The New Thinkery
The New Thinkery
The New Thinkery is a podcast devoted to political philosophy and its history, along with its many guises in literature, film, and human experience generally. Named after Socrates’ infamous “Thinkery” in Aristophanes’ Clouds, The New Thinkery strikes a balance between the seriousness of academia and the playfulness of casual conversation among friends.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Feb 17, 2021 • 1h 3min
Interview with Professor Steve Hayward on Executive Power | The New Thinkery Ep. 30
In this President's Day edition of The New Thinkery, the guys are joined by Professor Steve Hayward, senior resident scholar at the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley, and a visiting lecturer at Berkeley's Boalt Hall Law School. The group discuss executive power, pulling from Prof. Hayward's extensive knowledge on the subject. Plus: you seriously will not guess what alternative job Prof. Hayward would've chosen, but you'll have to wait until the end of the episode for that!
Feb 10, 2021 • 1h 17min
Francis Bacon's New Atlantis | The New Thinkery Ep. 29
This week the guys are back to discuss another of Francis Bacon's works: New Atlantis. This short work might be presented to readers as incomplete, but Bacon includes several interesting philosophic points meritorious of a closer analysis.
Feb 3, 2021 • 1h 7min
Interview with Professor Jan Blits on Shakespeare's Coriolanus | The New Thinkery Ep. 28
In this week's installment of The New Thinkery, the guys are joined by Jan Blits, Professor Emeritus in the University Honors Faculty at the University of Delaware. Together, they analyze the underlying philosophical themes of Shakespeare's Coriolanus. His edition is available from Hackett Press. Plus: stick around for Greg's infamous Q&A session!
Jan 27, 2021 • 55min
Jonathan Swift's Battle of the Books | The New Thinkery Ep. 27
This week the guys are back to discuss Jonathan Swift. Everyone has heard of Gulliver's Travels and A Modest Proposal, but he has another work worth looking at: The Battle of the Books. Plus: the audience has voted on who the funniest co-host is.
Jan 20, 2021 • 1h 25min
Jacob Klein's The Idea of Liberal Education | The New Thinkery Ep. 26
In this week's edition of The New Thinkery, the guys discuss Jacob Klein's The Idea of Liberal Education. Specifically, they delve into the questions raised by Klein's analysis of education and whether a liberal education is even possible today.
Jan 13, 2021 • 48min
William James' The Moral Equivalent of War | The New Thinkery Ep. 25
In this week's episode of The New Thinkery, the guys discuss William James, one of the leading proponents of American pragmatism, on the question of whether our warlike passions can have a peaceful political outlet. Stay tuned to see which 2020 presidential candidate had a policy proposal in alignment with some of James' thoughts.
Jan 6, 2021 • 1h 9min
Interview with Professor Richard Velkley on Heidegger and Strauss | The New Thinkery Ep. 24
In this edition of The New Thinkery, the guys are back to help bring in the new year, and are joined by Dr. Richard Velkley, the Celia Scott Weatherhead Professor of Philosophy at Tulane University. They discuss Heidegger, Leo Strauss, and the underlying premises of philosophy. After you've heard the serious stuff, stick around for the lightning round Q&A at the end!
Dec 30, 2020 • 58min
Analyzing Plato's Symposium, Part IV: Eryximachus' Speech | The New Thinkery Ep. 23
Join the guys this week as they continue to break Plato's Symposium into sections and analyze the philosophical messages contained within. This week the guys take on Eryximachus' speech on love from the scientific perspective.
Dec 23, 2020 • 1h 13min
Dickens' A Christmas Carol | The New Thinkery Ep. 22
In this week's episode of The New Thinkery, the guys discuss the Christmas classic: A Christmas Carol. They go through the book's plot, themes, underlying philosophical points, and talk about the cultural impact the book has had since its publication in the nineteenth century.
Dec 16, 2020 • 1h 2min
Aristotle on Virtue | The New Thinkery Ep. 21
In this week's episode of The New Thinkery, the guys discuss another of Aristotle's works, this time focusing on Aristotle's account of virtue in the second book of the Nicomachean Ethics. Plus: the guys read some of your reviews, and now Alex needs a paternity test?
