Online Great Books Podcast

In the first episode of this two-part series, Scott and Karl begin discussing The New World Order by H.G. Wells.  Published in January 1940, Wells’s motivation for writing The New World Order was based upon the outbreak of World War II. He proposes a framework of international functionalism that he believes could guide the world towards achieving world peace.  Karl says, "Wells thinks that the human race is in danger. He believes the only way out of it is collectivization."  As Scott points out, "In this short book, he doesn't acknowledge the fact that there are people who are driven in such a way that one-world government just makes a bigger, juicer target for war and overthrow."  Tune in to hear the first part of a fascinating conversation, brought to you by onlinegreatbooks.com. 

This week, Scott and Karl read Going Postal by British writer Terry Pratchett, the 33rd book in his Discworld series.  The Discworld novels can be read in any order but Going Postal is the first book featuring the character Moist von Lipwig.  Moist is a con artist and a fraud and a man faced with a life choice: be hanged, or put the ailing postal service of Ankh-Morpork – the Discworld’s city-state –  back on its feet. Even though Discworld is a flat planet balanced on the backs of four elephants which in turn stand on the back of a giant turtle, don't let this strange magic deter you. As Karl points out, "It's satire, set safety on an impossible world where things that could never happen, happen. But yet, it's the same things that happen in the regular world."  It’s also a novel about freedom, including the freedom to take the consequences. Scott adds, "The good things and the bad things surrounding hope are a main theme in this book."  If you enjoy wit, humor, and a fastly-paced plot, you will enjoy yourself immensely. Tune in to learn more about Pratchett's complex and compelling world. Brought to you by onlinegreatbooks.com. 

This week, Scott and Karl discuss three of Leo Strauss' essays, "On a Forgotten Kind of Writing," "Esoteric Teaching," and "Persecution and the Art of Writing." Published between 1952-54, these works center around the same set of concerns: the relationship between philosophy and politics.  In Strauss' view, classic philosophers had to “adapt their literary technique to the requirements of persecution.” Their "art of writing" was the art of esoteric communication.  Of course, the reasons why philosophers write esoterically will shape how they write esoterically. But what about modern accounts of esotericism? Karl says, "It makes it look like you are making intellectual choices when you're picking from the very small menu of acceptable thoughts that you can have...If you wish to communicate things [not on the standard political menu], you're going to have to communicate them sideways as a what-if." Scott adds, "In 2021, there are a number of opinions, or noble lies, that are becoming pretty worn and they don't seem to really work any longer." Tune in as the duo unpacks Straussianism, speech shuttering, and more. Brought to you by onlinegreatbooks.com. 

This week, Scott and Karl read The Moviegoer, Walker Percy's first novel. Awarded the 1962 National Book Award for Fiction, the story follows Binx Bolling, a young New Orleans stockbroker who surveys the world with a removed gaze. Karl says, “There’s a certain type of person that these novels are going to be good for: the kind of detached person, the observer.” Binx gives a running commentary on life as it passes before his eyes, almost as if he were watching a movie. Scott says, "Life is a movie for Binx, he's a spectator in life until the end of the book." The novel focuses on "the search" for authenticity in a scripted, stylized, mediated world. Set in New Orleans, Percy incorporates a sense of place and legacy while grappling with Binx's malaise, as is the tradition of southern writers.  Tune in to hear about the book that establishes Percy as one of the major voices in Southern literature. Brought to you by onlinegreatbooks.com.  

This week, Scott and Karl discuss Allan Savory's book Holistic Resource Management. Savory warns that while fossil fuels and livestock grazing are often targeted as major culprits behind climate change and desertification, it's really our mismanagement of resources that pose the biggest threat.  Scott says, "If you care about regenerative agriculture, sustainable agriculture, permaculture, homesteading, or profitability, this is a formative text in the circles that are trying to fix a lot of the problems with Big Ag." Holistic Resource Management is an approach to help land managers, farmers, ranchers, environmentalists, and policymakers develop strategies for regenerating degraded landscapes. However, the beauty of Savory's framework is it requires no specialized knowledge or elaborate technology to utilize. Karl says, "It's books like this that make your wheelhouse bigger." Tune in to hear more about Savory's philosophy and method. Brought to you by onlinegreatbooks.com. 

