The Sower

Life and works of the Scottish man of letters Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881). Ethan Alexander-Davey teaches political science at Campbell University. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Ciceronian Society. He is co-editor, with Richard Avramenko, of Aristocratic Souls in Democratic Times and Aristocratic Voices: Forgotten Arguments about Virtue, Authority and Inequality both published by Lexington/Bloomsbury. Scott Irving read modern history at Oxford University. He is author of "Vico and the Aristocratic Origin of Political Order” published in the edited volume Aristocratic Voices. Texts discussed in this podcast: The Norman and Charlotte Strouse Edition of the Writings of Thomas Carlyle https://www.ucpress.edu/series/the-norman-and-charlotte-strouse-edition-of-the-writings-of-thomas-carlyle Essays on Politics and Society https://www.ucpress.edu/books/essays-on-politics-and-society/hardcover Other works by Carlyle Carlyle’s Latter-Day Pamphlets, which awaits a modern critical edition: https://dn721807.ca.archive.org/0/items/latterdaypamphle00carlrich/latterdaypamphle00carlrich.pdf Other books referenced Charles Frederick Harrold, Carlyle and German Thought https://archive.org/details/dli.ministry.01171/page/285/mode/2up Cicero, De re publica, De legibus https://archive.org/details/cicero-in-28-volumes.-vol.-16-loeb-213/mode/2up Gertrude Himmelfarb, The De-moralization of Society https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/80256/the-de-moralization-of-society-by-gertrude-himmelfarb/ To learn more about us, our events, this Podcast, our journal, Pietas, to sign up for our newsletter, and to make your tax deductible gift, please go to https://ciceroniansociety.org/ Check out our other podcast, Cicero On Duties, publishing weekly throughout 2026: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1B7f66VCvfaF3PYETBIJG4AGMpanUNE3

Life and works of the Scottish man of letters Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881). Ethan Alexander-Davey teaches political science at Campbell University. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Ciceronian Society. He is co-editor, with Richard Avramenko, of Aristocratic Souls in Democratic Times and Aristocratic Voices: Forgotten Arguments about Virtue, Authority and Inequality, both published by Lexington/Bloomsbury. Scott Irving read modern history at Oxford University. He is author of "Vico and the Aristocratic Origin of Political Order” published in the edited volume Aristocratic Voices. Texts discussed in this podcast: The Norman and Charlotte Strouse Edition of the Writings of Thomas Carlyle https://www.ucpress.edu/series/the-norman-and-charlotte-strouse-edition-of-the-writings-of-thomas-carlyle Essays on Politics and Society https://www.ucpress.edu/books/essays-on-politics-and-society/hardcover Other works by Carlyle Carlyle’s Latter-Day Pamphlets, which awaits a modern critical edition: https://dn721807.ca.archive.org/0/items/latterdaypamphle00carlrich/latterdaypamphle00carlrich.pdf Other books referenced Charles Frederick Harrold, Carlyle and German Thought https://archive.org/details/dli.ministry.01171/page/285/mode/2up Cicero, De re publica, De legibus https://archive.org/details/cicero-in-28-volumes.-vol.-16-loeb-213/mode/2up Gertrude Himmelfarb, The De-moralization of Society https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/80256/the-de-moralization-of-society-by-gertrude-himmelfarb/ To learn more about us, our events, this Podcast, our journal, Pietas, to sign up for our newsletter, and to make your tax deductible gift, please go to https://ciceroniansociety.org/ Check out our other podcast, Cicero On Duties, publishing weekly throughout 2026: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1B7f66VCvfaF3PYETBIJG4AGMpanUNE3

Chris Anadale interviews Florida lawyer Jeff Bristol about his home in Plant City. Jeffrey Bristol is an independent scholar and a lawyer who has been a regular at Ciceronian Society conferences. His popular writings range from policy and military essays to cultural criticism, with a focus on general anthropological theory and legal and political philosophy as applied to American life. His degrees include an AA in Persian-Farsi from the Defense Language Institute; a BA in History/Anthropology/Languages from the now-defunct Marlboro College; an MA in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Chicago; a JD from the University of Michigan Law School and a PhD in Anthropology from Boston University. His website is https://www.jeffreybristol.com/ Christopher Anadale is podcast editor for the Ciceronian Society and Associate Professor of Philosophy at Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Maryland. His philosophy YouTube channel is https://www.youtube.com/christopheranadale ----- Mentioned in this Episode: Strawberry Festival. https://flstrawberryfestival.com/ Henry B. Plant. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_B._Plant Gio Fucarino. https://www.tampabay.com/news/tampa/2023/03/24/who-is-gio-fucarino-or-john-ring-jr-tampa-player-with-hidden-past/ Ashley Moody. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashley_Moody W. Lloyd Warner. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._Lloyd_Warner See also: Baumgartner, M.P., The Moral Order of a Suburb. New York: Oxford University Press, 1991. (especially this one) Gorer G., The American People: A Study in National Character, New York, Norton, 1948. Potter D., "Individuality and Conformity." in M. McGiffert, ed., The Character of Americans, Homewood: Dorsey Press, 1964. ----- To learn more about us, our events, this Podcast, our journal, Pietas, to sign up for our newsletter, and to make your tax deductible gift, please go to https://ciceroniansociety.org/ Check out our other podcast, Cicero On Duties, publishing weekly throughout 2026: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1B7f66VCvfaF3PYETBIJG4AGMpanUNE3

