The New Thinkery

The New Thinkery is a podcast devoted to political philosophy and its history, along with its many guises in literature, film, and human experience generally. Named after Socrates’ infamous “Thinkery” in Aristophanes’ Clouds, The New Thinkery strikes a balance between the seriousness of academia and the playfulness of casual conversation among friends.

Charlie Thomas on Plato's Female Drama 05/24/2023

Charlie Thomas on Plato's Female Drama This week, the guys are joined by Dr. Charlotte Thomas, Professor of Philosophy among several other titles at Mercer Unviersity and executive director of ACTC. The group discuss Dr. Thomas' book The Female Drama: The Philosophical Feminine in the Soul of Plato's Republic. The discussion roughly follows books V-VII of the Republic and its arguments around justice and what is needed to bring it about. /episode/index/show/thenewthinkery/id/26902434

Eric Adler on Tacitus' Germania 05/17/2023

Eric Adler on Tacitus' Germania This week, the guys are joined once again by Dr. Eric Adler, Professor and Chair of Classics at the University of Maryland. The group discuss most of the contents of Germania from the traits of the people and land, to their practices, culminating in Tacitus' thoughts on their value to the Romans. Plus: Dr. Adler ties in one of Tacitus' other works, the Annals, into the discussion. /episode/index/show/thenewthinkery/id/26835150

Thomas Cleveland on Aristotle's Metaphysics A 1–2 05/11/2023

Thomas Cleveland on Aristotle's Metaphysics A 1–2 This week, the guys are joined by Dr. Thomas Cleveland, Director of Academic Programs at the Jack Miller Center. The group discuss what it means to understand, to know, and to gain wisdom. They then discuss what people may do in search of knowledge, and the distinction between wisdom and knowledge. /episode/index/show/thenewthinkery/id/26768295

Socrates as Family Man 05/03/2023

Socrates as Family Man This week, the guys return to Ancient Greece as they gather to discuss Socrates' personal life as a family man. They analyze whether philosophers can even have families, whether Socrates' family was serious or ironic, whether his intellectual or biological progeny are his real family, and more. Plus: a special announcement from Greg! /episode/index/show/thenewthinkery/id/26696496

Spencer Klavan on Euripides' The Bacchae 04/26/2023

Spencer Klavan on Euripides' The Bacchae This week, the guys are joined by David's colleague and friend, Spencer Klavan. Together, the group discuss the overarchiing themes, influence, and historical context of Euripides' The Bacchae. Plus: an analysis of uniquely feminine power. /episode/index/show/thenewthinkery/id/26626104

The Introduction to Allan Bloom's The Closing of the American Mind 04/19/2023

The Introduction to Allan Bloom's The Closing of the American Mind This week, the guys take a look at the introductory section of Allan Bloom's The Closing of the American Mind. In their analysis, the guys cover the significance of Bloom's writings in the context of American political thought as well as the merits of his argument in his introduction. /episode/index/show/thenewthinkery/id/26557323

Nietzsche on the Last Man 04/12/2023

Nietzsche on the Last Man This week, the guys are joined for a second time by Dr. Justin Gottschalk to talk about the prologue to Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra. The group analyze the history, themes, value, and modern interpretations of what is arguably Nietzsche's hardest to grasp text. /episode/index/show/thenewthinkery/id/26488140

Xenophon on Hunting with Dogs 04/05/2023

Xenophon on Hunting with Dogs Returning to the Ancients this week, the guys are here to discuss Xenophon's Hunting with Dogs. Using an edition put together by Michael Ehrmantraut and The New Thinkery's own Greg McBrayer, the guys dive into the text, analyzing the underlying themes of the work, as well as some hidden intentions put in by Xenophon that have confused scholars for quite some time. /episode/index/show/thenewthinkery/id/26420100

Leo Strauss' Natural Right and History, Chapter 1 03/29/2023

Leo Strauss' Natural Right and History, Chapter 1 This week, the guys return to Leo Strauss' crucially important book, Natural Right and History. A discussion of the history of the work moves naturally to an analysis of the themes of chapter one, how thoroughly it expands on the concept of historicism before ripping into it, as well as some contextualization of the chapter when compared to other thinkers of Strauss' time. Plus: a brief note for your feedback. /episode/index/show/thenewthinkery/id/26345526

Jean Renoir's The Grand Illusion 03/22/2023

Jean Renoir's The Grand Illusion This week, the guys take another trip down to the silver screen to analyze Jean Renoir's 1937 movie, The Grand Illusion. Hidden underneath the POW escape plot of the movie are deep and serious themes about the role of what was at the time Europe's dying aristocracy, among others. The guys break it all down. /episode/index/show/thenewthinkery/id/26270022

