The New Thinkery

This week, the guys are back and joined once again by Steven Lenzner & Svetozar Minkov to further discuss their latest edited volume, Leo Strauss' Published but Uncollected English Writings , which serves as the backdrop for this episode. This time around, the group primarily analyze Strauss' debate with Jacob Klein before turning to a quick look at what the editors think are the top five essays i...

This week, David has been brought back from the dead, but that didn't stop Greg and Alex from bringing two guests on for the show this week: Steven Lenzner & Svetozar Minkov. The two have a new volume out Leo Strauss' Published but Uncollected English Writings that collects Strauss' essays that had previously been circulated mostly in scattered, one-off PDFs online. The group discuss the process o...

Happy New Year from The New Thinkery ! This week concludes the Leo Strauss on Plato's Symposium panel from two weeks ago. The group jumps right into it with questions on tragedy and comedy, explores the definition of eros, and more, before wrapping up with the tiny little question, "what is philosophy?"   If you haven't already, listen to the first part of this panel to better understand the quest...

In this special Christmas edition, Greg and Alex delve into John Ford's poignant Western, Three Godfathers . A tale of redemption, faith, and the enduring spirit of the holiday season, the film offers a unique lens on themes of sacrifice and grace. We're joined by Professor Adam Carrington, who brings his thoughtful perspective to this timeless story. Together, we reflect on its meaning and why it...

This week, Greg and David take a break and let Alex do the talking, joined by multiple respected academics as the group gather to discuss Strauss' views on Plato's symposium, in part informed by panelist Rasoul Namazi and Svetozar Minkov's latest book, Leo Strauss on Religion: Writings and Interpretations .  This episode includes an homage to Christopher Bruell, who passed away just prior to the p...

Is the ideal of a liberal education still achievable in the modern era? Roosevelt Montás, celebrated author and scholar at Columbia University, joins Greg and Alex to examine both its enduring virtues and its shortcomings. Together, the group discuss how a liberal education fosters critical thinking and civic engagement, why it faces resistance, and how it might grow to better serve today's learne...

Join the guys, minus David who has inexplicably gone missing, for an empassioned conversation with Carthus College's Professor Thomas Powers of Carthus College, and author of  American Multiculturalism and the Anti-Discrimination Regime , as he explores both the successes and challenges of the new civil rights regime. From promoting equality to navigating unintended societal shifts, we unpack how...

This week, Professor Samuel Stoner steps in for David and helps guide Alex and Greg through Immanuel Kant's thought-provoking short essay  Conjectural Beginnings of Human History , where philosophy and religious thought intersect in a speculative retelling of Genesis. The group explore Kant's imaginative account of humanity's emergence from instinct to reason, the birth of moral consciousness, and...

This week all the guys are back in the saddle, and joined by Prof. Giovanni R. F. (John) Ferrari, the Melpomene Distinguished Professor of Classical Languages and Literature and a professor of Classics at UC Berkeley. Over the course of the episode, Prof. Ferrari unpacks his unique approach to Plato with the guys, highlighting things you don't see highlighted frequently when analyzing his works. P...

David and Greg dive into Hannah Arendt's influential essay "Philosophy and Politics" this week alongside returning guest Damien Jungerman, exploring Arendt's insights on the complex relationship between philosophical thought and political action. Together, the group unpacks Arendt's arguments on how thinkers shape—and are shaped by—the political landscapes they inhabit. Plus: some details on the c...

While you are either celebrating or lamenting who appears to be the victor of the 2024 election, the guys are showing their election season spirits, taking a look at John Ford's The Sun Shines Bright . With a backdrop of the Old West, old timey Southern ways lead to the formation of a lynch mob, and a candidate for office must step in to save the masses from themselves. The guys break the film dow...

This week, the guys are joined once again by Dr. Charles Butterworth, emeritus professor of government and politics at the University of Maryland, College Park. The group convene to discuss Butterworth's newest book, a new translation of Al-Farabi's Book of Letters , discussing how the book came to be, Al-Farabi's backstory to the extent we know it, and the substance of the text itself.

