Podcasts about allan bloom

American philosopher, classicist, and academician

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Best podcasts about allan bloom

Latest podcast episodes about allan bloom

The Virtual Memories Show
Episode 631 - David Shields

The Virtual Memories Show

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2025 97:02


Author David Shields returns to the show for a conversation about his new documentary, HOW WE GOT HERE, and the companion book, HOW WE GOT HERE: Melville plus Nietzsche divided by the square root of Allan Bloom times Žižek squared = Bannon (Sublation Media). We get into how the world moved from the death of God to the death of essence to the death of truth, and how deconstruction, once the province of left-wing academia, was weaponized by right-wing authoritarians for political aims. We talk about how much blame he bears for all this with his 2010 book Reality Hunger, how it feels to be a radical with deep skepticism of radicals' language, his affinity for Werner Herzog's notion of the ecstatic truth in documentary films, what he learned from interviewing nonfiction writers about the nature of truth, and how he feels about going to his first WWE event. We also discuss nonlinear warfare and the endless deconstruction of reality, how writing can "build a bridge across the abyss of human loneliness" (per DFW), what he's learned from the collaboration of making documentaries, his fixation on hamartia (the tragic flaw), Walter Benjamin's notion of pursuing the truth even if we'll never reach it, bringing the public, social and personal worlds together in his writing, and a lot more. More info at our site • Support The Virtual Memories Show via Stripe, Patreon, or Paypal, and subscribe to our e-newsletter

The Panpsycast Philosophy Podcast
Episode 138, Plato's Symposium (Part III - The Ladder of Love)

The Panpsycast Philosophy Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 26, 2025 62:02


A Christmas party is where humanity's deepest truths can be revealed. It's a space where profound questions like "How much gravy is too much gravy?" “What is partridge doing in a pear tree?” mingle seamlessly with "What is the meaning of life?" The very act of gathering to celebrate is a tribute to our existential longing for connection, love, joy, and embarrassing drunken dance moves. Plato might have envisioned it as a quest for wisdom, but let's be honest, sometimes the real enlightenment happens while debating who gets the last Brussels sprout. Today, we're stepping into one of the most intriguing parties in philosophy — Plato's Symposium. A gathering of Ancient Athens' most brilliant minds, lounging on couches, wine flowing freely, engaging in an intense yet playful exchange about the nature of love. But make no mistake, this is no ordinary party. Hosted at the home of the tragic playwright Agathon, this gathering is filled with laughter, drama and impassioned speeches. A celebration of intellect and pleasure, a blend of wit, wisdom, and revelry. As the night goes on, the conversation turns from the playful to the profound. What insights do our guests discover? What, indeed, is love? So, grab a seat at the table—because in Plato's Symposium, the ideas are nearly as intoxicating … as the wine. Links Plato, The Symposium (pdf) Thomas Cooksey, Plato's Symposium: A Reader's Guide (book) Gregory D. Sadler, Plato's Symposium (YouTube lectures) Allan Bloom and Seth Benardete, Commentaries on Plato's Symposium (book) Pierre Destrée and Zina Giannopoulou, Plato's Symposium A Critical Guide (book) Note Please note that two of our microphones experienced technical difficulties. We appreciate your understanding and assure you that our usual high-quality audio will resume in the next episode.

The New Thinkery
Christopher Nadon On Classical Education and Why Kids Can't Read Good No More

The New Thinkery

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 22, 2025 58:40


This week, Alex and Greg meet up at UATX and are joined by Dr. Christopher Nadon, Associate Professor of Government at Claremont McKenna College and teacher of Western Civilization and humanities at Emet Classical Academy in New York. The group touch on Allan Bloom's The Closing of the American Mind before delving into Dr. Nadon's experience with just how far American students have fallen academically in recent decades. But not all hope is lost, as the group also discuss potential solutions to the rot infesting the American education system. Recommended reading: The Classical Cure for the Ivies

The Panpsycast Philosophy Podcast
Episode 138, Plato's Symposium (Part II - A Whole Lot of Love)

The Panpsycast Philosophy Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 12, 2025 48:34


A Christmas party is where humanity's deepest truths can be revealed. It's a space where profound questions like "How much gravy is too much gravy?" “What is partridge doing in a pear tree?” mingle seamlessly with "What is the meaning of life?" The very act of gathering to celebrate is a tribute to our existential longing for connection, love, joy, and embarrassing drunken dance moves. Plato might have envisioned it as a quest for wisdom, but let's be honest, sometimes the real enlightenment happens while debating who gets the last Brussels sprout. Today, we're stepping into one of the most intriguing parties in philosophy — Plato's Symposium. A gathering of Ancient Athens' most brilliant minds, lounging on couches, wine flowing freely, engaging in an intense yet playful exchange about the nature of love. But make no mistake, this is no ordinary party. Hosted at the home of the tragic playwright Agathon, this gathering is filled with laughter, drama and impassioned speeches. A celebration of intellect and pleasure, a blend of wit, wisdom, and revelry. As the night goes on, the conversation turns from the playful to the profound. What insights do our guests discover? What, indeed, is love? So, grab a seat at the table—because in Plato's Symposium, the ideas are nearly as intoxicating … as the wine. Links Plato, The Symposium (pdf) Thomas Cooksey, Plato's Symposium: A Reader's Guide (book) Gregory D. Sadler, Plato's Symposium (YouTube lectures) Allan Bloom and Seth Benardete, Commentaries on Plato's Symposium (book) Pierre Destrée and Zina Giannopoulou, Plato's Symposium A Critical Guide (book) Note Please note that two of our microphones experienced technical difficulties. We appreciate your understanding and assure you that our usual high-quality audio will resume in the next episode.

The Panpsycast Philosophy Podcast
Episode 138, Plato's Symposium (Part I - The Hangover)

The Panpsycast Philosophy Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 29, 2024 56:11


A Christmas party is where humanity's deepest truths can be revealed. It's a space where profound questions like "How much gravy is too much gravy?" “What is partridge doing in a pear tree?” mingle seamlessly with "What is the meaning of life?" The very act of gathering to celebrate is a tribute to our existential longing for connection, love, joy, and embarrassing drunken dance moves. Plato might have envisioned it as a quest for wisdom, but let's be honest, sometimes the real enlightenment happens while debating who gets the last Brussels sprout. Today, we're stepping into one of the most intriguing parties in philosophy — Plato's Symposium. A gathering of Ancient Athens' most brilliant minds, lounging on couches, wine flowing freely, engaging in an intense yet playful exchange about the nature of love. But make no mistake, this is no ordinary party. Hosted at the home of the tragic playwright Agathon, this gathering is filled with laughter, drama and impassioned speeches. A celebration of intellect and pleasure, a blend of wit, wisdom, and revelry. As the night goes on, the conversation turns from the playful to the profound. What insights do our guests discover? What, indeed, is love? So, grab a seat at the table—because in Plato's Symposium, the ideas are nearly as intoxicating … as the wine. Note Please note that two of our microphones experienced technical difficulties. We appreciate your understanding and assure you that our usual high-quality audio will resume in the next episode. Links Plato, The Symposium (pdf) Thomas Cooksey, Plato's Symposium: A Reader's Guide (book) Gregory D. Sadler, Plato's Symposium (YouTube lectures) Allan Bloom and Seth Benardete, Commentaries on Plato's Symposium (book) Pierre Destrée and Zina Giannopoulou, Plato's Symposium A Critical Guide (book)

Otherppl with Brad Listi
How to Write Literary Collage

Otherppl with Brad Listi

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2024 98:06


A new 'Craftwork' episode about the art of literary collage. My guest is David Shields, author of How We Got Here: Melville Plus Nietzsche Divided by the Square Root of (Allan) Bloom Times Zizek (Squared) Equals Bannon and A Christian Existentialist and a Psychoanalytic Atheist Walk Into a Trump Rally, both of which are available from Sublation Media. Shields also wrote and directed a documentary film called How We Got Here, based on his book and available now on Prime and other platforms. ***Note: Here is a list of some of David's favorite works of literary collage. Shields is the internationally bestselling author of twenty-five books, including Reality Hunger (which, in 2020, Lit Hub named one of the most important books of the past decade), The Thing About Life Is That One Day You'll Be Dead (New York Timesbestseller), Black Planet: Facing Race During an NBA Season (finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and PEN USA Award), Remote: Reflections on Life in the Shadow of Celebrity (PEN/Revson Award), and Other People: Takes & Mistakes (NYTBR Editors' Choice). The Very Last Interview was published by New York Review Books in 2022. The recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship, two NEA fellowships, and a New York Foundation for the Arts fellowship, Shields--a senior contributing editor of Conjunctions--has published essays and stories in New York Times Magazine, Harper's, Esquire, Yale Review, Salon, Slate, Tin House, A Public Space, McSweeney's, Believer, Huffington Post, Los Angeles Review of Books, and Best American Essays. His work has been translated into two dozen languages. The film adaptation of I Think You're Totally Wrong: A Quarrel, which Shields co-wrote and co-stars in, was released in 2017 and is now available as a DVD on Prime Video. Shields wrote, produced, and directed Lynch: A History, a 2019 documentary about Marshawn Lynch's use of silence, echo, and mimicry as key tools of resistance (streaming on Prime, Peacock, AMC, Sundance, Apple, and many other platforms). I'll Show You Mine, a feature film that Shields co-wrote and was produced by Mark and Jay Duplass, was released in 2023 and is now available on Prime and several other platforms. A new film, How We Got Here, which Shields wrote and directed and which argues that Melville plus Nietzsche divided by the square root of (Allan) Bloom times Zizek (squared) equals Bannon, is streaming now on Prime and several other platforms; the companion volume is forthcoming in September 2024. *** Otherppl with Brad Listi is a weekly literary podcast featuring in-depth interviews with today's leading writers. Available where podcasts are available: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, etc. Subscribe to Brad Listi's email newsletter. Support the show on Patreon Merch Twitter Instagram  TikTok Bluesky Email the show: letters [at] otherppl [dot] com The podcast is a proud affiliate partner of Bookshop, working to support local, independent bookstores. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

@theorypleeb critical theory &philosophy
David Shields | HOW WE GOT HERE: Melville + Nietzsche ÷ by the √ of (Allan) Bloom x Žižek² = Bannon

