The New Thinkery

This week, the guys are joined for the third time by author, political commentator, and policy scholar Steven F. Hayward, who is replacing David for this episode. The group take a trip to the silver screen to review Cloud Atlas, based on a book of the same name. Discussion ranges from the unique, nested story sequence, characters, and more.

The guys are back this week with a break from the philosophy books, opting instead for another of Shakespeare's great plays. They generally discuss the plot, characters, themes, and more in this episode. This is just the first episode on Hamlet to set the stage, so to speak. There will be deep dives into each act in the future.

This week, the guys are joined by Jacob Howland, author of Glaucon's Fate: History, Myth, and Character in Plato's Republic, among other impressive works, and the McFarlin Professor of Philosophy Emeritus at the University of Tulsa. Howland goes through his analysis and conclusion of Glaucon's fate in Plato's Republic, as well as touhch on additional points concerning the full work. Plus: Greg's (in)famous lightning round!

This week, the guys dive into the underground world of E. M. Forster's The Machine Stops. People live in pods, communication is done almost solely by instant messaging/video conferencing, and the omnipotent Machine takes care of people's bodily and spiritual needs. The guys analyze the situation and realizations that arise as the machine breaks down and people are condemned to their fate.

This week, the guys turn to Dostoevsky's story within The Brothers Karamazov: The Grand Inquisitor. Centering on two chapters within the book, discussion and analysis ranges from the idea of a benevolent God, to unanswered implications about human nature and freedom, and much more.

This week, the guys convene a day early to bring you an analysis of the Declaration of Independence. Discussion takes the guys through the history of the Declaration, a look at its progenitors, its meaning, and how it fits with America's other important documents like the Constitution.

This week, the guys are joined once again by two esteemed guests: Dr. Hannes Kerber, Postdoctoral Fellow for the Program on Constitutional Government at Harvard, & Dr. Svetozar Minkov, Professor of Philosophy at Roosevelt University. Part II focuses on Strauss' interpretation of Plato's Euthyphro, broken into sections revolving around several important questions Strauss tried to resolve for himself, guided by Kerber and Minkov's diligent analysis.

This week, the guys are joined by not one, but two esteemed guests: Dr. Hannes Kerber, Postdoctoral Fellow for the Program on Constitutional Government at Harvard, & Dr. Svetozar Minkov, Professor of Philosophy at Roosevelt University. The group discuss Kerber & Minkov's new, groundbreaking edited work: Leo Strauss on Plato's 'Euthyphro': The 1948 Notebook, with Lectures and Critical Writings. Part I focuses on the history surrounding the creation of the book, preliminary thoughts on the content, and why you should care about it. Plus: a discount code for those who want to read Strauss's newly unveiled 1948 notebook on Plato's Euthyphro, as well as everything else he wrote about it with companion essays by the editors. Stay tuned for Part II next week!

This week, the guys are on their own as they dive into Book III of Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics. Discussion focuses primarily on an assessment of Aristotle's views on how we ought to evaluate people's actions under different circumstances. Further analysis covers the source of virtue and vice, and how humans tend to frame decisions when deemed good or bad, as well as problems with Aristotle's theory.

This week, the guys are joined once more by Dr. Eric Adler, Professor and Chair of Classics at the University of Maryland. The group turn to the silver screen as they analyze the cult classic, The Big Lebowski. Amid the antics of the characters throughout the film, the guys analyze whether there is a coherent message lying underneath the calls to just "chill out, man."

This week, the guys are joined by a bonafide artist and Greg's colleague, Daniel McDonald, Chair of the Department of Art + Design and professor of art. The group discuss Spanish philosopher José Ortega y Gasset's essay, The Dehumanization of Art, which sought to understand why modern art was moving in a nonrepresentational direction. McDonald offer's an artist's perspective on Ortega y Gasset's thinking and points out where it might be flawed, while the guys bring the layman's perspective.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

From all of here at The New Thinekry, we wish you a Happy Halloween! To celebrate, Alex has prepared a special treat: a dramatic reading of Edgar Allen Poe's classic poem, "The Raven" from memory.

This week the guys visit one of America's greatest poets: Edgar Allen Poe. With Halloween right around the corner, what better time to dig into some of Poe's greatest hits, from The Tell-Tale Heart to The Cask of Amontillado. Plus: a reading of The Raven by Alex, from memory.

This week, the guys are on their own as they tackle one of Rousseau's shorter discourses focusing on the most essential characteristic for a hero to have. Plus: Rousseau was a bit of an oddball. Alex and David recount a couple of stories to illustrate the point.

This week, the guys are joined by Devin Stauffer, Professor and Associate Chair at UT Austin. The group take a look at several of Hobbes' most pivotal works to get at Hobbes' true arguments about human nature, with Professor Stauffer leading the analysis.

This week, the guys are back to the three man band format. They discuss the opening of Strauss' most read work and highlight patterns of thought that continue throughout Natural Right and History.

n this edition of The New Thinkery, Alex and Greg are joined for a second time by Dr. Thomas Cleveland, Academics Program Officer for the Jack Miller Center. The group take a look at a very short text that could be read in an hour, but to understand thoroughly could take years.

This week, the guys are joined by Assumption University's own BJ Dobski. The group discuss Thucydides as a source of ancient history, the extent to which he is reliable, and the archaeology surrounding him personally.

In this episode of The New Thinkery, David and Alex have temporarily replaced Greg with Alex's mother, Fereshteh, who is an expert on Marcel Proust's mammoth 4,000+ page text, In Search of Lost Time. In the episode, the group discuss the first volume of the text, Swann's Way, analyzing the circuitous structure and style of writing utilized, as well as how it contributes to the text's overall message.

This week, the guys are joined by Damian Jungerman, a former US serviceman turned intellectual with a seriously impressive résumé. Jungerman details how great books saved him and how those great books continue to be a source of immense value, as well as sharing candid stories from the battlefield.