With Pavel Shchelin

This course reads Plutarch’s Lives as a grammar of symbolism embodied in history. Plutarch offers more than biographies; they are windows into the deep structures of history. Each figure embodies a symbolic form of power—sacrifice, charisma, discipline, ambition, or sovereignty—and through them we see how civilizations rise and fall. Athens and Rome, in their greatness and decline, reveal not only political dynamics but also the patterns that govern human political order and disorder.

Our method is symbolic analysis, not antiquarian fact-gathering. It is history in its original sense of —inquiry. We study past lives to discern ever present symbolic patterns that reappear in our current politics, culture and crises. Each session focuses on a single Life as a case study, exploring both the historical moment and the symbolic form it reveals.

In this course, Pavel Schelin leads us through Plutarch’s portraits as case studies in the symbolism of history. By asking each hero, What drives him? What is most important to him? Whom—or what—does he serve?, we uncover the forces that shape politics across centuries. The aim is not knowledge but discernment: a study in symbolic grammar for reading the ever unfolding crises of power.

Course Length:
8 weeks, 16 hours

Dates:
Live classes are on Wednesdays from 4-6 PM ET, starting March 18th through May 6th, 2026