@theorypleeb critical theory &philosophy

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 23, 2024 64:37


An amazing conversation about the book and documentary HOW WE GOT HERE - Melville Plus Nietzsche Divided by the Square Root of (Allan) Bloom Times Žižek (Squared) Equals Bannon, by David Shields! Get a copy today! Let us know what you think. https://sublationmedia.com/product/how-we-got-here-melville-plus-nietzsche-divided-by-the-square-root-of-allan-bloom-times-zizek-squared-equals-bannon-by-david-shields/   ABOUT Theory Underground is a research, publishing, and lecture institute. TU exists to develop the concept of timenergy in the context of critical social theory (CST). To get basically situated in this field you will have to know a handful of important figures from a bunch of areas of the humanities and social sciences. That would be a lot of work for you if not for the fact that Dave, Ann, and Mikey are consolidating hundreds of thousands of hours of effort into a pirate TV-radio-press that goes on tours and throws conferences and stuff. Enjoy a ton of its content here for free or get involved to access courses and the ongoing research seminars.  GET INVOLVED or SUPPORT  Join live sessions and unlock past courses and forums on the TU Discord by becoming a member via the monthly subscription! It's the hands-down best way to get the most out of the content if you are excited to learn the field and become a thinker in the milieu: https://theoryunderground.com/products/tu-subscription-tiers Pledge support to the production of the free content on YouTube and Podcast https://www.patreon.com/TheoryUnderground Fund the publishing work via the TU Substack, where original works by the TU writers is featured alongside original works by Slavoj Zizek, Todd McGowan, Chris Cutrone, Nina Power, Alenka Zupancic, et al. https://theoryunderground.substack.com/ Get TU books at a discount: https://theoryunderground.com/publications CREDITS / LINKS Missed a course at Theory Underground? Wrong! Courses at Theory Underground are available after the fact on demand via the membership. https://theoryunderground.com/courses If you want to help TU in a totally gratuitous way, or support, here is a way to buy something concrete and immediately useful https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2MAWFYUJQIM58? Buy Dave and Ann a coffee date: https://www.venmo.com/u/Theorypleeb https://paypal.me/theorypleeb If Theory Underground has helped you see that text-to-speech technologies are a useful way of supplementing one's reading while living a busy life, if you want to be able to listen to PDFs for yourself, then Speechify is recommended. Use the link below and Theory Underground gets credit! https://share.speechify.com/mzwBHEB  Follow Theory Underground on Duolingo: https://invite.duolingo.com/BDHTZTB5CWWKTP747NSNMAOYEI  See Theory Underground memes and get occasional updates or thoughts via the Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/theory_underground MUSIC CREDITS Logo sequence music by https://olliebeanz.com/music https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/legalcode Mike Chino, Demigods https://youtu.be/M6wruxDngOk  

The Perfume Nationalist
The Closing of the American Mind

The Perfume Nationalist

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 30, 2024 107:09


Havana for Men by Aramis (1994) + The Closing of the American Mind: How Higher Education Has Failed Democracy and Impoverished the Souls of Today's Students by Allan Bloom (1987) 8/29/24 S6E66 To hear the complete continuing story of The Perfume Nationalist please subscribe on Patreon. 

Transmission
Eugénie Bastié - Mai 68 responsable de #Metoo ?

Transmission

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 30, 2024 86:11


Aujourd'hui nous recevons dans Transmission Eugénie Bastié, journaliste et essayiste au Figaro pour analyser le féminisme, le conservatisme sexuel et...Andrew Tate.L'ouvrage de Eugénie Bastié que Transmission vous recommande : ➡️ « Le porc émissaire, Terreur ou Contre-révolution ? », Le Cerf (2018) (https://www.fnac.com/a11826196/Eugenie-Bastie-Le-porc-emissaire) L'ouvrage que Eugénie Bastié vous recommande : ➡️ « L'âme désarmée, Essai sur le déclin de la culture générale », Allan Bloom, Belles Lettres (1987) Transmission, c'est des conversations entre les générations, avec les intellectuels d'hier et de demain. ⚠️ Un lundi sur deux, à 18h

Hillsdale Dialogues
Plato's Republic, Introduction

Hillsdale Dialogues

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 7, 2024 34:37


Daniel O'Toole, assistant professor of politics at Hillsdale College, joins Hugh Hewitt on the Hillsdale Dialogues for the start of a new series on Plato's Republic. In this episode, Dr. O'Toole and Hugh discuss the merits of Allan Bloom's The Republic of Plato translation. Release date: 7 June 2024See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Ricochet Audio Network Superfeed
Hillsdale Dialogues: Plato’s Republic, Introduction

The Ricochet Audio Network Superfeed

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 7, 2024


Daniel O’Toole, assistant professor of politics at Hillsdale College, joins Hugh Hewitt on the Hillsdale Dialogues for the start of a new series on Plato’s Republic. In this episode, Dr. O’Toole and Hugh discuss the merits of Allan Bloom’s The Republic of Plato translation.

Hillsdale College Podcast Network Superfeed
Plato's Republic, Introduction

Hillsdale College Podcast Network Superfeed

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 7, 2024 34:37


Daniel O'Toole, assistant professor of politics at Hillsdale College, joins Hugh Hewitt on the Hillsdale Dialogues for the start of a new series on Plato's Republic. In this episode, Dr. O'Toole and Hugh discuss the merits of Allan Bloom's The Republic of Plato translation. Release date: 7 June 2024See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values

While Leo Strauss was famous for influencing men and women who became intellectual heavyweights in the conservative movement—names like Allan Bloom, Irving Kristol, Harvey Mansfield, Thomas Pangle barely scratch the surface—few stand as tall as Harry Jaffa.  A cantankerous and quarrelsome debater to some and a beloved architect of restoring conservatism to a more American-focused and principled-based approach to others, Jaffa lived a remarkably long and productive life.  His writings persuaded William F. Buckley, Jr. away from a more sympathetically Southern conservatism and, with it, the whole of the conservative movement.   Joining Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis to explore the legacy of Harry Jaffa is returning guest Seth Root, who was last seen in episode 83 discussing the virtues of Straussianism.   About Seth Root Seth Root is a self-described Claremont Institute hack who doesn't care for Edmund Burke, but we love him anyway.  He was the cohost of the tragically defunct In The Trenches Podcast, a show for conversations with people that are right in the middle of the war of ideas.  Seth was a fellow at Conservative Partnership Institute and an intern at the James Wilson Institute on Natural Rights and the American Founding.  He currently works for the Oregon State Senate.  You can follow Seth on Twitter @SethRoot1  

Sacred and Profane Love
Re-run: Episode 43 - The Closing of the American Mind with Brad Carson

Sacred and Profane Love

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 1, 2023 66:19


This week, we revisit Episode 43 with Brad Carson on Allan Bloom's The Closing of the American Mind! In this episode, I speak with the president of the University of Tulsa, Brad Carson, about Allan Bloom's infamous book, The Closing of the American Mind. Brad and I ultimately decide that while we like some of Bloom's key ideas about what a university is for, we do not love the book itself, which has some serious flaws (though we may differ slightly about what we think those flaws are). As always, I hope you enjoy our conversation. Brad Carson is The University of Tulsa's 21st president. Having built a distinguished career in public service, law and education, before becoming president of TU, Carson was a professor at the University of Virginia, teaching courses related to national security and public sector innovation. In 2015, President Barack Obama appointed Carson acting under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness at the U.S. Department of Defense. Prior to that, Carson served as the under secretary of the U.S. Army, where he managed the daily operations of the largest military service, and as general counsel of the U.S. Army, where he oversaw the service's worldwide legal operations. Carson is widely published and is a noted authority on national security, energy policy and American politics. From 2001 to 2005, Carson served two terms as a U.S. congressman, representing Oklahoma's 2nd District. Later, he was appointed to the faculty of TU's Collins College of Business and College of Law, where he taught courses on energy policy, property law, negotiation and game theory, globalization and law and literature. In 2008, Carson deployed during Operation Iraqi Freedom as an intelligence officer and was awarded the Bronze Star for his service. Raised in Oklahoma, Carson received his BA from Baylor University and was a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford. He then went on to earn a JD at the University of Oklahoma. Jennifer Frey is the inaugural dean of the Honors College at the University of Tulsa. Through Spring of 2023, she served as Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of South Carolina and as a fellow of the Institute for Human Ecology at the Catholic University of America. She also previously served as a Collegiate Assistant Professor of Humanities at the University of Chicago, where she was a member of the Society of Fellows in the Liberal Arts and an affiliated faculty in the philosophy department. Frey holds a PhD from the University of Pittsburgh and a B.A. from Indiana University-Bloomington. She has published widely on action, virtue, practical reason, and meta-ethics, and has recently co-edited an interdisciplinary volume, Self-Transcendence and Virtue Perspectives from Philosophy, Psychology, and Theology (Routledge, 2018). You can follow her on Twitter @ jennfrey. Sacred and Profane Love is a podcast in which philosophers, theologians, and literary critics discuss some of their favorite works of literature, and how these works have shaped their own ideas about love, happiness, and meaning in human life. Host Jennifer A. Frey is inaugural dean of the Honors College at the University of Tulsa. The podcast is generously supported by The Institute for Human Ecology at the Catholic University of America and produced by Catholics for Hire.

Sacred and Profane Love
Re-run: Episode 43 - The Closing of the American Mind with Brad Carson

Sacred and Profane Love

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 1, 2023 66:19


This week, we revisit Episode 43 with Brad Carson on Allan Bloom's The Closing of the American Mind! In this episode, I speak with the president of the University of Tulsa, Brad Carson, about Allan Bloom's infamous book, The Closing of the American Mind. Brad and I ultimately decide that while we like some of Bloom's key ideas about what a university is for, we do not love the book itself, which has some serious flaws (though we may differ slightly about what we think those flaws are). As always, I hope you enjoy our conversation. Brad Carson is The University of Tulsa's 21st president. Having built a distinguished career in public service, law and education, before becoming president of TU, Carson was a professor at the University of Virginia, teaching courses related to national security and public sector innovation. In 2015, President Barack Obama appointed Carson acting under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness at the U.S. Department of Defense. Prior to that, Carson served as the under secretary of the U.S. Army, where he managed the daily operations of the largest military service, and as general counsel of the U.S. Army, where he oversaw the service's worldwide legal operations. Carson is widely published and is a noted authority on national security, energy policy and American politics. From 2001 to 2005, Carson served two terms as a U.S. congressman, representing Oklahoma's 2nd District. Later, he was appointed to the faculty of TU's Collins College of Business and College of Law, where he taught courses on energy policy, property law, negotiation and game theory, globalization and law and literature. In 2008, Carson deployed during Operation Iraqi Freedom as an intelligence officer and was awarded the Bronze Star for his service. Raised in Oklahoma, Carson received his BA from Baylor University and was a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford. He then went on to earn a JD at the University of Oklahoma. Jennifer Frey is the inaugural dean of the Honors College at the University of Tulsa. Through Spring of 2023, she served as Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of South Carolina and as a fellow of the Institute for Human Ecology at the Catholic University of America. She also previously served as a Collegiate Assistant Professor of Humanities at the University of Chicago, where she was a member of the Society of Fellows in the Liberal Arts and an affiliated faculty in the philosophy department. Frey holds a PhD from the University of Pittsburgh and a B.A. from Indiana University-Bloomington. She has published widely on action, virtue, practical reason, and meta-ethics, and has recently co-edited an interdisciplinary volume, Self-Transcendence and Virtue Perspectives from Philosophy, Psychology, and Theology (Routledge, 2018). You can follow her on Twitter @jennfrey. Sacred and Profane Love is a podcast in which philosophers, theologians, and literary critics discuss some of their favorite works of literature, and how these works have shaped their own ideas about love, happiness, and meaning in human life. Host Jennifer A. Frey is inaugural dean of the Honors College at the University of Tulsa. The podcast is generously supported by The Institute for Human Ecology at the Catholic University of America and produced by Catholics for Hire.

What's Tom Reading?
Episode 33 - The Closing of the American Mind

What's Tom Reading?

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 13, 2023 59:35


Hello, my friends!Today I am talking about the interesting, erudite, and very, very grouchy book "The Closing of the American Mind" by Allan Bloom.This is a controversial book, written by a controversial man,  but it is downright beautiful and full of interesting and valuable things that will make you think. I highly recommend it!If it sounds like something that you would be interested in, then stay tuned and enjoy the show!Tom

Worker and Parasite
The Closing of the American Mind by Allan Bloom

Worker and Parasite

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 20, 2023 67:08


In this episode we discuss The Closing of the American Mind by Allan Bloom. Next time we'll discuss The White Album by Joan Didion.

Worker and Parasite
After Liberalism by Paul Gottfried

Worker and Parasite

Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2023 81:18


In this episode we discuss After Liberalism: Mass Democracy in the Managerial State by Paul Gottfried. Next time we'll discuss The Closing of the American Mind by Allan Bloom.

Enduring Interest
Pamela Jensen on Rousseau's Letter to d'Alembert

Enduring Interest

Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2023 88:19


Here's the second episode in our occasional series on lesser-known works by authors of acknowledged classics. We discuss Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Letter to d'Alembert on the Theater. D'Alembert published an article on Geneva for the Encyclopédie in 1757 which included a recommendation that Geneva should have a theater. Rousseau soon took up his been to argue against his friend's proposal. “In so doing,” wrote Allan Bloom, “Rousseau presented as complete a treatment of the arts in relation to politics as has ever been produced.” This conversation includes an overview of Rousseau's remarkable career, an introduction to the context for the letter, and a discussion of the letter's many themes and proposals. We take up the question of amusements or entertainments and their importance to the political life of any nation. We spend some time on the theater in general and French theater in particular and Rousseau's understanding of what this institution does to our passions. The letter is a remarkable work in that it moves back and forth between general themes and very concrete discussions of particular peoples and their habits and institutions. Rousseau discusses Genevan institutions and makes proposals for new ones near the end of the letter. We look closely at his analyses and proposals and discuss his understanding of the relation between love and liberty. Other topics include: (1) why drunkenness is ok (2) Spartan women and naked marching (3) how to get rid of dueling (4) why actors are liars and should be avoided (5) why a Miss Geneva pageant makes sense but the theater doesn't. My guest is Pamela Jensen. She is Professor of Political Science Emerita at Kenyon College, where she taught modern political philosophy and politics and literature for thirty-four years. She is widely published on a range of authors and themes but see in particular her work on Rousseau, Shakespeare, and Ralph Ellison. She has a truly outstanding essay on Rousseau's Letter entitled, “Love and Liberty in Rousseau.” This can be found in a book called Love and Friendship:  Rethinking Politics and Affection in Modern Times, edited by Eduardo A. Velasquez.

The New Thinkery
The Introduction to Allan Bloom's The Closing of the American Mind

The New Thinkery

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 19, 2023 65:24


This week, the guys take a look at the introductory section of Allan Bloom's The Closing of the American Mind. In their analysis, the guys cover the significance of Bloom's writings in the context of American political thought as well as the merits of his argument in his introduction.

Boardroom Governance with Evan Epstein
Mario Mancuso: Geopolitics, National Security and Strategy in the Boardroom.

Boardroom Governance with Evan Epstein

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 1, 2023 51:42


0:00 -- Intro.1:42 -- Start of interview.3:31 -- Mario's "origin story". 9:25 -- The origin, evolution and impact of CFIUS. "The (regulatory) process is the bottle, national security is the wine." The driver of CFIUS is national security.13:11 -- On the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2018 (FIRRMA). 18:18 -- His recommendation on how boards should think about CFIUS matters.  His book: "A Dealmaker's Guide to CFIUS: Answers to Common Questions from Boards, Bankers and Investors." 21:40 -- On the new CFIUS Enforcement Guidelines (Fall 2022). "Since FIRRMA, CFIUS has been significantly resourced by the U.S. Government and today there is an independent office within CFIUS that is entirely focused on transactions that were not notified to the Committee." (see CFIUS annual reports to Congress). There are hundreds of transactions reported per year at this stage.25:58 -- The proposed outbound investment screening regulatory framework. "[It may impact] a U.S. person sitting in a Chinese board (for example)." "The U.S. has jurisdiction over U.S. capital, U.S. persons, U.S. technology, etc and the U.S. wants to slow down adversary countries." "We will know a lot more about this framework by the end of February 2023 when the report comes out."29:47 -- On the different approaches to industrial policies by China and the U.S. The Chips and Science Act and IRA Act of 2022.36:36 -- On how boards should consider geopolitical risks and opportunities ("how to optimize outcomes"): Three questions to consider: 1) The U.S.- China relationship, 2) What the US is doing with its allies / What China is doing with its allies, and 3) What are national governments doing to independently enhance their own sovereignty and security resilience.39:17 -- On US jurisdiction over U.S. foreign-listed companies. Example of Canada ordering divestment from Chinese investments in Canadian lithium companies.43:30 -- Final thoughts for directors on geopolitics and national security issues. 44:24 - The books that have greatly influenced his life: Moby Dick, by Herman Melville (1851)The Closing of the American Mind, by Allan Bloom (1987)45:56 - His mentors, and what he learned from them. Donald Rumsfeld (former U.S. Secretary of Defense)Aviva Diamant (retired, Fried Frank)Norm Augustine (former Chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin)48:20 -  Quotes he thinks of often or live his life by. From his mother "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice.” (psalms)49:05 - An unusual habit or an absurd thing that he loves: early rising and journaling at a coffee shop or diner.50:06 - The living person he most admires: his dad.Mario Mancuso is a Partner of Kirkland & Ellis and leads the firm's international trade and national security practice. A former senior member of the President's national security team, Mario provides strategic and legal advice to companies, private equity sponsors, and financial institutions operating or investing across international borders.__ You can follow Mario on social media at:Twitter: @MancusoOnlineLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariomancuso/__ You can follow Evan on social media at:Twitter: @evanepsteinLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/ Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/__Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License

TrustTalk - It's all about Trust
Trust & the Future of Democracy

TrustTalk - It's all about Trust

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2022 20:12


Our guest today is Francis Fukuyama. He is the Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow at Stanford University's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and a faculty member of the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, and a professor of Political Science. His interest in philosophy and inspiration for his later work came from his undergraduate teacher, Allan Bloom. He talks about interpersonal trust that enables formal institutions to establish property rights and the rule of law and a commercial code to promote economic activity, about the lack of trust that will add to transaction costs and make business dealings much more difficult. When asked about the eroding political trust he talks about the rise of populist politicians and the distrust they foster against institutions as well as media to gain power, the elite losing sight of the views of ordinary people, being unresponsive and unaccountable, which has led to a crisis of trust in political institutions. We talk about information distortion, conspiracy theories, and the imperviousness of fact-checking and evidence. He counters China and Russia's arguments that liberal democracy is an obsolete system, and talks about Putin's Ukraine war and the effects that any outcome will have on other conflicts in the world, the Biden election win denial in the US, people's disenchantment with European institutions for not delivering.

Theory 2 Action Podcast
LM#14--The 16,000 hour war (Part 1)

Theory 2 Action Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 9, 2022 32:46


The Book Club
The Book Club: The Closing of the American Mind by Allan Bloom with Max Eden

The Book Club

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 22, 2022 21:09


Something is deeply amiss in contemporary American culture. Young people have lost touch with reality and have become trapped by moral relativism. Is post-modern education to blame? Education expert Max Eden joins Michael Knowles for an eye-opening discussion of Allan Bloom's unexpected bestseller The Closing of the American Mind. Donate today to help keep PragerU podcasts and videos free! PragerU.com/donate

Origin Story
Woke: The word that splits the world

Origin Story

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 20, 2022 66:30


Who turned Woke from a badge of African-American pride into a hammer to beat liberals with? How does it relate to PC? And what are Erykah Badu, Piers Morgan, the weaponisation of African-American slang against black people, Julie Burchill and Google's salad emoji doing in the eye of the Culture War storm?  Ian and Dorian investigate another world-changing concept you thought you knew.  –––––––– Woke: A Reading List From Dorian: The War of the Words by Sarah Dunant. Fascinating 90s collection of essays about political correctness from writers across the political spectrum. We are still having many of the same arguments. Debating PC by Paul Berman. As above but American. Political Correctness: A History of Semantics and Culture by Geoffrey Hughes. A serious attempt at a history of PC. The Culture of Complaint by Robert Hughes. Extremely opinionated and entertaining 1994 polemic against censors and heresy-hunters on both left and right. The Myth of Political Correctness by John Wilson. This forensic examination of the original anti-PC backlash reveals how many of the key case studies were exaggerated or invented, and the role that right wing think tanks played in drumming them up. Sounds familiar. The Closing of the American Mind by Allan Bloom. Of historical interest only. The cranky jeremiad that became a colossal bestseller and kickstarted America's obsession with political correctness. And from Ian: Wake Up by Piers Morgan. Don't read this. Welcome To The Woke Trials: How Identity Killed Progressive Politics by Julie Burchill. Don't read this. The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure by Jonathan Heidt and Greg Lukianoff. Don't read this, but if you're really going to insist on reading one of these, I guess make it this one. –––––––– “Even racists seem to want to appropriate MLK. Maybe if you're woke and dead you're OK?” – Dorian Lynskey –––––––– Written and presented by Dorian Lynskey and Ian Dunt. Audio production by Jade Bailey and Alex Rees. Music by Jade Bailey. Logo art by Mischa Welsh. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Origin Story is a Podmasters production.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Free Mind Podcast
S2 E5: Paul Ulrich, Allan Bloom and Higher Education

The Free Mind Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2022 49:56


Paul Ulrich is an Associate Professor of Political Science and the Director of the Intellectual Foundations Program at Carthage College. Our conversation today explores Allan Bloom's 1987 book The Closing of the American Mind.

