Chasing Leviathan

On this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ and Dr. Caroline Pennock discuss the gap in Indigenous history being brought to European consciousness and the erasure of Indigenous perspectives in colonial societies. She highlights the complexity and diversity of Indigenous experiences, exploring a third culture that emerges between Indigenous and European cultures in the Americas. The conversation empha...

In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ and Dr. Adrie Kusserow discuss her use of prose poetry to explore trauma and culture. She explains that her background in anthropology and her dissatisfaction with academic writing led her to embrace poetry as a way to capture the complexity of human experiences. The conversation explores the importance of storytelling in the lives of refugees and the impac...

In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ and Dr. Nikky Singh discuss her personal journey with Sikhi and her work in introducing Sikhi, translating Sikh hymns, and taking a feminist approach to Sikh literature. For a deep dive into Nikky Singh's work, check out her recent book: Janamsakhi: Paintings of Guru Nanak in Early Sikh Art 👉 https://www.amazon.com/dp/9392130805 Check out our blog on www.c...

In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ and Dr. Nancy Bradbury discuss the study of pre-modern reading practices of proverbs, particularly in Chaucer's works. Dr. Bradbury explores the contestation between clerics and working-class individuals, as well as the anti-feminist proverbs countered by the wife of Bath. Through the conversation, listeners are invited to reconsider the role of proverbs in...

In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ and Dr. Christopher Hamilton discuss the variety of rapturous moments that humans experience throughout their lives. Dr. Hamilton explores the common thread of rapture between such diverse activities as gardening, tightrope walking, and sexual intimacy, inviting us all to slow down and make ourselves open to small, albeit significant moments, of incredible...

In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ and Dr. Robert Pippin discuss Heidegger's metaphysics and his conclusion that Hegel was the culmination of the Western philosophical tradition. Pippin explores Heidegger's question of the meaning of being and how it differs from traditional philosophical inquiries, as well as Heidegger's critique of Hegel's concept of finitude. Dr. Pippin also discusses Hei...

In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ and Dr. Stanley Hauerwas discuss Living Gently in a Violent World and the inspiration behind it. Hauerwas reflects on the controversy surrounding co-author Jean Vanier and the L'Arche movement. Dr. Hauervass explores the concept of time and the importance of patience in our lives. He also discusses Sabbath, American culture, and Martha Nussbaum's work on di...

In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ and Dr. Marcy Norton discuss the different ways Europeans and indigenous peoples in the Americas interacted with animals, and how their encounter re-shaped both groups' perceptions of non-human creatures. Dr. Norton invites us to consider the conditions that promote empathy and curiosity towards animals and to question cultural blind spots regarding which a...

In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ and Dr. Angela Knobel discuss the difference between acquired and infused virtue and the role of grace in Thomas Aquinas' work on moral development. They also have a fascinating and informative exchange comparing Reformed and Catholic approaches to issues of nature, virtue, and grace. For a deep dive into Angela Knobel's work, check out her book: Aquinas an...

In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ and Dr. Alex Reid discuss the role of digital media technologies in shaping communication and knowledge production. He explores the impact of generative AI and the changing landscape of technology in fields like digital marketing and filmmaking. Dr. Reid also examines how technology shapes our attention and behaviors, necessitating new forms of democracy an...

In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ and Dr. Chip Colwell discuss the origin of things, exploring how humans went from having nothing to having everything over the course of four million years. Dr. Colwell emphasizes the interplay between biology and culture, highlighting how our ancestors' use of tools led to physiological changes and the emergence of art and religion. He also explores the me...

In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ and Dr. Colin Webster discuss the impact of tools and technology on ancient understandings of the human body. Dr. Webster explores historical shifts of our views of the body, and the wisdom that can be gained from studying historical paradigms of medicine from ancient cultures. For a deep dive into Colin Webster's work, check out his book: Tools and the Org...