Scott and Karl discuss The Naked Sun, a science fiction novel by American writer Isaac Asimov, the second in his Robot series. Elijah Baley, a detective from Earth, is given a new assignment to investigate the murder of a Spacer (long-lived humans that colonize space) on a distant world called Solaria.  Asimov portrays Solaria as a place focused on avoiding physical contact with other people. Communication is frequent, but it is "viewing" of a transmitted image.  This world may strike a chord in the present day. Scott says, "It's a cautionary tale that no one paid attention to, apparently." Like any good science fiction, this book makes you practice thinking about the knock-on effects of the decisions we make.  The duo also dives into what it means to be a robot, mechanization, and more. Brought to you by onlinegreatbooks.com.  

This week, Scott and Karl read “Pray Without Ceasing” which is included in Wendell Berry’s collection of short stories That Distant Land.  Berry writes about a murder committed in the summer of 1912, 78 years before the narrator learns its details, a crime that has haunted Port William ever since. Still, if you're of the Port William membership, this story is part of your history. Scott says, "He writes the way I recollect things. It's a familiar groove for me." Berry’s idea of a healthy community, which relies heavily on filial piety, is embodied in all his fiction. Karl says, "Filial piety is a virtue that used to be everywhere that we've lost a bit. It's clearly in this story."  Tune in to hear more about this fascinating short story, brought to you by onlinegreatbooks.com. 

This week, Scott and Karl discuss Albert Z. Carr's 1968 article "Is Business Bluffing Ethical?." Originally published in the Harvard Business Review, the article has become a classic on the subject of business ethics.  Mr. Carr was Assistant to the Chairman of the War Production Board during World War II, serving as an economic adviser to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and a Special Consultant to President Truman.  The basis of Carr’s argument seems to be that there is a difference between what he calls “private morality” and the moral context of the business world. Carr sets out to defend a "game-strategy" view of business, using the game of poker as his analogy.  As you might expect, Scott and Karl point out the many holes in his argument.  Scott says, "What does morality mean for him, what does ethical mean for him, what does lying mean for him, what does bluffing mean for him— it's all a little bit slippery." Karl adds, "Socrates would have stopped him right there."   Tune in for more great conversation, brought to you by onlinegreatbooks.com. 

Scott, Karl, and Trent explore Vince Guaraldi's timeless Christmas album, the soundtrack to "A Charlie Brown Christmas," the 1965 TV special based on Charles Schultz's iconic Peanuts comic strip. At once hopeful and melancholic, Guaraldi's breezy jazz soundscape captures the childhood innocence of the Peanuts cast while lamenting the loss of meaning in the increasingly commercialized Christmas season.   This episode is a simulcast of the Music and Ideas Podcast, and is also being broadcast with our friends at the Barbell Logic Podcast. Barbell Logic is a premier online coaching service for people of all ages seeking to become stronger, fitter, and healthier.   Barbell Logic: https://barbell-logic.com Barbell Logic Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/barbell-logic/id1255032859 Music and Ideas Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/music-and-ideas/id1500358614

This week, we are celebrating our 100th episode of the Online Great Books podcast! Thank you to our listeners and supporters of the show— we appreciate you.  To commemorate the occasion, Scott and Karl read the timeless tale, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Most of us know the story from one rendition or another. But have you read the original novella? Published in 1843, the book was written during a period when there was strong nostalgia for old Christmas traditions as well as the introduction of new customs, such as Christmas trees and greeting cards. "There’s a lot about modern Christmas not to like," Scott points out.   Tune in to learn more about one of Dickens's most widely enjoyed work. Interested in joining the conversation? Head over to onlinegreatbooks.com to join the VIP list.