The Ricochet Audio Network Superfeed
Power Line: The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Glenn Ellmers on the Jordan Peterson Phenomenon (#327)

The Ricochet Audio Network Superfeed

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 23, 2022 65:22


Jordan Peterson took the intellectual world by storm in 2016, bursting on the scene in a way not seen by a non-leftist thinker since Allan Bloom in the late 1980s. His idiosyncratic mix of Jungian psychology, existential philosophy, and common-sense self-help advice (also lobsters!) as expressed in his best-seller 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote […]

Power Line
E327. The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Glenn Ellmers on the Jordan Peterson Phenomenon

Power Line

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 23, 2022 65:22


Jordan Peterson took the intellectual world by storm in 2016, bursting on the scene in a way not seen by a non-leftist thinker since Allan Bloom in the late 1980s. His idiosyncratic mix of Jungian psychology, existential philosophy, and common-sense self-help advice (also lobsters!) as expressed in his best-seller 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos, is hard to sort out at times. Glenn Ellmers, one of our favorite recent authors (who also got a long notice from Thomas Byrne Edsall’s latest New York Times column this week), took a deep dive into “the Jordan Peterson phenomenon” in the Claremont Review of Books back in 2018, having attended one of Peterson’s live appearances in Washington DC. Above all, we marvel at how Peterson cooly flummoxes his critics and media interlocutors, as in the justly notorious TV interview with the obtuse Cathy Newman in Britain in 2018. One thing the enthusiastic response to Peterson demonstrates is how large is the void of sensible intellectual and moral thought available especially to young people. Peterson’s capacious and eclectic approach to communicating is an implicit reproach to conservatives who reside too narrowly in policy wonkery and stale cliches. Can Peterson be imitated or replicated? Probably not, but there are some general lessons to be learned from his example. Did you know there is actually a Jordan Peterson drinking song? It was the obvious choice for exit music for a podcast organized around whisky.

Power Line
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Glenn Ellmers on the Jordan Peterson Phenomenon

Power Line

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 23, 2022 65:22


Jordan Peterson took the intellectual world by storm in 2016, bursting on the scene in a way not seen by a non-leftist thinker since Allan Bloom in the late 1980s. His idiosyncratic mix of Jungian psychology, existential philosophy, and common-sense self-help advice (also lobsters!) as expressed in his best-seller 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos, is hard to sort out at times. Glenn Ellmers... Source

New Ideal, from the Ayn Rand Institute
Quillette's Anti-Intellectual Treatment of Ayn Rand

New Ideal, from the Ayn Rand Institute

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 20, 2021 52:35


In this episode of New Ideal Live, Elan Journo, Robert Mayhew and Keith Lockitch discuss the philosophic significance of the anti-intellectual treatment of Ayn Rand in a recent article published in Quillette magazine. Among the topics covered: Quillette's history of publishing heterodox, intellectually serious articles;The basic incompetence and unoriginality of Quillette's piece on Ayn Rand;Why Rand appeals to the idealism of youth, and why critics sneer at young people's interest in her;Why people often claim to have “outgrown” Rand;The meaning of Allan Bloom's and Steven Pinker's dismissals of Rand;The value of commenting on articles like this, despite their lack of merit;The widespread acceptance of altruism as a major cause of attacks on Rand. Mentioned in the discussion are Ayn Rand's essays “Art and Moral Treason” and “Art and Sense of Life” from her book The Romantic Manifesto, “The ‘Inexplicable Personal Alchemy'” from her book Return of the Primitive, and her introduction to the 25th anniversary edition of The Fountainhead. Also mentioned are the books Essays on Ayn Rand's "We the Living," Essays on Ayn Rand's "Anthem," Essays on Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead" (particularly Ben Bayer's essay “The Fountainhead and the Spirit of Youth”) and Essays on Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged," all edited by Mayhew. The podcast was recorded on December 16, 2021. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://youtu.be/aB2I6sYGMqU Podcast audio:

The Wiggin Sessions
Anya Leonard—Combat the Demolition of the American Mind with the Classics EP32

The Wiggin Sessions

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 22, 2021 52:17


In his 1987 bestseller, The Closing of the American Mind, Allan Bloom explores how abandoning a Classical education in favor of political correctness leads to indoctrination over independent thinking.  Anya Leonard sees a further erosion of the American mind today, where social media is driving us further and further into isolated silos. Where independent thought and the exchange of ideas is frowned upon. And under pressure from the ‘woke mob,' universities are eliminating their Classics departments.  So, what can we do to combat this demolition of the American mind? How can studying history and the Classics reverse this dangerous trend?  Anya is the Founder of Classical Wisdom, a platform dedicated to preserving Classical ideas. She earned an MA in Sociology from the University of Edinburgh and studied at St. John's College with a double major in Philosophy and the History of Math and Science. On this episode of The Wiggin Sessions, Anya joins me to share her experience in the Great Books Program at St. John's and explain how we might distill the wisdom of the Classics to take inspired action now. Anya explains her decision to travel the globe with her daughter Freida and challenges us to expand our view of the Classics, offering insight around the ancient world as a huge and diverse place. Listen in for Anya's take on the parallels between Mao's China and America today—and learn to leverage the Classics to ‘vaccinate' yourself against the demolition of the American mind. Key Takeaways   How Anya defines the Classics and her experience in the Great Books Program at St. John's What's important about the Classics and what we can learn from studying the Western cannon Anya and her husband's decision to travel the globe with their daughter Freida What inspired Anya's essays around her idea of the demolition of the American mind How social media impacts our brains and drives us into isolated silos How we might distill the wisdom carried in history and stories to take inspired action now Anya's explanation of stoicism and how we can apply its principles in modern life The guest lecturers Anya is featuring on Classical Wisdom, e.g.: Zena Hitz and Anika Prather Anya's insight around the ancient world as a huge and diverse place Anya's passion for preserving Classical ideas (and the resources she provides to that end) Connect with Anya Leonard Demolition of the American Mind  Classical Wisdom Classical Wisdom Speaks Connect with Addison Wiggin Consilience Financial Be sure to follow The Wiggin Sessions on your socials. You can find me on— Facebook @thewigginsessions Instagram @thewigginsessions Twitter @WigginSessions Resources  5-Minute Forecast  Anya Leonard on The Wiggin Sessions EP006  The Closing of the America Mind: How Higher Education Has Failed Democracy and Impoverished the Souls of Today's Students by Allan Bloom Emily Wilson's Translation of The Odyssey  Dan Denning, Anya Leonard and Joel Bowman on The Wiggin Sessions EP013 Kathleen Stock Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism: A Study of ‘Brainwashing' in China by Robert Jay Lifton Jeffrey A. Tucker at the Brownstone Institute  Anthony A. Long William B. Irvine Donald Robertson  Zeno of Citium Meditations by Marcus Aurelius  Lost in Thought: The Hidden Pleasures of an Intellectual Life by Zena Hitz Dr. Anika T. Prather The Dying Citizen: How Progressive Elites, Tribalism and Globalization Are Destroying the Idea of America by Victor Davis Hanson Niall Ferguson James Hankins Angie Hobbs Empire of Debt: The Rise of an Epic Financial Crisis by Will Bonner and Addison Wiggin The Essential Classics Classical Wisdom Society Litterae Magazine

Prawie Inteligentny Podcast
Podcast Push START #58 - Dokąd zmierza poprawność polityczna

Prawie Inteligentny Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 8, 2021 49:45


ZAPRASZAMY NA: https://pushstart.pl MUZYKA: ToyBlackHat : https://podcast.giereczkowy.pl Poprawność polityczna sposób używania języka w dyskursie publicznym, którego deklarowanym celem jest zachowanie szacunku oraz tolerancji wobec członków mniejszości[1], w szczególności wobec grup dyskryminowanych[2]. Współczesne znaczenie tego terminu zostało ukształtowane przez debatę pomiędzy konserwatystami (np. Allan Bloom, Dinesh D'Souza) a przedstawicielami nowej lewicy w USA w latach 80. XX wieku[3]. W Wielkiej Brytanii i USA termin na ogół funkcjonuje jako określenie o negatywnych konotacjach[4]. Od lat 90. XX wieku stosowany jest przez osoby o prawicowych poglądach, jako rodzaj krytyki działań mających na celu walkę z seksizmem, rasizmem, homofobią[5]. Poprawność polityczna w POPkulturze - w nowych produkcjach kładzie się duży nacisk na pokazanie siły kobiet, mniejszości seksualnych czy wypłaszcza się pochodzenie postaci np. historycznych obsadzając czarnoskórego aktora do roli postaci która pochodziła z europy w okresie historycznym w którym takie osoby były rzadkością w społeczeństwie a konkretna postać miała historycznie inny kolor skóry Zakrzywianie rzeczywistości w imię poprawności. - nie mówi się o pewnych historycznych zajściach bo nie wypada nawet jeśli produkcja bazuje na faktach autentycznych. Usuwanie postaci w grach które nawiązują do osób które w swoim życiu popełniły jakiś błąd związany z poprawnością polityczną. - zmiana nazwy bohatera “Jesego McCree” w overwatch na “Col Casidy” bo pierwotna nazwa bohatera była wzorowana na pracowniku Blizzarda który dopuścił się nadużyć na tle seksualnym w pracy… przykłady można mnożyć ostatnio w blizzardzie podobnych sytuacji z usuwaniem postaci w WoW czy zmianą nazw NPC było dużo z uwagi na kontrowersje wokół atmosfery i nadużyć w firmie. Hejtowanie “gwiazd” po latach kiedy to na światło dzienne wychodzą różne afery z przeszłości. - Majkel Dżekson i podejrzenia o pedofilie vs. nie słuchamy jego muzyki bo za życią mógł być zwyrolem - Lech Wałęsa podpisał jakiś papier i niezależnie od tego co zrobił dla naszego kraju dla wielu już na zawsze zostanie agentem BOLKIEM - Hejt nie dotyczy tylko osób ale również całych “dzieł” w kontekscie hejtowania Diablo 2 Wskrzeszenie bo w Blizzardzie molestują .. Gdzie jest granica i czy powinniśmy oddzielać dzieło od twórcy czy może wręcz przeciwnie? Dokąd to wszystko zmierza ? Kiedy poprawność polityczna spadnie z rowerka i jakie będą tego konsekwencje? - zajmujemy się kolorem skóry czy płcią bohatera bajki a nie rozmawiamy o poważnych problemach tego świata - bunt przeciwko temu zjawisku czyli umacnianie się skrajnej prawicy. - zanikanie lokalnych tradycji bo ktoś się może obrazi - budowanie negatywnego wizerunku mniejszości - jako tego zła które zabieram nam naszą tożsamość - ataki na mniejszości bo to patrz wyżej PayPal: https://paypal.me/vaderio?locale.x=pl_PL Twitter : @Vaderioo @Pimol87 Twitch: twitch.tv/vaderioo twitch.tv/pimol87 Instagram : @drkwozniak @zycie_wedlug_lipcow Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClY4... Życie według Lipców: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLI... Pracownia: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXD4... Discord: https://discord.gg/Va3HMU5mzv

