Chasing Leviathan

What happens when a feeling we assume is a universal human experience is actually shaped, defined, and even created by our specific cultural language and material conditions?  Macquarie University's Future Fellow at the School of Humanities, Dr. Katie Barclay, joins host PJ Wehry to discuss the overlooked complexities of a deeply human emotion.  Dr. Barclay explores the history and cultural variet...

What happens when the simple act of slowing down a metronome reveals the exact limits of our attention, and how might our physical body size secretly dictate the way we experience rhythm and reality?  Dr. David Gilden, a professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Texas, Austin, joins host PJ Wehry to discuss the overlooked physical and biological laws shaping human perception. ...

What happens when we blindly accept the monuments in our built world, treating them as permanent fixtures of history rather than invitations to critique the traditions they represent?  The University of West Georgia's Emerita Professor of Philosophy, Dr. Janet Donohoe, joins host PJ Wehry to discuss the overlooked dynamism of our built environment and how we interact with public memory.  Dr. Donoh...

Why is it that an ephemeral arrangement of sounds can move us to tears, while the exact same sequence might sound like chaotic noise to someone from another culture? Reader in Cognitive Science at Queen Mary University of London and Honorary Professor of Neuroscience at Aarhus University, Dr. Marcus Pearce joins host PJ Wehry to discuss the overlooked significance of our brain's probabilistic pred...

What happens when we assume our modern educational institutions and traditions of debate sprung from a vacuum, dismissing the Middle Ages as an uncritical era blinded by faith?  Kenyon College's Assistant Professor of History, Dr. Alex Novikoff, joins host PJ Wehry to discuss the overlooked intellectual vibrancy and argumentative spirit of the medieval world.  Dr. Novikoff explores the history and...

What happens when our modern visual culture, which demands we constantly observe global atrocities on our phones, actually leads to apathy instead of a meaningful moral response?  The University of Chicago's Associate Professor of English Language and Literature, Dr. Ben Saltzman, joins host PJ Wehry to discuss the overlooked significance of a common, deeply human reaction. Dr. Saltzman explores t...

What happens when history remembers a brilliant young philosopher for his eccentric interests rather than the intellectual foundations he laid for the modern world? Maynooth University's lecturer and assistant professor, Dr. Amos Edelheit , joins host PJ Wehry to discuss the misunderstood legacy of Giovanni Pico della Mirandola and his book, A Philosopher at the Crossroads: Giovanni Pico della Mir...

What happens when a society's pursuit of pure rationality and radical individualism actually threatens to dissolve the trust that holds it together?  Notre Dame University's Paul G. Kimball Professor of Arts and Letters, Dr. Vittorio Hösle, joins host PJ Wehry to discuss the overlooked genius of Giambattista Vico and the hidden dangers of modern rationalism.  Dr. Hösle explores the philosophical f...

What happens when secular culture does a better job of shaping our desires and beliefs than the church? Trinity Anglican Seminary theology professor Dr. Alex Fogelman joins host PJ Wehry to discuss the decline of discipleship and how modern culture invisibly catechizes us. Dr. Fogelman explores the historical roots of foundational instruction and his book Making Disciples: Catechesis in History, T...

What happens when we stop treating therapy as a search for a hidden "inner life" and instead use it to explore our shared, lived world? Seattle University Senior Adjunct Professor of Philosophy and Psychology and Licensed Therapist Dr. Jerome Veith joins host PJ Wehry to discuss the intersection of hermeneutics and clinical practice. Dr. Veith explores the themes of his book Gadamer and the Transm...

This episode was recorded before the tragic news of Dr. Habermas' death. We deeply mourn his passing. Dr Habermas was a man who carefully and passionately pursued the truth, and so we hope that today's episode, in that spirit, we'll pay a small tribute to his legacy. What happens to our democracy when the "written word" is replaced by the "viral image," and reasoned debate is drowned out by the hu...

What happens to our character when being dishonest becomes easier and more rewarding than ever before?  Wake Forest University philosophy professor Dr. Christian Miller joins host PJ Wehry to discuss the "honesty crisis" and how modern technology reshapes our most fundamental virtue.  Dr. Miller explores the findings of The Honesty Project and his book The Honesty Crisis: Preserving Our Most Treas...

