The Power of Story with "We Are Icarus" author Matt Benjamin

Pleased to host Matt Benjamin, friend of the channel, YouTube host, and author of the new novel We Are Icarus on the podcast to discuss his new novel in an authentic, unsponsored conversation. Matt’s novel explores timeless philosophy through a futuristic sci-fi dystopia setting. Join us as we discuss the timeless power of story, explore Ancient Greek philosophy and mythology, explore the creative process for an author in 2024, and talk about mythic heroes from ancient legends through professional wrestling! Order We Are Icarus: https://a.co/d/gjjA8jf Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction to Matt Benjamin, author of We Are Icarus 01:38 The Power of Story 03:10 The Universality of Myth 06:42 The Myth of Theseus & the Minotaur, Daedalus and Icarus 11:33 Aristotle’s Golden Mean & the Buddha’s Middle Path 13:38 Philosophy & Fiction 18:57 World Building & Dystopia in We Are Icarus 21:40 Productivity, Creativity, & Community 23:33 Positive & Negative Commandments 24:58 Transcendent Truth in a Dystopian World 27:55 The Creative Process 32:49 Teaching & Entertaining in Story 36:26 Storytelling in Professional Wrestling 40:04 The Power of Great Stories This video is not sponsored by Matt or anyone else; I genuinely enjoy his work. If you enjoy this conversation, I have a great feeling you will, too.