McConnell Center Podcast

McConnell Center Director Dr. Gary Gregg is joined by New York Times bestselling author Eric Weiner to discuss his recent book, The Socrates Express. The two highlight a few of the 14 philosophers included in the book and have a lively conversation about the relationship between contemplation and travel.

Note: This episode was recorded via phone in 2020.

• Follow Eric Weiner's work at https://ericweinerbooks.com
• Eric Weiner, The Socrates Express
• Eric Weiner, The Geography of Bliss

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This podcast is a production of the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville. Views expressed in this show are those of the participants and not necessarily those of the McConnell Center.

McConnell Center Director Dr. Gary Gregg and Iowa State University Professor Dr. N. Susan Laehn join Connor Tracy, podcast editor and producer, to discuss the McConnell Center's publication of Marcus Aurelius's Meditations. This new edition features a thematic index, blank pages for readers' own meditations and insights, and an innovative numbering system to make lessons easier to track and reference when they are needed. This episode gives listeners background on the importance of the book, an in-depth look at the unique features of this edition, and insights Dr. Gregg and Dr. Laehn gained from working with the text.

Dr. N. Susan Laehn is Adjunct Professor of Political Science at Iowa State University and a Non-Resident Fellow at the McConnell Center. She also currently assists with online education at the University of Louisville and Lone Star College. She was formerly an Assistant Professor of Politics at the University of Leeds, and she held teaching posts at University College London. She is co-editor of Welcoming the Other: Student, Stranger, and Divine, and she has published in Social Science Quarterly and Political Research Quarterly. Her teaching and research interests include ancient and modern political theory, ethics and politics, applied political theory, and American government.

• Learn more about the McConnell Center's edition of Meditations at https://louisville.edu/mcconnellcenter/publications/meditations
• Purchase Meditations from https://www.butlerbooks.com/meditations.html

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This podcast is a production of the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville. Views expressed in this show are those of the participants and not necessarily those of the McConnell Center.

In Season 5 of the McConnell Center's Vital Remnants Podcast, we are using Russell Kirk's The Roots of American Order to explore the historical roots from which America has grown. Rather than focusing on one defining moment, we are exploring America's inheritance from thousands of years of human history grounded in five key cities—Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, London, and Philadelphia. Each episode relates to a corresponding chapter and includes a conversation with a guest expert that goes beyond the text. Our journey begins in this episode with a conversation between McConnell Center Director Dr. Gary Gregg and Dr. Bradley J. Birzer, Professor of History and Russell Amos Kirk Chair in American Studies at Hillsdale College. The two discuss the purpose of the project, the context and relevance of the book, and Kirk's meaning of the word "order."

• Purchase a copy of Russell Kirk's The Roots of American Order
• Download the corresponding reading guide to The Roots of American Order here
• Learn more about this year-long project at https://louisville.edu/mcconnellcenter/programs-events/bic
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• Share any thoughts, questions, comments, or concerns with us via email at [email protected]

This podcast is a production of the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville. For more information, including upcoming events, please visit us online at mcconnellcenter.org or on social media at:

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• Host: Dr. Gary L. Gregg II, McConnell Center Director
• Guest: Dr. Bradley J. Birzer, Professor of History and Russell Amos Kirk Chair in American Studies at Hillsdale College
• Producer and Editor: Connor Tracy, McConnell Center SBS Coordinator
• Co-Editor: Will Randolph, McConnell Scholar

Dr. John D. Wilsey, associate professor of church history at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, joins McConnell Center Director Dr. Gary L. Gregg II to discuss his recent book God's Cold Warrior: The Life and Faith of John Foster Dulles. Although many of us are familiar with Dulles International Airport, few people today know much about the man it is named after. Dr. Wilsey shares how faith influenced Dulles, one of the most important figures in the forefront of U.S. foreign policy during the Cold War era.

• John D. Wilsey, God's Cold Warrior: The Life and Faith of John Foster Dulles
• John D. Wilsey, American Exceptionalism and Civil Religion: Reassessing the History of an Idea
• William Inboden, Religion and American Foreign Policy, 1945-1960: The Soul of Containment
• Richard H. Immerman, Empire for Liberty: A History of American Imperialism from Benjamin Franklin to Paul Wolfowitz

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This podcast is a production of the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville. Views expressed in this show are those of the participants and not necessarily those of the McConnell Center.

