What Makes a Man? The History of Masculinity

What has history expected a man to be?

This episode traces masculinity from hunter-gatherer societies and the agricultural revolution through ancient Greece, Rome, Jewish culture, Confucian thought, medieval chivalry, industrial society, and the modern political divide.

We examine the strengths and failures of these traditions—and ask what men should carry forward. Perhaps men still need a code built around courage, discipline, responsibility, protection, compassion, and service. But that code must be tested through reason and an open mind rather than accepted through blind loyalty.

What does it mean to be a good man today?