In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ and Dr. Jeremy Weber discuss the importance of understanding statistics in the context of public policy. Dr. Weber provides helpful insights into interpreting statistics, including common mistakes in reading and using them. While we often think of statistics as final nail in policymaking decisions, Dr. Weber explains why they are rarely decisive on their ow...

In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ and Dr. David Banks discuss how the attention economy has led to the rise of "authentic" urban lifestyles. Dr. Banks explains how social media and other cultural forces have played on our nostalgia in ways that makes groups as different as urban hipsters and MAGA supporters in small-town America seek to find, or recreate, romanticized caricatures of past de...

In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ and Dr. Samuel W. Franklin discuss the concept of creativity and its historical development. Dr. Franklin examines the disagreements and fuzziness surrounding the definition of creativity and its connection to art, imagination, and genius. He also delves into the relationship between creativity and capitalism, highlighting the ways in which creativity has b...

In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ and Dr. Michael Sawyer discuss the concept of temporality, particularly in relation to the diasporic black subject. Dr. Sawyer explores the fractured temporal relationships experienced by individuals who have been affected by catastrophic events such as the Middle Passage and current experiences of racial oppression. For a deep dive into Michael Sawyer's wo...

In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ and Dr. Nicholas Dirks discuss the crisis of the humanities being seen on many college campuses, including challenges to the free exchange of speech. Dirks calls explores origins of the humanities in the university and calls for a re-imagining of humanistic learning to address contemporary challenges. For a deep dive into Nicholas Dirks' work, check out his...

In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ and Dr. Will Adams discuss our current climate crisis and the ways in which psychology, spirituality, and continental philosophy can provide a path forward for heeding a sacred call to love the natural world. For a deep dive into Will Adams's work, check out his book: A Wild and Sacred Call: Nature-Psyche-Spirit (SUNY Series in Transpersonal and Humanistic...

In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ and Dr. Mark Roche discuss how various forms of ugliness can heighten the beauty we find within works of art and literature. Dr. Roche provides an overview of various approaches to the ugly, including Christian, Hegellian, and modern traditions, and gives parameters for what is meant by "ugly." Dr. Roche also argues that, while what "subsume" under ugliness...

In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ and Dr. Edwin Murillo discuss Latin American existentialism and, incorrect, historical assumption that it is a derivation of its European counterpart. Dr. Murillo shares examples of early Latin American existentialist works, such as those by José Asuncion Silva in the late 19th century. He also explores the concept of existentialism, emphasizing the freedom...

In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ is joined by Dr. Graham McAleer and Dr. Alexander Rosenthal-Pubul to discuss the conservative tradition, particularly its formulation between the poles of nationalism and liberalism in the 21st century. Drs. McAleer and Rosenthal-Pubul argue for an ancestral conservatism that emphasizes transcendence, family, and education, relying on the wisdom of the past...

In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ and Dr. Janet Soskice discuss the philosophical and theological implications of naming God. Dr. Soskice explores the difference between names and attributes, the centrality of the doctrine of Creation to understanding God, and how Scripture, theology, and philosophy can be re-united. For a deep dive into Janet Soskice's work, check out her book: Naming God:...

In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ and Dr. Justine Murison the historical development of privacy, autonomy, and authenticity from the 19th to the 21st centuries. The discussion begins by examining how the rise of secularism in the 19th-century caused a shift in thinking about morality and privacy. Murison then draws parallels between historical shifts in conceptions of privacy and our curren...

In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ and Dr. Richard Kearney discuss Salvage , Dr. Kearney's most recent work of fiction that follows the story of Maeve O'Sullivan, a young Irish women who is the last inheritor of "the old ways of healing." At the dawn of WWII, O'Sullivan must navigate holding onto the tradition handed down to her and the world of modern medicine. Join us for a fascinating con...

In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ and Dr. Joshua Rasmussen discuss personhood, personal identity, and consciousness. Dr. Rasmussen explores challenges in understanding consciousness, why theists and atheists must both wrestle with these challenges, and concrete ways for listeners to ponder their own existence. For a deep dive into Joshua Rasmussen's work, check out his book: Who Are You, Re...