Young Heretics

What's the point of all this obscure knowledge? Spencer turns from contemplative wisdom to phronēsis, practical wisdom or the knowledge of how to do what is good for you as a human being. Subjects covered include free will, determinism, and why what is good for you is not necessarily good for a fish. Spoiler: it's because you can't breathe underwater! Subscribe to my newsletter: https://rejoiceevermore.substack.com/ Check out my book, How to Save the West: https://a.co/d/3OhqD3i "God in Translation," an essay on the language of the Gospels in CRB: https://claremontreviewofbooks.com/god-in-translation/

Welcome to Young Heretics: Conversations, a new series of specials devoted to living out high ideals in the modern day. Spencer talks with Peachy Keenan, author of Domestic Extremist, about how to break the spell of latter-day feminism, what it means to be extremely domestic, and why everyone's obsessed with the Barbie movie. Check out Peachy's book: https://a.co/d/3JRD8UL Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/KeenanPeachy Read her substack: https://peachykeenan.substack.com/

This week on the show, Spencer takes the study of wisdom to the very foundations of the world, where existence came into being and human consciousness came online. This is the virtue of the soul that allows us to understand what we are, and why we're more than just accidents. It's trippy--so buckle up--but it's also the realest thing there is. Sign up for my mailing list: https://rejoiceevermore.substack.com/ Check out my book: https://a.co/d/9Zq300Q  

Some ideas are so stupid only an intellectual could believe them. But some wisdom is so profound only an old man can pass it on. In this new installment of his series on the virtues, Spencer introduces a form of moral excellence that is sorely lacking in the world: not intelligence or intellectual horsepower, but sophia, the wisdom that connects us to the order governing all time and space. Plus: an elaborate reference to the Matrix. Sign up to be in the mailbag: https://rejoiceevermore.substack.com/ Check out my book, How to Save the West: https://a.co/d/6hxh8Oo 

This one's for the girls. The ancient Greek word for courage is andreia--manliness. But whereas physical courage on the battlefield is a picture of something essential to manhood, there is also a womanly moral courage that no civilization can do without. In times of crisis and in the daily work of raising a family, womanly bravery is too often overlooked. Spencer concludes his series on the second canonical virtue with an episode dedicated to the women in our lives. Sign up for my newsletter to be in the mailbag: rejoiceevermore.substack.com Check out my book, How to Save the West: https://a.co/d/jeylhUj

It's the age of the anti-hero, and Machiavelli can help explain why. Talking through the life of Agathocles, tyrant of Syracuse, and discussing the portrayal of him in The Prince, Spencer probes deeper into the uneasy line between recklessness and courage, shamelessness and virtue. Can we find our way out of the war between the sexes to a real vision of what it means to tame the lion of the soul? Plus: a close reading of Taylor Swift. Sort of. Sign up for my newsletter to ask mailbag questions: https://rejoiceevermore.substack.com/ Check up my book, How to Save the West: https://a.co/d/fUJfnkJ

This 4th of July, it's hard to feel confident that everything is gonna be just fine. But that's the point: nobody said it was easy, and it may be you were born for such a day as this. Continuing a series on the cardinal virtues, Spencer pauses to consider the nature of courage in America now and at its founding. Plus: more tips from the build-a-soul workshop. Sign up for my newsletter: https://rejoiceevermore.substack.com/ Check out my book: https://a.co/d/bZKnihe

Gather round, one and all, and learn from Plato about how to get a date. Or start a workout routine. Or really...do anything good. Spencer embarks on a catalogue of the cardinal virtues--the principal forms of human moral excellence--beginning with moderation. It's not just some bland, middle-of-the-road stasis: it's a dynamic harmony among all the parts of you, and an antidote to the shallow philosophy of "following your heart." Sign up for my mailing list: https://rejoiceevermore.substack.com/?r=4q74h&utm_campaign=pub-share-checklist Purchase my book: https://a.co/d/6YqXKqf

At long last, the people's cries have been heard--Young Heretics returns! Every day seems to bring some new catastrophe, and it's easy to see all the things that have gone wrong. But what would it mean to go right? You can't build a philosophy, or a life, on saying "no" to things. Somewhere you have to say "yes." In this new series, Spencer explores the nature of virtue and what it means to seek a truly good life (rather than just a not-bad one). Sign up for the mailing list: http://eepurl.com/dvMw6H Buy How to Save the West: Ancient Wisdom for Five Modern Crises: https://a.co/d/6gjMDkl

For the penultimate episode of the show, Spencer Klavan is joined by friend and Dante expert Catherine Illingworth to approach the Commedia's beatific vision. Tying together threads from the whole series, and the whole podcast, Spencer and Catherine discuss the roles of flesh and spirit in love as the pilgrim makes his final approach to God in paradise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices