Marshall McLuhan said we were sleepwalking through civilizational change. Danny Randell, PhD student in intellectual history at University of Buckingham, says Western civilization is already dead.

Conservatives have been telling us to wake up decades before anyone had heard of being woke. 

But Randell doesn't offer the same old, dour observations. He confronts the most dire predictions, then he gets to work trying to rescue Western civilization from itself.

Danny Randell gives me hope. He is part of a new, young cohort of conservative builders and thinkers. Please consider subscribing to his Foundations Forum and check out some of his writing below.

And let me know what you think! 

Thanks again,

Shawn

Western Civilization is Already Dead

In Search of the Public Houses

Against John Stuart Mill

Chapters and AI summary:

Shawn Whatley interviews Danny Randell, a doctoral student in intellectual history at the University of Buckingham and managing director of Foundations Forum, about his claim that “Western civilization is already dead,” arguing that the inherited norms and mores many associate with the West—often remembered as strong in the 1990s—no longer exist in the same form amid rapid cultural change, crime, altered education, and declining affordability. Randell outlines his PhD research on the shift from religious toleration to secular pluralism in Britain and Canada, discusses how axiomatic ideas can drive secularization, and explores breaks from tradition since the 1960s, including the sexual revolution and family breakdown. They debate liberalism, John Stuart Mill, neutrality and the state, factionalism, and civic education, and conclude with Randall’s call for communal “public houses” and his Foundations Forum newsletter and events aimed at recovering Western intellectual, spiritual, and cultural heritage.

00:00 Western Civilization Dead

00:41 Meet Danny Randell

01:33 PhD Secular Pluralism

03:22 Axioms Drive Secularization

04:28 Trends Advertising Fashion

06:09 Why The West Feels Gone

09:36 Nineties Politics Shift

10:54 History Connection Breaks

14:37 Twentieth Century Upheaval

20:30 Freedom Discipline Debate

23:51 Mill Debating Club Rules

27:45 Athens Meets Jerusalem

30:25 Beyond Law and Property

31:08 Hobbes and New Leviathans

32:59 Civic Education and State Role

34:30 Myth of Neutral State

38:39 Conflict and Strongmen

40:14 Factionalism and Shared Good

42:59 Disagree Better in Politics

45:50 Public Houses and Community

52:35 Foundations Forum Mission

57:23 Subscribe and Closing

In France, the progressive Left has invented a new history, identity, and legal framework. French people no longer feel at home. The France they knew has disappeared.

Sound familiar?

We need to pay attention to other countries, especially those in Europe. A similar process is happening in North America. There's no reason, yet, to see why we don't end up in the same place.

Dr. Nathan Pinkoski has spent years studying French and Anglo-American political thought. This is his third book translated from French into English, and he offers insights you won't get from other sources.  

Check out Zemmour's The Suicide of France: The Quiet Revolution That Destroyed a Nation

And let me know what you think -- thanks again!

Shawn

Chapters and AI summary:

Host Shawn Whatley interviews Dr. Nathan Pinkoski about his English translation of Éric Zemmour’s 2014 bestseller The Suicide of France, a 140,000-word political nonfiction “literary event” that sold 500,000 copies in months and helped set the stage for Zemmour’s 2022 presidential run. Pinkoski explains Zemmour’s method of “deconstructing the deconstructors” through 42 episodic vignettes that flip post–May 1968 progressive “moments of progress” into accounts of national decline, rooted in an elite revolt against de Gaulle’s legacy. They discuss why this style fits France’s more unified literary/TV culture, contrast it with North America’s fragmented narratives, and compare it to works like Allan Bloom and Christopher Caldwell. The conversation covers shifts in capitalism, class, feminism, judicial activism, laïcité, the EU as a neoliberal borderless project, loss of political control, and Zemmour’s call for the West to recover Greco-Roman and Christian roots.

