Dan Schreiber
Appearances
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
I wouldn't assume that. No? Okay. Well, no, because clearly he's gone into the natural sciences. Plato is going, this guy's lost the plot. He'd be the equivalent of a fringe scientist these days. You'd be like, what's happened to this guy? The brain's gone faulty.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
He'd be in your book, couldn't he? Oh, absolutely. Yeah. No, I assume because of the power of Plato as well that other people around him would be going, Why is he looking at mushrooms? What's going on?
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
Well, I don't know. Give me a bit more about Lesbos. What is the island like? Is it populated at this point? It is.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
I'm going to be a thing I've just invented.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
Imagine if you were able to tell him the influence he's had on the world. Adam's family's pet octopus. The question of what did he do with his daughter? I want to know if sometimes scientists do look at their young as possibly an experiment. That's why I was asking about the island. Was it to separate the daughter from the mainland so as to just bring her up believing in weird stuff? Right.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
Hey, thanks for having me. I have to say, Aristotle, from what you were saying just before we started recording, absolutely the type of person I'd want to sit down and ask weird questions to. He sounds really interesting.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
Yeah. But it does sound like it doesn't matter what his life circumstance would have been. The curious mind would have just explored any surrounding. I think that's exactly right.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
Guys, controversial theory. I think he might have been a time traveler. This feels like someone who's like almost a glitch.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
Yeah. Like too much information just poured out of one person.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
I think if we are living in a simulation, he got the extra weapons.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
Well, I needed to hear the evidence first. And clearly... It's like Cyborg Aristotle. Something's going on. Yeah. But already, you know, this is not your average human. People listening are going to be like, yes, Dan. That's why we're talking about him. Exactly, yeah.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
I think the teeth one is real. I think he actually pushed that, which that's one of the few things I know about Aristotle to think. But do you know what? Maybe women had fewer teeth back then. Maybe that's an evolutionary quirk that's happened since his time. Elephants can't bend their knees. I bet, did he ever see an elephant? That would be my first question. Elephants on Lesbos? Not sure.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
But everyone else is an idiot compared to this guy. He's just going to take that. I'm going to say the elephant's one is the one that he disproved. You're right.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
No, I'm equally as ignorant in ancient Greece as I am at that time. But I'm fascinated by this period because it feels like this is the moment that science erupted. I know that Aristotle's often called the first scientist.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
But I imagine at the time that would have been such like a dinner party conversation. Have you heard Aristotle's latest? Women have fewer teeth. Quick, let's count. And then gradually you'd realise, I'm not sure, is he?
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
Yeah, I don't think it should be laughed at anyway. I think this is a genius who was doing a lot of stuff. And yeah, you're occasionally going to have to abandon the latest thing.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
That's the dedication. Yeah. Didn't he have a thing about flies as well?
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
So what I love is the mixture of both interesting and true facts that have come through to today and then outrageous claims that were so verifiable at the time that seem to have just been taken as fact. And actually, that's my sweet spot. I think that's where I would have preferred to have lived. So, what do you know?
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
Well, I've heard his name being mentioned a few times this episode, Alexander the Great. Not yet great. Not yet great. Alexander the... The brat.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
Wow. Well, if I was Aristotle... Well, you've got three sons, right? I have three sons. Yeah. I feel like it's a bit... I've got modern knowledge. I'm trying to put myself back into fourth century. Okay. Class on Excel spreadsheets.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
I always get the impression that the children of a dictator are a bit scary at that age.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
Because they feel they can push everyone around.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
Yeah. So the question is, this is not normal teaching circumstances. You put your foot wrong, you might get killed, right, by the dad. So you've got to play into sort of like a lesson on my family and other villains playing You know, teaching them. But you also want to put love and interest into that.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
No, he wants to put, well, you've got the most curious man alive who's been tasked with a fertile brain who could change the world. I mean, that's a perfect combo, really.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
It must have been so hard to toe that line and maybe get in the subtle lessons of goodness while also making the dad feel like he's not got a child who might not be a great warrior themselves. So, yeah, but largely Excel spreadsheets.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
We don't get a sense that he had a good time in Macedonia. No. Do we know much about what Alexander the Great mentioned about him
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
On the curriculum question, I do feel like I would have a superpower to be a teacher back then because I do very often, in the various other things that I do, say something that sounds factual, sounds confident, but is absolutely not true, it turns out. And people believe me because of the rest of my... You have a natural authority.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
You do. And in this day and age, unfortunately, people can Google it and tell me I'm right.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
Is he received back into Athens as a kind of returning...
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
With your husband cosplaying a lot.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
Okay, nice. I've never read any Aristotle. If I went now to a bookshop and had to get one of his writing, what is the one?
