Originally published on June 26, 2023 (Episode 322)
Introduction
Scott Samuelson didn’t see Rome until his mid-30s, but since then—every summer save for the pandemic years—he has returned to the Eternal City. Out of these pilgrimages has come Rome as a Guide to the Good Life: A Philosophical Grand Tour (University of Chicago Press, 2023). It is not a conventional travel guide, and it is far from a conventional treatise on philosophy. But it is a reflection on how Rome—its streets, ruins, art, and thinkers—can instruct the soul.
Samuelson invites readers to encounter Cicero, Seneca, and Giordano Bruno not as distant voices but as companions along a journey that winds through the Forum, the Villa Farnesina, and the Galleria Borghese. In Caravaggio’s David and Goliath, for example, he finds a self-portrait that speaks to humility and mortality. In Renaissance villas and Baroque chapels, he discovers visions of life that blend philosophy, theology, and civic aspiration. But he also visits more atypical sites, such as the Protestant Cemetery, and finds lessons there as well.
Our conversation explores how Samuelson weaves history, literature, art, and philosophy into a tapestry of moral reflection. We also talk about the Catherine Project, an initiative founded by friend of the podcast Zena Hitz, where Samuelson brings the riches of great books to small groups of readers for free. At the heart of it all is a conviction: Rome, both ancient and modern, remains a school of the soul.
About the Guest
Scott Samuelson was formerly Professor of Philosophy at Kirkwood Community College in Iowa, and now holds a joint position at Iowa State University in Philosophy & Religious Studies and Extension & Outreach. He is the author of Rome as a Guide to the Good Life: A Philosophical Grand Tour (University of Chicago Press, 2023), as well as Seven Ways of Looking at Pointless Suffering and The Deepest Human Life: An Introduction to Philosophy for Everyone. In 2015, he received the Hiett Prize in the Humanities for his work bringing philosophy into public life.
For Further Investigation
Scott Samuelson, Rome as a Guide to the Good Life: A Philosophical Grand Tour (University of Chicago Press, 2023)
The Catherine Project, founded by Zena Hitz, offering free small-group seminars on great books
Episodes of Historically Thinking related to this conversation:
Episode 186: Scott Newstok on Shakespeare and the grammar school tradition
Episode 211: Zena Hitz on Lost in Thought: The Hidden Pleasures of an Intellectual Life
Caravaggio, David with the Head of Goliath (c. 1610). Digital copy available via Galleria Borghese’s online collection
Archival sources for Roman sites mentioned:
Digital Roman Forum Project (UCLA)
The Villa Farnesina digital archive maintained by the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei
Giordano Bruno’s statue in Campo de’ Fiori and related archival materials at the Biblioteca Casanatense
💬 Listen & Discuss
How does a city like Rome act as a “guide to the good life”? What does it mean to walk alongside Cicero, Seneca, or Bruno as if they were living interlocutors? Share this podcast with someone you know who is philosophically inclined, or loves Rome, or has always wanted to visit Rome.