00:00 Zemmour Book Phenomenon

01:35 Meet the Guest

03:54 Breaking French Progressivism

07:46 Why It Became a Bestseller

10:33 Could It Work in America

16:54 Events Ideas Method

21:46 EU Neoliberal Dream

33:29 America and French Mimicry

40:19 Laicite vs Religious Freedom

45:52 Universalism and Western Roots

55:48 Closing Thanks

Jonah Goldberg never leaves you wondering what he thinks. Clear, bold, and exciting, Goldberg makes politics more fun than should be allowed. 

Goldberg has been a keen observer of conservative politics for nearly four decades. You might say he was the voice of Republicanism in America before President Donald Trump. He thinks deeply, reads widely, and is willing to change his mind.

Don't miss this episode withJonah Goldberg, witty, thoughtful, and entertaining as always.

From his website:

"Jonah Goldberg is a Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute where he holds the Asness Chair in Applied Liberty. In 2019, he left National Review magazine after a 21-year stint to cofound The Dispatch, where he is Editor-in-Chief. He has been a weekly columnist for the Los Angeles Times since 2005 and a nationally syndicated columnist since 2000. He hosts the popular podcast The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg.

His syndicated column appears regularly in many of America’s leading newspapers. His first book, Liberal Fascism, was a #1 New York Times and Amazon bestseller and was selected as the #1 history book of 2008 by Amazon readers. His second book, The Tyranny of Clichés, was also an instant bestseller and hailed as perhaps “the best and most fun-to-read primer on the tenets of conservative politics since P. J. O’Rourke’s Parliament of Whores.”

His most recent book, Suicide of the West: How the Rebirth of Tribalism, Populism, Nationalism, and Identity Politics Is Destroying American Democracy, was also a New York Times bestseller in 2018."

Thanks for checking this out!

Shawn

Chapters and AI summary:

Jonah Goldberg clarifies his consistent dislike of populism while distinguishing between necessary elites and irresponsible or hypocritical ones. He argues conservatism is rooted in prudence, trade-offs, and Burkean skepticism of one-size-fits-all principles, warning that ideologies claiming all good things align invite authoritarianism. Goldberg critiques technocracy and “value-neutral” pragmatism as rhetorical games used to short-circuit debate, linking moral-equivalent-of-war politics from Wilson through the New Deal to modern progressivism. He explains his idea that “complexity is a subsidy,” rewarding those with cognitive, financial, and social capital and fueling resentment. In discussing Suicide of the West, he argues capitalism, democracy, and rights are “unnatural” historical achievements deserving gratitude. He condemns Trump-era right-wing dishonesty, audience capture, and the erosion of character standards, and briefly addresses Canada’s politics and Trump’s treatment of Canada.

00:00 Populism and Elites

00:58 Poverty Wealth and Complexity

02:52 Trump and Character Test

03:21 Conservatism and Contradiction

05:42 Fusionism Tradeoffs and Prudence

08:51 One Thingism and Triage

13:46 Liberal Fascism Cover Controversy

16:42 New Right and Illiberal Turn

23:10 State Cannot Love You

23:45 Microcosm vs Macrocosm

32:42 Complexity as Subsidy Revisited

36:54 Tyranny of Cliches and Values

38:18 Values in Government

39:05 Liberal vs Progressive Labels

41:30 Word Games and Cliches

43:57 Pragmatism and Technocracy

48:47 Crisis Politics and War

51:12 New Deal as Mobilization

53:09 Elitism vs Populism

56:26 Tea Party Lessons

58:47 Defining Elite and Oligarchy

01:04:34 Institutions and Staying Lanes

01:06:21 Unnatural Miracle of Modernity

01:12:05 Hockey Stick Prosperity

01:14:49 French vs English State

01:15:32 Straussian Theology Questions

01:16:29 God And Rights

01:18:29 Locke And Liberal Origins

01:22:59 Culture Over Intellectuals

01:24:41 Ideas Lag Reality

01:28:44 Trump And Right Wing Capture

01:38:00 Power Corrupts Intellectuals

01:42:47 Canada And Trump Fallout

01:46:13 Closing Thanks

Social media posts about conservative debates aim at the sizzle but miss the substance.

Dimpee Brar and Matt Spoke invest a ton of their own time and resources into saving Canada from Leftist nonsense. They aren't just offering opinions devoid of effort.

