The New Thinkery
Episodes
An Overview of Shakespeare's Hamlet
02 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 th...
Jacob Howland on Glaucon's Fate & Plato's Republic
26 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 wo...
E. M. Forster's The Machine Stops
19 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Dostoevsky's The Grand Inquisitor
12 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the guys turn to Dostoevsky's story within The Brothers Karamazov: The Grand Inquisitor. Centering on two chapters within the book, discuss...
The Declaration of Independence
04 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Strauss on Euthyphro, Part II with Dr. Hannes Kerber & Dr. Svetozar Minkov
28 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the guys are joined once again by two esteemed guests: Dr. Hannes Kerber, Postdoctoral Fellow for the Program on Constitutional Government ...
Strauss on Euthyphro, Part I with Dr. Hannes Kerber & Dr. Svetozar Minkov
21 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the guys are joined by not one, but two esteemed guests: Dr. Hannes Kerber, Postdoctoral Fellow for the Program on Constitutional Governme...
Aristotle on Moral Responsibility (Nicomachean Ethics Book III.1–5)
14 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 Ar...
Eric Adler on The Big Lebowski
07 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 sil...
Ortega y Gasset on Art with Daniel McDonald
31 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ar...
Charlie Thomas on Plato's Female Drama
24 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the guys are joined by Dr. Charlotte Thomas, Professor of Philosophy among several other titles at Mercer Unviersity and executive directo...
Eric Adler on Tacitus' Germania
17 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Thomas Cleveland on Aristotle's Metaphysics A 1–2
11 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 un...
Socrates as Family Man
03 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Spencer Klavan on Euripides' The Bacchae
26 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the guys are joined by David's colleague and friend, Spencer Klavan. Together, the group discuss the overarchiing themes, influence, and hi...
The Introduction to Allan Bloom's The Closing of the American Mind
19 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Nietzsche on the Last Man
12 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Xenophon on Hunting with Dogs
05 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Leo Strauss' Natural Right and History, Chapter 1
29 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the guys return to Leo Strauss' crucially important book, Natural Right and History. A discussion of the history of the work moves natural...
Jean Renoir's The Grand Illusion
22 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 es...
Jacob Klein's The Problem of Freedom
15 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 sa...
Machiavelli's The Prince, Chapter 7
08 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Interview: Spencer Klavan on Diogenes Laërtius' The Life of Zeno
01 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Interview: Dr. Michael P. Zuckert on Lincoln's Views of Discoveries and Inventions
20 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 Univer...
Valentine's Day Love Poems
14 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Happy Valentine's Day from The New Thinkery! On this special episode, the guys each selcted poems that they found particularly worth reading and think...
Winston Churchill's Painting as a Pastime
08 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ac...
Aristotle's Politics 3.4
01 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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-...
Interview: Dr. Eric Adler on Plutarch's Life of Camillus
25 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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, ...
Eugene O'Neill's The Emperor Jones
18 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Interview: Samuel Stoner on Kant's What is Enlightenment?
11 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 phi...
Interview: Dr. Bernard J. Dobski on Plutarch's Life of Themistocles
04 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the guys are joined by Dr. Bernard J. Dobski, Professor of Political Science at Assumption University. Together, the group discuss the over...
Plato's Allegory of the Cave
28 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Interview: Dr. John Moser on It's a Wonderful Life
21 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 Wo...
John Locke on Property
14 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Interview: Dr. Waseem El-Rayes on Ibn Khaldun's Muqaddimah
07 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the guys are joined by Associate Professor of Political Theory and Constitutional Democracy at Michigan State University's James Madison Co...
Interview: Lorraine Pangle on Aristotle & Natural Right
30 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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, P...
Aristotle's Great Souled Man
23 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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, Nicomach...
Democracy in America, Volume 2
16 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Interview: Dr. Gary Schmitt on High Noon
09 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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, th...
