Episode 25 - Developing Your Worldview with Bryan Baise
Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
Release Date: 02/19/2019
180 – Uncap the House with Jeff Mayhugh
Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
What if the surest way to reduce the harmful effects of self-serving politicians in Washington D.C. is to have more of them? Joining Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis is Jeff Mayhugh to explain how the artificial “cap” the nation put on the number of representatives in the U.S. House almost a century ago has made government less representative and responsive. Returning to the Founding Father’s understanding of how people might best be represented by their leaders will require a lot of hard work, but it has the potential to benefit all Americans all across the political divide....
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179 – I, Tony with Tony Woodlief
Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
What if the real division in America isn’t between Republicans and Democrats, Red States vs Blue States, or liberals and conservatives but between the American people and a small group of the political elite whose function is to divide the rest of us? Tony Woodlief joins Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis to discuss how we may not be as divided as we think and how federalism holds the solution to many of the policy battles of the moment. About Tony Woodlief Excerpts from Tony’s bio in the and on his : Tony Woodlief is State Policy Network’s Senior Executive Vice...
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178 – Revolt of the Independents with Lura Forcum
Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
The 2024 presidential election witnessed a historic number of independent voters—more independents voted than Democrats and they came close to surpassing Republicans. It would seem that now is the time for those who are dissatisfied with both parties to dismantle the two-party duopoly of American government. And yet, the Republican and Democratic parties collectively control all branches of governments at all levels. Why is that? What would it mean for Americans to embrace an “independent” politics and how likely is that to occur? What do independent voters...
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177 – Dear Mr. President with Destry Edwards
Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
Former president Chester A. Arthur is probably best remembered for his mutton chops and as a trivia question. But he did play a surprising role as a reformer when the nation was in the grips of political corruption. And the story of how he found the courage to do so holds some lessons for how we might interact with political power today in hopes of a better tomorrow. Joining Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis is Destry Edwards to discuss his new documentary , and how a single citizen can have an outsized effect on our political system. About Destry Edwards Destry...
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176 – Consuming News Responsibly
Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
In this era of information overload it’s easy to join the ranks of the too online, filtering our every thought through the latest thing Trump tweeted or how the resistance is reacting. And it’s just as easy to check out entirely and pretend like the news doesn’t matter or, if it does, it’ll have to be someone else’s problem for now. Are there healthier ways to approach the news? How can we maintain sanity in a seemingly endless supply of hot takes and outrage-of-the-moments? Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis is joined by Avi Woolf, JB Shreve, and Blake Fischer as they discuss...
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175 – The Two James Burnhams with David Byrne
Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
James Burnham was one of the most significant intellectual influences on the conservative movement of the twentieth century. As an anti-Communist hardliner, his views on dealing with the Soviet menace head on ultimately shaped US foreign policy in the Reagan administration. And his work at William F. Buckley’s National Review gave the fledgling magazine its foreign policy heft. Throughout his long public career, there emerged two James Burnhams: one who provided the early scaffolding to neoconservative ideas and the other who inspired paleoconservatives. Saving...
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174 – Triggering Straussians with Greg Collins
Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
In his perpetual quest to mildly trigger his Straussian pals, Josh invites fellow Millennial and Burkean conservative Greg Collins on to discuss how Leo Strauss misconstrued Edmund Burke’s political views and lasting impact. Also discussed are Burke’s complex views on natural rights, manners, reform, revolution, social contract theory, classical liberalism, and Rousseau. Fair warning, dear listener, this one gets nerdy in a hurry! About Greg Collins From The Kirk Center Dr. Gregory Collins is one of the most celebrated Burke scholars of the rising generation. He is a...
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173 – The Fertility Gap with Clara Piano
Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
The Right has long had a thing or two to say about the importance of the family and its role in national stability and prosperity. But there are sharp divisions regarding what political implications can be drawn from this idea, and what policies should be pursued to protect and strengthen families. Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis welcomes economist Clara Piano to the show to talk about the government’s role in pro-natal and pro-family policies, the ideal population size, the challenges of under/over-population, ethical consumerism, and what some of today’s Right have in...
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Roundtable - Conversing Across the Political Divide
Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
Is civil discourse even possible across the political divide when that divide seems so insurmountable? How do we maintain or even strengthen relationships when we don’t see politics the same? The latest Saving Elephants roundtable brings together panelists who all have experience in communicating across the divide: (former Acton Institute podcast host), (), Will Wright and Josh Burtram (), Elizabeth Doll (), and Calvin Moore ().
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172 – The History of American Conservatism with George Nash
Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
In 1976 historian George H. Nash wrote , a celebrated historical accounting that established much of the narrative for how we think about the development of modern conservatism even today. George Nash joins Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis to discuss the various strands of thought that emerged after the Second World War that eventually evolved into a political movement on the Right. Along the way, Dr. Nash shares his insights on the colorful individuals who shaped the debate, how they fought one another, and how an eventual loose consensus was brought forth. Finally, he...
info_outlineHow developed is your worldview? How deep does it go? Have you taken the time to rigorously study and challenge your belief system or have you—like most of us—struggled to find the time as so many other important things in life have kept you busy?
The pathway most of us take as we develop and mature is to adopt the belief system of our upbringing—typically whatever our parents believe. Then, sometime around high school and on into college, in an effort to “find ourselves” we begin to question whether what we’ve always believed is actually so. For some of us that might look like a smooth transition that lands us fairly close to where we started while, for others, we bounce from one “crisis of faith” moment to the next until we end up at a place that’s barely recognizable from where we began.
Either way, the entire process can be draining, time consuming, and fruitless. Understandably, many of us lose interest at some point and happily settle into a worldview cobbled together from our past and present circumstances. But an underdeveloped worldview leaves us susceptible to a host of dangerous ideologies and faiths, not to mention it makes it all the more likely we’d experience another “crisis of faith” sometime down the road when we have even less energy or inclination to navigate it. And far too many have reached the point of not allowing anything they believe to be challenged.
Joining Josh in this episode is Bryan Baise, professor of philosophy and apologetics at Boyce College. Bryan is the program director of philosophy, politics, and economics and the program director of the Christian worldview and apologetics. As will become evident from the conversation—Bryan is someone who took the development of his worldview very seriously and made gargantuan efforts to do so. Bryan walks us through the process of what his own journey looked like and shares the beauty and depth of the conservative worldview he’s developed. He offers encouragement to seek out the things that matter for us all and provides a list of resources to help us get there.