What We Can't Not Talk About

As we approach the 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the question of what defines an American remains at large. Is it tied to our shared civic history, or is there something more? Why should students still read the classics, from Socrates to Nathaniel Hawthorne, and how are ancient ideas still relevant in a postmodern society? And, why found a new University when...

In this episode of What We Can’t Not Talk About, Dr. Kristin Collier of the University of Michigan joins us to discuss a side of medicine often forgotten—considering the doctors and patients as both body and soul—and the implications this has on the field of medicine. Dr. Collier also discusses the rise of physician-assisted suicide in the West, and how this changes the relationship between doctor...

In this episode, we present the "Healing Romance, Resurrecting Marriage" conference, which took place on April 25th, 2026 at the Thompson Conference Center in Austin, Texas. The purpose of the conference was to shed light on the anthropology that lies at the basis of our current understanding of relationships, romance, and marriage. While the institution of marriage continues to be praised by some...

Today, people of Christian faith are exceedingly rare in Japan. By no means, however, is the religion without history in the nation. Join us for this in-person episode with Dr. Lauren Spohn, as we discuss the story of the Catholic samurai and daimyō Blessed Justo Takayama Ukon, among other prominent developments in the story of Christianity in Japan. Listen as we discuss Dr. Spohn’s work on the up...

Abortion, pornography, euthanasia: at the height of our technological development, most of the Western world seems unable to find purpose and meaning. Unable to overcome challenges and natural limits, we prefer altering nature—or at least we try. While politicians address issues like “sex work” and gender transitions, hordes of regular people waste time gambling and forgo marriage, childbearing, a...

Receiving a degree from an Ivy League institution has historically implied a level of educational prowess and prestige—but is that still the case today? In this episode, we sit down with Adam Kissel, Rachel Alexander Cambre, and Madison Marino Doan to discuss their research on the eight Ivy League universities and how their general education curricula have shifted over the years—and not for the be...

Women on the pill, female CEOs, women abhorring becoming mothers: is this all that feminism has to preach? What if—as author, spouse, and mother Leah Libresco Sargeant argues in her most recent book—real feminism starts by acknowledging how radically different men and women are? And how radically interdependent? Far from suggesting a “trad wife” model—one that thinks that all solutions should be f...

In this episode of What We Can’t Not Talk About, host Dr. Marianna Orlandi welcomes Professor Matthew Franck of the Witherspoon Institute for a thought-provoking conversation on the importance of reading. Professor Franck shares personal experiences that shaped his life through books and reflects on how reading has formed his mind, character, and vocation. He explores how books shape the moral ima...

In this episode of What We Can’t Not Talk About, host Dr. Marianna Orlandi welcomes Leigh Fitzpatrick Snead— The Catholic Institute Fellow and author of Infertile but Fruitful—for a deep and honest conversation about the cross of infertility in marriage. Snead speaks openly about the burdens infertile couples face: the grief, the search for answers, the strain on hope, and the temptation toward de...

A merely instinctual conservatism, exemplified by Hume, that lacks robust metaphysical and spiritual foundations, proves in the long run incapable of sustaining the institutions that built the West." In this episode, Dr. Orlandi sits with Dr. Zubia, Assistant Professor of Humanities at the Hamilton School for Classic and Civic Education at the University of Florida, to discuss what may be the true...

Can Artificial Intelligence replace the human person? Is it benevolent and beneficial, or is it a threat to humanity? In this episode of What We Can’t Not Talk About, Carlo Martinucci joins us to explore these pressing questions. An Italian software engineer who has spent the past year studying Artificial Intelligence, Martinucci offers both technical insight and philosophical reflection on the pr...

In this episode of What We Can’t Not Talk About, Dr. Ana Samuel joins us to discuss Canavox’s new book - Courageous Conversations: Tips for Talking to Kids about Sexual Identity and Attraction - sharing wisdom for parents navigating the challenges of today’s cultural climate. From questions of sexuality to shifting understandings of identity and marriage, Dr. Ana Samuel offers practical advice and...