Anticipating The Unintended
#146 Woke Up On The 'Right' Side

Anticipating The Unintended

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 7, 2021 20:16


India Policy Watch: Countering Wokeism Insights on burning policy issues in India— RSJYou know a term has entered the zeitgeist when it reaches your family WhatsApp group that’s kept alive by aunts and uncles forwarding every dubious message that confirms their biases. So, when I received a message on the group that urged us to celebrate this Diwali with firecrackers to show the ‘wokes’ their place, I realised the word has crossed some kind of a threshold. And then I noticed social media was full of similar assertion of Sanatan Dharma against wokes (and Christians too). Some kind of international conspiracy of the wokes had to be thwarted, our religion and tradition had to be reclaimed and, apparently, lighting a firecracker was the place to start. Another day, another assault on our dharma and another lightening response by us because we are ever vigilant now. And that set me thinking about wokeism. Is it a nihilistic, virtue signaling, leftist movement that imagines victimhood, rejects tradition and reduces everything to identity? Or, is it an easy catch-all pejorative that serves as a convenient fig leaf for bigots of every shade to run down any progressive, liberal idea without engaging with their merit? Are all anti-woke responses the same? Or, is there a right and a wrong cause to protest wokeism? Blooming Of The Conservative MindI thought it will be useful to go back to the original text that questioned ‘openness’ and relativism to search for answers. Allan Bloom’s Closing of the American Mind (1987) was the earliest and remains perhaps the most intellectually stimulating challenge to the dogma of liberalism that had take over the academic and media bastions in America. Bloom, a professor of Philosophy at University of Chicago, wrote the book based on the ‘sample’ of students he taught over a couple of decades starting from the 60s. Bloom took a counterintuitive view to the liberal consensus that keeping an open mind that’s free of prejudice is the way for a society to progress. He countered:“Prejudices, strong prejudices, are visions about the way things are. They are divinations of the order of the whole of things, and hence the road to a knowledge of that whole is by way of erroneous opinions about it. Error is indeed our enemy, but it alone points to the truth and therefore deserves our respectful treatment. The mind that has no prejudices at the outset is empty. It can only have been constituted by a method that is unaware of how difficult it is to recognize that a prejudice is a prejudice.”While woke as a term and cultural phenomenon was still a few decades away, Bloom had anticipated its origin and its pathologies quite accurately. For Bloom, the moral goal of every education system and, therefore, of the society, was to produce a human being who is in accord with its fundamental principle. As he wrote:“Aristocracies want gentlemen, oligarchies men who respect and pursue money, and democracies lovers of equality. Democratic education, whether it admits it or not, wants and needs to produce men and women who have the tastes, knowledge, and character supportive of a democratic regime.”So, what did this mean for the US? For Bloom, the moral imperative of a US citizen was quite clear:“Above all he was to know the rights doctrine; the Constitution, which embodied it; and American history, which presented and celebrated the founding of a nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."“A powerful attachment to the letter and the spirit of the Declaration of Independence gently conveyed, appealing to each man's reason, was the goal of the education of democratic man.”This starting position is important to appreciate when anyone is looking to imitate or transplant anti-woke rhetoric into their societies. If you live in a democracy and value its moral principles, your argument against the liberal project will have to be founded on this truth. The Three MovesFrom this starting position, Bloom makes three key moves in his dissection of where liberalism or wokeism, as we might call it today, loses its way.First, he argues that allegiance to the natural rights of man should supersede all other allegiances or identities. The folksy way of saying this is you should do no favour to your first cousin that you will deny a fellow citizen. In his scepticism of what is called progressive thought, Bloom didn’t hark back to an ancient way of life or a religious code. Instead, he stuck to the first principles of liberty:“This called for something very different from the kinds of attachment required for traditional communities where myth and passion as well as severe discipline, authority, and the extended family produced an instinctive, unqualified, even fanatic patriotism, unlike the reflected, rational, calm, even self-interested loyalty—not so much to the country but to the form of government and its rational principles—required in the United States.”“The palpable difference between these two can easily be found in the changed understanding of what it means to be an American. The old view was that, by recognizing and accepting man's natural rights, men found a fundamental basis of unity and sameness. Class, race, religion, national origin or culture all disappear or become dim when bathed in the light of natural rights, which give men common interests and make them truly brothers. The immigrant had to put behind him the claims of the Old World in favor of a new and easily acquired education. This did not necessarily mean abandoning old daily habits or religions, but it did mean subordinating them to new principles. There was a tendency, if not a necessity, to homogenize nature itself.”So far, so good. The liberals would grudgingly and partially agree to this too. It is the second move of Bloom, both dazzlingly insightful and contentious, that made the book a bestseller and launched a vigorous conservative intellectual movement against what passed as liberalism in the late 20th century.  Bloom made a strong case against openness and relativism, two notions dear to the liberal hearts. What’s the basis for deeming these as lofty ideals? The pursuit of being open to every thought and ideology without rigorously questioning it. Or, the belief that every culture and its way of life hold virtues that might be different from ours but are virtues nevertheless. Bloom eviscerated the liberal platform that dominated (and still dominates) the US academic and intellectual environs. On openness, Bloom wrote:“Thus there are two kinds of openness, the openness of indifference —promoted with the twin purposes of humbling our intellectual pride and letting us be whatever we want to be, just as long as we don't want to be knowers—and the openness that invites us to the quest for knowledge and certitude, for which history and the various cultures provide a brilliant array of examples for examination. This second kind of openness encourages the desire that animates and makes interesting every serious student—"I want to know what is good for me, what will make me happy" —while the former stunts that desire.Openness, as currently conceived, is a way of making surrender to whatever is most powerful, or worship of vulgar success, look principled.”Then Bloom laid into cultural relativism:“Men cannot remain content with what is given to them by their culture if they are to be fully human. This is what Plato meant to show by the image of the cave in the Republic and by representing us as prisoners in it. A culture is a cave. He did not suggest going around to other cultures as a solution to the limitations of the cave. Nature should be the standard by which we judge our own lives and the lives of peoples. That is why philosophy, not history or anthropology, is the most important human, science.”And his bold claim that there is reason to believe in superiority of Western culture because it is moored in the natural rights of man and on the primacy of reason.“Cultural relativism succeeds in destroying the West's universal or intellectually imperialistic claims, leaving it to be just another culture. So there is equality in the republic of cultures. Unfortunately the West is defined by its need for justification of its ways or values, by its need for discovery of nature, by its need for philosophy and science. This is its cultural imperative. Deprived of that, it will collapse.”This second move of Bloom is interesting when viewed from an Indian conservative perspective. Let’s consider democracy and its central premise of equality are moral imperatives that are subscribed to by the conservatives. Then when they make a case against woke or liberal ideas, what’s their alternative moral position? That which is rooted in principles of natural rights like it is laid out in our constitution? If it is this, then they have Bloom on their side. Or, is it some principles strewn across multiple ancient texts of the Sanatan Dharma? If it is this, then they will have to prove how these principles will hold good in a modern democracy. Because this was the exact debate on the Hindu Code Bill right after independence. That was an attempt to reconcile the long-running practices of Hinduism to the democratic code we had adapted. It wasn’t easy because, on multiple issues, no reconciliation was possible. The past had to be reformed. I suspect the alternative that most anti-woke voices in India will stand for today will be this harking back to some mythical past where social order was “equal” only in some kind of a twisted way that would justify caste and gender discrimination. This is a subversion of true conservatism as Bloom would point out.The third move of Bloom in his book was how he makes a case for majoritarianism as a virtue. Again, this is interesting from an Indian conservative perspective. For Bloom, liberal democracy was designed in a way where minority interests that are often driven by passion, prejudice or spite cancel each other out for the rational and temperate instincts of the majority to thrive. Pandering to factions and minorities while blaming the majority was antithetical to the democratic project. Here’s Bloom:“Much of the intellectual machinery of twentieth-century American political thought and social science was constructed for the purposes of making an assault on that majority. It treated the founding principles as impediments and tried to overcome the other strand of our political heritage, majoritarianism, in favor of a nation of minorities and groups each following its own beliefs and inclinations. In particular, the intellectual minority expected to enhance its status, presenting itself as the defender and spokesman of all the others.This reversal of the founding intention with respect to minorities is most striking. For the Founders, minorities are in general bad things, mostly identical to factions, selfish groups who have no concern as such for the common good. Unlike older political thinkers, they entertained no hopes of suppressing factions and educating a united or homogeneous citizenry. Instead they constructed an elaborate machinery to contain factions in such a way that they would cancel one another and allow for the pursuit of the common good. The good is still the guiding consideration in their thought, although it is arrived at, less directly than in classical political thought, by tolerating faction. The Founders wished to achieve a national majority concerning the fundamental rights and then prevent that majority from using its power to overturn those fundamental rights. In twentieth-century social science, however, the common good disappears and along with it the negative view of minorities. The very idea of majority—now understood to be selfish interest—is done away with in order to protect the minorities. This breaks the delicate balance between majority and minority in Constitutional thought. In such a perspective, where there is no common good, minorities are no longer problematic, and the protection of them emerges as the central function of government.”This is where Bloom’s words find an echo in the past half a century in India. Read that passage again. The Indian “liberal” fell prey to this cleavage between majority and minority. And they are now buckling under a majoritarian backlash that doesn’t want to restore just the democratic meaning of majority like Bloom would’ve wanted. Rather they want the absolutist kind of majority. This is a problem then in India. Any criticism of wokeism can be used to shove this notion of majority down our collective throats. Any argument against it is considered woke! This then is the closing of the Indian mind. A Framework a Week: No More COP-outs Tools for thinking public policy— Pranay KotasthaneI co-teach a course on Fundamentals of Public Policy. One of the exercises in the course involves developing a policy proposal based on Eugene Bardach’s Eightfold Path to Policy Analysis. One of these eight steps involves coming up with evaluation criteria to compare and judge possible solutions. The four most common criteria, applicable across a wide variety of policy problems, are effectiveness (how well do the proposed solutions solve the stated problem?), efficiency (do the benefits of solutions outweigh their costs), equity (do the proposed solutions account for distributional consequences?), and feasibility (can the administrative and political systems bear the load of implementing the proposed solutions?).Confronting trade-offs across these four criteria is really difficult. No perfect solutions exist. As objective as you can make it appear, it finally comes down to a subjective assessment of deciding the relative importance of these four criteria. Some policy solutions might do well on effectiveness and efficiency but not on equity while many others might be brilliantly equitable and yet ineffective at tackling the policy problem at hand. And now, to this already challenging endeavour has been added another parameter: Emissions Impact.A couple of years ago, I would have argued that given the moral imperative for raising incomes in India, emissions impact shouldn’t be a high voltage concern. I have now updated my Bayesian priors. Whether we like it or not, the emissions reduction commitments made by the Indian PM at COP26 mean that emissions impact will translate into a fifth criterion for evaluating policy options. The weightage to be given for this criterion might well be on the lower side but it must be considered nevertheless. Instead of being a vertical issue with some polluting sectors alone, emissions impact is now a horizontal concern across many unrelated policy sectors.Confronting the trade-offs between raising incomes on one hand and emissions impact on the other will not be easy. There are two wrong directions this evaluation can take. One, analysts may unthinkingly transplant problems and solutions from the West to the Indian context. Ideas such as ‘enforced degrowth’ or Malthusian tirades against the mere existence of people might find more currency. Two, analysts will have to confront the cynical narrative which goes along the lines — “it’s futile to do anything about climate change now; we’re all doomed anyway”. This view can become a self-fulfilling prophecy and inhibit all action on emissions reduction. Policymakers and thinkers need to avoid both these pitfalls and instead think of emissions reduction as another important criterion for evaluating policy options. No more cop-outs.Money Quote: Bertrand Russell on a ‘Kindly’ Philosophy— Pranay KotasthaneIf you curate your YouTube subscriptions well, the recommendation algorithm can be quite rewarding. I realised this, yet again, when my feed threw up this 1952 interview with well-known mathematician and philosopher Bertrand Russell (30 minutes). If you can, go through the entire interview yourself. I’ll talk about just two ideas that I found most intriguing. One, Russell’s reply to interviewer Romney Wheeler’s question on a philosophy that can counter Marx applies quite well to the identitarian politics of the information age. “Q: For those of us who reject Marx, can you offer us a more positive philosophy to help us towards a more hopeful future?A: One of the problems has been that of dogmatically believing in something or the other. And I think all these matters are full of doubt, and the rational man will not be too sure he's right. I think we ought always entertain our opinions with some measure of doubt. I shouldn't wish people dogmatically to believe any philosophy, not even mine, not even mine. No! We should accept our philosophies with a measure of doubt. What I do think is this, if a philosophy is to bring happiness, it should be inspired by kindly feeling. Now, Marx is not inspired by a kindly feeling. Marx pretended that he wanted the happiness of the proletariat, what he really wanted was the unhappiness of the Bourgeois. And it was because of that negative element, because of that hate element, that his philosophy produced disaster. A philosophy which aims to go good must be one inspired by kindly feeling, and not by unkindly feeling (emphasis mine).The lodestar philosophical ideas of today on all sides of politics, unfortunately, appear similar in intent if not content, to the Marxian thought. They are interested more in demeaning and then defeating the ‘other’ than winning them over. Secondly, when you reflect on Russell’s lines, the political genius of Gandhi becomes crystal clear. It was a philosophy that was inspired more by ‘kindly’ feeling than ‘hatred’. For a political philosophy to have this character is rare. The other idea that struck me was Russell’s response to the question: what are the things the world needs to be happier? Russell gives a three-fold answer: a world government, approximate economic equality among different parts of the world, and a stable population. The first part is well-understood given Russell’s views against the first world war and his tireless advocacy of pacifism. What interests me is his answer about population. He expands that since “food produce cannot rise appreciably, there must not be many more people than we have now”. Several towering intellectuals of that age, from Russell to Ambedkar, believed that population was a problem because we will run out of food. Technological advances proved them all wrong on this count. The world population is nearly 7.7 billion today, thrice of what it was in 1950. The rates of increase in population have fallen appreciably in the last thirty years but it was prosperity and not famines that led to this social change. No wonder then that Russell is believed to have said “I Would Never Die for My Beliefs Because I Might Be Wrong”.HomeWorkReading and listening recommendations on public policy matters[Podcast] Know Your Enemy: Unraveling Allan Bloom and Saul Bellow. A deep-dive into Ravelstein, Saul Bellow’s roman à clef about the Straussian political philosopher Allan Bloom, who achieved late-in-life wealth and fame after publishing his controversial best-seller, The Closing of the American Mind.[Report] IEA on Implementing Effective Emissions Trading Systems: Lessons from international experiences.[Podcast] A Puliyabaazi on institutional public policy change in India. Subscribe at publicpolicy.substack.com

