Right Ideas

In this episode of the Right Ideas podcast, Professor Amy Wax argues for a 'Radical Reactionary' approach to higher education reform, arguing for a decrease in foreign students, college administrators, and race-based policymaking. Along the way, she provides a sobering look at the current lack of academic freedom in our institutions and potential sources of renewal. This is the first episode of  R...

American higher education is facing trust issues in an age where political overreach and social justice have taken over our educational institutions. How did we get here? What can be done about it? Greg Conti joins Right Ideas with host John Sailer to discuss. Greg Conti is an Assistant Professor of Politics at Princeton University and Editor-at-Large of Compact Magazine . His research focuses on...

John Sailer is joined by Zena Hitz to discuss her journey through intellectual life, and what she learned along the way. Hitz is a tutor at St. John's College in Annapolis, and the founder and president of the Catherine Project. She is also the author of Lost in Thought: The Hidden Pleasures of an Intellectual Life.

Many assume that the way we taught history in the 20th century was distorted and benighted—but this does little to help us make sense of history at all. How was history actually taught in the early to mid-20th century? Why is it important to look back? In the latest episode of Right Ideas, Wilfred McClay challenges the tendency of modern people to believe they live in times of ultimate truth. Wilf...

What is philology? Why are dead languages important? What context from the evolution of language can help us today? John Sailer sits down with Joshua Katz to discuss. Joshua T. Katz is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he focuses on higher education, language and culture, the classical tradition, and the humanities broadly defined.

On the latest episode of Right Ideas, Fisher Derderian sits down with host John Sailer to talk about the life, legacy, and lasting thought leadership of Roger Scruton. Fisher Derderian is the Founder and Executive Director of the Roger Scruton Legacy Foundation. He holds a B.A. in politics, philosophy, and economics from The King's College, N.Y.C., and a M.A. in philosophy from the University of B...

David Hume is one of the most important philosophers in history. While many may get an introduction to his work on the rule of law, liberty, and history, it is important to discuss the philosophical presuppositions and preliminaries of how humans engage with the world around them. Dive into the philosophy of David Hume with John Sailer and Aaron Zubia on this episode of Right Ideas. Aaron Alexande...

Many define liberalism as a sort of truce that allows us to get along politically and remain neutral on certain grounds, such as religion. Is this true, or is there more to it? Has modern liberalism deviated from its original intentions? Is there a postliberal world on the horizon? John Sailer is joined by Patrick Deneen to discuss these questions and more. Deneen is a professor of political scien...

Independent scholar and writer Eric Clifford Graf joins host John D. Sailer to discuss why Alexis de Tocqueville's writings remain relevant in today's turbulent, polarized world.

Irving Babbitt (1864-1933) was an American scholar and cultural critic. Founder of the "New Humanism" movement and teacher of such figures as T.S. Eliot, Babbitt has long been regarded as an important influence on American conservatism. Our episode of Right Ideas will explore Babbitt's thought and continued relevance. This episode features Luke Foster, Postdoctoral Research Scholar at Notre Dame U...

In October of 2022, professor and scholar Jon Askonas penned an article for Compact Magazine titled "Why Conservatism Failed." In it, he explored the challenges facing conservatism in a technological society—among these challenges is the breakdown of tradition. Did technology kill conservatism? Where did conservatism make a wrong turn? Is conservatism able to address the problems it faces in conte...

Robert Nisbet (1913–1996) was an American sociologist, conservative thinker, and the author of dozens of books over the course of his long career, including  The Quest for Community: A Study in the Ethics of Order and Freedom ,  The Sociological Tradition , and  Conservatism: Dream and Reality . Counted among the great 20th century conservatives, Nisbet's thought was unique and useful to thinkers...

Christopher Lasch was a historian and social critic, the author of numerous important works, including  The Culture of Narcissism ,  The True and Only Heaven , and  The Revolt of the Elites and the Betrayal of Democracy . Defying political categories, Lasch's insight has influenced thinkers of all political stripes, and recently his work has seen something of a revival among thinkers on the politi...

Carl Trueman joins Right Ideas with John Sailer to discuss how gender theory–once only seen in academia–has permeated into everyday life in the West. Dr. Trueman is a scholar of history and theology, and the author of several books, including The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self and Strange New World.

James Burnham (1905–1987) was a philosopher and political theorist, chair of the philosophy department at NYU, and committed Trotskyist who befriended Leon Trotsky himself. Despite his beginning on the political left, Burnham eventually became an influential voice in the American conservative movement, serving as an editor of  National Review . His books include  The Managerial Revolution  and  Su...

"To be conservative ... is to prefer the familiar to the unknown, to prefer the tried to the untried, fact to mystery, the actual to the possible, the limited to the unbounded, the near to the distant, the sufficient to the superabundant, the convenient to the perfect, present laughter to utopian bliss." So wrote Michael Oakeshott in his 1956 essay "On Being Conservative." Michael Oakeshott (1911–...

Dr. Darel Paul joins Right Ideas host John Sailer to discuss the ideological roots of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), its implications for politics and education, and why it should matter to conservatives today. Dr. Paul is a Professor of Political Science at Williams College and a scholar of contemporary elite ideology.