The Nathan Jacobs Podcast

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In this postscript to his anthropology and ethics series, Dr. Jacobs examines why people experience discomfort when confronted with moral assessments that challenge their preferred behaviors or beliefs. He draws parallels between objective aesthetics and ethics, arguing that humans possess default intuitions about justice and fairness that create psychological tension when their actions conflict with moral reality. Dr. Jacobs discusses the problems of confirmation bias and social pressure in ethical reasoning, advocating for beginning moral inquiry with foundational metaphysical questions rather than applied ethics. The episode concludes with practical considerations for personal ethical development, distinguishing between philosophical assessment, political implications, and pastoral guidance in the gradual cultivation of virtue.

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00:00:00 Intro 

00:01:24 Objective aesthetics 

00:05:25 The human yearn for justice 

00:15:39 Resisting confirmation bias 

00:23:26 Analyzing at level 4 

00:26:59 The cognitive minority 

00:36:52 Deciding how to live

00:40:19 Politics and morality 

00:43:06 Forming in virtue 

We dive once more into the differences between Eastern and Western Christianity. This time, Dr. Jacobs tackles the nature-grace divide. He’ll trace how Augustine's anti-Pelagian framework created a nature-grace divide in the Latin West, where human nature is seen as inherently incapable of pleasing God without supernatural assistance. In contrast, the Eastern tradition maintains that humans as icons of God possess a natural connection to divine grace through the image-archetype relationship. The analysis covers how these differing anthropologies lead to distinct understandings of total depravity, synergy, and the relationship between creature and Creator.

All the links: Substack: https://nathanajacobs.substack.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenathanjacobspodcastWebsite: https://www.nathanajacobs.com/X: https://x.com/NathanJacobsPodSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0hSskUtCwDT40uFbqTk3QSApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nathan-jacobs-podcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/nathanandrewjacobsAcademia: https://vanderbilt.academia.edu/NathanAJacobs

00:00:00 Intro

00:01:22 Recap & roadmap 

00:10:08 The Pelagian controversy

00:15:55 Hierarchy of loves

00:20:22 Augustine's pursuit of truth

00:28:19 Adam & Eve (original sin)

00:35:45 The root of total depravity

00:40:02 Divine volunteerism

00:51:09 Monistic views emerge

00:54:40 Medieval "faculty psychology"

01:08:22 Imago Dei (Image of God) nuances

01:11:30 Divine essence and energies

01:23:36 Insights from Plato

01:29:50 Man as icon of God

01:39:14 Grace in the Christian West

01:54:48 The faculty psychology problem

02:12:40 Doctrine of the Logoi

02:25:40 Idiosyncratic teleology

02:30:52 Wrapping up the series

Our culture often frames debates on homosexuality, transgenderism, and abortion as a simple clash between “Christians vs. progressives.” But the real story runs deeper. In this episode, Dr. Nathan Jacobs tackles three of today’s most pressing ethical and cultural issues, examining them through the great traditions of moral philosophy—Natural Law, Deontology, Divine Command Theory, and Utilitarianism.

Dr. Jacobs shows how these systems evaluate questions of morality and why Christianity brings a unique clarity to the conversation. By exploring the metaphysical roots of ethics and Christian anthropology, he demonstrates why most philosophical systems arrive at conclusions radically different from today’s cultural consensus.

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In this fourth installment of our series on Ethics & Anthropology, Dr. Nathan Jacobs traces the evolution of Realism from ancient philosophy through John Locke and even Woody Allen, asking what this tradition missed about the true nature of reality. How does Christianity reframe the conversation on Realism, and why does it matter for ethics, anthropology, and our understanding of the world?

Please Like and Subscribe! Follow Dr. Jacobs and his work: X: https://x.com/NathanJacobsPodSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0hSskUtCwDT40uFbqTk3QSApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nathan-jacobs-podcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenathanjacobspodcastSubstack: https://nathanajacobs.substack.com/Website: https://www.nathanajacobs.com/Academia: https://vanderbilt.academia.edu/NathanAJacobs

In this third installment of our four-part (or 5-part 😬) series on Ethics & Anthropology, Dr. Nathan Jacobs explores Moral Philosophy and the enduring debate over Providence vs. Chaos in the history of philosophy and metaphysics. Is history guided by a divine hand, or is it nothing more than accident and chance?

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Academia: https://vanderbilt.academia.edu/NathanAJacobs

What happens when morality is unmoored from its metaphysical foundations? In part two of the Anthropology series, Dr. Nathan Jacobs traces the slow unraveling of moral philosophy—from its classical roots in virtue and teleology to its modern preoccupation with utility and consequence.

