At first glance, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Russell Kirk do not have all that much in common. Yet it is striking that King and Kirk converged on certain first principles that rightfully mark King himself as part of a broader tradition of philosophical conservatism in America — one from which today’s left and right could both stand to learn.

Guest John Wood, Jr., joins us to discuss how both King and Kirk’s philosophical conservatism transcended ideology.  

John Wood, Jr., is national ambassador for Braver Angels, a columnist for USA Today, and a former Republican nominee for Congress.

This podcast discusses themes from John’s essay in the Fall 2024 issue of National Affairs, “Martin Luther King’s Transcendent Conservatism.”