Thinking Class

Lorenzo Warby writes the substack Lorenzo from Oz, and he contributes regularly to one of Substack's recommended publications, Helen Dale’s Not On Your Team, But Always Fair.In this episode, Lorenzo and I talk about what hereditarianism is, and whether it is compatible with our notions of equality, the pitfalls of making political decisions based on people's genes, cultures, and environment over considerations of equality, the current problems with making political decisions based on equality alone, why social justice ideals are so prevalent within our institutions, the core tenets of Western civilization and where they came from, and whether Western civilization has been subverted and the prospects of a restoration, and much more. This is the second time Lorenzo has joined Thinking Class, and it won't be the last. You simply can't get bored of speaking with a polymath. We cover some serious ground here, and as in episode 29 when Lorenzo last joined me, He delivers. Enjoy the show Classmates. And don't forget to subscribe.You can also check Lorenzo out on:SubstackYou can follow Thinking Class on:  X/TwitterYouTubeSubstack

Benjamin De Rebel is an Anglo-futurist and runs a popular X account. In this episode Ben and I talk about what Anglofuturism is and why it is becoming popular, what opportunities Anglofuturism offers the Anglosphere for cultural renewal, and how Anglofuturism may give those in the Anglosphere a positive identity and help cure the dislocation caused by multiculturalism, how the social contract has broken down between the elite class and those they govern, and the transformative effect of fatherhood, and much more. Benjamin is an endearing chap and is certainly trying to put some meat on the bones of a philosophy that currently only really exists in the dark corners of the internet. Yet, has certainly piqued the interest of the social commentators out in the real world. Whether this can turn into something practical and something usable, we don't know - here are rich resources from the history of the Anglosphere for Anglofuturism to draw upon - and besides, it's a lot of fun. Enjoy the show Classmates. And don't forget to subscribe.You can also check Benjamin out on:X/TwitterYou can follow and subscribe to Thinking Class on:  X/TwitterYouTubeSubstack

Dr. John Rapley is a political economist at the University of Cambridge and a senior fellow at the Johannesburg Institute for Advanced Studies. His books include Understanding Development, Globalization and Inequality, and most recently, Twilight of the Money Gods, Economics as a Religion, and How It All Went Wrong.Dr. Peter Heather is a British historian of Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. Peter is Chair of the Medieval History Department and Professor of Medieval History at King's College London. His many books include The Fall of the Roman Empire, Empires and Barbarians, Migration, Development, and the Birth of Europe, The Restoration of Rome, Rome Resurgent, and most recently, Christendom.John and Peter are co-authors of Why Empires Fall: Rome, America, and the Future of the West. In this episode, John and Peter tell us what a close reading of history has taught them about how empires end and why they are victims of their own success, the impact of poor financial health on maintaining empire and civilisation, why western nations should worry about spending more on national debt interest than on the military, and why it is just as important to look at rising levels of personal and corporate debt.We also talk about international students in the United Kingdom and student visa issuance, and whether anything can be done to slow down and reverse civilisational decline, and whether it's about birthing the new. We also discuss why China is so strong and whether Chinese dominance is inevitable, and why we do not need to see rising world powers as a zero-sum battle. Finally, we speak about Peter's changing views on the importance of demographics and John's change of heart on the prospects of technological advances and AI being all they're cracked up to be.Enjoy the show Classmates. And don't forget to subscribe. You can also check John out on:BigthinkThe globe and mailX/TwitterYou can also check Peter out on:King's College LondonWaterstonesYou can follow Thinking Class on:  X/TwitterYouTubeSubstack

Chris Martz is a meteorology student who interns at CFACT, the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow, runs a hugely popular x profile, and writes the climate blog chrismartzweather.com. In this episode Chris and I talk about his passion for climate science and meteorology began and how he was concerned about the increasing talk of climate change, how his mind began to change as he was exposed to more data sets, how data shows a disconnect between the narrative on all-time high temperatures in the U S and the reality of historic weather data, the red herrings within renewable energy policy, why he disagrees with climate hoaxers, how policy goals to combat climate change are environmentally harmful in their own ways and how in some way may have even contributed to increasing temperatures, and the motivations and ideologies behind the climate crisis narrative, and much, much more. Chris is only 21, and he is very impressive. He's clearly got a big future ahead of him, from what I can see and hear from his rapidly growing public profile. While Chris challenges the perceived wisdom and climate change using data, I wouldn't describe him as a partisan per se, nor someone who is a climate denier to use common parlance, but rather someone who'd rather engage in scientific endeavour rather than following the more partisan position of following the science.If you can't research and present data that challenges and critiques policy and interpretation of data, then you're not really doing science. So I think we need more people like Chris.Enjoy the show Classmates. And don't forget to subscribe. You can also check Chris out on:Chrismartzweather.comCfact.orgX/TwitterYou can follow Thinking Class on:  X/TwitterYouTubeSubstack

