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Christopher Kelly on Rousseau's Rousseau, Judge of Jean-Jacques, Part II

The New Thinkery

Release Date: 03/20/2024

Jonathan Swift's Battle of the Books show art Jonathan Swift's Battle of the Books

The New Thinkery

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. 

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Sabrina Little on Athletics and Virtue show art Sabrina Little on Athletics and Virtue

The New Thinkery

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, , and her accomplishments in ultramarathons serve as helpful points of ingress into a more thorough exploration of the relationship.

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Leo Strauss' Leo Strauss' "On the Interpretation of Genesis"

The New Thinkery

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. 

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Lincoln and the Founding show art Lincoln and the Founding

The New Thinkery

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 of his time.

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Eric Adler on Livy's History of Rome, Book I Ch. 1-16 show art Eric Adler on Livy's History of Rome, Book I Ch. 1-16

The New Thinkery

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 its monarchy. Plus: a comparison between Roman and Greek history, and why Rome's first historians wrote their books in Greek, not Latin.

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Walter Sterling on T. S. Eliot's Walter Sterling on T. S. Eliot's "The Waste Land"

The New Thinkery

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 and Sterling's background with the college.

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Pano Kanelos on Hamlet and the University of Austin show art Pano Kanelos on Hamlet and the University of Austin

The New Thinkery

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 welcome its inaugural class.

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Robert Wyllie on Understanding Byung-Chul Han show art Robert Wyllie on Understanding Byung-Chul Han

The New Thinkery

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 as a baseline. Professor Wyllie delves especially into Han's early work, exploring his weighty ideas on technology, culture, and the human condition in a way accessible to newcomers and veteran listeners alike. Tune in for a thinker that bridges the gap between Korean and German thought!

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Flagg Taylor on Jan Patočka's The Spiritual Person & the Intellectual show art Flagg Taylor on Jan Patočka's The Spiritual Person & the Intellectual

The New Thinkery

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 relevant points in his personal life, including his death at the hands of communists.

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Michael Davis On Greek Tragedy, and Electra show art Michael Davis On Greek Tragedy, and Electra

The New Thinkery

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, . Focusing on the powerful narratives of the Electra plays by these tragedians, they unpack the complexities of ancient drama and its continued relevance in contemporary thought. 

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Continuing on Part I from last week, Greg and Alex again replace David with renowned Rousseau scholar Dr. Christopher Kelly, professor of political science at Boston College. The group analyze Rousseau, Judge of Jean-Jacques, this time touching on the enigma of conspiracy and how Rousseau's work fits in with Christian ideas and values. Plus: Dr. Kelly expands on his backstory.