Alex Petkus

I think that we don't have that same sense that entrepreneurship isn't the highest honor. But in America, the kind of the rich do seem to be much more synonymous with the oligarchy of this country, whether they're the media elite or the finance or the business, the entrepreneurs like Elon Musk. So I think that's an interesting difference.

I think that we don't have that same sense that entrepreneurship isn't the highest honor. But in America, the kind of the rich do seem to be much more synonymous with the oligarchy of this country, whether they're the media elite or the finance or the business, the entrepreneurs like Elon Musk. So I think that's an interesting difference.

But, you know, we I think it really remains to be seen whether the executive really has the kind of powers that a Roman would like to see in a kind of strong console, you know, the monarchic authority to really change things. We'll see that the next four years will probably determine a lot of our opinion on that.

But, you know, we I think it really remains to be seen whether the executive really has the kind of powers that a Roman would like to see in a kind of strong console, you know, the monarchic authority to really change things. We'll see that the next four years will probably determine a lot of our opinion on that.

Yeah, there's something really wise about that, right? Like, I mean, in the end, Julius Caesar appoints himself dictator for life. But there were

Yeah, there's something really wise about that, right? Like, I mean, in the end, Julius Caesar appoints himself dictator for life. But there were

hundreds of years before the office of dictator really became a problem because like you said it was a temporary sort of state of emergency usually for military emergencies like hannibals in your backyard and um business can't continue as usual we have state of emergency decrees but not like we're going to empower a dictator for six months or six years or or with any term limit i don't know they're there we might get to that point i don't know

hundreds of years before the office of dictator really became a problem because like you said it was a temporary sort of state of emergency usually for military emergencies like hannibals in your backyard and um business can't continue as usual we have state of emergency decrees but not like we're going to empower a dictator for six months or six years or or with any term limit i don't know they're there we might get to that point i don't know

Yeah, I think it's important to emphasize that's not like looking back to their own past in a way. They're like trying to make a conscious break with Britain, right? They're reinventing themselves for a glorious future by looking really deep and incorporating elements of that. They don't want the US to look like 18th century Britain or 16th century Britain.

Yeah, I think it's important to emphasize that's not like looking back to their own past in a way. They're like trying to make a conscious break with Britain, right? They're reinventing themselves for a glorious future by looking really deep and incorporating elements of that. They don't want the US to look like 18th century Britain or 16th century Britain.

They're not bringing in these Tudor elements. It's not about tradition and the kind of vague sense of old-fashioned values. These values were not old-fashioned at the time. They were gone and dead, and they were kind of resurrecting them, I think.

They're not bringing in these Tudor elements. It's not about tradition and the kind of vague sense of old-fashioned values. These values were not old-fashioned at the time. They were gone and dead, and they were kind of resurrecting them, I think.

Yeah, I think that the late Republic is the most interesting comparison for me. And it is worth saying one of the first commonalities is the Romans are always kind of on edge about, you know, threats to the Republic. Like there's a guy in the fourth century BC who's accused of trying to take over the constitution as a tyrant. He's like a war hero and he gets really popular and

Yeah, I think that the late Republic is the most interesting comparison for me. And it is worth saying one of the first commonalities is the Romans are always kind of on edge about, you know, threats to the Republic. Like there's a guy in the fourth century BC who's accused of trying to take over the constitution as a tyrant. He's like a war hero and he gets really popular and

You know, he tries some funny business and they execute him. I think it's capitalized anyway. And these figures come up, you know, so you got part of being in a republic is being vigilant to to prevent it from turning one way or the other. But I think that the most interesting comparison for Rome is this era where you start to see

You know, he tries some funny business and they execute him. I think it's capitalized anyway. And these figures come up, you know, so you got part of being in a republic is being vigilant to to prevent it from turning one way or the other. But I think that the most interesting comparison for Rome is this era where you start to see

The shift from a local city-state dominating most of Italy to an empire with a lowercase e, to rule over others. The Romans conquer a lot of territory across the Mediterranean, and this just puts different pressures on the state that you can see kind of the result of in the life of Cato the Elder.

The shift from a local city-state dominating most of Italy to an empire with a lowercase e, to rule over others. The Romans conquer a lot of territory across the Mediterranean, and this just puts different pressures on the state that you can see kind of the result of in the life of Cato the Elder.

Cato the Elder is the great-grandfather of Cato the Younger, who's a great hero for the founding fathers we talked about in an earlier episode. But... He's always railing against the luxury and the effeminacy of the ruling classes. They're starting to get soft. They're enriching themselves with foreign contracts. They're bringing in exotic art.

Cato the Elder is the great-grandfather of Cato the Younger, who's a great hero for the founding fathers we talked about in an earlier episode. But... He's always railing against the luxury and the effeminacy of the ruling classes. They're starting to get soft. They're enriching themselves with foreign contracts. They're bringing in exotic art.