Interview: Charles Butterworth on Al-Razi's Book of the Philosophic Life
02 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Alex and Greg are joined once again by none other than Dr. Charles Butterworth, Emeritus Professor of Government and Politics at the Univer...
Happy Halloween from The New Thinkery!
31 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 Alle...
Edgar Allen Poe's Most Famous Works
26 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 o...
Rousseau on Heroic Virtue
19 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 h...
Interview: Professor Devin Stauffer on Hobbes' View of Human Nature
12 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Strauss' Natural Right and History, Part 1
05 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Interview: Tom Cleveland on Aristotle and Prophecy
28 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Interview: BJ Dobski on Thucydides' Archaeology
21 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 wh...
Interview: Fereshteh Priou on Proust, In Search of Lost Time, Vol. 1: Swann's Way
14 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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'...
Interview: Damian Jungerman on the Value of Great Books
07 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the guys are joined by Damian Jungerman, a former US serviceman turned intellectual with a seriously impressive résumé. Jungerman details...
Herbert Storing's Liberal Education and the Common Man
31 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As school kicks into gear as summer is winding down, the guys take the opportunity to talk about the extent to which the common man can be benefitted ...
Interview: Jerry Weinberger on Ben Franklin's Autobiography
24 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's installment of The New Thinkery, the guys are joined by Michigan State's distinguished professor emeritus Jerry Weinberger. The group ...
Plato's Republic Book IV Through 429b
17 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the guys return to the meat and potatoes of philosophy: Plato and Socrates. They discuss the first half of Plato's Republic Book IV, the lo...
Interview: Professor Adam Carrington on Fort Apache
10 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the guys analyze the film classic Ford Apache. They're joined by Hillsdale College's Professor Adam Carrington, who has written about the ...
Leo Strauss' Crisis of Our Time
03 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the guys return to Strauss to look at a pair of his lesser known, but still important essays touching on historicism, science, and the traj...
Interview: Eric Adler on Plutarch's Life of Romulus
27 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the guys are joined by Eric Adler, Professor and Chair of Classics at the University of Maryland. Together, the group discuss Plutarch's L...
Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby
20 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After last week's discussion of Hiero, the guys are back this week with fare that is lighter in some ways, and heavy in others: Clint Eastwood's Mill...
Xenophon's Hiero
13 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the guys reconvene to discuss Xenophon's Hiero. Greg has published translations of Xenophon, and is especially in his element. The core qu...
Michael Anton on Montesquieu
06 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the guys re joined by Hillsdale professor and David's colleague, Michael Anton. The group discuss Montesquieu's philosophy and the ways in ...
George Anastaplo on Television
29 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As we leave the Televisual Age behind and enter into the Digital Age, it might seem like a paper proposing the banning or severe limiting of TV hasn't...
Interview: Dr. Paul Diduch on Technological Moderation
22 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the guys are joined by one of Alex's colleagues: Dr. Paul Diduch. The group discuss whether unfettered technological progress is in fact "p...
Aristotle on Friendship ft. Producer Jake
15 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week The New Thinkery celebrates its 100th episode! To mark the occasion, the guys invite on Producer Jake to chime in for an analysis of Arist...
Plutarch's Life of Theseus
08 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the guys dive into another of Plutarch's lives. Unlike some of the other lives Plutarch describes, Theseus' is surrounded by an unusual amo...
Nietzsche on Truth and Lies
01 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week the guys assemble to visit a very short work of Nietzsche's that deals with extra-moral truth and lies. Specifically, the guys analyze wheth...
Aristotle on Slavery
25 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Was Aristotle's view of slavery evil, idiotic, a combination, or something else entirely? The guys sit down to talk about how Aristotle viewed slavery...
Interview: Joshua Parens on Leo Strauss on Natural Law
18 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the guys attended a panel where they interviewed Joshua Parens on the peculiar nature of Strauss' views on natural law and the philosopher....