Spectacles In Conversation
Bird's Eye - Myth & Politics: What, Why, and How?

Spectacles In Conversation

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 21, 2021 41:44


On this episode, Harry and Philip begin a month-long exploration of myth & politics. First up for discussion - What is myth? What does it have to do with politics? Why is myth important? How does it work? What would life be like without it? Next week we will be taking a look at the history of American political myths and where we may be headed, so don't miss out on the start of this series! -- Links https://www.spectacles.news/birds-eye-myth-politics-one/ (To comment on this article, click here.) https://player.captivate.fm/collection/257e45ef-c253-469f-910e-af4545de085b (To listen only to other episodes of Bird's Eye, click here.) -- Further Reading (email contact@spectacles.news for any of these) “Anarchy is What States Make of It: The Social Construction of Power Politics,” by Alexander Wendt in International Organization. “The cultural evolution of prosocial religions,” by Ara Norenzayan et. al. in Behavioral and brain Sciences. “Erichthonius,” from Who's Who in Classical Mythology, Routledge. “Evolutionary Social Constructivism,” by David Sloan Wilson, in The Literary Animal, edited by Jonathan Gottschall and David Sloan Wilson. “Mythistory, or Truth, Myth, History, and Historians,” by William H. McNeill in Mythistory and Other Essays. Natural Right and History, by Leo Strauss. Political Myth, by Christopher Flood. “Prosociality and religion,” by Jo-Ann Tsang et. al. in Current Opinion in Psychology. Republic, by Plato, translated by Allan Bloom. -- Table of Contents 00:00 - Intro/Housekeeping 00:44 - Noble Lies 01:32 - Episode Topic Introduction 02:21 - What is myth? 06:01 - How is this relevant to politics? 07:19 - Three Examples of Political Myths 13:24 - Do myths have to be true or false? 16:43 - How important are things besides myth? 18:30 - Why do humans resort to myths? 22:06 - How do myths work, and what can they do? 25:40 - How do myths change over time? 29:05 - How does myth align the individual and common goods? 33:37 - What are some disadvantages of myth? 36:36 - How does war shape myths? 37:30 - What would life be like without myths? 40:40 - Next week's topic 41:09 - Signing off

Liberal Learning for Life @ UD
The Point: A Magazine of the Examined Life with Jon Baskin

Liberal Learning for Life @ UD

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 11, 2021 26:01


Jon Baskin is a founding editor of The Point: A Magazine of the Examined Life and Associate Director for the Program in Creative Publishing and Critical Journalism at The New School for Social Research. We discuss why The Point magazine should be read by anyone interested in thinking about their life in a serious, critical way, what Allan Bloom was right and wrong about, and whether it's really true that technology is necessarily corrosive of intellectual life and encounter. Jon Baskin mentions several articles in our conversation; links below: “The Problem of Force,” by Scott Beauchamp, on his experiences in war in conversation with Simone Weil and the Iliad: https://thepointmag.com/examined-life/the-problem-of-force-simone-weil/ Agnes Callard, on anger in conversation with the Old Testament: https://thepointmag.com/examined-life/anger-management-agnes-callard/ “No Such Thing,” where the death of Margaret Thatcher brings Jonny Thakkar back to Adam Smith and Plato on whether there is such a thing as society: https://thepointmag.com/politics/no-such-thing/ “Lovers in the Hands of a Patient God,” on American love by way of Jonathan Edwards, William James, and Hollywood romantic comedies: https://thepointmag.com/examined-life/lovers-in-the-hands-of-a-patient-god/ “Against Honeymoons,” a good example of taking a seemingly frivolous contemporary phenomenon very seriously: https://thepointmag.com/examined-life/against-honeymoons/ “Steroids, Baseball, America”: https://thepointmag.com/examined-life/steroids-baseball-america/ ******************************** Free video series: The Person: Action and Influence: www.catholicfaithandculture.udallas.edu/landi…uence Liberal Learning for Life @ University of Dallas: udallas.edu/liberal-learning/​ Twitter: twitter.com/lib_learning_ud​ Instagram: www.instagram.com/liberallearningforlife/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/liberallearningforlife

The Up Devotional
Being true to who?

The Up Devotional

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 30, 2021 1:06


In his book The Closing of the American Mind, Allan Bloom describes an outlook on the world which has become very popular. Montreal philosophy professor Charles Taylor summarizes: “relativism was itself an offshoot of a form of individualism, whose principle is something like this: everyone has a right to develop their own form of life, … Continue reading Being true to who?

