Captain Ahab is not crazy; he's mad. That's not the same thing. In this episode of the Neutral Ground Podcast, we're going to take a look at chapter 132 of Herman Melville's classic Moby-Dick. We'll bring in John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion; the writings of C.G. Jung, including Answer to Job. We'll talk about the abject lineage from Genesis: Cain, Ishmael, and Esau. And we'll discuss one of the most underappreciated villains in the DC Universe: Vandal Savage. What? You've never heard of Vandal Savage? You should. He's pretty interesting. We'll bring in Superman as well to help set the stage. By the end, we'll learn a little bit about what it means to be monomaniacal. Don't forget to subscribe to the channel.

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Is there salvation for the monstrous? This is just one of the important questions we explore in this episode of the Neutral Ground Podcast with my guest Dr. Jonathan Greenaway. We talk about some familiar characters in this episode: Milton's Satan, Frankenstein's creature, Aliens, Scrooge, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and a little Jekyll and Hyde. At the core of the question is the relationship between the created and the yearning for theology. I think this episode connects nicely with our Neomodern concepts that we've been discussing for some time now. I hope you enjoy the episode.   

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All the world is a stage this week on The Neutral Ground Podcast. My guest is actress Valorie Hubbard. Valorie has a whole host of credits: Castle, Marvel's Agent’s of S.H.I.E.L.D; How I Met Your Mother; Glee; American Horror Story; Workaholics; True Blood; 90210; ER; Desperate Housewives; and she even voices “hot” Rhonda in the game Dead Rising 3. In this episode, we dive into a few deep ends: the psychology of acting; trying to keep it together when Adam DeVine and Jack Black are doing their comedic thing in front of you; the dangers of having weapons on a set, a la the Alec Baldwin Rust terrible incident; and how to change the approach of acting to be more like a business. I hope you enjoy the episode. Don't forget to hit the subscribe/follow button for more content.

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In this week's episode of The Neutral Ground Podcast, we discuss Dr. Duane Armitage's book: Philosophy's Violent Sacred. In the book, Armitage explores French philosopher Rene Girard's reading of religion as catharsis for the appeasement of group violent tendencies. We discuss the thesis of his book, Heidegger, and Nietzsche's will to power, postmodernism, Milton's Satan, and the concept of turning the other cheek.

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Works by Duane Armitage: https://amzn.to/3JdgazW

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In this extemporaneous reading of Satan's soliloquy from Book 4 of John Milton's Paradise Lost, we take a look at some of the more intriguing lines that show just how much Satan suffers under the weight of his own shame. I hope this solo episode helps to enrich some of the conversations that we are having on the podcast with my guests. Oftentimes, I'll bring up Milton's Satan in a conversation, so I thought I might just do a video on how I read the character. It's one of the greatest poems ever written in the English language, and I highly recommend people read through it at least once--if for no other reason than to just let your mind absorb the sublime language and elevated thoughts that Milton uses throughout. It's truly an amazing work.

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My guest this week is Dr. Angus Fletcher. Dr. Fletcher is Professor at Ohio State University in the Project Narrative program. He has appeared on numerous podcasts, including Jordan B. Peterson and The Michael Shermer Show. Dr. Fletcher is the author of Wonderworks, a fantastic book that answers the question: do great stories actually affect us on a neurological/biological level? The answer is yes, but how they do so is the enjoyable part of the book. We talk about how narratives like the Iliad, Paradise Lost, and The Lord of the Rings can help us build strength. We also talk about those of us in higher education need to be careful about putting our own egos ahead of the works--I can be guilty of this at times myself. I explain why this can sometimes be the case in the episode. Dr. Fletcher and I really get into some deep conversations here involving trauma, veterans, and why it's time for us to move past the postmodern angst of the late 20th century and embrace a move back to the Humanities as a source of strength. You're going to want to listen to this episode.

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The great actor/comedian Harvey Korman made a countless number of people laugh, cry, and cheer with the work that he did in movies like Blazing Saddles, History of the World: Part 1, and television shows like the Carol Burnett Show, Mama's Family, The Flintstones, and many more. He has been lauded for his work by people like Carol Burnett, Robin Williams, Whoopie Goldberg, Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Betty White--and many more. However, it is his son, Christopher Korman, who gives the most important review that Harvey Korman will ever receive--that of being a loving father who supported his children. In this episode of the Neutral Ground Podcast, I am fortunate enough to speak with Christopher Korman about his book Omg! It's Harvey Korman's Son. In the book, Christopher not only makes us laugh at the various encounters that he and his father have--Pierce Brosnan and Robin Williams are two of my favorite--but Chris also tells us about his own struggles in terms of his personal health, struggling with a life-long learning disability, and how he was able to overcome many of these trials with hard work and the help of supportive parents. If you're looking for a feel-good episode with some laughs, this is it.

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Are there ways to reconcile faith and science, and can doing so actually strengthen both? My guest on this episode of the podcast is Dr. Jeff Zweerink. Dr. Zweerink is an astrophysicist, specializing in gamma rays. We talk about the various multiverse theories--even the Marvel Cinematic Universe multiverse. We try to reconcile that there might be multiple versions of ourselves out there and what that means on human and theological levels. We talk about the inspiration of Star Wars and the science behind Luke Skywalker's famous image of the binary star system on Tattooine. I also ask my guest about the moving moment on the Lix Fridman podcast when he asks Elon Musk about the first launch of Space X and how Elon said a prayer for the people on board. Neither my guest nor myself try to pronounce or prescribe any religious belief to Musk, but we both find it to be a moving moment of humanity--with a little more to say on the topic added as well. Finally, we spend a significant time talking about the relationship between philosophy/theology and science and how the two can hopefully strengthen each other. This is a fantastic episode.

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In this first episode of season 2, we take on a heavy topic: critical thinking. We talk about the Joe Rogan vs CNN rhetorical battle--and why we all lose with this kind of rhetoric; Jonathan discusses modern-day journalism a little bit; we model a bit of Aristotelian logic; I expose my own recent failures in the classroom; we talk about how we can better teach critical thinking in higher education, and how to better gauge whether or not something makes sense logically; and much more.   

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Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you