The ThinkND Podcast

Episode Topic: Native American Perspectives on Human Dignity   Grasp the profound essence of human connection as indigenous leaders challenge existing paradigms. Shifting our focus to lived indigenous wisdom allows us to move past mere academic theory and into a space where knowledge is a living, relational force. When we listen to the voices of those whose dignity has been historically contested...

Episode Topic: Natural Rights at the Founding How can the origins of American liberty help us chart the complex distinction between inherent human capacities and governmental regulations? Refine your perspective on the social compact, shifting your view of rights from mere judicial trumps to essential components of a self-governing society. Featured Speakers: Jud Campbell, Stanford University Read...

Episode Topic: 10 Lessons for Building Government and Research Partnerships That Matter Bridge the gap between social service leadership and rigorous scientific research to move people out of poverty permanently. Join Notre Dame’s LEO and JPAL North America for a discussion on building high-impact partnerships. Learn how data-driven collaboration transforms lives and empowers government leaders to...

Episode Topic: The Computer Science Domain in the AI Revolution What is the essential final step in a world where technology can generate endless data but still lacks wisdom? Listen in to a conversation about the fundamental evolution of computer science with Computer Science and Engineering assistant teaching professor William Theisen '18, '22 M.S., '24 Ph. D. Featured Speakers: Wi...

Episode Topic: On Love, Loss, and Ancestral Lands Listen in to a conversation between Whiskey Tender author Deborah Jackson Taffa in conversation with Azareen Van der Vliet Oloomi, novelist, non-fiction author, and Dorothy G. Griffin College Professor of English at the University of Notre Dame, that brings you to the vibrant landscapes of the American Southwest where memory, law, and spirit conver...

Episode Topic: Poets & Art with Adela Najarro Poet Adela Najarro was in residence with Letras Latinas and the Raclin Murphy Museum Art in March 2026 for the second event of “Poets & Art: Ekphrasis at the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art,” a multi-year partnership between the Museum and the Institute for Latino Studies. Enjoy a reading of her poems and an exploration of poetry and the visual art...

Episode Topic: The Declaration and the Civil War  How can Abraham Lincoln’s moral evolution through the bloody crucible of the Civil War help illuminate its profound intersection of political philosophy and historical crisis? Witness how the Civil War transformed the Declaration of Independence from a static document into a living promise. Featured Speakers: Vincent Phillip Muñoz, University of No...

Episode Topic: Hope on the Ground   In the crucible of total war, how does a nation protect its soul? Join leading scholars as they deconstruct Ukraine’s “pedagogy of freedom.” From “immunizing” students against disinformation to the “optimal hope” of civil society, discover how active academic solidarity and symbolic recognition forge a resilient mental shield for the future.  Featured Speakers:...

Episode Topic: Art and the Museum as Instruments of Hope As part of the Sesquicentennial Celebration of the University of Notre Dame Art Museum, join us for an inspiring conversation exploring the intersections of the arts, faith, history, and education, and the role of the museum in contemporary life. Featured Speakers: Heather Hyde Minor, University of Notre Dame President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C...

Episode Topic: When Does Life Begin? When does a human person begin? Explore the profound intersection of philosophy and biology with Professor Jason T. Eberl. In this compelling lecture, Eberl critiques modern dualism and champions a Thomistic hylomorphic perspective, arguing for ensoulment at conception. Featured Speakers: Jason T. Eberl, Saint Louis University Read this episode's recap ove...

Episode Topic: Equality, Slavery and the Founding How can we grapple with the profound tensions of the American experiment in today's world? Confront the harrowing paradox of liberty and bondage as the Union expands. Navigate the intellectual struggle between popular sovereignty and natural rights during the rise of the cotton gin. Reclaim the moral clarity necessary for self-government in th...

Episode Topic: Becoming a Catholic Writer From a “medieval” Sicilian-Mexican childhood in Los Angeles to the halls of Harvard, acclaimed poet Dana Gioia explores the tension between faith and secular meritocracy. Discover why the former Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts advocates for the “vocation of the quitter” in this profound reflection on beauty, poetry, and the Catholic imagina...

Episode Topic: The Secret Social Life of Bacteria   Have you ever wondered how bacteria communicate, cooperate, and even compete in ways that impact our health, environment, and beyond? More than just making us sick, bacteria form alliances, wage wars, and orchestrate remarkable feats on a scale so small, yet so influential. In this talk Maggie Fink '24 Ph. D., will unravel some of the microb...