Josh Chafetz, D.Phil., JD, of the Georgetown University Law Center, joins McConnell Center Director Dr. Gary L. Gregg II to discuss his recent book on congressional powers. Chafetz argues that congress has numerous powers at its disposal to compete with those of other branches. He will be giving a virtual lecture hosted by the McConnell Center on his book Congress's Constitution: Legislative Authority & the Separation of Powers at 6:00 PM on April 14. Registration is required.

• Josh Chafetz, Congress's Constitution: Legislative Authority and the Separation of Powers
• Register for Josh Chafetz's April 14 lecture here

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This podcast is a production of the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville. Views expressed in this show are those of the participants and not necessarily those of the McConnell Center.

Chief Master Sergeant Jason L. France, command senior enlisted leader for U.S. Transportation Command, joins McConnell Center Director Dr. Gary Gregg to discuss leadership lessons from his life and career in the U.S. Air Force. CMS France also explains the role of U.S. Transportation Command in our military structure and operations. You won't want to miss out on the wisdom of someone who has served our country for over 30 years.

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This podcast is a production of the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville. Views expressed in this show are those of the participants and not necessarily those of the McConnell Center.

Dr. Bradley J. Birzer, Russell Amos Kirk Chair in American Studies and Professor of History at Hillsdale College, joins McConnell Center Director Dr. Gary L. Gregg II to discuss Birzer's Book In Defense of Andrew Jackson. Dr. Birzer gives listeners an account of Jackson's character and personality that challenges modern conceptions of our nation's 7th president.

• Bradley J. Birzer, In Defense of Andrew Jackson
• Daniel Gullotta, "The Age of Jackson Podcast"
• Read more of Dr. Birzer's writing here: https://theimaginativeconservative.org/author/brad-birzer
• Andrew Jackson, "March 4, 1837: Farewell Address"

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This podcast is a production of the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville. Views expressed in this show are those of the participants and not necessarily those of the McConnell Center.

Dr. Crystal Downing, Co-Director of the Marion E. Wade Center and co-holder of the Marion E. Wade Chair in Christian Thought at Wheaton College, joins McConnell Center Civic Education Coordinator Natalie Smith to discuss Dr. Downing's recent book, Subversive: Christ, Culture, and the Shocking Dorothy L. Sayers. In addition to a great conversation about Sayers's faith, works, and importance, the two also cover Dr. Downing's career and the great resources available at the Marion E. Wade Center.

• Learn more about Dorothy L. Sayers
• Check out the Marion E. Wade Center
• Crystal Downing, Subversive: Christ, Culture, and the Shocking Dorothy L. Sayers
• Listen to The Wade Center Podcast
• Email [email protected] to purchase a signed copy of Dr. Downing's book

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This podcast is a production of the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville. Views expressed in this show are those of the participants and not necessarily those of the McConnell Center.

Summary

Dr. Aaron N. Coleman, Chair of the History and Political Science Department at the University of the Cumberlands, joins McConnell Center Director Dr. Gary L. Gregg II to discuss the topic of his February 15, 2021 virtual lecture with the McConnell Center. Dr. Coleman sheds light on the predominant understanding of state sovereignty and federalism at the time of the American founding and challenges the myths of modern American political thought on the subject.

Links Mentioned

• Watch Dr. Coleman's lecture "Federalism at the Founding: Reclaiming an Old-Fashioned Interpretation"
• Aaron N. Coleman, The American Revolution, State Sovereignty, and the American Constitutional Settlement, 1765–1800
• Reading Guide to Reflection and Choice: https://louisville.edu/mcconnellcenter/multimedia/podcasts/reflection-reading-guide
• Learn more about Reflection and Choice at https://louisville.edu/mcconnellcenter/reflection
• Purchase Reflection and Choice from ButlerBooks.com (Constitution Day Sale Price of $29.97) or Amazon.com ($49.95) Wholesale (bulk) discounts are available through [email protected].

Stay Connected

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This podcast is a production of the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville. Views expressed in this show are those of the participants and not necessarily those of the McConnell Center.

Dr. Andreas Elpidorou, Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Louisville, joins McConnell Center Director Dr. Gary L. Gregg II to discuss Elpidorou's latest book, Propelled: How Boredom, Frustration, and Anticipation Lead us to the Good Life. The two share their thoughts on what the good life is and consider how boredom, frustration, and anticipation may actually be valuable ingredients in achieving such a life.

• Andreas Elpidorou,Propelled: How Boredom, Frustration, and Anticipation Lead us to the Good Life.
• http://elpidorou.net

• Visit us at McConnellcenter.org
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This podcast is a production of the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville. Views expressed in this show are those of the participants and not necessarily those of the McConnell Center.