The Worthy House (Charles Haywood)
Charles Haywood
I am here to give you back your future. Human flourishing in the coming post-liberal West. The hour is late, and Moloch is within the gates. Foundationalism. Reality-focused writings, often on history and politics.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Aug 15, 2020 • 22min
Conquerors: How Portugal Forged the First Global Empire (Roger Crowley)
A thrilling tale of the brief, but spectacular, Portuguese efflorescence between 1490 and 1520, featuring a cast of characters we could use today. (The written version of this review, in web, PDF, and ebook formats, can be found here.)
Aug 11, 2020 • 21min
The Arms of Krupp 1587-1968 (William Manchester)
This is the book that made William Manchester, later the biographer of Churchill, and it is both a book well worth reading, and one that could only have been written when it was, 1968. (The written version of this review was first published April 20, 2018. Written versions, in web and PDF formats, are available here.)
Aug 8, 2020 • 23min
Ten Caesars: Roman Emperors from Augustus to Constantine (Barry Strauss)
Barry Strauss's latest book doesn't offer anything particularly new, but it does offer food for thought. And I predict our November future! (The written version of this review, in web, PDF, and ebook formats, can be found here.)
Aug 1, 2020 • 22min
Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work (Matthew B. Crawford)
As the Wuhan Plague has exposed many jobs as substantively valueless, Matthew Crawford's classic work on work, manual labor, and craft has assumed more relevance. (The written version of this review was first published April 17, 2018. Written versions, in web and PDF formats, are available here.)
Jul 14, 2020 • 24min
The Storm Before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic (Mike Duncan)
As it is said, history does not repeat, but it does echo. This book narrates those echoes, which grow louder every day in 2020 America, in the history of the late Roman Republic. (The written version of this review was first published August 3, 2018. Written versions, in web and PDF formats, are available here.)
Jul 11, 2020 • 15min
American Cicero: The Life of Charles Carroll (Bradley J. Birzer)
Of the most aristocratic of the Founding Fathers, a man whose views have been proven right over time. (The written version of this review was first published April 11, 2018. Written versions, in web and PDF formats, are available here.)
Jul 5, 2020 • 17min
The Saxon Savior: The Germanic Transformation of the Gospel in the Ninth-Century Heliand (G. Ronald Murphy)
Back when Christians heeded the command to proselytize, tools for conversion were many and varied. The gospel harmony analyzed in this book was one such, and it offers insights into both their culture, and our culture. (The written version of this review, in web, PDF, and ebook formats, can be found here.)
Jul 1, 2020 • 27min
To Change the Church: Pope Francis and the Future of Catholicism (Ross Douthat)
In which I excoriate Pope Francis as stupid and Pope Benedict as weak, and call for a wholesale purge within the Roman Catholic Church. (The written version of this review was first published March 30, 2018. Written versions, in web and PDF formats, are available here.)
Jun 27, 2020 • 21min
The Moral Basis of a Backward Society (Edward C. Banfield)
The grossly defective character of a 1950s Italian village is of more relevance to twenty-first-century America than we might like to believe. (The written version of this review, in web, PDF, and ebook formats, can be found here.)
Jun 22, 2020 • 21min
The Revenge of Analog: Real Things and Why They Matter (David Sax)
Of things analog, from vinyl to film to books, and their importance. Good, but somewhat obtuse about the corrosive class implications of a return to analog. (The written version of this review was first published March 28, 2018. Written versions, in web and PDF formats, are available here.)
