The Optimistic Curmudgeon

Shane Trotter shares insights from his book, Setting the Bar, arguing that an excessive on the lowest performing students harms high performing students. He and Josh discuss how IEPs, 504s, and accommodations fail to achieve the goals of education, and the ways schools and students respond to incentives. They also discuss classroom management, student discipline, and equipping students for a lifetime of success. Public education can be done well, and Shane outlines steps schools should take in order to flourish.

Daniel Garner joins Josh to discuss Hannah Arendt's On The Origins of Totalitarianism. Recorded well before Russia's invasion of the Ukraine, this episode covers the nature of totalitarian government, Arendt's description of anti-semitism in European culture, and the responsibility Western governments have for encouraging self-governing citizens and resisting the temptation towards totalitarian action.

Carissa Mulder, co-author of a chapter in A Dubious Expediency: How Race Based Admissions Damage Higher Education and Special Counsel to Commissioner Peter Kirsanow of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, joins Josh to discuss the history, present reality, and harms of race based admission in elite universities. She traces the case history, and provides analysis of the ways affirmative action in admissions creates an unfair university admissions system. Carissa is a an author for the The Federalist Society, and National Review. You can read her work here and here.

Dr. Nick Higgins of North Greenville University explores command, consent, and natural theories of law to situate a consideration of the moral obligation citizens have to obey laws, regulations, policies, and executive orders. Along the way, Dr. Higgins provides a clear explanation of the growth of Administrative State, including a fascinating story of presidential assignation (not JFK), and the distinctions connoted by different legal vocabulary. (This episode was recorded in September of 2021, so references to current Covid-19 responses should be heard with that idea in mind). What exactly do citizens owe their authorities? Listen to find out!

Josh interviews Dr. Kevin D Roberts about his career path, and his work with the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Since this episode was recorded, Dr. Roberts has moved from CEO of the Texas Public Policy Foundation to President of the Heritage Foundation. Their conversation centers on the significance of removing an American presence from Afghanistan, the poor way that removal was handled, and the many ways the Administrative State harms the American constitutional order. This conversation was inspired by Dr. Roberts' article published 8/30/21 (linked here) about the American withdrawal from Afghanistan. Enjoy!

Ethan Delves hosts this conversation with Josh Herring; they discuss how The Optimistic Curmudgeon got started, what its goals are, how it differs from a previous podcasting adventure, and more. This is the last episode of Season 1 - we'll be back in mid-January with Season 2!

Dr. Will Begley (PhD, UNC Chapel Hill), Latin Instructor at Thales Academy Rolesville, joins Josh for a discussion of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure. We explore the proper balance of justice and mercy, themes of fornication and adultery, the ways civilizations try to navigate the universal human drive for sexual interactions, and a novel reading of the play! Why is Measure for Measure the play of its genre? Listen to find out!

Dr. Ben Voth, professor at Southern Methodist University and author of Debate As Global Pedagogy: Rwanda Rising, joins Josh to discuss a variety of topics he has researched and written about over the years. The episode begins with the ways race relations have improved in the United States since the Civil Rights era. Dr. Voth explains Afropessimism and Afroidealism as two competing paradigms in contemporary Communication studies. The second half of the episode focuses on Dr. Voth's work with teaching debate in Rwanda, and Voth's conviction that debate reduces the possibility of genocide.

Dr. Donald J. Devine discusses his time in the Reagan administration, the current failures of the administrative state, and his most recent book, The Enduring Tension: Capitalism and the Moral Order. Devine argues that centralizing power is the flaw in our current governance, but that decentralizing power is the genius of western civilization.

Dr. Paul Mueller of The King's College (Manhattan) discusses Modern Monetary Theory, its origins, and contemporary application of MMT in the movements of the Biden administration. Along the way, he and Josh discuss the housing market, inflation, and the connections between economic theory and reality. Check it out!

John Henry Crosby of the Von Hildebrand Project comes on The Optimistic Curmudgeon for a ranging conversation about personalist philosophy. Josh and John Henry discuss Personalism, its position as a philosophical anthropology, the ways in which personalism elevates the view of the body and of human dignity, and the implications for applying personalism in both work place and transgender considerations.

Bob Luddy, CEO of CaptiveAire Systems and founder of Thales Academy, and Emily Launer, head of Human Resources for CaptiveAire and the Luddy Schools, share the keys to business success: Grit, perseverance, alertness, character, lifelong learning, and ignoring distractions. Join Josh, Bob, and Emily as they discuss the way living excellently leads to longterm happiness and success.

Dr. Jason Jewell discusses the unique graduate studies program in the humanities he runs at Faulkner University, his scholarship on Russell Kirk, and his views on where the conservative movement is today.

Dr. Sam Gregg comes on The Optimistic Curmudgeon to share about the many ways in which realism grounds human thought and action. He and Josh have a wide ranging conversation about different application of moral ideas, and the way reality grounds economics.

Josh interview Dr. Bob Luebke of the John Locke Foundation about the differences between the appearance and the reality of teacher salary changes in the state of North Carolina over 201-2019. Along the way, they also discuss the school choice movement, policy changes for improving public education, and the effect teachers' unions have on North Carolina education.

Josh Herring interview Robert Pondiscio about his experiences as an educator, educational policy expert, and the ways in which anti-racism harms the very students it attempts to help.

Dr. Richard Vedder (Ohio University, Forbes, Independant Institute) discusses the economic, political, and social forces resulting in skyrocketing prices in college tuition.