In this episode, I discuss "The Myth of Left and Right: How the Political Spectrum Misleads and Harms America" with its authors, Hyrum Lewis and Verlan Lewis.

Some Hobbes for Your Firearms Debate

Mar 23rd, 2023 32m 37s

Christopher Hallenbrook and I discuss what he calls the "Hobbesian psychology" of the US gun debate.

Montaigne and His "Essays"

Nov 21st, 2022 1h 14m

A conversation about Montaigne and his work with Douglass I. Thompson, author of "Montaigne and the Tolerance of Politics."

Fight Like Hell: A Defense of the Liberal Ethos

Nov 6th, 2022 1h 10m

Joshua Cherniss and I discuss his book, "Liberalism in Dark Times: The Liberal Ethos in the Twentieth Century."

'The Greatest of All Plagues': David Lay Williams on Economic Inequality in Western Political Thought

Sep 11th, 2022 52m 8s

David Lay Williams and I discuss his forthcoming book, "The Greatest of All Plagues: Economic Inequality in Western Political Thought."

Wait for It: A Conversation about Time and Politics with Elizabeth F. Cohen

Jun 23rd, 2022 42m 25s

A discussion with Elizabeth Cohen about her book, "The Political Value of Time: Citizenship, Duration, and Democratic Justice."

"Clever Usurpation" or "Sacred Right"?: Rousseau on Property and Wealth, with Christopher Kelly

Mar 7th, 2022 1h 28m

Clashing Conceptions of Property on the New England Frontier

Feb 7th, 2022 1h 16m

Ian Saxine and I discuss his book, "Properties of Empire: Indians, Colonists, and Land Speculators on the New England Frontier."

States of the Union: Robinson Woodward-Burns on American Constitutional Development

Jan 15th, 2022 37m 25s

Robinson Woodward-Burns and I discuss his book, "Hidden Laws: How State Constitutions Stabilize American Politics."

Virtù Signaling: Harvey Mansfield on Machiavelli

Dec 27th, 2021 1h

A conversation with Harvey Mansfield on Machiavelli as the "founder of modernity."

It's about Time: A Conversation with Nomi Claire Lazar

Dec 3rd, 2021 39m 57s

A conversation with Nomi Claire Lazar about her book, "Out of Joint: Power, Crisis, and the Rhetoric of Time."

Don't Be Ridiculous: Discussing "Uncivil Mirth" with Ross Carroll

Oct 29th, 2021 1h 19m

A discussion with Ross Carroll, author of "Uncivil Mirth: Ridicule in Enlightenment Britain."

All the Rage: Paper Money in the Early Republic

Oct 12th, 2021 1h 1m

A discussion with Joshua Greenberg, author of "Banknotes and Shinplasters: The Rage for Paper Money in the Early Republic."

Above the Fray?: On the Decline into Demagoguery and Hopes for Renewal in the American Presidency

Sep 19th, 2021 31m 30s

A chat with Stephen F. Knott, author of "The Lost Soul of the American Presidency: The Decline into Demagoguery and the Prospects for Renewal."

"Persian Letters," Part 4: the View From the 'Darkened West'

Sep 3rd, 2021 51m 43s

Warner and I conclude our long discussion of "Persian Letters."

"Persian Letters," Part 3: Collapses

Aug 30th, 2021 1h 8m

Warner and I dig into Letter 141.

"Persian Letters," Part 2: In the "Master's Workshop"

Aug 24th, 2021 1h 40m

Warner and I continue to dig in. Good stuff in this one, including a prison break using a file that was hidden in a cuckoo clock.

"Persian Letters," Part 1: Montesquieu's Literary Art

Aug 23rd, 2021 1h 17m

Stuart Warner, who's responsible for an excellent translation of the "Persian Letters," and I discuss Montesquieu's style.

How Can Anyone Be Nebraskan?

Jul 27th, 2021 37m 58s

A discussion with Ross Benes, author of "Rural Rebellion: How Nebraska Became a Republican Stronghold."

Party Like It's 1714-97

Jul 11th, 2021 52m 30s

A conversation with Max Skjönsberg, author of "The Persistence of Party: Ideas of Harmonious Discord in Eighteenth-Century Britain."

Getting Lost in Thought

Jun 18th, 2021 45m 19s

A conversation with Zena Hitz, author of "Lost in Thought: the Hidden Pleasures of an Intellectual Life."

Nationalism, American Style

May 28th, 2021 1h 3m

A conversation with Samuel Goldman, author of "After Nationalism: Being American in an Age of Division."

The Suburbs and the Politics of Safety

May 15th, 2021 39m 49s

A discussion with Kyle Riismandel about his book, "Neighborhood of Fear: The Suburban Crisis in American Culture, 1975-2001." The book is a tight monograph of cultural history and critique, and it should have broad appeal across disciplines and

African American Political Thought: A Provocation

Apr 30th, 2021 28m 11s

A discussion of the new book, "African American Political Thought: A Collected History." I'm joined by Melvin Rogers and Jack Turner, the editors of this magnificent volume. The conversation is wide ranging. We discuss the obstacles to the em

The “State of Nature” and the Origins of American Independence

Apr 16th, 2021 38m 39s

This episode is about the state of nature, which turns out to be a lot of things, as will any concept that’s about 6,000 years old. But following my guest, Mark Somos, we've narrowed it down to about fifteen years in 18th century America. We di