The New Thinkery

This week, the guys are joined by Dr. Nick Buccola, professor and Elizabeth & Morris Glickman Chair in Political Science at Linfield University to discuss the life and philosophy of Frederick Douglass. The group analyze several key writings of Douglass and how his view of government shifted as he aged. Plus: an overview of Douglass' experience as a public speaker. Shoutout to the Ancient Language...

In this Constitution Day special edition of  The New Thinkery , the guys are joined by Dr. Ben Kleinerman, the R.W. Morrison Chair of Political Science at Baylor University and board member of the Jack Miller Center. Together, the group discuss several of the Federalist Papers and what their respective authors thought the U.S. regime need be wary of as it progressed. 

In this week's episode of  The New Thinkery , the guys are overthrown and replaced by a distinguished, all-female panel of four guests: Lisa Leibowitz, Linda Rabieh, Carly Herold, and Anna Mansfield. The panel discuss Aristophanes' play where, fittingly for the situation the guys find themselves in this week, women are installed as rulers of Athens and start instituting major reforms. 

In this edition of  The New Thinkery , the guys are joined by Dr. Laurence Cooper of Carleton College. Together, the group discuss Plato's  Symposium in  TNT 's penultimate episode on the subject, this time focusing on Aristophanes' speech on Eros (and Socrates).    Shoutout to Davenant Hall for sponsoring!

In this edition of  The New Thinkery Alex and Greg visit the Jack Miller Center where they are joined by Professor Steven Smith. The group discuss Michael Oakeshott's famous work, "Political Education". Plus: don't miss out on the quickest response times we've seen yet on lightning round questions!   Shoutout to Davenant Hall for sponsoring!

In this week's edition of  The New Thinkery , the guys analyze a frequent read of David's:  The Death of Ivan Ilyich . A tome by one of the great Russian authors, Leo Tolstoy, the crew have much to discuss as they reflect on the key theme of the book, mortality.

In this week's installment of  The New Thinkery , the guys are joined by Dr. Arlene Saxonhouse, Professor of Political Science and Women's Studies and a former chair of the Department of Political Science at the University of Michigan. The group discuss how Plato and Socrates thought of women and their role in greater society. Plus: a brief discussion of Shakespeare's  The Tempest .    Shoutout to...

In this edition of  The New Thinkery, the guys are joined by Dr. Michael Grenke, a tutor (professor) at St. John's College to discuss Warspeak: Nietzsche's Victory Over Nihilism , a book by Lise Van Boxel. The group analyze key points of Nietzsche's philosophy, the characteristics of a philosopher in Nietzsche's eyes, and the dangers of nihilism.   Special thanks to the Ancient Language Institute...

The New Thinkery is officially a year old! To celebrate a year of podcasting, the guys analyze the comic play from which TNT gets its name: Aristophanes' The Clouds . Topics discussed include the value of comedy vs. philosophy, the nature of comedy, and more. Plus: a thought-provoking series of mailbag questions.   Shoutout to the Ancient Language Institute for supporting us!

In this edition of  The New Thinkery , the guys return to Plato's  Symposium for their penultimate episode on the book. This time around, they continue their discussion of Socrates' Speech on Eros. Plus: the guys have some funny middle school stories to tell. Shoutout to the Ancient Language Institute for supporting the show!

In this edition of  The New Thinkery , the guys are joined by Dr. Joshua Parens, Dean of the Braniff Graduate School of Liberal Arts and Professor of Philosophy and Politics, to discuss the philosophy of Maimonides from law to politics. 

In this edition of The New Thinkery , Alex and Greg are joined by Dr. Thomas Cleveland, Academics Program Officer for the Jack Miller Center. They discuss the very nature of law using Plato's  Minos as a backdrop to delve into the topic. Plus: don't miss an extended series of lightning round questions! 

In this Fourth of July edition of The New Thinkery , the guys are joined by Dr. Michael P. Zuckert, the Nancy R. Dreux Professor of Political Science, Emeritus at the University of Notre Dame. Together, the group discuss both Abraham Lincoln's and Henry Clay's achievements in American politics. Plus: a sneak peek at the forthcoming book A Nation so Conceived: Lincoln & Democratic Sovereignty . 

In this episode of  The New Thinkery , the guys follow up last week's episode on Alcibiades with Plutarch's paired work on the life of Coriolanus. The guys discuss the similarities and key differences between the two men as Plutarch sees them. 

In this edition of  The New Thinkery , the guys begin an analysis of Plutarch's  Parallel Lives , specifically diving into the life of Alcibiades. The guys discuss Alcibiades' life, philosophy, and why everyone seemed to have great affection for him, even Socrates.

In this week's edition of  The New Thinkery , the guys dive into the work of Leo Strauss, one of the foremost political philosophy professors of the twentieth century. Strauss was and continues to be so influential that Straussianism is a common phrase in academic circles. So, what exactly is Straussianism?

In this edition of  The New Thinkery , the guys are joined by William Kristol, founder and editor-at-large of The Weekly Standard and now editor-at-large of The Bulwark.  Hear about his upbringing and education, during which he encountered and studied with some of the greats of contemporary political thought, including Allan Bloom and Harvey Mansfield.  We also discuss his initiatives to preserve...

In this week's edition of  The New Thinkery  the guys break away from philosophy to take a deep dive into Joseph Conrad's  Typhoon . The group discuss everything from the text's themes to its literary devices. Finally, they close with discussion on why one would read literary works to better understand philosophy.

In the seventh installment of an ongoing series breaking down Plato's Symposium , the guys begin to dissect Socrates' speech on love, how Socrates attempted to subvert the format of the speeches, and analyze the details surrounding the speeches preceding Socrates. 

In this episode of The New Thinkery, the guys interview Professor Jeff Sikkenga, Executive Director of the Ashbrook Center (Greg's boss) and a professor of political science. Together, the group analyze Tocqueville's view of democracy as a form of government and the nuances in his position.

In this episode of  The New Thinkery , the guys interview Dr. Charles Butterworth, Emeritus Professor of Government and Politics at the University of Maryland, College Park. Who better to discuss Alfarabi's Book of Religion than the very person to translate it to English‽ Plus: Dr. Butterworth lightly touches on another of Alfarabi's works:  Enumeration of the Sciences. 

This week's episode is a recording of a live conversation at the Association for Core Texts and Courses (ACTC).  The guys discuss Jean-Jacques Rousseau's "Discourse on the Sciences and Arts," also known as the "First Discourse," and podcasting great texts in the history of political philosophy.  They also take live questions from the audience. Many thanks to Charlotte Thomas, Executive Director of...

In this week's episode, the guys dive into Tacitus'  Agricola , a text recounting the life of his father-in-law Gnaeus Julius Agricola. The text has much more to it than simply a retelling of Agricola's life though. The guys tease out the deeper philosophic messages and political commentary contained within.

Tragedy, or calamity, is inevitable in life. How we deal with those events can be thought of as defining moments in our character.  Many have sought to find the "best" way to endure calamities, and that's where the guys pick up this week, with Epictetus' brief text on stoicism, The Handbook . 

In case you ever wanted to see the shiny dome that is Alex's head or the beard of his hair planted on Greg's chin, now you can! This Wednesday, April 14, the guys will be recording an episode of The New Thinkery LIVE at ACTC. They'll discuss Rousseau's First Discourse and conduct a Q&A session. Zoom registration is free and we hope to see you there!