Madison's Notes

What is academic freedom for? What are the greatest threats to academic freedom today? Should Critical Race Theory be taught on college campuses? What about in K-12 classrooms? Keith Whittington, Chairman of the Academic Freedom Alliance's Academic Committee and the William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Politics at Princeton University, joins the show to answer these questions and discuss the work of the Academic Freedom Alliance.

Are Books VIII and IX the climax of the Republic? Is 21st century America a democratic or oligarchic society? Are democratic societies destined for tyranny? Marcus Gibson, Director of the Princeton Initiative in Catholic Thought, returns to Madison's Notes to continue our series on the Platonic dialogues with a discussion of Books VIII and IX of the Republic. 

Is the Declaration of Independence unique? Does the Declaration prescribe a form of government? What is the relationship between the Declaration and the Constitution? Allen C. Guelzo, Director of the James Madison Program's Initiative on Politics and Statesmanship, joins the show to answer these questions and more. Guelzo's essay "Harry and me" can be found here.

Gigi Georges has had an extensive career in politics, public service, and academia. She joins Madison's Notes to discuss her new book, Downeast: Five Maine Girls and the Unseen Story of Rural America. Georges discusses rootedness, the importance of home, life in rural America, the double-edged sword of "Progress," and more. 

How did American Catholics go from subjects to citizens? Who is the "godfather" of the First Amendment? How can spiritual and temporal duties be reconciled? Michael Breidenbach, Associate Professor of History at Ave Maria University, joins the show to answer these questions and discuss his new book, Our Dear-Bought Liberty: Catholics and Religious Toleration in Early America.

Does God need politics? What does it mean to be free? Why should we care about tradition? Sohrab Ahmari, op-ed editor of the New York Post, joins Madison's Notes to discuss his new book, The Unbroken Thread: Discovering the Wisdom of Tradition in an Age of Chaos.

Why is education so important in a democracy? Are democracies capable of producing the citizens they need? What do John Locke and Alexis de Tocqueville have to teach us about education in a liberal democracy? Jeffrey Sikkenga, Executive Director of the Ashbrook Center, joins Madison's Notes to answer these questions and more. 

Helen Andrews, senior editor at The American Conservative, joins Madison's Notes to discuss her new book, Boomers: The Men and Women Who Promised Freedom and Delivered Disaster. 

Was Socrates guilty? What is the relationship between the philosopher and the city? What does it mean to live an "examined life"? Marcus Gibson, John and Daria Barry Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Princeton University's James Madison Program, returns to the show to discuss The Apology of Socrates in this second episode of our series on the Platonic dialogues.

For 40 months, Wang Xiyue was imprisoned in Iran on false charges of espionage. A doctoral candidate in history at Princeton University, Wang Xiyue joins the show to discuss his imprisonment and U.S.-Iranian relations. Xiyue's essay "What I learned in an Iranian prison" is here. His essay "Don’t let Iran’s human rights be sacrificed at the altar of a nuclear deal is here.