Episode Topic: AI Ethics by Design Gain a strategic edge in the evolving AI landscape. Join Vatican AI consultant Father Paulo Benanti and CMU machine learning expert Professor Arti Singh for a high-level dialogue on innovation and human dignity. This fireside chat bridges ethics and engineering, offering essential insights for leaders committed to building responsible, human-centric technology. F...

Episode Topic: How Anglo-Saxons and Celts Remade the World in 1776   Brad Birzer '90, Russell Amos Kirk Chair in American Studies and Professor of History at Hillsdale College, reveals the confluence of ideas in 1776 between America and Scotland. Explore the intersection of rights and traditions as found in the Declaration of Independence and in the works of Adam Smith to synthesize the endur...

Episode Topic: The Ideas That Made the Modern World   Explore the revolutionary convergence of 1776, where liberty and prosperity intertwined, as you interrogate the profound legacy of the Declaration of Independence alongside Adam Smith’s economic breakthroughs in The Wealth of Nations . Featured Speakers:  Vincent Phillip Muñoz, University of Notre Dame James Otteson, University of Notre Dame Re...

Episode Topic: Qur'an Criticism   What importance do developments in critical scholarship on the Qur’an have for the life of faith? How have Muslims traditionally understood the Qur’an? What were the nineteenth- and twentieth-century beginnings of Western critical scholarship on the Qur’an, and what are its motivating questions today? Where do Western critical scholarship and traditional read...

Episode Topic: Yarning with Indigenous Traditions   In an era of compounding global crises, our speakers offer a strategic intervention: a move beyond the transactional toward the relational. This dialogue interrogates the “myth of progress,” dismantles the currency of academic perfection, and retrieves custodial responsibility through the protocols of “Embassy.” Dr. Tyson Yunkaporta, Dr. Ashlee B...

Episode Topic: Finding Your Vocation   Listen in to a conversation with Karen Swallow Prior , author of You Have a Calling: Finding Your Vocation in the Good, True, and Beautiful, about the difference between passion and calling, and how to find meaning in your work.  Featured Speakers: Karen Swallow Prior, Bethel Seminary Read this episode's recap over on the University of Notre Dame's...

Episode Topic: Justice For All How can we create a more inclusive world where every individual feels seen, heard, and at home? See how Justice Mary Yu '93 J.D. champions equality as the first Asian, Latina, and LGBTQ+ jurist on the Washington State Supreme Court, offering a roadmap to vanquish doubt through the power of authenticity and her call to always "stay visible." Featured Sp...

Episode Topic: The Declaration of Independence, Social Compact Theory & Principles of the American Revolution   Transform your perspective on citizenship by examining the Declaration of Independence as a living promise as you secure a profound understanding of why self-governance remains the American promise’s vital, essential gateway.  Featured Speakers: Vincent Phillip Muñoz, University of N...

Episode Topic: The Pantheon   Step into a metaphysical instrument of imperial apotheosis where light acts as a divine participant. Richard Etlin decodes this cosmological “Sphinx,” revealing how Hadrian used solar precision to validate Rome’s prophetic destiny. Discover the intersection of architectural transcendence and imperial propaganda. We invite you to step into the light and watch the full...

Episode Topic: Religious Epistemology   How can the humblest among us invert traditional hierarchies by sensing truth through deep faith? Lessons on the Eucharist deepen our sense of God living within us while trusting God’s word secures belief in His power. Hear the call to reflect on these ideas to see your own journey to God from a fresh perspective. Featured Speakers: Noah Karger, University o...

Episode Topic: Past, Present & Future Chart the Balfour-Hesburgh Scholars Program’s beginnings, how it has evolved over forty years, and what the future might look like for students, academically, socially, and personally as they learn to lead with purpose. Featured Speakers: Angie Chamblee '73  Christy Greene '96, University of Notre Dame  Irasema Trujillo Hernandez '24, Strong...

Episode Topic: AI and the Classrooms of the Future Navigate the evolving generational divide in our classrooms. Join Fr. Nate Wills, C.S.C., Ph. D. ’99, ’03 M.Ed., ’05 M.Div., as he explores the intersection of Catholic tradition and generative AI. Discover how to preserve the “productive struggle” of learning while leveraging technology for teacher empowerment. Explore why human flourishing remai...