Tobi Emonts-Holley is a husband, a dad of six, and a CEO of Tipareth, a nonprofit organisation that provides support and opportunities to people with learning disabilities. In this episode, Tobi tells us what being a father has taught him about his relationship to time and, well, death; how parenting taught him the wisdom of the ages without having to read philosophy or theology from the last few thousand years; the importance of slowing down at work and at home, how becoming a father taught him what he should pay attention to and what he shouldn't; how his relationship to technology changed after the birth of his first child; the impact of screens and technology on children, and how he and his wife approach the use of technology in their household; why exposing children to the elements is important for character formation and makes them happier; the challenges and rewards of parenting, and why building meaningful relationships is important to get on in life, and much, much more!.Tobi is a true inspiration. He's not a dad who is solely about productivity and high performance outside of being a dad, but places being a good dad and husband above all else and just so happens to be a high performer and highly productive. To see someone gather such a large following online in an age where demographic decline is so widespread, perhaps suggests more people would like children than we think.And Tobi doesn't sugar-coat parenting, but nor does he make it look like it gets in the way of life. Instead, he speaks about how it enriches his life and how he thrives off his duties and obligations.  We need more people like Tobi. Enjoy the show Classmates. And don't forget to subscribe. You can also check Tobi out on:forgingbalance.comSubstackX/TwitterYou can follow Thinking Class on:  X/TwitterYouTubeSubstack

Hilary White is the creator of the Sacred Images Project, which you can find on Substack, and which explores the Christian life, thought, history, and culture through the lens of the first 1, 200 years of sacred art.In this episode, Hilary and I talk about what classifies as sacred art and why it is so important, how the Renaissance led to sacred art's (and the West's) decline when man became the measure of all things (and lots of Florentine bankers money was thrown around in the 15th century onwards to support it), how Cosmo de Medici would have embarrassed the pharaoh and Elon Musk with the size of his wealth, the long term impact of the renaissance values to the current day, what Christians are supposed to do with sacred art and its links to theology, how Catholics and Anglicans lost their own sacred art over the centuries and are now inviting orthodox art into their churches, Hilary's loss of faith in the institution of the Catholic Church and public institutions more broadly, and the ideological reasons behind our shift from 1900 years of crucifixes and biblical scenes, to to, well, modern art like unmade beds, toilets, and buckets of sand, and much, much more.Hilary has spent her adult life immersed in art history and sacred art, and she has honed the ability to tell stories about the waxing and waning of popular ideas, values, and ideologies, and the loss of faith on people and societies through the ages, and how they contribute to examples of social and moral decay we see today.This was a really enjoyable conversation and Hillary is inspiring and being driven by a sense of loss in the hope that we might regain something that benefits future generations.Enjoy the show Classmates. And don't forget to subscribe.You can find Hilary's work at her online shop: https://ko-fi.com/hilarysacredart You can find also check out what Hilary's up to at:SubstackOpenpeterfiveX/Twitter

Garett Jones lives in Washington D. C. and is Associate Professor of Economics and BB&T Professor for the Study of Capitalism at George Mason University. Garett's research spans macroeconomics, political economy, and the foundations of economic growth.Along with many scholarly articles, Dr. Jones is the author of three books, his Singapore Trilogy, all published with the Stanford University Press - The Hive Mind, How Your Nation's IQ Matters So Much More Than Your Own, 10 percent Less Democracy, and The Culture Transplant, How Migrants Make The Economies They Move To A Lot Like The Ones They Left. Each book in the trilogy offers an inquiry into the nature and causes of the wealth of nations. In this episode, Garett and I talk about how the West became rich and stayed rich, how the economic prosperity of nations is linked to its culture and its institutions, and increasingly the culture of their immigrants, the success of Chinese diaspora and why they should be favoured in immigration policies, the long term implications of unselected mass immigration for countries like the UK, France, the US and Italy, and the unsettling notion that economic prosperity is boosted by fewer family ties and that welfare dependency is linked to strong family values and bonds. We also talk about the benefits, costs, and conflicts that arise from ethnic and cultural diversity, and why it's important to care about the world's seven most innovative economies if the rest of us want to live comfortable lives, and much, much more. Garett is a lot of fun to talk to, and as you would expect, his findings on the link between economic prosperity and culture and the long-term cultural impact of immigrants on host nations don't exactly make him popular within the typically left-leaning academical circles, and nor would I expect to find his proposed immigration policies to be particularly acceptable to those more conservatively inclined.Enjoy the show Classmates. And don't forget to subscribe.Subscribe nowYou can also check Garett out on:X/TwitterAmazonYou can follow Thinking Class on:  X/TwitterYouTubeSubstack