This week, Alex and Greg temporarily replace David with friend of the show Professor Patrick Deneen, who teaches at the University of Notre Dame. The group dive right into Strauss' Three Waves of Modernity , dissecting its arguments and unpacking relevant backstory. Plus, if you can't get enough of Strauss, apply for UATX's upcoming Symposium on Leo Strauss and/or register for a virtual Leo Straus...

A full complement of hosts are back this week and primed to deliver an overview of Homer's  Odyssey . In addition to a plot synopsis, the guys dispel common myths about Odysseus, take a closer look at Penelope, discuss the appropriate time for a person to read the  Odyssey  in their lives, talk translations, and more! 

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. 

This week, the guys are joined by Sabrina Little, assistant professor in the department of Leadership and American Studies at Christopher Newport University. The group discuss athletics, especially running, and how virtue can boost athletic performance. Little's new book,  The Examined Run: Why Good People Make Better Runners , and her accomplishments in ultramarathons serve as helpful points of i...

This week, the guys return once again to the prophetic teachings of Leo Strauss. This time, the focus is on Strauss' understanding of Genesis, which the guys dissect in an effort to disentangle the Ancient Greek and biblical influences that went into Strauss' interpretation. 

This week, in observance of Constitution Day, the guys wax poetic about the virtues of the Founding... is what you probably expected this to say. Instead, Greg wrote an entire academic paper about Lincoln's hushed critique of the Founding, so the guys sit down to unpack the paper's core arguments, as well as how Lincoln was, and wasn't, successful at bringing Christianity into the political ethos...

This week, the guys are joined once again by Dr. Eric Adler, Professor and Chair of Classics at the University of Maryland, to talk about the beginning of Livy's  History of Rome . Given Rome's impressively long history, it's no surprise that it took Livy over 140 books to recount it just up to the beginning of the Roman Empire. The group tackle Livy's telling of the founding of Rome, as well as i...

This week, the guys are joined by Walter Sterling, the freshly minted president of St. John's College in Santa Fe to discuss one of the twentieth century's most important poems, T. S. Eliot's "The Waste Land." The group work their way through the work's oppressive density and prose to get at the crucial themes and messages underlying it all. Plus: a tangential discussion about Saint John's College...

It's back to school season, and to mark the occasion, the full host complement is joined by Dr. Pano Kanelos, founding president of the University of Austin. Together, the ensemble dissect key moments in  Hamlet. That includes a potential recontextualization of the best-known soliloquy in the world, Hamlet's "To be or not to be" speech. Plus: a look at the University of Austin as it prepares to we...

Joining Alex and Greg this week is Professor Robert Wyllie of Ashland University. He guides the group through the thought-provoking world of Byung-Chul Han, one of today's most interesting living philosophers, using his new ciritcal introduction to Han as a baseline. Professor Wyllie delves especially into Han's early work, exploring his weighty ideas on technology, culture, and the human conditio...

This week, Alex and Greg delve into Jan Patočka's 1975 essay "The Spiritual Person & the Intellectual," exploring its profound insights on the nature of human existence and the role of intellectuals in society. Joined by Flagg Taylor of Skidmore College, the group examine Patočka's challenge to modernity and his vision for a more spiritually grounded intellectual life, as well as recounting releva...

This week, the guys delve into the rich world of Greek tragedy with professor Michael Davis from Sarah Lawrence College. The group explore the themes of fate, justice, and human nature as discussed in Davis' latest book, Electras: Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides . Focusing on the powerful narratives of the Electra plays by these tragedians, they unpack the complexities of ancient drama and its...

  Join the guys this week as they explore the nuanced concept of piety in Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics with esteemed scholar Mary Nichols. Nichols is Professor Emerita of Political Science at Baylor University, where she taught from 2004-2018, and brings her profound insights and expertise to this rich discussion. Delve into the philosophical depths of virtue, ethics, and piety with one of the l...