Josh Bowman talks with John Wilsey about his new book, God and Country: Upholding Faith, History, and National Identity (B&H Academic Press, 2026). We discuss historiography, why history matters for Christians, the importance of virtue for historical thinking, and what it means to have a “rightly ordered patriotism.” John Wilsey is Professor of Church History and Philosophy and Chair of the Department of Church History and Historical Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. For a lengthier bio, visit: https://www.sbts.edu/faculty/john-d-wilsey/ View the book here: https://bhacademic.bhpublishinggroup.com/product/god-and-country-3/#flipbook-sampler/ To learn more about us, our events, this Podcast, our journal, Pietas, to sign up for our newsletter, and to make your tax deductible gift, please go to https://ciceroniansociety.org/ Check out our other podcast, Cicero On Duties, publishing weekly throughout 2026: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1B7f66VCvfaF3PYETBIJG4AGMpanUNE3

Josh Bowman welcomes 2026 Herbert J. Storing Prize Nominee Dr. Brooke Barbier. Brooke is a public historian who received her PhD in American history from Boston College, researching Boston’s social and cultural life during and after the American Revolution. In 2013 she founded Ye Olde Tavern Tours, which offers tours of Boston’s historic sites and taverns (beer is included!). She is the author of King Hancock: The Radical Influence of a Moderate Founding Father and Boston in the American Revolution: A Town Versus an Empire. Her newest book, Cocked and Boozy: An Intoxicating History of the American Revolution, will be released in June 2026 and is now available for pre-order. She is originally from San Diego, CA and has lived in Boston for many years. Herbert J. Storing Prize: https://ciceroniansociety.org/conference/storing-award/ Nominations for 2027 Prize due by September 1, 2026 Cocked and Boozy: An Intoxicating History of the American Revolution (pre-order): https://www.amazon.com/Cocked-Boozy-Intoxicating-American-Revolution/dp/1641606991 King Hancock: https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674271777 Ye Olde Tavern Tours: https://www.yeoldetaverntours.com/ Brooke’s personal website: https://www.brooke-barbier.com/ ====== The 2026 Ciceronian Society Conference will be held March 12-14 at Creighton University in Omaha, NE. To learn more about us, our events, this Podcast, our journal, Pietas, to sign up for our newsletter, and to make your tax deductible gift, please go to https://ciceroniansociety.org/

Josh Bowman welcomes Albert Norton back to the show. Bert is a practicing attorney and author of several books on the tension between religion and postmodernism. Today, we specifically consider how understanding this tension might inform the life of modern churches and intellectual discipleship. His most recent book is The Discovered Self, concerning what he regards as a dangerous inward turn to the therapeutic worldview. We previously discussed his 2023 book, The Mountain and the River: Genesis, Postmodernism, and the Machine, in Episode 40. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXdva8y7ghs&list=PL1B7f66VCvfZnkwh_UjXjhXEg5P8dUq0q&index=32 Our conversation addresses themes of postmodernism, universals and particulars, ideology, totalitarianism, fascism, epistemology, Christian intellectuals in the church, and much more. Bert’s substack, “Sir Toast” - https://albertnorton.substack.com/ The Mountain and the River - https://www.amazon.com/Mountain-River-Genesis-Postmodernism-Machine/dp/1943003815?ref_=ast_author_dp The Discovered Self - https://www.amazon.com/Discovered-Self-Identity-Therapeutic-Age-ebook/dp/B0F1V4LL7B?ref_=ast_author_dp Check out Bert’s reflections on the 2025 Ciceronian Society conference here: https://albertnorton.substack.com/p/the-ciceronian-society ====== The 2026 Ciceronian Society Conference will be held March 12-14 at Creighton University in Omaha, NE. To learn more about us, our events, this Podcast, our journal, Pietas, to sign up for our newsletter, and to make your tax deductible gift, please go to https://ciceroniansociety.org/

This special episode is an excerpt from a panel at our 2025 annual conference in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The panel title was "Philip Rieff: Cultural Conflict, Religion and the Self." After a prayer and brief introduction, we hear the following speakers. First, Michael Harding of Montgomery College, with "Rieff’s Use of Nietzsche in Deathworks." Second, William Batchelder of Waynesburg University, on "The Impossibility of Charisma in the Modern Context." Third, Ethan Alexander-Davey of Campbell University, with "The Role of Elites in Formation and Deformation." Fourth, Albert Norton, independent scholar, on "Identity in the Therapeutic Age." Following the fourth speaker is a 13 minute question and answer period. Mr. Norton was interviewed in Episode 40 of The Sower, and Drs. Harding and Batchelder most recently appeared in Episode 69, an introduction to the work of Philip Rieff. Dr. Alexander-Davey is an occasional host of The Sower. Dr. Anadale's YouTube channel is here: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristopherAnadale If you enjoyed this episode, please consider attending our March 2026 annual conference, in Omaha, Nebraska. For details, go to https://ciceroniansociety.org/. 0:00 Episode Introduction (Anadale)2:17 Panel Introduction (Batchelder)5:38 Nietzsche (Harding)31:52 Charisma (Batchelder)50:34 Elites (Alexander-Davey)1:05:02 Identity (Norton)1:19:01 Q&A Chapters (00:00:00) - Episode Introduction (Anadale)(00:02:17) - Panel Introduction (Batchelder)(00:05:38) - Nietzsche (Harding)(00:31:52) - Charisma (Batchelder)(00:50:34) - Elites (Alexander-Davey)(01:05:02) - Identity (Norton)(01:19:01) - Q&A