Frank Furedi is an author, social commentator and Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Kent, author of more than 26 books, Frank's studies have been devoted to an exploration of the cultural developments in Western societies.And in recent years, he's published several studies on the impact of the culture wars on family life, socialisation, education, and public life. In this episode, Frank and I talk about what the recent shift toward populist, sovereigntist parties in the European parliament elections means for Europe, how it may be the beginning of a replacement of the current political class, as we spoke about in episode 10 of Thinking Class, the 2024 French presidential elections, and how feelings of estrangement and dispossession are driving this populist wave; the response of the politicians, parties and institutions in danger of being swept up by it and the methods they're employing in a bid to hold on to power; how Gen-Z and younger generations appear to be yearning for tradition and national identity, rather than naturally inclining to left-liberal ideas; why the old left and old right seem to be cooperating to overthrow the current status quo; the universal recognition across Europe that the close alliance between leftism and Islam is not a good thing; whether France is skirting with civil war, the threat of 'financial terrorism' to torpedo any Rassemblement National government; whether the attempt to keep populist parties down is delaying the inevitable; why populist parties need a coherent governing strategy should they win power to be successful in the long term; the need to preserve Western civilisation and its cultural heritage, and what Frank has changed his mind on in the course of his life. I really enjoyed being able to welcome Frank back on the show. He's straight talking and he's got an uncanny ability to boil down political developments and philosophical concepts, practically and in bite sized ways. There's lots I can learn there. If you haven't listened to episode 10, where Frank also features, please do so because it's a natural precursor to this one.Enjoy the show Classmates. And don't forget to subscribe.You can also check Frank out on:The Guardianfrankfuredi.comX/TwitterResearchGateYou can follow Thinking Class on:  X/TwitterYouTubeSubstackYou can watch the show on YouTube

Doug Stokes is the Professor of International Relations at Exeter University and acts as the Director for its Strategy and Security Institute. Doug was a Senior Research Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute for over a decade and is currently the Thomas Telford Fellow at the Council on Geostrategy and the senior advisor to the Legatum Institute's Sovereignty Unit.Doug is the author of Against Decolonisation: Campus Culture Wars and the Decline of the West and writes regularly for major news outlets, including the Times, the Telegraph, the Spectator, and the Daily Mail, and enjoys doing the odd podcast with interesting people. (They are definitely his words from his bio and not mine, but I'm going to take that as an endorsement for Thinking Class). In this episode, Doug and I talk about what decolonisation theory is, what its implications are, and how it may be used against its proponents in future; why a healthy process of academic exchange matters and what it gives to society; the underlying motivations of those who act in the name of liberation; the changing face of international relations and what kind of an era we're moving into; why hard power matters if we are to continue living comfortable lives in the West; the 'youthquake' in Africa and its implications; how much of Britain's wealth was really derived from slavery; who the African protagonists were in the slave trade; why the culture war is really a class war at root; the horrors Doug saw in Bosnia during its civil war in the 90s' the implications of globalisation and multiculturalism for Britain, the geopolitics of net zero, and much more.It was a real delight to talk to Doug, who's someone that I have come to admire since I learned of him last year. Doug grew up in the east end of London, and is from a long line of Cockneys, and has personally seen the (good and bad) impact of globalisation and high immigration with his own eyes.There were some really touching moments in the conversation, and it's one that I will remember. Doug has carved out a stellar career and has seen more than most of us would ever wish to in the course of his life. And I really appreciate his courage and clarity and analysing fashionable ideas and their impact on the rest of us.Enjoy the show Classmates. And don't forget to subscribe.You can also check Doug out on:Unherd.comDougstokes.netX/TwitterThe CriticYou can follow Thinking Class on:  X/TwitterYouTubeSubstackYou can watch the show on YouTube

Ben Cobley writes the blog, A Free Left Blog, and is author of The Tribe: The Liberal Left and the System of Diversity. Ben is a journalist by trade and a former Labour Party activist. In this episode, Ben and I talk about Being English and Englishness, what it is and how it has come under threat from the spread of progressive ideologies, what it means to be a part of a nation, why there might be a hostility toward the English and Englishness, the impact of liberalism on England and the world, the difficulty of finding the language to explain something deeply felt, the impact of modernity and cultural disintegration, the feeling of overpopulation in a small country, why Ben joined the Labour Party and why he left, and much, much more.  Enjoy the show Classmates. And don't forget to subscribe. You can also check Ben out on:Unherd.com@existentialpoliticsX/TwitterThe CriticYou can follow Thinking Class on:  X/TwitterYouTubeSubstack