Jacob Klein's The Problem of Freedom 03/15/2023

Jacob Klein's The Problem of Freedom With the gang back together this week, the guys jump into a short essay on a punchy topic, the problem of freedom, using Jacob Klein's essay by the same name as a starting point. They discuss the framing of freedom, its types, and to what extent freedom itself is a good or bad thing. Plus: an announcement toward the end of the show! /episode/index/show/thenewthinkery/id/26204184

Machiavelli's The Prince, Chapter 7 03/08/2023

Machiavelli's The Prince, Chapter 7 This week, David is away, which means Alex and Greg are getting right to the point. They discuss chapter seven of The Prince, which focuses primarily on Cesare Borgia and his political career. Machiavelli seems to put ample praise on Borgia while also noting the stumbling block he would succumb to. Plus: a quick analysis of where the famous line, "the ends justifies the means" comes from. /episode/index/show/thenewthinkery/id/26133018

Interview: Spencer Klavan on Diogenes Laërtius' The Life of Zeno 03/01/2023

Interview: Spencer Klavan on Diogenes Laërtius' The Life of Zeno This week, the guys are joined by Dr. Spencer Klavan, David's coworker and author of multiple books on philosophy and saving the West. The group take a quick look at stoicism and ancient life before diving into an insightful and funny analysis of The Life of Zeno. /episode/index/show/thenewthinkery/id/26055168

Interview: Dr. Michael P. Zuckert on Lincoln's Views of Discoveries and Inventions 02/20/2023

Interview: Dr. Michael P. Zuckert on Lincoln's Views of Discoveries and Inventions This week the guys are joined for the fourth time by Dr. Michael P. Zuckert, the Nancy R. Dreux Professor of Political Science, Emeritus at the University of Notre Dame. The group convene early this week in observation of President's Day and discuss some of Lincoln's speeches, other writings, and thoughts surrounding dicoveries and inventions, and their purpose in the young republic. Plus: the guys discuss a little bit of fun presidential trivia. /episode/index/show/thenewthinkery/id/25979607

Valentine's Day Love Poems 02/14/2023

Valentine's Day Love Poems Happy Valentine's Day from The New Thinkery! On this special episode, the guys each selcted poems that they found particularly worth reading and thinking about on Valentine's Day. From Plato, to Machiavelli, to Shakespeare, and even Christopher Wallace, the guys have you covered with a reading and discussion of a wide swath of poetic content to help you get into the Valentine's Day mindset. /episode/index/show/thenewthinkery/id/25905495

Winston Churchill's Painting as a Pastime 02/08/2023

Winston Churchill's Painting as a Pastime This week, the guys take a break from philosophy, and instead disucss Churchill's short work on how best to spend leisure time and retaining mental acuity with age, Painting as a Pastime. The guys discuss the merits of painting and why Churchill points to it as a great way to stay sharp. Plus: Alex makes David and Greg play a guessing game. /episode/index/show/thenewthinkery/id/25836570

Aristotle's Politics 3.4 02/01/2023

Aristotle's Politics 3.4 This week, the guys are back together again to talk about some meat and potatoes in Western philosophy: Aristotle's Politics 3.4. After some good old-fashioned analysis, the guys draw connections to interesting comparisons, like how it is to be a citizen in North Korea. /episode/index/show/thenewthinkery/id/25761303

Interview: Dr. Eric Adler on Plutarch's Life of Camillus 01/25/2023

Interview: Dr. Eric Adler on Plutarch's Life of Camillus This week, Greg and Alex have once again replaced David with Dr. Eric Adler, Professor and Chair of Classics at the Unviersity of Maryland. Together, the group analyze another excerpt of Plutarch's Parallel Lives. This time, the emphasis is on Camillus, a Roman soldier and statesman of the patrician class. The group draw comparisons between Camillus and Themistocles and whst useful lessons can be gleaned from their lives. /episode/index/show/thenewthinkery/id/25704288

Eugene O'Neill's The Emperor Jones 01/18/2023

Eugene O'Neill's The Emperor Jones This week, the guys put down the philosophy books and pick up a favorite of David's, Eugene O'Neill's tragic play, The Emperor Jones. The guys analyze the play's plot, themes, and important historical context as they discuss their interpretations of the play. /episode/index/show/thenewthinkery/id/25615722

Interview: Samuel Stoner on Kant's What is Enlightenment? 01/11/2023

Interview: Samuel Stoner on Kant's What is Enlightenment? Thie week, with David away at IHOP, Greg and Alex welcome Assumption Univeristy's Dr. Samuel J. Stoner to the show. Stoner is an expert on Kantian philosophy and helps the guys break down Kant's essay for the masses, What Is Enlightenment? They analyze the essay's meaning and the connections it has to both the Age of Enlightenment and to other works that came before it. /episode/index/show/thenewthinkery/id/25545936