Is patriotism a 'conservative value' that demands devotion to Canada, even when Canada is ignoble?

Should we defend the prime minister, because his office deserves respect?

Do separatists deserve an audience, or should we denounce them outright?

The Canadian non-Left is a coalition. It includes people with major differences in opinion. It's what makes the Right more exciting than the Left, in my opinion.

Brar and Spoke offer attractive examples of the best in the conservative movement in Canada. Make sure you check out their other work too!

A Grateful Canadian's Love Letter to America, by Dimpee Brar

Country Before Party, by Matt Spoke

Let me know what you think!

Thanks again,

Shawn

Chapters and AI summary:

Host Shawn Whatley moderates a discussion with Dimpee Brar and Matt Spoke about whether opposing Prime Minister Mark Carney can be patriotic, how Canadian conservatives should balance “country before party,” and why anti-Americanism is a weak basis for national unity. Brar argues Western patriotism rests on truth, justice, and reason, claims the Liberal project has dethroned reason in favor of resentment, and contends Carney lacks loyalty and has stoked anti-American sentiment while being trapped by it in trade talks; she favors deeper Canada–U.S. alignment and views Trump as a model for pushing back against leftism and relativism. Spoke agrees it’s patriotic to fight flawed domestic leadership but urges a united international posture, rejects both anti-American tactics and separatist/annexation talk, and says Trump widened what conservatives can openly address while warning against importing Trump as Canada’s template.

00:00 Patriotism and Carney

00:26 Country Before Party

02:17 Western Patriotism Explained

03:46 Welcome and Guests

05:07 Twitter Spat Origins

08:47 Truth Above Nation

11:49 Matt’s Loyalty Argument

18:00 Principles Versus Interests

19:29 Carney and Trade Deal Doubts

25:47 Is Anti Carney Patriotic

29:45 Anti Americanism and Annexation Talk

33:24 Who Belongs in the Right

34:59 Conservatism vs Separatism

36:34 Country Before Ideology

37:57 Hyphenated Conservatism Debate

39:23 Relativism and Trump Model

46:29 Can Trump Save Canada

47:42 Overton Window and Leadership

53:11 Trump Space to Build

01:01:11 Outsiders and Patriot Fight

01:03:59 Socrates and Common Good

01:06:38 Coalition Closing Thanks

Rusty Reno offers insight into "our crisis of solidarity" that I haven't found anywhere else. In his book Return of the Strong Gods, he tackles the post-WWII liberal consensus that Karl Popper called The Open Society. It is an essential resource to help you understand our times.

Reno is also articulate on post-liberalism. It's not the simplistic idea you see dismissed in most of the legacy media. We also touch on secularism, and I tried to get him to use the contrast between Catholic and Protestant political theology to explain the issues in Quebec over Bill 21. He's too smart and didn't take the bait.

I hope you enjoy this one. Let me know what you think!

Thanks again

Shawn

Chapters and AI summary:

Host Shawn Whatley interviews Rusty Reno, editor of First Things and author of Return of the Strong Gods (2019; updated 2021), on how liberalism struggles to generate solidarity amid a “meta-crisis” of disintegration. Reno explains his critique of the postwar “open society” consensus shaped by Popper and Hayek and unpacks “neoliberalism” as a left-right, technocratic, globalization-era economic and cultural project that promoted openness, porous borders, and creative destruction, helping set the stage for populist backlash where immigration fuses economic and cultural concerns. They discuss universalism vs particularism, the “order of loves,” and why civic loyalty and a “pre-political we” matter for freedom. The conversation also addresses post-liberalism’s varieties, liberalism’s limits, and Quebec’s laïcité/Bill 21 tensions in a multicultural society.