In this deeply profound panel hosted by the Thomistic Institute at UT Austin, two renowned philosophers — Dr. J. Budziszewski and Dr. Scott Roniger — dive into one of the most ancient and enduring questions in moral philosophy: Does vice carry its own punishment? With references ranging from Aristotle and Augustine to Dostoevsky and Shakespeare, the speakers explore conscience, natural law, self-k...

Marriage and family are often debated through emotional or religious lenses, but can we defend these institutions using reason alone? Dr. Owen Anderson, Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Arizona State University, joins Dr. Marianna Orlandi on "What We Can't Not Talk About" to delve into the rational basis of marriage, friendship, and lasting love. Starting from the concept of friend...

In this insightful episode of What We Can't Not Talk About, Dr. Matthew Breuninger joins us to unpack the complexities behind why many individuals struggle to find lasting love, despite their deep desire and determination. Hosted by the Austin Institute, this conversation delves beyond societal critiques to explore personal obstacles rooted in family dynamics and individual psychology. Resources:...

In this thought-provoking lecture, Dr. Scott Roninger explores the profound connections between literature, philosophy, and our understanding of human nature, focusing especially on Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov and Plato’s philosophical dialogues. Through Mark Twain’s reflections on mastering the Mississippi River, Roninger introduces the distinction between viewing life practically versus...

In this episode of What We Can't Not Talk About, Marianna Orlandi continues exploring education, joined by Professor Justin Dyer, Dean of the School of Civic Leadership at the University of Texas at Austin. Together, they discuss the profound ideas of C.S. Lewis in his influential book, The Abolition of Man, and explore how modern educational institutions can reconnect with the classical ideal of...

This episode is a recording of the lecture delivered on February 21st by Dr. R.J. Snell at Robert Rowling Hall at UT Austin. The natural law is generally presented as highly certain and universal in its first principles, as essentially known by all rational personals, even though the specifications of those principles to concrete actions is far less certain. This view is especially prevalent in cl...

In this powerful episode of What We Can't Not Talk About, host Marianna Orlandi welcomes Dr. Anna Bonta Moreland, theologian and professor at Villanova University, to explore the radical, uncomfortable, and ultimately redemptive virtue of forgiveness. Drawing on the character of Dolly from Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, Dr. Moreland shows how literature and theology—especially the writings of St. Thomas...

As parent-centric and state-centric visions of education do battle in American politics and academia, it is easy to lose sight of the fundamentals that underlie this conflict. In this episode, our host is joined by Dr. Moschella, fellow of the Austin Institute and champion of parental rights. Aiming at the center of this divisive topic, they discuss how parents’ responsibility for childrens’ devel...

This episode is a recording of the lecture delivered on February 20th by Dr. R.J. Snell at the University Catholic Center of UT Austin. While the term acedia may be unfamiliar, the vice, usually translated as sloth, is all too common. Sloth is not mere laziness, however, but a disgust with reality, a loathing of our call to be friends with God, and a spiteful, bored hatred of place and life itself...

In this episode, Dr. Alberto Martínez, a distinguished professor of history at The University of Texas at Austin, joins Dr. Orlandi to discuss myths in the history of science and the distortion of truth in modern media. In particular, they focus on the myth of Einstein's genius and the media’s distortion of President Trump’s words. Throughout, they touch on topics such as: the existence of objecti...

In this episode, Dr. Orlandi and Dr. Alexander Cambre get together to discuss the differences between that “indoctrinations” that too many schools have been accused of forcing upon students, and liberal education. What’s the essence of the latter, if any? And what did Solzhenitsyn, Tocqueville, and Aristotle have to say on this matter to help us, as usual, understand our current times? Join us for...

In this episode, Dr. Orlandi sat down with Dr. Scott Roniger, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, to discuss beauty, love, and faith. This time, the excuse was philosophical and literary ... all at once. Dr. Roniger, a philosophy of literature scholar, was recently the author of a paper bringing together the platonic symposium and Waugh's most famous no...

What is the proper education for young people who aspire to achieve political greatness? Can the autobiographies of the past teach us anything about our current trials, and how to overcome them? During this lecture, Dr. Shilo Brooks offers a few insights not only into these questions. He above all explores with us the reasons why, for the first time, his elective course for Princeton undergraduate...