JWI Presents: Anchoring Truths Podcast

Garrett Snedeker sits down with Mark Bauerlein to discuss the New College of Florida, the importance of new alternative educational institutions, and what these kinds of long-term strategies mean for the conservative movement.

"Who Deserves Scalia's Mantle?" by Garrett Snedeker https://www.theamericanconservative.com/who-deserves-scalias-mantle/ "Legal Conservatism's Chevron Pivot" by Jesse Merriam https://lawliberty.org/book-review/legal-conservatisms-chevron-pivot/

Western Culture is in a state of crisis. Objective truth is being replaced by virtual reality, humanity by “transhumanism,” meaning by meaninglessness, and religion by whole-hearted devotion to scientism. And these are just a few examples of the situation the West faces. We discuss these subjects and more with Spencer Klavan, the author of How to Save the West: Ancient Wisdom for 5 Modern Crises (Regnery).

“The introduction of critical race theory (CRT) and race-based instruction in schools has disrupted American classrooms from coast to coast and impacted families from every ethnic, cultural, and income background.” That’s the opening sentence of a new book that chronicles the story of individual parents, students, and school board members who are fighting this ideological indoctrination. One of the co-authors of that book joins the Anchoring Truths Podcast. Lance Izumi is Senior Director of the Center for Education at the Pacific Research Institute. He has written and produced books, studies and films on a wide variety of education topics. His new co-authored book that we’ll discuss today is THE GREAT PARENT REVOLT: How Parents and Grassroots Leaders Are Fighting Critical Race Theory in America’s Schools. In 2016-17, Mr. Izumi served on President Trump’s transition Agency Action Team for education policy. As a member of the transition team, he drafted policy papers and recommendations for consideration by the Trump administration. Mr. Izumi served as chief speechwriter and director of writing and research for California Governor George Deukmejian and as speechwriter to United States Attorney General Edwin Meese III in President Ronald Reagan’s administration. You may purchase the book from Amazon here.

Dr. Samuel Gregg returns to the Anchoring Truths Podcast for a discussion of his new book, The Next American Economy: Nation, State, and Markets in an Uncertain World. Gregg carefully addresses New Right criticism of the conventional wisdom on economics that pervaded conservative intellectual circles in recent decades. Gregg offers a defense of America as a commercial republic, though one in need of a substantive argument rooted in morals to defend trade and growth. He also discusses how China's unique challenge requires a rethinking of the conventional wisdom in a healthy way.

Join Garrett Snedeker and Criminologist Barry Latzer for an in-depth look at Latzer's new book, The Myth of Overpunishment, arguing provocatively that America underincarcerates. Latzer also details his proposal for reducing the cost of incarceration as well as the overall prison population: e-carceration.

Host Garrett Snedeker and JWI Programs Manager Daniel Osborne review the key debates in law and morality animating the conservative legal movement in 2022. They also discuss how those debates featured in audiences gathered by JWI.

Garrett Snedeker sits down with Jordan Ballor, Director of Research at the Center for Religion, Culture, and Democracy at First Liberty Institute, to discuss the CRCD's inaugural, first of its kind initiative to measure and rank each state's safeguards for religious liberty.

Populism and self-government take center stage in this discussion of "The Conservative Affirmation" by essayist Willmoore Kendall. The book of essays has been re-released with a new foreword by ISI's Dan McCarthy. McCarthy joins us for a wide-ranging discussion of Kendall, populism, and the underpinnings of conservative intellectual thought. 

JWI Founder & Director Hadley Arkes offers his fullest statement on the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health. Arkes finds much to savor in Justice Alito's majority opinion, but cautions that the logic of Justice Kavanaugh's pivotal concurrence does not augur well for conservative jurisprudence. JWI Senior Scholar Gerry Bradley reacts to Arkes's address with his own notes of caution and his path forward for pro-life litigation strategy. This is a recording of a public event JWI hosted on October 28, 2022.