1:00:59

1+ y ago1:00:59

1:00:59

Send us a Text Message. "The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name." Thus begins one of the most famous and mysterious claims in philosophy from one of the two primary texts of Taoism, the Tao Te Ching. Join us as we explore the philosophy of Taoism which values balance, flexibility, and non…

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Ep. 50 Listener Questions! 1:00:13

1+ y ago1:00:13

1:00:13

Send us a Text Message. It's our 50th episode, and we decided to celebrate by answering your questions! Do we have free will? What's a philosophical tv show/movie we like? What got us into philosophy, and what keeps us there? And more! Plus a little retrospective, some looking forward, and a lot of laughs! Sign up for our newsletter here! Open Door…

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Ep. 49 Who Was Jean-Paul Sartre? 54:51

1+ y ago54:51

54:51

Send us a Text Message. *cue dramatic music* Out of the ashes of World War II arose a philosophy based on embracing the absurdism of existence, being authentic, and enduring the existential nausea that resulted. One of it's many champions was French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, who scaled the mountain of criticism to become one of the most popular…

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Ep. 48 Who was Simone de Beauvoir? 55:36

1+ y ago55:36

55:36

Send us a Text Message. One of the most popular philosophers of the mid 20th century and influential member of 2nd wave feminism, Existentialist Simone de Beauvoir was a significant novelist, essayist, autobiographer, and champion of social issues. Join us as we explore and discuss the life and ideas of Simone de Beauvoir. Episode Resources: Becomi…

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Ep. 47 Our Favorite Books of 2022 56:23

1+ y ago56:23

56:23

Send us a Text Message. Join us as we review our favorite books we read in 2022! Sign up for our newsletter here! Open Door Philosophy Newsletter Contact us via email at contact@opendoorphilosophy.com Open Door Philosophy on Instagram @opendoorphilosophy Open Door Philosophy website at opendoorphilosophy.com…

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Ep. 46 Higher and Friendly Powers with Guest Peg O'Connor 1:09:35

1+ y ago1:09:35

1:09:35

Send us a Text Message. A staple of Alcoholics Anonymous is the surrender of agency to a providential, theistic god, but what exactly does this mean? And are there other ways to connect with our spiritual center? Peg O'Connor thinks so. Join us as Peg offers us a field guide to William James' great work The Varieties of Religious Experience through…

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Ep. 45 Who Was Aristotle? 52:45

1+ y ago52:45

52:45

Send us a Text Message. In our episode on Plato, we quoted Alfred North Whitehead as saying, “All of philosophy is a series of footnotes to Plato.” For almost 1500 years, however, many philosophers and historians believed that all of knowledge, including philosophy, was a footnote to Aristotle. The Philosopher, as he is known, contributed greatly i…

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Ep. 44 Who Was Plato? 50:40

1+ y ago50:40

50:40

Send us a Text Message. The 20th century English/American philosopher Alfred North Whitehead once famously said “All of philosophy is a series of footnotes to Plato.” Though a highly contested claim, no matter where you land on it, the quote does at least cause one to consider the inescapable presence of Plato. Who was this follower of Socrates who…

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Ep. 43 The Complete Works of Epictetus with Translator Robin Waterfield 51:38

1+ y ago51:38

51:38

Send us a Text Message. One of the big three stoic sources from antiquity is Epictetus, and central to any understanding of such works is a good translation, yet the work of translation is not a straight forward task of simply taking words in another language and finding their equivalent in whatever language it is your are translating it into. Robi…

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Ep. 42 Who Was Socrates? 44:17

1+ y ago44:17

44:17

Send us a Text Message. Imagine you’re in Ancient Athens, around 410 BCE, walking through the local market. There, an older man approaches you and begins to pepper you with questions. They start off simple enough, but by the end, you end up, annoyed, disagreeing with what you first claimed to be true. This man was probably Socrates, the most famous…

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Ep. 41 Who Were the Pre-Socratics? 53:40

1+ y ago53:40

53:40

Send us a Text Message. Most people are generally aware of the story that philosophy began a very long time ago in Greece, and the three largely responsible for its beginning were Plato, Aristotle, and the great Socrates, but they weren’t the first philosophers. There was a rich tradition of thinkers who came before The Big Three, an unaffiliated g…

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Ep. 40 The Ring of Gyges: What Would You Do? 46:31

2y ago46:31

46:31

Send us a Text Message. What if you had a magic object, say a ring, that when used would render you invisible, allowing for you to get away with whatever you wanted? How would you use this power? For good actions, or bad? And what is good (virtue) and bad (vice) anyway? Join us as we unpack this classic thought experiment from Plato's The Republic.…

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