Aztec Philosophy with Sebastian Purcell

阿兹特克哲学与塞巴斯蒂安·珀塞尔

Overthink

2025-12-02

58 分钟
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Why are Aztecs often considered pessimists from a philosophical perspective? In episode 150 of Overthink, Ellie and David chat with philosopher Sebastian Purcell about his book The Outward Path: The Wisdom of the Aztecs. They discuss how the Aztecs urge us to take an “outside-in” approach to the self, how their understanding of happiness differs from much of Western philosophy, and how their view of the mind as inherently chaotic shapes their moral outlook. Why did the Aztecs think happiness was not an important goal? How can the Aztec notion of ‘right speech’ help us gain control over the internal chaos of the mind? And why did the Aztecs reject the possibility of redemption? In the Substack bonus segment, your hosts dive deeper into the pessimism of the Aztecs and the claustrophobia of the Spanish conquest. Works Discussed: Sebastian Purcell, The Outward Path: The Wisdom of the Aztecs Jacques Soustelle, Daily Life of the Aztecs on the Eve of the Spanish Conquest Enjoy our work? Support Overthink via tax-deductible donation: https://www.givecampus.com/fj0w3v Join our Substack for ad-free versions of both audio and video episodes, extended episodes, exclusive live chats, and more: https://overthinkpod.substack.com/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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  • Hello and welcome to Overthink.

  • The podcast where two professors relate philosophy to everyday life and current issues.

  • I am Dr.

  • David Peña-Uzman.

  • And I'm Dr.

  • Ellie Anderson.

  • What does life look like without the possibility of redemption?

  • the things that Sebastian Purcell asks in his book, The Outward Path,

  • the Wisdom of the Aztecs, which we're going to be talking about today.

  • And it has really stuck with me, David, since I read the text.

  • In general, the Aztecs are a very overlooked people when it comes to philosophical thinking.

  • And so we'll get into why it's bad that they've been overlooked in some of our discussions today.

  • Purcell thinks that they offer an important antidote to our usual ways of thinking.

  • And one of those usual ways of thinking is that happiness is important in this life,

  • and redemption is important at the end of it, and perhaps even for a future life.

  • Purcell says that Aztecs don't care about redemption, they don't think it's possible,

  • and they also don't think happiness is a particularly important goal.

  • also one that's not possible.

  • One that we'll talk to Sebastian about once we speak with him a little bit later in the episode.

  • But the answer to the question, what does life look like without the possibility of redemption,