Winchester 73 | The New Thinkery Ep. 95
11 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the guys take a break from philosophy to visit the Wild West as they analyze the film Winchester 73. Revolving around who gets to own a ne...
The Noble Lie | The New Thinkery Ep. 94
04 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the guys take a look at one of the most memorable concepts from Plato's Republic, that of the noble lie. They analyze the usefulness of nob...
Interview: Steve Hayward on Weber's Politics as a Vocation
27 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the guys are joined by author, political commentator, and policy scholar Steven F. Hayward. The group take a look at the underlying themes ...
Homer's Iliad, Books 1 and 2 | The New Thinkery Ep. 92
20 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the guys take a trip back to ancient Greece to discuss the first two books of Homer's Iliad. Plus: a cameo appearance from David's son!
Interview: Dr. Catherine Zuckert on Augustine's Confessions | The New Thinkery Ep. 91
13 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
With Easter around the corner, the guys are joined by Dr. Catherine Zuckert, the Reeves Dreux Professor of Political Science at Notre Dame, to take a ...
Interview: Dr. Lee Ward on Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost | The New Thinkery Ep. 90
06 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the guys continue their running series on Shakespeare. On the docket is one of Shakespeare's early comedies, Love's Labour's Lost. To help ...
Interview: Dr. David Lowenthal on Orwell's 1984
30 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of TNT, the guys are joined by distinguished professor and student of Leo Strauss, David Lowenthal. Together, the group talk about Lo...
Grab Bag | The New Thinkery Ep. 88
23 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the guys take a break from focusing on one text to host a more personal episode. Each co-host presents a question to the others for their t...
Interview: Professor James Carey on Indian Philosophy | The New Thinkery Ep. 87
16 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode, the guys are joined by Professor James Carey. The group wade outside of TNT's philosophic comfort zone by talking with Profess...
Plato's Republic and the Problem of Justice | The New Thinkery Ep. 86
09 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this follow-up to the last episode on Plato's Republic, the guys are again looking at the concept of justice. Specifically, what issues one might t...
Hitchcock's Rope | The New Thinkery Ep. 85
02 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the guys are breaking up the nonstop philosophy with a movie with strong overtones about, what else, philosophy! The crew discuss Alfred Hi...
Interview: Diana Schaub on Lincoln's Lyceum Address | The New Thinkery Ep. 84
23 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this President's Day edition of The New Thinkery, the guys are joined by Professor Diana Schaub, who teaches at Loyola University Maryland, and sp...
Interview: Dr. Michael P. Zuckert on Lincoln's Statecraft | The New Thinkery Ep. 83
16 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In a first for The New Thinkery, the guys are joined for a threepeat guest appearance by Dr. Michael P. Zuckert. Together, the guys discuss the three...
Machiavelli's Four Most Excellent Princes | The New Thinkery Ep. 82
09 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the guys return to Machiavelli's The Prince, this time focusing on Chapter 6. the group discuss who, in Machiavelli's mind, were the most ...
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave | The New Thinkery Ep. 81
02 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In observance of the beginning of Black History Month, The New Thinkery guys are taking a look at Frederick Douglass' memoir, Narrative of the Life o...
Anna Schmidt on Maimonides' Letter on Astrology | The New Thinkery Ep. 80
26 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this edition of TNT, the guys are joined by Anna Schmidt. Together, the group discuss religionism and astrology using Maimonides' letter on the lat...
Aristotle's Politics, 1.1-2 | The New Thinkery Ep. 79
19 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the guys take a look at Aristotle's Politics. Specifically, they explore the key types of relationships according to Aristotle, how they c...
Leo Strauss on German Nihilism | The New Thinkery Ep. 78
12 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As Nazism came to the fore in Germany following World War I, Leo Strauss delivered a lecture that would be published posthumously attempting to explai...