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
He's definitely real, right, Aristotle? Yeah. Because there's so many of these characters from this period where the stuff was written about them all these years after and you find out, oh, Pythagoras, was that a real guy? Aristotle's like, we know he's real.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
Yeah, there's no new jokes, apparently.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
Because he was a fringe scientist that no one wanted to hear about his weird mushroom theories.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
He was a natural scientist. And there was a Nepo baby ready to take over. A Nepo baby. It's a shame that the Nepo baby was not called Nepotism. I feel like that would have been a Greek. True.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
Alexander, not yet the great. Very good. The brat.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
Was it the simple idea that... You will be happy if you do what makes you happy and do good.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
I'm massively team. I mean, outside of the stuff that is very questionable, I think in terms of if I'm looking at him purely as someone... who was thinking differently, uniquely. What a brain, what an extraordinary footprint to have left on our planet, to have created marine biology, to have been the name of an octopus in the original Addams Family movie.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
What I would love to do now is just work out how much of modern day life is thanks to his brain, this one brain, this one blip of consciousness that has, yeah, and I think he's got a great champion in you. You wrote a book called The Aristotle's Way.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
Okay, I'm reading that because ancient wisdom being relevant today, I think is something we often forget. Lovely stuff.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
Bibliotherapy. Therapy by books.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
Does he cross over with any other great notable character from history, if you were looking global? Kind of like Cervantes and Shakespeare were living in the same period, right?
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
Yeah, I don't fully know what a Turkish life when you're 13 is like. Okay, so what was he doing? Was there any sports at the time? Oh, yeah. I'm sort of going off Monty Python sketches here, but yeah.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
You say you knew a lot about horses. This is one few things I know about him, is that didn't he believe that certain winds, if they hit your horse, could fertilise your horse?
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
Did he possibly invent the, but why? That's Socrates. That's Socrates.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
Yeah. Who came after? I know we might get into it later, but was there a fourth after Aristotle?
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
Son of a doctor, great mythical god as a great, great, great grandparent. Were they buddies? Did he bring them in to make him nickname worthy?
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
As in, would everyone else been in their 20s and 30s?
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
Was it Aristotle who thought that maybe the plant life had souls?
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle: Ancient Greece’s greatest philosopher?
Appropriate wit. What did he label himself as?
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle (Radio Edit)
No, I'm equally as ignorant in ancient Greece as I am at that time. So what do you know?
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle (Radio Edit)
How big are these books? Are we talking word count per book?
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle (Radio Edit)
It's very simple. Yeah. I think it's true as well. He doesn't need my backing.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle (Radio Edit)
That's very important. So be here now. He's very zen, isn't he?
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle (Radio Edit)
So you know that classic question of if you could have a dinner party with any guests from history. So Aristotle seems like he's the perfect guest to be there. Out of curiosity, if he was at my dinner party and he saw women at the table at my other, what would he be saying there?
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle (Radio Edit)
That's a shame because Helen's also at my dinner party. Sorry, Helen, got to go.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle (Radio Edit)
And is that... That's unusual. That's unusual. Okay. There still is a bit of a plot twist on Aristotle. But, you know, that is going to happen.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle (Radio Edit)
Yeah, he's all right. Yeah, no, what an incredible life. It feels silly, again, saying that, because obviously it must be an incredible life, but I was surprised by how few details I knew about what he had actually achieved.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle (Radio Edit)
I'm massively team. I mean, outside of the stuff that is very questionable, I think in terms of I'm looking at him purely as someone... who was thinking differently, uniquely. What a brain, what an extraordinary footprint to have left on our planet, to have created marine biology, to have been the name of an octopus in the original Addams Family movie.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle (Radio Edit)
What I would love to do now is just work out how much of modern day life is thanks to his brain, this one brain.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle (Radio Edit)
He's definitely real, right, Aristotle? Yeah. Because there's so many of these characters from this period where the stuff was written about them all these years after and you find out, oh, Pythagoras, was that a real guy? Aristotle's like, we know he's real.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle (Radio Edit)
Does he cross over with any other great notable character from history, if you were looking global, kind of like Cervantes and Shakespeare were living? in the same period, right?
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle (Radio Edit)
That's wild. Was there a fourth after Aristotle? Theophrastus. Yeah.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle (Radio Edit)
Appropriate wit. What did he label himself as? Was he appropriate?
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle (Radio Edit)
I wouldn't assume that. No? Okay. Well, no, because clearly he's gone into the natural sciences. Plato is going, this guy's lost the plot. He'd be the equivalent of a fringe scientist these days. You'd be like, what's happened to this guy? He was so, the brain's gone faulty.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle (Radio Edit)
I assume because of the power of Plato as well that other people around him would be going, why is he talking, why is he looking at mushrooms? What's going on?
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle (Radio Edit)
Well, I don't know. Give me a bit more about Lesbos. What is the island like?
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle (Radio Edit)
Wow. The question of what did he do with his daughter, sometimes scientists do look at their young as possibly an experiment. And that's why I was asking about the island. Was it to separate the daughter from the mainland so as to just bring her up believing in weird stuff? But...
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle (Radio Edit)
Invent lemon studies. Yeah. But it does sound like he, it doesn't matter what his life circumstance would have been, the curious mind would have just explored any surrounding. I think that's exactly right. Right.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle (Radio Edit)
Guys, controversial theory. I think he might have been a time traveler. This feels like someone who's like almost a glitch.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle (Radio Edit)
I think if we are living in a simulation, he got the extra weapons.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle (Radio Edit)
Hey, thanks for having me. I have to say, Aristotle, from what you were saying just before we started recording, absolutely the kind of person I'd want to sit down and ask weird questions to. He sounds really interesting.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle (Radio Edit)
Well, I needed to hear the evidence first. And clearly. It's like Cyborg Aristotle. Something's going on.
You're Dead to Me
Aristotle (Radio Edit)
Is he received back into Athens as a kind of returning hero?