Sense-data is real, and we have a real relation to the sensed thing; so holds Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange. Join us as we discuss what distinguishes real sensation from visions and hallucinations, and why it really matters that we relate to the things we sense.

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How does the mind know that it exists, and what does this have to do with God? Find out as we discuss Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange's thoughts on the Thomistic notion that the mind knows itself through some species while the soul is united with the body, and how this relates to God's knowledge of Himself and the begetting of the Son!

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How can we know anything? Are we just stuck in our own heads, never actually interacting with the physical world? Or are we just material, and what we think is knowledge is actually just the results of chemical reactions? Find out as we discuss Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange's Thomistic view of knowledge, in which the knower, in a way, becomes something other than himself!

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What does it mean to be a philosophical realist? Find out as we discuss Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange's explanation of the classical definition of truth, and how that relates to the law of non-contradiction, efficient causality, and final causality! We also discuss the importance of being itself, and why the subjectivists continue to get things wrong.

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Doesn't everyone view definitions as just common sense? Doesn't everybody agree on what things are? Doesn't everyone agree that things are themselves definable? Surprisingly, the answer to these questions is "no!" Join us as we discuss Aristotle's view of definitions in the Posterior Analytics and St. Thomas' commentary on this view, as told by Garrigou-Lagrange. We discuss why definitions matter so much, how nominalism has likely destroyed much of our culture, how we are not better off in every way than people 800 years ago, and the ever-present question: what is a woman?

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After a long break, we are back for Season 15! Join us as we begin discussing Philosophizing in Faith, a collection of essays by Réginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P., a 20th-century neo-Thomist philosopher and theologian. 

In this episode, we provide some historical background of who Garrigou-Lagrange was, and what neo-Thomism is, as well as discussing translator Matthew Minerd's introduction to the book. We then turn to the first essay, "On the Twofold Via inventionis and the Twofold Via iudicii According to St. Thomas", in which Lagrange discusses how we come to know God through temporal things, and how we know the world through science. We also discuss why people become Catholic, the relevance of St. Thomas Aquinas, and the issues with modern science. 

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Did Russell Kirk accurately predict the revival of conservatism in late 20th-century America and England? Not really, but his discussion of the goals of conservatism remain lovely. Join us as we discuss the need for conservative leaders to encourage spiritual revival, encourage leadership, reshape education, provide a purpose to the common man, and stabilize the economy. 

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Santayana: Latin rock guitarist or materialist conservative thinker? Find out as we discuss Irving Babbitt, Paul Elmer More, and George Santayana, exploring what their critiques of early 20th-century American utilitarianism, materialism, and pragmatism mean for political conservatism today. 

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Do conservatives achieve any victories past the 19th century? Find out on this (somewhat depressing) episode of Unlimited Opinions, as we look at how conservatives struggle to make any lasting change in early 20th-century England. We discuss George Gissing's critique of "the science," Arthur Balfour's inability to make any lasting impact, and the truly great insights of W.H. Mallock on religion, culture, and ability.

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What happens to conservatism in a world full of technological and societal change? In this episode, we discuss four pessimistic American thinkers: James Russel Lowell, E.L. Godkin, Henry Adams, and Brooks Adams. While hurt by their pessimism for the American future, they still have deeply relevant thoughts on progress, the media, and economic conditions. We also discuss our run-ins with Stoicism and a self-professed Epicurean.

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