The New Thinkery

This week all the guys are back in the saddle, and joined by Prof. Giovanni R. F. (John) Ferrari, the Melpomene Distinguished Professor of Classical Languages and Literature and a professor of Classics at UC Berkeley. Over the course of the episode, Prof. Ferrari unpacks his unique approach to Plato with the guys, highlighting things you don't see highlighted frequently when analyzing his works. Plus: does Prof. Ferrari's first car live up to the automotive prestige of his namesake? Find out in the lightning round!

David and Greg dive into Hannah Arendt's influential essay "Philosophy and Politics" this week alongside returning guest Damien Jungerman, exploring Arendt's insights on the complex relationship between philosophical thought and political action. Together, the group unpacks Arendt's arguments on how thinkers shape—and are shaped by—the political landscapes they inhabit. Plus: some details on the conflict between Strauss and Arendt.

While you are either celebrating or lamenting who appears to be the victor of the 2024 election, the guys are showing their election season spirits, taking a look at John Ford's The Sun Shines Bright. With a backdrop of the Old West, old timey Southern ways lead to the formation of a lynch mob, and a candidate for office must step in to save the masses from themselves. The guys break the film down in detail, unpacking the subtle messages in the film. Plus: Greg tells his story about the one and only time he ever ran for an elected office!

This week, the guys are joined once again by Dr. Charles Butterworth, emeritus professor of government and politics at the University of Maryland, College Park. The group convene to discuss Butterworth's newest book, a new translation of Al-Farabi's Book of Letters, discussing how the book came to be, Al-Farabi's backstory to the extent we know it, and the substance of the text itself.

This week, Alex and Greg temporarily replace David with friend of the show Professor Patrick Deneen, who teaches at the University of Notre Dame. The group dive right into Strauss' Three Waves of Modernity, dissecting its arguments and unpacking relevant backstory. Plus, if you can't get enough of Strauss, apply for UATX's upcoming Symposium on Leo Strauss and/or register for a virtual Leo Strauss on Plato’s Symposium!

A full complement of hosts are back this week and primed to deliver an overview of Homer's Odyssey. In addition to a plot synopsis, the guys dispel common myths about Odysseus, take a closer look at Penelope, discuss the appropriate time for a person to read the Odyssey in their lives, talk translations, and more! 

This week the guys are back to discuss Jonathan Swift. Everyone has heard of Gulliver's Travels and A Modest Proposal, but he has another work worth looking at: The Battle of the Books. Plus: the audience has voted on who the funniest co-host is. 

This week, the guys are joined by Sabrina Little, assistant professor in the department of Leadership and American Studies at Christopher Newport University. The group discuss athletics, especially running, and how virtue can boost athletic performance. Little's new book, The Examined Run: Why Good People Make Better Runners, and her accomplishments in ultramarathons serve as helpful points of ingress into a more thorough exploration of the relationship.

This week, the guys return once again to the prophetic teachings of Leo Strauss. This time, the focus is on Strauss' understanding of Genesis, which the guys dissect in an effort to disentangle the Ancient Greek and biblical influences that went into Strauss' interpretation. 

This week, in observance of Constitution Day, the guys wax poetic about the virtues of the Founding... is what you probably expected this to say. Instead, Greg wrote an entire academic paper about Lincoln's hushed critique of the Founding, so the guys sit down to unpack the paper's core arguments, as well as how Lincoln was, and wasn't, successful at bringing Christianity into the political ethos of his time.