The Classical Code of Manhood

What does it mean to be a man? It’s a timeless question that's been answered in different ways across the ages. For the ancient Romans, the word for manliness was virtus — the root of our word virtue. To be a man meant living a life of virtuous excellence.

Waller Newell takes up that same definition in his book The Code of Man, first published twenty years ago and now released in a new edition. Today on the show, Waller, a professor of political science, argues that we need to recover an older vision of manhood rooted in the traditions of Western antiquity. He shares the five paths that, in his view, form the classical code of manliness and how they can continue to be lived out today.

Resources Related to the Podcast

• Waller's previous appearance on the AoM podcast: Episode #104 — The Code of Man With Waller Newell
• AoM Article: What Is Manliness?
• AoM series on the origins and nature of manhood
• AoM Podcast #1,028: The 5 Marks of a Man
• AoM Podcast #926: The 5 Shifts of Manhood
• AoM Article: Got Thumos?
• AoM Article: What Is a Man? The Allegory of the Chariot
• AoM Podcast #871: Jane Austen for Dudes
• Sunday Firesides: Climb the Ladder of Love

Connect With Waller Newell

• Waller's website
• Waller's faculty page

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