Know Your Enemy
Unraveling Allan Bloom and Saul Bellow

Know Your Enemy

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 21, 2021 94:48


In this episode Matt and Sam discuss Ravelstein, Saul Bellow's roman à clef about the Straussian political philosopher Allan Bloom, who achieved late-in-life wealth and fame after publishing his controversial bestseller, The Closing of the American Mind. Along the way they consider the University of Chicago's Committee on Social Thought, eros and the intellectual life, love and friendship, Bellow and Bloom's shared Jewishness, and much, much more.Sources and Further Reading:Saul Bellow, Ravelstein (Penguin, 2000)Allan Bloom, The Closing of the American Mind (Simon & Schuster, 1987)                              Giants and Dwarfs (Simon & Schuster, 1990)                              Love and Friendship (Simon & Schuster, 1993)Michel de Montaigne, "Of Friendship," from The Complete Works (trans. Donald Frame)D.T. Max, "With Friends Like Saul Bellow," New York Times Magazine, April 16, 2000Christopher Hitchens, "The Egg-Head's Egger-On," London Review of Books, April 27, 2000Patrick Deneen, "Who Closed the American Mind? Allan Bloom, Edmund Burke, & Multiculturalism," The Imaginative Conservative, May 29, 2013PLUS: Subscribe to Know Your Enemy on Patreon for access to all of our bonus episodes!

The New Thinkery
Interview with Bill Kristol | The New Thinkery Ep. 45

The New Thinkery

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2021 81:54


In this edition of The New Thinkery, the guys are joined by William Kristol, founder and editor-at-large of The Weekly Standard and now editor-at-large of The Bulwark.  Hear about his upbringing and education, during which he encountered and studied with some of the greats of contemporary political thought, including Allan Bloom and Harvey Mansfield.  We also discuss his initiatives to preserve and promote the serious study of political philosophy.  Check out Contemporary Thinkers, Great Thinkers, and his podcast Conversations to learn more.

Anchored by the Classic Learning Test
Glenn Loury On The Barbarians at the Gate

Anchored by the Classic Learning Test

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 1, 2021 26:52


Dr. Glenn Loury is the Merton P. Stoltz Professor of Social Sciences and Professor of Economics at Brown University. In this episode, Dr. Loury discusses his response to a letter written by Brown University President Christina Paxson, in which she noted that structures of power and histories of oppression and prejudice define American society. Of the letter he wrote: "it asserted controversial and arguable positions as though they were axiomatic certainties." He also talks with Jeremy about his new course at Brown centered on freedom of expression, which includes works from such minds as Plato, Socrates, Milton, John Stuart Mill, and George Orwell. Additionally, he references Allan Bloom's The Closing of the American Mind  and reflects on his teaching career and the shifting nature of higher education. Host Jeremy Tate @JeremyTate41Guest Dr. Glenn Loury @GlennLouryI Must Object: A rebuttal to Brown University's letter on racism in the United States

The New Thinkery
Interview with Professor Michael Davis on Sophocles' Electra | The New Thinkery Ep. 37

The New Thinkery

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 7, 2021 81:24


This week, Professor Michael Davis of Sarah Lawrence College joins us to discuss Sophocles' Electra.  Prof. Davis is the author of numerous books on the history of philosophy; he's currently at work on a book on the Electra plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides.  He also discusses his experiences learning from Allan Bloom, Richard Kennington, and Seth Benardete. Plus: the fastest lightning round questions to date!

The Proskauer Brief: Hot Topics in Labor & Employment Law
Episode 40: What can employers expect from the Biden Administration?

The Proskauer Brief: Hot Topics in Labor & Employment Law

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 10, 2021 12:00


In this episode of The Proskauer Brief, partners Harris Mufson, Evandro Gigante, and Allan Bloom discuss key potential employment law changes under the Biden Administration.  Tune in as we explore an evolving legal landscape – from new health and safety requirements to wage and hour regulations and expanded anti-discrimination laws. 

Political Philosophy
The Ethic of Authenticity: Good, Bad or Both? Charles Taylor (Malaise 2-Audio)

Political Philosophy

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 5, 2020 13:38


In this podcast I discuss the modern idea authenticity as developed in chapters 2 and 3 of Charles Taylor's "The Malaise of Modernity" (CBC Massey Lecture Series, 1991). Taylor thinks that the ethic of authenticity is separable from the moral relativism, emotivism and narcissism with which it is associated by authors like Allan Bloom and Christopher Lasch, and that it holds promise as a modern moral ideal if we can do so. In these two chapters he begins to excavate why American (including Canadian, though probably less so) culture took a turn into flabby relativism and narcissism and how we might excavate the original meaning of authenticity to see if it holds true promise. To that end, he discusses its Romantic origins in the ideas of Rousseau and Herder. Along the way, I relate some of Taylor's ideas the work of Isaiah Berlin and Leo Strauss. … More The Ethic of Authenticity: Good, Bad or Both? Charles Taylor (Malaise 2-Audio)

Diário Mínimo
O risco do real

Diário Mínimo

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 18, 2020 64:24


Vacina, eleições, Lindelof, Jack Bauer, Borat, "The Coddling of the American Mind", Allan Bloom, Bellow, Placebo etc.

Your Financial Editor
Dr. Adam Ellwanger Campus Culture 10/17

Your Financial Editor

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 26, 2020 52:57


The dangers of ideological group think in our colleges and universities have been evident for decades. It was over 30 years ago now that Allan Bloom diagnosed the pathology in The Closing of the American Mind. But as the campus Left becomes increasingly empowered, radicalized, and intolerant of other perspectives, it seemed to me that dissident thinkers in higher education would be well-served to consider specific ways to resist these trends at our universities. What follows was initially a letter to myself that articulated my rationale for resisting the campus ideologues and the means by which I would resist them. Through the drafts, it became an open letter to people in academia at large. Over the last two months, the letter has circulated online among professors, many of whom have added their names. We now have over 160 signatures from brave teachers and scholars all over the world. The undersigned speak for themselves—not their institutions. Unlike other open letters that have recently captured public attention, this one doesn’t merely voice disapproval of the ideological vision for higher education. Instead, the signers below commit to particular forms of action that might counter that vision. In short, the letter is a commitment to principled non-compliance. We invite other sympathetic academics to join the fight by adding their names. To do so, email me, Adam Ellwanger, at ellwangera@uhd.edu. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Proskauer Brief: Hot Topics in Labor & Employment Law
Episode 36: DOL‘s Proposed Rule on Independent Contractors

The Proskauer Brief: Hot Topics in Labor & Employment Law

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 5, 2020 8:50


In this episode of The Proskauer Brief, partners Harris Mufson and Allan Bloom discuss the U.S. Department of Labor's proposed new rule on independent contractor classification.  In recent years, the misclassification of workers as independent contractors has been the subject of a number of private lawsuits and investigations by government agencies.  This is true for traditional industries and also companies within the gig economy, which rely heavily on independent contractors.  So be sure to tune in as we address how this proposed rule may impact employers' classification of workers.

Grand Parkway Baptist Church
How To Change A Country

Grand Parkway Baptist Church

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 9, 2020 48:16


Daniel 1:1-71. Isolation, v. 3-4 “There is one thing a professor can be a absolutely certain of; almost every student entering the university believes, or says he believes, that truth is relative…Relativism is necessary to open-mindedness; and this is the virtue, the only virtue, which all primary education for more than fifty years has dedicated itself to inculcating. Openness- and the relativism that makes it the only plausible stance in the face of various claims to truth and various ways of life and kinds of human beings- is the great insight of our times. The study of history and of culture teaches that all the world was mad in the past; men always thought they were right, and that led to wars, persecutions, slavery, xenophobia, racism, and chauvinism. The point is not to correct the mistakes and really be right; rather it is not to think you are right at all.”-Allan Bloom, The Closing of the American Mind2. Indoctrination, v. 3-5Four things about this indoctrination process…a) comes disguised as “education”b) starts with changing a persons worldview- a worldview is a particular philosophy of life or conception of the worldc) the goal is to train them to think like Babylonians rather than Israelitesd) the ultimate goal is to instill in them a total dependence upon Nebuchadnezzar for everything they need. “So this fall, virtual class discussion will have many potential spectators- parents, sibling, etc- in the same room. We’ll never be quite sure who is overhearing the discourse. What does this do for our equity/inclusion work? How much have students depended on the (somewhat) secure barriers of our physical classrooms to encourage vulnerability? How many of us have installed some version of ‘what happens here stays here’ to help this? While conversation about race are in my wheelhouse, and remain a concern in this no walls environment, I am most intrigued by the damage that ‘helicopter/snowplow’ parents can do in the host conversations about gender/sexuality. And while conservative parents are my chief concern-I know that the damage can come from the left too. If we are engaged in the messy work of destabilizing a kid’s racism or homophobia or transphobia-how much do we want their classmates parents piling on?” -Matthew Kay, English teacher, Science Leadership Academy, Philadelphia, PA3. Incorporation, v. 5- Romans 12:1-2, The Messagevv. 8-214. Identification, v. 6-7Hebrew namesBabylonian namesDaniel: “God is my judge” Belteshazzar: “Lady protect the king”Hananiah: “Yahweh is gracious” Shadrach: “I am very fearful of God”Mishael: “Who is what God is?” Meschach: “I am of little account”Azariah: “Yahweh has helped” Abednego: “Servant of the god Nebo”Two things to notice… a) people over placeb) they maintained their status as exilesI Peter 2:11-17Mental worship…How has not gathering for public worship affected you and what does that say about the role of weekly public worship? About you? What are some ways that your faith informs and affects how you see the world?Is there any water in your boat today and if so, how did it get there?Do you live as an exile or have you learned to fit in with this world?In the passage today, Daniel was creatively bold. What could you do right now that would be considered creatively bold?

Kw And The Portal to Nowhere
Kw Ep 78: Allan Bloom, Cares Team, Happy Hour, 3FoO, and Don Henley!