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Substack: https://nathanajacobs.substack.com/

Website: https://www.nathanajacobs.com/

Academia: https://vanderbilt.academia.edu/NathanAJacobs

00:00:00 Intro 

00:05:22  Pagan philosophy and human polarities

00:35:38 Augustine and the Nature-Grace Divide

00:55:06 Medieval faculty psychology: intellect and will

01:04:52 From Medieval Scholasticism to Modern Philosophy

01:11:56 The rise of empiricism and materialism

01:29:46 The empiricist challenge to Providence 

01:41:18 Contemporary culture's nominalist foundation

01:47:53 The hedonistic definition of happiness 

01:52:47 Modern anomalies in historical perspective 

02:02:05 Passion over reason 

Dr. Jacobs explores how ancient pagan philosophers understood human nature and the good life, examining key thinkers from Plato and Aristotle to the Stoics and Epicureans. The discussion covers metaphysical dualism, the nature of the soul, and competing views on happiness and virtue. This is a series on anthropology, part 1 of 4. 

00:00:00 Intro 

00:07:04 Metaphysical dualism

00:09:25 Empedocles 

00:10:33 Plato 

00:14:29 Pantheism 

00:15:03 Heraclitus 

00:18:52 Evil is a privation or distortion 

00:22:13 The human experience of polarity 

00:27:24 Four levels of discourse 

00:33:46 Manichaeism & Gnosticism (extreme metaphysical dualism)

00:37:15 Plato & Socrates’ nature of the soul 

00:54:35 The body and the afterlife 

01:00:27 Epicureanism 

01:08:31 Happiness and pleasure 

01:14:43 The ethics of the stoics 

01:37:29 The ethics of Plato and Aristotle 

Sign up for Dr. Jacobs’ course Intro to Philosophy: https://myprofer.com/

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Dr. Jacobs examines how different traditions understand the Eucharist, transubstantiation. consubstantiation, and real presence. He explores the Orthodox concept of the divine energies through communion and discusses how Eucharistic participation connects to broader questions of transformation and cultural renewal, and how to harness the transformative power of the Eucharist. 

All the links: 

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Substack: https://nathanajacobs.substack.com/

Website: https://www.nathanajacobs.com/

Academia: https://vanderbilt.academia.edu/NathanAJacobs

00:00:00 Intro 

00:02:58 What is transubstantiation? 

00:11:57 What is consubstantiation? 

00:18:29 The problem with transubstantiation 

00:23:40 The problem with consubstantiation 

00:32:02 Memorialist, reformed, and real presence views

00:35:30 Imbibing the energies of God 

00:44:49 The doctrine of resurrection 

00:52:21 Transelementalism 

00:58:39 God communicates holiness 

01:02:13 Problems with evidentialist apologetics

01:13:52 Transformation of culture

01:22:33 Why don’t we see more transformations? 

Sign up for Dr. Jacobs’ course Intro to Philosophy: https://myprofer.com/

   📚 Click “Join as a student”

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   📚 For college credit, fill out the long form and wait for approval before registration

   📖 $175 audit  

   🎓$400 college credit

Dr. Jacobs explores the foundations of Eucharistic doctrine, examining the most prominent sacramental views, and the relationship between Christ's divine and human natures. The discussion covers divine attributes, divine simplicity as understood by the Eastern Fathers, and the Incarnation. This episode establishes the groundwork for understanding Eastern versus Western approaches to sacramentalism.

All the links: 

X: https://x.com/NathanJacobsPod

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0hSskUtCwDT40uFbqTk3QS

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nathan-jacobs-podcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenathanjacobspodcast

Substack: https://nathanajacobs.substack.com/

Website: https://www.nathanajacobs.com/

Academia: https://vanderbilt.academia.edu/NathanAJacobs

00:00:00 Intro 

00:07:58 Various views of the Eucharist 

00:13:20 Christ’s divinity, humanity, and the Eucharist

00:23:44 What are divine attributes? 

00:46:49 The Eastern Fathers on divine simplicity

01:00:47 The Incarnation 

01:07:36 Alchemy, transubstantiation, consubstantiation, and real presence

Follow Dr. Dell on Instagram @dr.adamdell

Dr. Dell’s book discussed on the podcast has not yet been released, but we will try to get him back on the podcast when it is! 

 Sign up for Dr. Jacobs’ course Intro to Philosophy: https://myprofer.com/

   📚 Click “Join as a student”

   📚 Fill out registration 

   📚 Verify your email 

   📚 Navigate to “Course Registration” in the side menu

   📚 Find 180 Introduction to Philosophy 

   📚 Auditors can register immediately 

   📚 For college credit, fill out the long form and wait for approval before registration

   📖 $175 audit  

   🎓$400 college credit 

00:00:00 Intro 

00:07:01 What is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)? 

00:18:30 Metaphysics and therapy

00:30:36 The 6 core principles of ACT 

00:43:24 Some examples 

00:55:42 The importance of confession 

01:17:59 The self — Eastern church fathers vs ancient philosophers 

01:33:24 Resonance with the Orthodox Church 

01:45:26 Are the principles of ACT rooted in reality? 

01:50:50 The ideal role of a therapist vs a priest 

02:25:17 Improving therapy