Interview: Dr. Bernard J. Dobski on Plutarch's Life of Themistocles 01/04/2023

Interview: Dr. Bernard J. Dobski on Plutarch's Life of Themistocles This week, the guys are joined by Dr. Bernard J. Dobski, Professor of Political Science at Assumption University. Together, the group discuss the overarching themes of Plutarch's Life of Themistocles, as well as getting into the history surrounding some key Greek battles and how those events contributed to future developments. /episode/index/show/thenewthinkery/id/25477587

Plato's Allegory of the Cave 12/28/2022

Plato's Allegory of the Cave As The New Thinkery welcomes in the new year, the guys are spending their time chaining David to a wall so he can spend New Year's looking at shadows while an AI script replaces him on the show. In seriousness, the guys take a close look at what is likely the most famous piece of Plato's works, the Allegory of the Cave, what makes it tick, whether we're stuck in caves of our own, and more! /episode/index/show/thenewthinkery/id/25429017

Interview: Dr. John Moser on It's a Wonderful Life 12/21/2022

Interview: Dr. John Moser on It's a Wonderful Life It's Christmastime once again, and the guys are getting into the spirit with a closer look at the history, lessons, and contextualization of It's a Wonderful Life. They are joined by Greg's colleague Dr. John Moser, Chair of the History and Political Science Department at Ashland University. /episode/index/show/thenewthinkery/id/25378329

John Locke on Property 12/14/2022

John Locke on Property This week, the guys, though sick, sit down to analyze Locke's views on property. They further discuss the extent to which Locke's principles have gone on to influence the world (Greg even makes a bold claim), and the history of Locke's ideas, including some likely influences on his ideas. /episode/index/show/thenewthinkery/id/25294404

Interview: Dr. Waseem El-Rayes on Ibn Khaldun's Muqaddimah 12/07/2022

Interview: Dr. Waseem El-Rayes on Ibn Khaldun's Muqaddimah This week, the guys are joined by Associate Professor of Political Theory and Constitutional Democracy at Michigan State University's James Madison College, Dr. Waseem El-Rayes. The group discuss Ibn Khaldun's sweeping historical work, Muqaddimah. Topics include theocracy, the origins of political power, history, and more! /episode/index/show/thenewthinkery/id/25220955

Interview: Lorraine Pangle on Aristotle & Natural Right 11/30/2022

Interview: Lorraine Pangle on Aristotle & Natural Right David has run away from the crew this week, so Alex and Greg replaced him with Tom Cleveland this time. The group are joined by Dr. Lorraine Pangle, Professor at UT Austin and Co-Director at the Thomas Jefferson Center. Together, they discuss Aristotle's views on natural rights and whether, as the West crumbles under its own weight, Aristotle's ideas are a sufficient groundwork to rebuild it. /episode/index/show/thenewthinkery/id/25143318

Aristotle's Great Souled Man 11/23/2022

Aristotle's Great Souled Man Happy Thanksgiving from the crew at The New Thinkery! This week, the guys delve into one of the more popular sections of Aristotle's writing, Nicomachean Ethics IV.3. While none of the crew here qualify as a great souled man, that won't stop them from analyzing the required characteristics of one, as well as providing some real world examples of great souled men. /episode/index/show/thenewthinkery/id/25087278

Democracy in America, Volume 2 11/16/2022

Democracy in America, Volume 2 This week, the guys convene to discuss the first dozen chapters In the second volume of Democracy in America. The guys analyze Alexis de Tocqueville's intended audience, possible intentions, and the extent to which his writing proved true. Plus: a brief comparison of the US before and after the events of WWII. /episode/index/show/thenewthinkery/id/24994377

Interview: Dr. Gary Schmitt on High Noon 11/09/2022

Interview: Dr. Gary Schmitt on High Noon This week the guys are joined by Dr. Gary J. Schmitt, a senior fellow in the Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies program at AEI. Together, the group discuss the 1952 film High Noon. They analyze the film and its cinematography as a springboard to elaborate on its many themes and how it fits in with other films of its genre. Plus: what did John Wayne think of High Noon? /episode/index/show/thenewthinkery/id/24921798

Interview: Charles Butterworth on Al-Razi's Book of the Philosophic Life 11/02/2022

Interview: Charles Butterworth on Al-Razi's Book of the Philosophic Life This week, Alex and Greg are joined once again by none other than Dr. Charles Butterworth, Emeritus Professor of Government and Politics at the University of Maryland, College Park. The trio discuss Al-Razi's Book of the Philosophic Life, how it relates to Greek philosophers, and what important lessons we should take away from reading Al-Razi. /episode/index/show/thenewthinkery/id/24845934

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