In this episode, I talked to John Timaeus of Modernity Has Fallen about epistemology, rationality, and the failures of modernity. John writes about these issues on his blog. As a software developer and mathematician, John understands problem solving, and is able to show how we've gone wrong. So, we discussed how in our modern world we don't know how we come to truth. Then, we looked back at how we came to know what is true in the past. Last, we discussed how our extreme problem solving can never run out of problems to solve - and might even create more.
Direct Your Actions To What Is Good
Virtue requires action. Thinking about what is right and wrong is good, but it doesn't lead to virtue until we take action. So, wee must be sure that we don't stay in the world of debate. Instead, we should ensure that our ideas take shape in the form of actions, habits, and virtues.
Was Lincoln a Good President?
Many will argue that Abraham Lincoln was the best president we've had, or at least one of the best. What made Abraham Lincoln great in many people's eyes is the preservation of the union. But was Lincoln a good president? In The Real Lincoln, Thomas DiLorenzo shows the problems with Lincoln's presidency. By taking a look at this book, we'll ask if Lincoln was good or bad for our country by looking at the results of his presidency. You can find more book reviews in the Conversation of Our Generation Library.
What Is Distributism?
I recently sat down with Michael Thomas of Sharon to discuss distributism, and how it's different as an economic system. He is a father, husband, homesteader, and traditional farmer. To find more of his work, you can check out the website for the Brickhouse Farm and Orchard. Michael is also an avid reader, which is how he came across distributism. And, as a Catholic who believes a distributist economic model is closest to Catholic social teaching, he's interested in sharing this idea more people.
How to Criticize Government
John Locke was an influential Enlightenment thinker whose work inspired many of the Founding Fathers. Locke was a philosopher and is commonly regarded as the Father of Liberalism. Since his work has come up in other discussions, like the one I had with Dr. Yenor. Plus, Locke was a focal point of my conversation with Brooke Medina from the John Locke Foundation. Because he's top of mind, and because we're ready to tear apart anything anyone tries to build in our society, I wanted to discuss Two Treatises on Government to learn how to criticize government.
Defending Property Rights From Government and Big Tech
In this episode, I talked to Brook Medina from the John Locke Foundation about defending property rights from government and big tech. But, we also discussed capitalism vs. distributism, John Locke, beauty, and much more. We were able to pack a lot of great insights into this hour-long interview. So, listen or watch below. And, if you want to learn more about the John Locke Foundation, check out their work here.
Are Online Courses The Key to Education?
Instead of truly educating people, we've used our school system to push out mindless drones. That is not to say that the average person today doesn't know many things that some of the smarted 500 years ago didn't. Rather, we no longer make people earn knowledge. While that's the case for traditional schooling, there are outlets offering true education. Children and young adults are looking to online courses, job trainings, and other alternative modes of education to make an impact.
Conquering Evil | Lord of the Rings The Return of the King Book Review
In my previous book reviews on the first two books, I discussed how to take responsibility and know when it's time to fight. Each of those is a great lesson, and I recommend you check those out if you haven't. For this episode, we'll discuss conquering evil and what the fallout is when it's defeated. Both of these are important to understand, and if we're to be successful at driving evil out of our culture, we'll need these lessons. So, either watch this discussion (above) or listen (below).
Time to Fight | Lord of the Rings The Two Towers Book Review
There comes a time when you have to fight, even if it seems hopeless. I think we're at that point in our culture. And no, I'm not calling for actual violence. I'm calling for us to simply rise up and speak the truth, even when it's hard. You may not want to be the one to take part in the battle. But when it's time to fight, you don't always have a choice. I think this book demonstrates how we ought to act when we're up against the wall and see no way out.
Reworking Education | February Newsletter
Our education system is broken. Instead of forming adults that know the basics and are able to think for themselves, we have “free thinking” adults assured of themselves in their ignorance. The education system is set up to make getting an education nearly impossible.
How to Prevent Burnout
This episode is a bit of a departure from my normal conversations about politics, philosophy, etc. Nicole from the Infinity Twins podcast joined me to discuss productivity and how to prevent burnout. While I don't want to be in the self-help space, I do think this is a real problem today. So, I wanted to offer some thoughts from Nicole and myself to help people be more productive while also staying sane.
Why You Should Seek The Golden Mean
The Golden Mean is simply a manner of behaving where your life is balanced and virtuous. You find this balance by acting in a virtuous manner given certain situations. Many thinkers have sought to define it and share how to attain it. Read on to find out why you should seek the Golden Mean.
What is Virtue? | Book Review Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle
A lot of people are happy to note that virtue is lacking in our society, and we have a lot of work to do if we want a virtuous society. But, I hear only a few voices offering a solution to this problem. Only a few people are calling people to act virtuously and live a life of virtue. The Vital Masculinity podcast is doing great work to promote that, but sadly not many others are. Not many people are answering the basic questions like "What is virtue?" or "How do I become a virtuous person?"
Virtue Signaling to Score Points
It's become easier to not only attack your enemy but to score points for it. And that's where it becomes very dangerous - the whole idea of virtue signaling on both sides. A lot of people on the right will say that people on the left are the ones that virtue signal. Places like the Daily Wire can virtue signal just as much.
The Golden Mean
The Golden Mean is an idea found in Aristotle's Ethics, The Tao Te Ching, and the Analects, and describes the right way of being. I've talked about the mean, or the way, previously on podcasts and articles. I wanted to revisit it here because I plan on diving deeper into what it is and why it matters. One of the courses coming soon will cover the thinkers from Aristotle and Lao Tsu to C.S. Lewis.