The New Thinkery

This week, Professor Michael Davis of Sarah Lawrence College joins us to discuss Sophocles'  Electra .  Prof. Davis is the author of numerous books on the history of philosophy; he's currently at work on a book on the Electra plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides.  He also discusses his experiences learning from Allan Bloom, Richard Kennington, and Seth Benardete. Plus: the fastest lightnin...

In the sixth installment of an ongoing series breaking down Plato's  Symposium , the guys reconvene to analyze Agathon's speech on Eros, emphasizing what Agathon claims Eros is and what it is the cause of.

Nietzsche is a controversial person to say the least. His works are easily misinterpreted, and with such lines as "God is dead", it's no surprise. Fortunately, the guys are back this week to break down the last work he submitted to a publisher,  Twilight of the Idols: or How to Philosophize with a Hammer, with an emphasis on his discussion on Socrates.   Producer's note: Greg does not have syphili...

Death is always a difficult subject, and having to give a eulogy, as Greg notes, is extremely difficult. Pericles gave one of the most memorable funeral orations in history. So good, in fact, that Abraham Lincoln might've used it for inspiration. But it's not flawless, and the guys dive into Pericles' Funeral Oration to discuss its deeper meaning and themes. 

This week the guys turn to cinema instead of their bookshelves to analyze Woody Allen's movie, Love and Death . A step removed from the slapstick comedy and parody Allen is known for, Love and Death contains deeper philosophic themes in addition to the former elements that the guys tease out through discussion. 

This week the guys return to Plato's Symposium to analyze the philosophical messages contained within individual speeches. This time, the guys delve into Aristophanes' speech, which deals with the nature and function of love. Plus: a little mythology aside on Zeus.

In this week's edition of TNT, the guys are joined by Flagg Taylor, professor of political theory at Skidmore College. The group analyze Walker Percy's essay, "The Loss of the Creature, " and focus especially on the idea of not having everything spelled out for you as a primer and to learn through doing. Plus: Stick around for Greg's Q&A!

In this President's Day edition of The New Thinkery, the guys are joined by Professor Steve Hayward, senior resident scholar at the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley, and a visiting lecturer at Berkeley's Boalt Hall Law School. The group discuss executive power, pulling from Prof. Hayward's extensive knowledge on the subject. Plus: you seriously will not guess what alternative job P...

This week the guys are back to discuss another of Francis Bacon's works:  New Atlantis . This short work might be presented to readers as incomplete, but Bacon includes several interesting philosophic points meritorious of a closer analysis.

In this week's installment of  The New Thinkery , the guys are joined by Jan Blits, Professor Emeritus in the University Honors Faculty at the University of Delaware. Together, they analyze the underlying philosophical themes of Shakespeare's Coriolanus. His edition is available from Hackett Press . Plus: stick around for Greg's infamous Q&A session!

This week the guys are back to discuss Jonathan Swift. Everyone has heard of Gulliver's Travels and A Modest Proposal , but he has another work worth looking at:  The Battle of the Books . Plus: the audience has voted on who the funniest co-host is. 

In this week's edition of The New Thinkery, the guys discuss Jacob Klein's  The Idea of Liberal Education . Specifically, they delve into the questions raised by Klein's analysis of education and whether a liberal education is even possible today.

In this week's episode of The New Thinkery, the guys discuss William James, one of the leading proponents of American pragmatism, on the question of whether our warlike passions can have a peaceful political outlet. Stay tuned to see which 2020 presidential candidate had a policy proposal in alignment with some of James' thoughts. 

In this edition of The New Thinkery, the guys are back to help bring in the new year, and are joined by Dr. Richard Velkley, the Celia Scott Weatherhead Professor of Philosophy at Tulane University. They discuss Heidegger, Leo Strauss, and the underlying premises of philosophy. After you've heard the serious stuff, stick around for the lightning round Q&A at the end!

Join the guys this week as they continue to break Plato's Symposium into sections and analyze the philosophical messages contained within. This week the guys take on Eryximachus' speech on love from the scientific perspective.

In this week's episode of The New Thinkery, the guys discuss the Christmas classic:  A Christmas Carol . They go through the book's plot, themes, underlying philosophical points, and talk about the cultural impact the book has had since its publication in the nineteenth century. 

In this week's episode of The New Thinkery, the guys discuss another of Aristotle's works, this time focusing on Aristotle's account of virtue in the second book of the Nicomachean Ethics. Plus: the guys read some of your reviews, and now Alex needs a paternity test?

In this edition of The New Thinkery, the guys take a look at perhaps the greatest individual of the 20th century: Winston Churchill. Specifically, the guys analyze Churchill's 1931 essay "Mass Effects in Modern Life." The essay poses two core questions. First, whether we can escape mass systems and their effects. Second, whether mass systems are in the interest of the greater good. Tune in to see...

In this edition of The New Thinkery, the guys are back from stuffing themselves with turkey last week, and are joined by Dr. Robert Faulkner, a research professor at Boston College focusing on modern political philosophy and American political and legal thought. They expand upon episode sixteen's look at Francis Bacon's works. In addition to a philosophy and history lesson, stick around for the ev...

In this short bonus episode of  TNT , Alex, David, and Greg go around the digital table discussing what they're thankful for. Alex also poses lightning round questions. Stick around to hear about Greg's literally smoking truck.

In this edition of The New Thinkery , the guys talk about life in Sparta through the lens of Plutarch's writings on Lycurgus. You might be asking yourself what an ostensible history text is doing on a philosophy podcast. Rest assured, looking at Spartan life raises several philosophical questions. 

This week, the guys return to Plato and Socrates. In the third installment of this ongoing series analyzing Plato's Symposium, the guys break down Pausanias' speech. This includes a discussion of ancient Greek pederasty. Plus: stick around until the end for a lightning round Q&A.

In this episode of The New Thinkery, the guys tackle Francis Bacon. Specifically, the guys reveal Bacon's idea of who should rule us. Plus: is Bacon Machiavellian?

In this edition of The New Thinkery, the guys are joined by James Ceaser, professor of politics at the University of Virginia. Together, the group discuss the nature of foundings. From ancient Greece on up to the founding of America, there are a few common elements that define a founding, and Professor Ceaser reveals them for you. Plus: stick around until the end for a series of very interesting l...

Shakespeare's Macbeth is among his most famous plays. it is "read" far and wide in high school classrooms, where the teacher promptly puts students to sleep by making such an interesting play boring. The guys are back this week to set the record straight and talk about  Macbeth in a thought-provoking way, highlighting the crucial philosophical underpinnings of the play. Plus: Greg is definitely a...