Plato's Republic, Book I | The New Thinkery Ep. 77
05 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the first episode of 2022, the guys come out swinging by taking on Book I of Plato's Republic. One of the most important philosophic works of all-...
Interview: Harvey Mansfield on Machiavelli's Mandragola | The New Thinkery Ep. 76
29 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the guys are joined by none other than Dr. Harvey Mansfield. The group discuss Machiavelli's satirical play, La Mandragola in a wide-rangin...
Hawthorne's The Christmas Banquet | The New Thinkery Ep. 75
25 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The New Thinkery wishes you and yours a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! On this Christmas Day stocking stuffer, the guys delve into an unusual Chr...
Dickens' A Christmas Carol | The New Thinkery Ep. 74
22 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's classic episode of The New Thinkery, the guys discuss the Christmas classic: A Christmas Carol. They go through the book's plot, themes...
Interview: Professor Richard Velkley on Heidegger and Nazism | The New Thinkery Ep. 73
15 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The guys are joined once again by Prof. Richard Velkley, Celia Scott Weatherhead Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Tulane University. The guys ...
Interview: Dr. Christopher Burkett on Westerns | The New Thinkery Ep. 72
08 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The guys are joined this week by Greg's colleague at Ashland University, Dr. Christopher Burkett. The group take a break from the stuffy philosophy bo...
Descartes' Discourse on Method | The New Thinkery Ep. 71
01 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week the guys dive into French philosophy with René Descartes' Discourse on Method. They explain Descartes philosophy and scientific thought whi...
Interview: Glenn Ellmers on The Soul of Politics | The New Thinkery Ep. 70
24 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the guys are joined by Claremont Institute Senior Fellow Glenn Ellmers, an expert on the teachings and life of the renowned Harry V. Jaffa....
Interview: Dr. Michael P. Zuckert on the Gettysburg Address | The New Thinkery Ep. 69
17 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the guys are joined once again by Dr. Michael P. Zuckert. The group discuss the Gettysburg Address and its philosophic underpinnings, as we...
Interview: Dr. Eric Adler on Battle of the Classics | The New Thinkery Ep. 68
10 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the guys are joined by Dr. Eric Adler, professor and chair of Classics at the University of Maryland to discuss his new book, The Battle of...
Introduction to Plato's Republic | The New Thinkery Ep. 67
03 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The guys finally get around to tackling Plato's Republic, the first and greatest work of political philosophy. With wide-ranging themes and topics,...
Interview: Dr. Justin Gottschalk on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein | The New Thinkery Ep. 66
27 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As Halloween approaches, the guys turn their attention to some spooky literature. This time, they're joined by Dr. Justin Gottschalk as they delve int...
Interview: Jan Blits on Macbeth | The New Thinkery Ep. 65
20 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week the guys are joined once again by Jan Blits, professor emeritus in the University of Delaware School of Education. The group break down the ...
Mark Twain's Extracts from Adam's Diary | The New Thinkery Ep. 64
13 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week the guys convene to discuss a short, humorous work by Mark Twain, Extracts from Adam's Diary. Despite being so short and meant to be funny,...
Interview: Drs. Christopher Lynch and Nathan Tarcov on The Complete Tales and Poems of Niccolò Machiavelli | The New Thinkery Ep. 63
06 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this special edition of The New Thinkery, the guys are joined by Drs. Nathan Tarcov and Christopher Lynch. They give the guys a sneak peek at a fo...
Interview: Dr. Wayne Ambler on Tacitus' Dialogue on Oratory | The New Thinkery Ep. 62
29 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The guys are joined this week by Dr. Wayne Ambler, Associate Professor Emeritus at CU Boulder. The group dive into Tacitus' Dialogue on Oratory, cover...
Interview: Nick Buccola on Frederick Douglass | The New Thinkery Ep. 61
22 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the guys are joined by Dr. Nick Buccola, professor and Elizabeth & Morris Glickman Chair in Political Science at Linfield University to dis...