Wow, what a start to 2021… I was really hoping we’d leave some of our insanity behind, but apparently not. Instead, we seemed to have doubled down, like we did on masks. Despite all the insanity, there are some bright spots and great things happening. I want to share some hope for 2021 that I have.
Plato's Symposium is a great guide on how to discuss ideas. In this book, you'll get an in-depth look at a lengthy discussion about love. Despite having competing theories, the people in this book are able to discuss their ideas amicably. Furthermore, they ask good questions and understand each other's ideas. This helps the conversation... Continue Reading →
Common sense is in short supply nowadays. People are up in arms about politics, but should we be? Well, Thomas Paine explains his case for rebellion, and I can say we're nowhere close to that. After reading his pamphlet arguing for independence, I don't think we're anywhere close. So, listen below to find out why.... Continue Reading →
We can learn a lot from history and literature, so I take a look at Henry VI by Shakespeare to find what we can learn about civil unrest.
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Instead of another book review, I decided to make a reading list with 25 must read books for this year. Reading is a great way to learn and connect with the wisdom of the past, so I wanted to help people find some great books to read.
In our society, politics has jumped to the front of most everyone's mind. Despite its prominence in our lives, it seems that many people don't know how to talk about it. But, that doesn't have to be the case. A while ago, I sat down to talk with the guys from the Vital Masculinity Podcast... Continue Reading →
Plato, one of the best known Greek philosophers, was a student of Socrates and a teacher of Aristotle. He's notable not only for his tremendous insight into philosophy, but his style as well. Instead of explaining his ideas in a long soliloquy, he used dialogue to teach. For his dialogues, he uses Socrates and what we now know as the Socratic method to extract ideas from his characters. In Plato's Republic, we take a look at what he thinks the ideal society would be. So, let's take a look at what Plato has to say about his ideal political situation.
This is the second book by C.S. Lewis that I've reviewed. The Abolition of Man is a work that I believe is prophetic, but not just because it described a problem we'd deal with decades later. Rather, the prophecy lies in the ability to predict the end result. It does so by following the logic to its conclusion with tremendous accuracy. Near the end, he says, "But you cannot go on 'explaining away' for ever; you will find that you have explained explanation itself away." If that doesn't call to mind our current Postmodern culture, I don't know what does. So, if you're interested in how Lewis check out this review.
In order for you understand the modern political landscape, it is important to read Machiavelli's The Prince. It includes detailed and wise accounts of how rulers gain, retain and lose power. The version that I recommend in this video also includes a couple other works by Machiavelli. In these other works, he describes the forms... Continue Reading →
Roger Scruton is one of the leading conservative philosophers of the last century, and potentially of all time. His book, The Meaning of Conservatism, was instrumental in developing how I think about politics. So, I want to share this book with you. Honestly, I think anyone - whether conservative or not - would learn a lot from this book. Interested? Check out the podcast here:
The nullification movement is something that has been pushed by the Tenth Amendment Center and other people concerned with limiting Federal power. Basically, the goal is to help states reclaim their sovereignty. Instead of letting the federal government hand down dictates at will, our founders provided us with the means to push back. So, if you want to learn about nullification, listen below and check out the Tenth Amendment Center.
A lot of change started happening in the 18th century and by the 19th century it was full steam ahead. With change came a lot of difficulty adapting. Due to that difficulty, a new school of thought arose. Thus, nineteenth century thought was marked by a grappling with change and how to handle it. Political thought went through a transformation in the wake of this new school of thought.
I wanted to review the Doctrine of the Mean and the Analects because I think they are full of amazing wisdom. Confucius is, in my opinion, on par with some of the greatest Greek philosophers. Having now read more of Plato's work, I would compare these works to something like the Symposium or Republic. The... Continue Reading →
One president and two future presidents worked together on the Louisiana Purchase. This book dives into the story of how they did that, and what it took to coordinate the deal with Napoleon Bonaparte's France. If you don't know this story, I recommend you listen to this book review. So, listen below to learn why you need to know this story.