00:00 Liberalism Lacks Solidarity

00:52 Meet Rusty Reno

01:16 Episode Roadmap

03:45 Rock Climbing Icebreaker

05:13 Introducing Strong Gods

07:04 Praise Words And God Terms

10:07 Neoliberalism And Weakening

15:42 Populism And Open Society

21:47 Universalism Versus Particularism

27:01 Political We And Self Interest

32:39 Crisis Of Disintegration

33:41 Canada And Multicultural Identity

34:34 Freedom and Solidarity

36:07 Critiques of Liberal Mind

37:28 Defining Post Liberalism

38:43 Post Liberal Theology Roots

42:55 Liberalism Not Enough

43:50 War Immigration Nationalism

46:45 Totalitarianism Debate

48:43 Quebec Bill 21 Laicite

55:10 Multiculturalism Managed Diversity

59:41 Republican We and Civic Virtue

01:02:04 Platonism and Real Nations

01:06:38 Metaphysical Density and Youth

01:10:34 Closing Thoughts and Farewell

Profound political differences exist between national and cultural traditions. This episode is an introduction to the 4-part audio documentary created by Cardus: The Nation and the Veil: Quebec’s Struggle with Secularism and Religion.

A few hightlights:

1. French republicanism carries markedly different presuppositions than English liberal traditions.

2. We cannot ignore the political differences the follow from a Catholic vs Protestant starting point.

3. Language matters, e.g., freedom of conscience implies freedom to think as one sees fit, in French, and it means freedom on understanding of moral issues, in an Anglo-American tradition.

4. Why is Bill 21, Quebec's so-called secularism bill, so interesting today, when it wouldn't have been conceived in the 1960s?

Tons of essential political concepts in this episode!

Tell me what you think. I hope you get a chance to listen and check out the whole Nation and the Veil series.

Thanks for listening!

Shawn

Chapters and AI summary:

Host Shawn Whatley interviews Lisa Richmond (VP of Research at Cardus) about Cardus’s four-part audio documentary, "The Nation and the Veil: Quebec’s Struggle with Secularism and Religion," created over three years with Jean-Christophe Jasmyn and Étienne-Alexandre Beauregard to help English and French Canadians better understand Quebec and Bill 21. Richmond explains laïcité as a state-religion framework grounded in four principles: separation of church and state, equality of citizens, freedom of religion, and state religious neutrality. They compare Anglo-American liberalism and French republicanism, discuss how Protestant and Catholic histories shape fears of state vs religious power, trace Quebec’s church-state history through the Quebec Act and the Quiet Revolution, and explore why secularism and pluralism have become defining political questions alongside sovereignty, including differences in how “conscience” is understood in French and English.

00:00 Why Quebec Secularism Matters

03:04 Welcome and Episode Overview

05:17 Inside the Audio Documentary

09:42 Defining Laïcité

13:07 French Republican vs Anglo Liberal

21:19 Locke Rousseau and Minorities

26:38 Catholic vs Protestant Secular Fears

37:48 How Quebec Became Catholic State

42:47 Church Runs Society

43:46 Governance Vacuum After Conquest

45:48 Church Role Reconsidered

47:26 Common Law Versus Civil

49:41 Great Darkness Explained

51:23 Quiet Revolution Reframed

55:11 Laïcité Political Flip 58:23 Bear Pelt Metaphor

01:03:14 Secularism Versus Sovereignty

01:09:40 Conscience And Common Good

01:17:44 Canada Two Solitudes

01:24:16 Closing Plug And Thanks

The data and demographic argument in support of slowing immigration is overwhelming. Even when people enjoy new neighbours, it takes years to build understanding and trust.

Canada, especially, has pretended that demography and assimilation don't matter. All that matters is world-leading levels of immigration.

Dr. Eric Kaufmann is another refreshing academic who speaks plainly, and he has suffered for it.

We discuss Toward and Ethical Populism, an article he recently published in First Things. 

And we dig into two of his books:

The Third Awokening: A 12-point plan for rolling back progressive extremism

White Shift: Populism, Immigration, and the Future of White Majorities

I shortened my comments at the start; trying something different.

Let me know what you think!