How does recognizing our deep physical and social connections change the way we understand human nature? University of Cincinnati philosophy and psychology professor Dr. Anthony Chemero joins host PJ Weary to challenge traditional Western philosophy and explore the embodied nature of cognition. Dr. Chemero unpacks his book Intertwined Creatures: The Embodied Cognitive Science of Self and Other. To...

Are we powerless against the march of modern technology, or can we reclaim our agency to foster true human connection?  Writer, cultural historian, and photographer Dr. Dan Turello joins host PJ Wehry to rethink our relationship with technology and explore its potential to improve the human condition. Turello, a technology and humanity fellow at the Center for Future of Mind, AI, and Society at Fl...

What comes after the endless critiques of postmodernism?  Williams College professor Dr. Jason Ananda Josephson Storm joins host PJ Wehry to rethink the trajectory of the human sciences and chart a course for the future of academic theory.  Dr. Storm, the Francis Christopher Oakley Third Century Professor of Religion and Chair of Science and Technology Studies, unpacks his book, Metamodernism: The...

What do Hegel and Heidegger have to do with the struggles faced by liberalism today?  Duke political philosopher Dr. Michael Allen Gillespie joins host PJ Wehry to rethink the philosophical foundations of modern history and the crisis we're living through now. Dr. Gillespie, Professor of Political Science at Duke University, revisits his landmark book, Hegel, Heidegger, and the Ground of History,...

Can beauty actually reveal God? Oxford theologian Dr. Mark McInroy joins host PJ Wehry to explore Hans Urs von Balthasar's radical claim that beauty is not decoration, but the very structure of divine revelation. Dr. McInroy, Associate Professor of Contemporary and Systematic Theology at the University of Oxford, unpacks his book Balthasar on the Spiritual Senses: Perceiving Splendor, a guide to o...

In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, host PJ Wehry sits down with Dr. Yuval Avnur, Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Humanities Institute at Scripps College. They dive into Dr. Avnur's new book, Why Read Pascal Today?, and explore why Blaise Pascal remains one of the most vital voices in the philosophy of religion. Dr. Avnur challenges the traditional understanding of Pascal's Wager. Ra...

In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ sits down with Dr. Michael Sawyer, Professor of African American Literature and Culture at the University of Pittsburgh. They dive deep into the philosophy behind Dr. Sawyer's latest book, The Door of No Return: Being as Black. Dr. Sawyer challenges traditional academic boundaries, arguing that Black aesthetic practices—from the novels of Toni Morrison and...

In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ is joined by Dr. Paul Moser to discuss his book, God on Trial: Testing for the Divine. They explore why traditional philosophical arguments often fail to reveal the true nature of God and why the search for the divine requires a shift from intellectual spectacle to moral participation.  Dr. Moser challenges the "spectator" approach to theology, arguing that...

In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ is joined by Dr. Barbara Rosenwein to discuss her book, Generations of Feeling: A History of Emotions, 600 to 1700, and the decade-long research process required to bridge the traditional academic silos of the medieval and early modern periods. Dr. Rosenwein introduces her concept of "emotional communities," explaining how groups throughout history, much li...

In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ Wehry is joined once again by political theorist Dr. Chris Yeomans to discuss his recent work on republicanism, political participation, and the legacy of Hegel. The conversation centers on why republicanism has reemerged as a serious framework for political thought and how Yeomans traces its development from contemporary neo-republican theory back through...

In this episode of Chasing Leviathan , PJ is joined by Dr. Eric Jacobsen, senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Tacoma, Washington, to discuss his book Three Pieces of Glass: Why We Feel Lonely in a World Mediated by Screens . Together they explore how modern life, shaped by smartphones, automobiles, and screen-mediated environments, quietly reshapes our relationships, our neighborhoods, a...

In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ Wehry is joined by philosopher Dr. Adebayo Oluwayomi, assistant professor of philosophy at West Chester University of Pennsylvania, to discuss his book Foundations of Black Epistemology: Knowledge, Discourse, and Africana Philosophy . The conversation examines how philosophical canons are formed, who is recognized as a knower, and how Black thinkers have of...

In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ and Dr. Kalliopi Nikolopoulou discuss the intersection of ancient tragedy, justice, and cosmology. Drawing from Dr. Nikolopoulou’s book Hunting for Justice: The Cosmology of Decay in Aeschylus' Oresteia , the conversation explores how the relationship between nature and justice has been severed by modern political thought. Together, they examine Aeschylus’...