Unlimited Opinions - Philosophy, Theology, Linguistics, & More

The culture war! This topic may have been as familiar to Alexis de Tocqueville in 1830 as it is to us today. What makes for a stable government, and how do the morals and values of the citizens impact the success of a country? This is one of the central questions of Tocqueville's two volume work Democracy in America, and we discuss this work and much more in this episode! Join us as we compare the failure of France's revolutions to America's success, the nature of equality, and how America's people truly govern themselves. We also rant (as always) about whether God has a definite plan for individuals, the need for a national goal, and how federal judges are all just Emperor Palpatine!  Follow us on Twitter @UlmtdOpinions, and leave us a review to win a free Unlimited Opinions t-shirt!

Give us your opinions here!

Lyndon B Johnson declared war on poverty, and the poor lost! In this episode, we look at the ideas of three major utilitarian thinkers: Jeremy Bentham, his secretary James Stuart Mill, and his son John Stuart Mill. In the midst of learning new degrading terms about American Indians, we look at the principle of utility, the many issues with utilitarianism, and the importance of free speech amidst an oppression of majority opinion. We talk in detail about the issue with today's society in how the only moral standard is to ostracize those who don't agree with the mob-held opinion. This opinion of the mob is of course that there are no moral standards.  You can still win a completely free Unlimited Opinions t-shirt! Instructions for entering the giveaway can be found on our Twitter! @UlmtdOpinions

Give us your opinions here!

Can slaves truly be free? How is freedom realized in the modern state? Is the entire continent of Africa completely irrelevant to world history? All these questions and more are answered by Hegel! Join us as we discuss Hegel's theories by examining Alan Ryan's summaries of The Phenomenology of Spirit, The Philosophy of History, and The Philosophy of Right. We talk about how freedom evolves throughout cultures and time, how Stoicism impacted Hegel, and how history advances by acting through certain important figures in time. We also go on a long tangent about whether or not certain cultures' mythologies are intrinsically valuable!  You can win a completely free Unlimited Opinions t-shirt! Details can be found on our Twitter! @UlmtdOpinions

Give us your opinions here!

"We're just gonna own it, and we're gonna start beating people up!" - Mark Bishop, 2022. In this episode, we look at how certain political thinkers responded to the French Revolution, particularly the conservatives Edmund Burke and Joseph de Maistre, the reformer Thomas Paine, and the proto-socialist Saint-Simon. We discuss how Burke invented the modern idea of revolution and his thoughts on representative government, Joseph de Maistre's will-crushing solution to the French Revolution, the mixed bag that is Thomas Paine, and much more! We also find some great new band names, go on several rants about fascism and drag queens, and end with a much longer episode than we anticipated!  Follow us on Twitter, and find details on how to win a free Unlimited Opinions t-shirt! @UlmtdOpinions

Give us your opinions here!

In this episode, we go on rants galore about the federal government and how things have shaped up in ways that the American founders did not intend! We look at Thomas Jefferson and the writing of the Declaration of Independence, James Madison's authorship of the Constitution and the Federalist Papers, and Alexander Hamilton's ideas that were not enshrined in our government. We especially focus on federalism, how unique and great the American Constitution really is, and how best to face the problems affronting America's future.  Follow us on Twitter, and join our t-shirt giveaway! @UlmtdOpinions

Give us your opinions here!

Brittney Griner, a deadline on the existence of the Constitution, and whether or not children create language! What do all of those things have in common? Jean-Jacques Rousseau, of course! Join us as we look at Rousseau's interesting (if not a little crazy) theories on the evils of society, education, and the pacts that we make with our governments. We look at his most influential works, particularly the Discourse on the Origin of Inequality among Men, Émile, and the Social Contract. We also go on several rants, particularly on the evils of infanticide and how best to ensure everyone is represented by our Constitution. You can also enter our t-shirt giveaway by leaving us an interesting review! More details on this giveaway can be found on our Twitter @UlmtdOpinions!

Give us your opinions here!

These are some authors we really agree with! Join us as we look at the foundational republican thinkers: James Harrington, Algernon Sidney, and Montesquieu. We discuss Harrington's economic-based republicanism of Oceana, with the ability of freeholders to form militias and defend themselves against the government. We also talk about Sidney's aristocracy-based popular republic, and heavily feature Montesquieu's spirit-based approach to politics, which is something that we both agree should be discussed more in the modern day. We break down how these theories could (and should) be applied today, why they are so important, and also why firefighters think too highly of themselves. Also, join our t-shirt giveaway competition by leaving us the most interesting review you can! More details for entry can be found on our Twitter! @UlmtdOpinions

Give us your opinions here!

John Locke may just be our favorite political theorist yet! Join us as we cover Locke's political theories, including the peaceful state of nature, religious toleration, and the idea of a very limited government. We discuss in detail our natural rights, how moral foundations are important for any society, when one can engage in a revolution, and whether modern liberal democracies are doomed to fail with the loss of belief in God. To commemorate our 100th episode, our 2nd full year of producing this podcast, and the Christmas season, we are also holding a free t-shirt giveaway! We'll be giving a completely free Unlimited Opinions t-shirt to the person who leaves us the most interesting review on any platform where you listen to podcasts! Check us out on Twitter @UlmtdOpinions for more details.  

Give us your opinions here!

We give consent to those who govern us, but after that, they can kinda just do whatever they want except kill us. At least, according to the 17th century political theorist Thomas Hobbes! In this episode, we break down all of Hobbes' political theories, particularly how his nominalism relates to politics, the role of the sovereign, the state of human nature, and whether he ever answers the question of what one can do against a wicked ruler. We also look at a bad review of our content claiming that we are faux mouthpieces of right wing propaganda, which is clearly untrue, as we really are mouthpieces of right wing propaganda! There's nothing faux about us! We also begin a new t-shirt giveaway for Seasons 3 and 4, so listen to the end of the episode or follow us on Twitter @UlmtdOpinions for more information!

Give us your opinions here!

Machiavelli and nuclear bombs! Those are just two of the many topics we cover on this episode of Unlimited Opinions! We break down who Machiavelli was, the political history of Renaissance Florence, and his The Prince and Discourses on Livy. We discuss whether one can be a truly moral politician, the nature of political families, whether one should caress or crush a population, and much more! We also look at how Machiavelli influenced the Boy Scouts!  Follow us on Twitter! @UlmtdOpinions

Give us your opinions here!