Thanks for checking it out

Shawn

Chapters and AI Summary:

Shawn interviews political scientist Eric Kaufmann about his article “Toward Ethical Populism,” arguing the post-Trump right should combine disruption of ideologically captured institutions with Scrutonian respect for norms and due process. Kaufmann discusses his book The Third Awokening, defining “woke” as sacralizing marginalized identity groups and pursuing equal outcomes, which he says harms merit, authenticity, free speech, and national cohesion through measures like affirmative action, DEI, and historical revisionism. He contends Canada is especially susceptible due to moralistic universalism and weak historical attachments, with multiculturalism and political correctness as precursors to woke extremism. Kaufmann defends government action against private censorship in universities and corporations, urges organized lobbying and education reform, and in White Shift argues demographic change drives populism, assimilation is slow, and high immigration—especially in Canada—should be slowed.

00:00 Cancellation And Merit

02:58 Meet Eric Kaufmann

03:55 Ethical Populism Explained

07:43 Foxes Versus Lions

10:39 Deculturation And Woke

16:02 Academic Backlash Story

21:18 Canada And Moralism

28:09 Why Government Must Act

35:40 Private Censorship Lock In

39:05 Common Ground Conservatism

39:32 Free Speech Fabric

40:35 Leviathan Debate

45:13 Ethical Populism Rules

46:50 Twelve Point Blueprint

50:09 Education Culture War

53:34 Canada Identity Crisis

57:36 Multiculturalism Origins

01:04:53 Populism Demography Data

01:08:05 Liberal Ethnicity Future

01:13:30 Fertility Reality Check

01:18:39 Closing Thanks

Conservatism is experiencing a renaissance in the West. It is gaining a new self image beyond its historic passion for economics.

Dimpee Brar has entered the scene in high gear. Over the last few months she has written provocative pieces at a rate of roughly one every two weeks. She's been on panels, podcasts, and interviews. I hope she can maintain her output!

A few of her articles include:

Why Islam seeks shelter under the banner of the Left. The Federalist

A NATO that doesn't support U.S. action shouldn't exist. The Federalist

Churches are burning, and the the lie fuelling it still holds. The Daily Wire

Western Civilization is under siege in Canada, activist warns. National Post

Blood & soil vs post-nationalism misses Canada's real identity. Western Standard

The tide is turning, and old ideas are resurfacing in the mainstream. 

Let me know what you think of this episode!

Thanks again,

Shawn

Chapters and AI Summary:

Host Shawn Whatley interviews Diimpee Brar, Director of Engagement at Allies for a Strong Canada and a prolific columnist, about defending Western civilization and Canada’s founding principles. Brar describes moving from studying neuroscience to the humanities, encountering what she calls nihilism in academia, and being “redeemed” by Allan Bloom’s The Closing of the American Mind, which led her to political philosophy and Leo Strauss. She defines nihilism as meaninglessness and argues that modern democratic decline expresses itself as relativism, erasing distinctions between good and bad and enabling fanatics to rule, particularly in Canada. The conversation covers liberalism versus conservatism, the friend–enemy distinction, and Brar’s view of the 1839 Durham Report as a founding document emphasizing one nation and assimilation through education. They also discuss Islam and the “Red-Green” alliance, and end with Brar identifying Nietzsche as a dangerous thinker and noting debates about Strauss, Judaism, and atheism.

00:00 Mission to Defend the West

01:19 Meet Dimpee Brar

03:40 Why She Entered Politics

05:59 From Neuroscience to Humanities

07:24 Bloom and Strauss Awakening

09:09 What Nihilism Means

10:55 Relativism and Fanatics

12:30 Where She Fits Ideologically

17:39 Friends and Enemies Debate

21:36 Durham Report and Assimilation

28:39 Liberalism Then and Now

31:35 Tolerance and Islam Question

34:49 Is Liberalism Too Thin

37:28 Is Liberalism Still Real

38:53 Natural Rights vs Identity Rights

40:56 Debate as a Sign of Life

43:09 Red Green Alliance Explained

45:40 Islam and Liberal Blind Spots

49:35 Auxiliary Militia and Iran Warning

52:34 Women Freedom and Defense

56:19 Nietzsche and Relativist Language

01:01:20 Strauss Judaism and Revelation

01:04:58 Straussians Political Theology Wrap

01:11:25 Final Thanks and Farewell

Most civilizations prioritize space or time. They either choose empire and expansion (space) or permanence (time). 

