Conservative Conversations with ISI

In This Episode:Fr. Ben Kiely joins the podcast to discuss his ministry of helping persecuted Christians in the Middle East with Nasarean.org why social conservatism is an essential facet of any conservative worldviewhow nationalist politics is compatible with Catholicism and Catholicism’s approach to politicsTexts Mentioned:https://nasarean.org/Fr. Kiely’s speech at NatCon 3Become a part of ISI:Become a MemberSupport ISIUpcoming ISI Events

In This Episode:Paul Kengor joins the podcast to discuss the late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and his contributions to philosophy and the Church in the Western worldTexts Mentioned:Dupes by Paul KengorThe Pope and the President by Paul KengorThe Divine Plan by Paul Kengor and Robert OrlandoISI Debate on Transgenderism and Womanhood - SIGN UP TODAY!Jesus of Nazareth by Pope Benedict XVICatechism of the Catholic ChurchFides et Ratio by St. Pope John Paul IIConfessionsby St. AugustineHumanae Vitae by Pope Paul VIEvangelium Vitae by St. Pope John Paul IIVeritatis Splendor by St. Pope John Paul IICommentary on the Third Secret of Fatima by Pope Benedict XVI“Vatican Preps for Conclave as ‘Pope is Dying’” by John Gizzi“Reversing the Dictatorship of Relativism: Remembering Pope Benedict XVI” by Paul Kengor“The Politically Incorrect Pope Francis — 14 Shocking Statements” by Paul KengorTraditionis Custodes by Pope FrancisInstitute for Faith and FreedomBecome a part of ISI:Become a MemberSupport ISIUpcoming ISI Events

In This Episode:Jon Askonas joins the podcast to discuss how a technological age makes conservative and traditional values obsolete, and how to overcome this problemwhy Karl Marx has to teach conservatives about analyzing and understanding “historical materialism,“ the fundamental material elements of societywhat really drove the disintegration of a shared conception of reality, and how to navigate the “post-real” worldTexts Mentioned:“Why Conservatism Failed” by Jon AskonasThe Market and Other Orders by F.A. HayekIdeas Have Consequences by Richard WeaverRevolt of the Public by Martin Gurri “Reality: A Post-Mortem” by Jon AskonasBecome a part of ISI:Become a MemberSupport ISIUpcoming ISI Events

In This Episode:Aaron Renn joins the podcast to discuss American Reformer’s goal of reinvigorating evangelical intellectual thought within conservatismthe history and traditions of Evangelicalism in American social and political life, and how evangelicalism needs to respond to hostility to Christianityhow class, social status, and wokeness shape the disconnect between Protestant elites and the evangelical base that supports nationalist populismTexts Mentioned:“The Three Worlds of Evangelicalism” by Aaron Rennaaronrenn.substack.comThe Benedict Option by Rod DreherWhy Liberalism Failed by Patrick J. DeneenA Secular Age by Charles TaylorThe Case for Christian Nationalism by Stephen Wolfeamericanreformer.orgBecome a part of ISI:Become a MemberSupport ISIUpcoming ISI Events

In This Episode:Sarah Gustafson joins the podcast to discuss the theme of her course at Harvard University, “Anxiety and Restlessness in Democratic Times”how America’s “mental health crisis” is driven by the quality of American souls and affected by the American regimethe legacy of Harvey Mansfield as a scholar, public political philosopher, and intellectual giant at HarvardTexts Mentioned:Democracy in America by Alexis de TocquevilleManliness by Harvey MansfieldDeaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism by Anne Case and Angus DeatonBowling Alone by Robert PutnamThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott FitzgeraldConfessions by Augustine of HippoRepublic by PlatoCity of God: Against the Pagans by Augustine of HippoNicomachean Ethics by AristotlePolitics by AristotleLeisure, the Basis of Culture by Josef PieperPensees by Blaise PascalLost in Thought by Zena HitzThe Emperor’s Club movieBecome a part of ISI:Become a MemberSupport ISIUpcoming ISI Events

In This Episode:Rod Dreher joins the podcast to discuss “The Benedict Option,” a program for living an authentically Christian life in an anti-Christian culture that reigns today in the liberal Westwhat conservatives in America need to learn from Hungarian conservatives about conserving Christian culturewhy Christians in the post-Christian West need to adopt a new disposition towards state power, evangelization, and interactions with non-ChristiansTexts Mentioned:The Benedict Option  by Rod Dreher“When Gay Rights Clash with Religious Freedom” by Tish Harrison Warren“A Small Texas City Gets a Drag-Queen Parade for Christmas” by Kevin E. StuartLive Not by Lies  by Rod DreherThe Matter with Things by Iain McGilchristRod Dreher’s DiaryBecome a part of ISI:Become a MemberSupport ISIUpcoming ISI Events

In This Episode:Matthew Spalding, Professor of Constitutional studies at Hillsdale College in Washington D.C., joins the podcast to discuss the first principles and permanent truths that undergird the American Foundinghow critiques from National Conservatives and Post-Liberal Integralists misunderstand classical liberalism and the “American Enlightenment”the common ground between Straussians and Kirkians, and the potential for a principled fusion between the once-warring camps in the conservative movementTexts Mentioned:We Still Hold These Truths by Matthew SpaldingHeritage Guide to the Constitution by Matthew Spalding and David FortePolitics by AristotleBecome a part of ISI:Become a MemberSupport ISIUpcoming ISI Events

In This Episode:Jeff Sessions, former Senator from Alabama and 84th Attorney General of the United States, joins the podcast to discuss his accomplished career in politicswhat conservative education reform looks like at the curricular and administrative levelshow the GOP can reach voters by appealing to the important issues without exaggerating or being demagogicTexts Mentioned: Federalist No. 10 by James MadisonThe Declaration of IndependenceBecome a part of ISI:Become a MemberSupport ISIUpcoming ISI Events

In This Episode:Greg Collins joins the podcast to discuss his book, Commerce and Manners in Edmund Burke’s Political Economyhow traditional society gave rise to market societies and property rights, and how Burke’s defense of economic liberty differed from that of Adam Smithhow the rise of capitalism is coterminous with the rise of the modern state and administrative powersTexts Mentioned:Commerce and Manners in Edmund Burke’s Political Economy by Greg CollinsReflections on the Revolution in France by Edmund BurkeThoughts and Details on Scarcity  by Edmund BurkeThe Wealth of Nations by Adam SmithDemocracy in America by Alexis de TocquevilleMemoirs on Pauperism and Other Writings by Alexis de TocquevilleBecome a part of ISI:Become a MemberSupport ISIUpcoming ISI Events

In This Episode:Alexandra DeSanctis joins the podcast to discuss abortion and building a pro-life agenda after Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization and the 2022 Congressional midterm electionshow support for abortion is rooted in a defective view of what womanhood iswhat pro-lifers can and must do to make abortion unthinkable in AmericaTexts Mentioned:Tearing Us Apart: How Abortion Harms Everything and Solves Nothing  by Alexandra DeSanctis and Ryan T. Anderson“Why Big Business Loves Abortion” by Alexandra DeSanctis“Congress Has a Role To Play in Limiting Abortion” by Alexandra DeSanctisAmerica and the Pill: A History of Peril, Promise, and Liberation by Elaine Tyler MayBecome a part of ISI:Become a MemberSupport ISIUpcoming ISI Events