Durable civilizations choose both.

Harold Innis was a giant in Canadian academia in the early 20th century, but most people have never heard of him. He offers deep and helpful insights on civilization, progress, and culture. Professor John Bonnett wrote his thesis on Innis and introduces us to his work.

We discuss a draft article Bonnett has written on Innis. Once it's published, I'll try to update this with a link.

Thanks for checking this out!

Shawn

Chapters and AI summary:

The host interviews Brock University professor and Innis scholar John Bonnett about an upcoming article arguing that conservatives are renewing a focus on culture as essential to Canadian national cohesion, especially as digital technology and AI disrupt society much like the printing press did. Bonnett explains Harold Innis’s importance to Canadian thought (influencing McLuhan and praised by George Grant), his “staples” analysis of Canada’s development, and his communication theory that technologies shape cognition and impose costs. Drawing on Innis, they discuss historical anxieties about new media, the dangers of information overload destabilizing politics, and “monopolies of knowledge” created by space- or time-biased media that can trap cultures and reduce innovation. Bonnett outlines adaptations—expressive and cognitive diversity, combinatorial thinking, democratizing cultural institutions like the Canada Council, and using digital/augmented-reality landscape art to renew culture.

00:00 Why Culture Matters

01:19 Meet Professor Bonnett

05:00 Which Conservatives

08:08 Why Innis Matters

13:17 Where To Start Reading

16:05 This Happened Before

22:07 Too Much Information

26:02 Monopoly Of Knowledge

33:41 Three Ways To Adapt

40:42 Democratizing Culture Policy

48:14 Digital Landscapes Project

57:17 Conservatism And Social Glue

01:00:11 Closing Thoughts And Thanks

Christine Van Geyn captured the central debate around freedom of expression vs state control and put it into a children's book. 

As Interim Executive Director of the Canadian Constitution Foundation, Van Geyn has the deep knowledge and experience required to explain the essential elements of free expression in a short book titled, Maple's Garden: A Canadian Freedom of Speech Story.

We also discuss her other books, Pandemic Panic, and Free Speech in Canada.

Thanks for checking this out!

Shawn

Chapters and AI summary

Shawn Whatley interviews Christine Van Geyn, interim executive director of the Canadian Constitution Foundation, about her children’s picture book Maple’s Garden, inspired by the Mississauga case involving Wolf Ruck and Ontario rulings that a naturalized garden can be protected expression reflecting subjective views of beauty. They discuss how governments and bylaws can overreach by enforcing aesthetic standards, the difference between harmful invasive or dangerous plants and taste-based complaints, and why free expression protects disagreement. Van Geyn also explains her co-authored book Pandemic Panic as a documented record of civil liberties impacts, cases, and “memory-holed” incidents from COVID-19, including the Freedom Convoy and the Emergencies Act challenge. The conversation ends with a primer on Charter Section 2(b), Section 1’s Oakes test, and concerns about human rights tribunals being used to penalize speech, citing cases in BC and Ontario’s Emo flag dispute.

00:00 Parents vs State Power

00:36 Why Free Speech Matters

01:30 Meet Christine Van Geyn

04:20 Why She Wrote Maples Garden

06:23 The Garden Case Explained

09:43 Kids And The Hidden Animals

11:37 Beauty Versus Weeds Debate

18:53 Invasive Plants And Real Harm

21:25 Where The State Draws The Line

29:33 Teaching Beauty Without Force

30:46 Kids and Creativity

31:29 Who Decides Beauty

33:03 What Is Beauty

34:25 Why This Kids Book

37:56 Illustrator and AI Art

41:14 Pandemic Panic Overview

42:59 Recording Pandemic Abuses

46:44 Charter and Human Rights

48:43 Oakes Test Explained

52:00 Human Rights Overreach Cases

01:01:08 Forced Endorsement by Tribunal

01:05:34 Defending Disagreement

01:08:43 Closing and Call to Action