Kw And The Portal to Nowhere

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 29, 2020 27:06


Happy Monday! Quote of the day, Thank and Frank, Happy Hour ft a special verdict among Tik Tok and Facebook friends, Ft: a snipbit about My Pawfect friend, based in Clayton, NC own and operated by my friend Vanessa! 3FoO, Song of the day. Keep up with new posts for the show at: https://www.facebook.com/kwportal2nowhere To check out My Pawfect Friend go to: https://www.facebook.com/My-Pawfect-Friend-112924623622033 Have a great day! And wish me luck at the dentist tomorrow! :/ --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/kellie-w/message

Deep Background with Noah Feldman
The Party of Ideas

Deep Background with Noah Feldman

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2019 35:30


The Republican party used to tout itself as the party of ideas. Now it seems to be the party of Donald Trump. Conservative thinker Peter Wehner explains what he thinks happened. Peter Wehner's Suggested Reading List: -Losing Ground by Charles Murray -The Closing of the American Mind by Allan Bloom -The Naked Public Square by Richard John Neuhaus -Crime and Human Nature by James Q. Wilson and Richard J. Herrnstein  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Conservative Minds
Episode 28: Allan Bloom - Closing of the American Mind

Conservative Minds

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 27, 2019 46:15


Bloom warns about the moral relativism capturing the American academe. He calls out this movement toward 'openness' as a harmful force that paradoxically has resulted in 'closing' the minds of the students. He sees openness as a broadside attack on tradition and common culture. American history and intellectual heritage have been forcibly removed from school curriculum in favor of ethnic and identity studies.

Context with Brad Harris
The Closing of the American Mind, by Allan Bloom

Context with Brad Harris

Play Episode Listen Later May 2, 2019 70:32


Allan Bloom's The Closing of the American Mind, published in 1987, became one of the most influential books of the last 50 years by instigating a battle over the soul of the American University that's been raging ever since. The book sold millions of copies, becoming a powerful weapon in Bloom's fight against what he identified as a morally and intellectually crippling form of relativism infecting America's educational system. Allan Bloom sought to remind us that the goal of education is not to become open to all ideas, but to cultivate the search for the best ideas. This episode was supported by KiwiCo, reimagining the way kids play and learn: https://kiwico.com/context To access bonus episodes and all regular episodes ad-free: https://www.patreon.com/context Learn more at https://bradharris.com    

The Proskauer Brief: Hot Topics in Labor & Employment Law
Episode 17: Recent Developments in Federal Overtime Rules

The Proskauer Brief: Hot Topics in Labor & Employment Law

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 26, 2018 8:03


In this episode of The Proskauer Brief, partner Harris Mufson and partner Allan Bloom discuss recent developments in federal overtime rules. The Trump administration recently released its fall 2018 regulatory agenda, with lots of information relating to the Department of Labor (DOL). The DOL appears to be committed to a more business-friendly regulatory framework which limits the burdens that regulations place on employers. Be sure to tune in to learn about proposed new overtime rules and their impact on employers and their employees.

Les Belles Lettres
Allan Bloom - L'Âme désarmée

Les Belles Lettres

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 23, 2018 2:53


En librairie le 19 septembre 2018. Publié en 1987, cette essai propose une réflexion sur le climat intellectuel et moral contemporain, sur l’éducation des jeunes gens et les jeunes filles et leur capacité à faire face aux grands faits de la vie humaine : l’amour, la famille, la citoyenneté, la recherche de la vérité.

Les Belles Lettres
Allan Bloom - L'Amour et l'Amitié

Les Belles Lettres

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 23, 2018 2:46


En librairie le 19 septembre. Dans ce grand livre posthume, le projet d'Allan Bloom est de retrouver la complexité, les triomphes et les échecs – bref, la vérité – du lien humain, amoureux et amical, à travers une exploration ample et libre des grandes œuvres de notre culture.

How Do We Fix It?
The Fight For Free Expression: Deb Mashek

How Do We Fix It?

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 26, 2018 28:10


Free speech on campus is under assault at many colleges and universities. From disinviting commencement speakers to shouting down professors and others they disagree with, some students demand "safe spaces" from controversial remarks and what they call micro-aggressions.So far, 1800 professors from the right, left, center and other political leanings have joined the effort to bridge the ideological divide. Heterodox Academy is part of a growing number of attempts to encourage greater civility and respect for different points of view.Deb Mashek is the first Executive Director of Heterodox Academy. For 13 years, she was a professor of psychology at Harvey Mudd College. "My learning is improved when I get to engage with you, because you see things differently, Deb tells us. It's not just about tolerating other viewpoints. "If we're serious about solving the world's biggest problems, we need to be open to the best ideas, regardless of where they come from.""A willingness to evaluate new ideas is vital to understanding our world," says Harvard University Professor Steven Pinker. "Universities, which ought to be forums for open debate, are developing a reputation for dogmatism and intolerance." Heterodox Academy was formed in 2015 to counteract the narrowing of viewpoints on many college campuses.In this episode we look at why viewpoint diversity matters just as much as other forms of diversity on campus and in society at large.Useful links: Heterodox Academy podcast.OpenMind Platform."The Closing of the American Mind", by Allan Bloom. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast
PREVIEWS-Eps 192-193 Allan Bloom & Liberal Education Follow-Ups

The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 6, 2018 16:37


Hear highlights from two supporter-only discussions: Allan Bloom on Nietzsche/Freud/etc. and Leo Strauss vs. Richard Rorty on liberal education and democracy.

The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast
Episode 192: "The Closing of the American Mind": Allan Bloom on Education (Part Two)

The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 18, 2018 70:36


Continuing on Allan Bloom's 1987 book critiquing the current fragmented structure of the university that promotes technical and professional education over the ability to think philosophically. Does Bloom's vision require aristocracy, or can a Great Books education be available for all? Listen to part 1 first, or get the unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition. Your Citizenship will also get you access to an exclusive follow-up discussion. Please support PEL! End song: "Greatness (The Aspiration Song)" by Colin Moulding's TC&I, explored on Nakedly Examined Music #74. Sponsors: Visit thegreatcoursesplus.com/PEL, the Outside the Box podcast, St. John's College at partiallyexaminedlife.com/sjc, and lightstream.com/PEL for a loan.

The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast
Episode 192: "The Closing of the American Mind": Allan Bloom on Education (Part One)

The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 11, 2018 53:28


On Allan Bloom's 1987 best-selleing polemic. What is the role of the university in our democracy? Bloom thinks that today's students are conformist, relativistic, and nihilistic, and that great books and thinking for thinking's sake are the cure. Continued on part 2, or get the unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition plus an exclusive follow-up discussion. Please support PEL! Sponsor: Visit thegreatcoursesplus.com/PEL for a one-month free trial of The Great Courses Plus Video Learning Service.

The Proskauer Brief: Hot Topics in Labor & Employment Law
Episode 11: Recent Developments Regarding Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

The Proskauer Brief: Hot Topics in Labor & Employment Law

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2018 6:57


In this episode of The Proskauer Brief, Harris Mufson and Allan Bloom discuss recent legislative developments in New York regarding sexual harassment. We will discuss recently enacted significant measures, including the prohibition of nondisclosure clauses in settlement agreements, unless the complainant prefers confidentiality, mandatory training requirements and the expansion of the NYS Human Rights Law to nonemployees including contractors, subcontractors, vendors, and consultants.

This Is Hell!
Episode 1000: Warming Signs (Full Broadcast - April 24 2018)

This Is Hell!

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 21, 2018 257:57


The disruptor's blindspot [17:26] / Teacher's strikes are women's strikes [1:06:36] / The ghost of Allan Bloom [1:36:27] / Tomorrow's climate politics [2:0903] / The business of denialism [3:10:30] / Eerie canal [3:55:21]

The Relentless Picnic
Ep. 20 - Secret Teaching

The Relentless Picnic

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 2, 2017 118:29


This week from our special plans department, Leo Strauss: a guide for the perplexed. Politics, both ancient and modern; the allure of elite cabals; a whiskey spill Rorschach test; polemics, hermeneutics, and sex in the stacks. Plus—Iraq, intelligence, independence, and other declarations of the great atheist priest: Text. WORKS CITED: Leo Strauss and the Politics of American Empire (Yale University Press, 2004), by Anne Norton; The Enduring Importance of Leo Strauss (University of Chicago Press, 2013), by Laurence Lampert; Silent Warfare: Understanding the World of Intelligence (3rd ed., Potomac Books, 2002), by Abram N. Shulsky and Gary J. Schmitt; "Leo Strauss and the World of Intelligence (By Which We Do Not Mean Nous)," by Gary J. Schmitt and Abram N. Shulksy: http://bit.ly/2woEPwb ; "Sphinx Without a Secret," by M.F. Burnyeat, NY Review of Books (May 1985): http://bit.ly/2wp0DrH ; "What Is Liberal Education?" by Leo Strauss (June 1959): http://bit.ly/2u7v2xI ; Harvey Mansfield in conversation with Bill Kristol: https://youtu.be/t-gH7Waedtk ; "Leo Strauss: September 20, 1899-October 18, 1973," by Allan Bloom: http://bit.ly/2hqL5Rp ; "Leo Strauss: Friend of Liberal Democracy," by Jeet Heer (March '08): http://bit.ly/2u4kxaq ; Leo Strauss as Teacher, 2011 conference at U. of Chicago: https://youtu.be/vyaqZAwodeU ; "Seminar in Political Philosophy: Karl Marx," Leo Strauss (with Joseph Cropsey): http://bit.ly/2vsCjbd [excerpt is from 4/20/60; nice]. FURTHER READING: Profile of Abram Shulsky: "Selective Intelligence," by Seymour M. Hersh, New Yorker (May 2003): http://bit.ly/2o0t2mZ ; Jenny Strauss Clay, adoptive daughter of Leo, responds to his critics: "The Real Leo Strauss," NY Times (June 2003): http://nyti.ms/1i6Dj4I ; BBC documentary filmmaker Adam Curtis on Leo Strauss, from The Power of Nightmares (2004): https://youtu.be/FyKpjDup8Fw ; "Reading Leo Strauss," by Steven B. Smith, NY Times (June 2006): http://nyti.ms/2vsSHbr ; "The Pro-Trump Intellectuals Who Want to Overthrow America," by Jeet Heer, New Republic (Oct. 2016): http://bit.ly/2n6v6al.

The Proskauer Brief: Hot Topics in Labor & Employment Law
Episode 2: Congressional legislation update and new developments on the federal overtime rule

The Proskauer Brief: Hot Topics in Labor & Employment Law

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 21, 2017 8:35


Which federal bills will become law? Allan Bloom and Rachel Philion run through some of the key proposed congressional legislation in the pipeline and provide insight into the potential implications for employers if they pass. We also provide an update on developments from the U.S. Department of Labor on the next steps for the federal overtime rule under the new Administration.

The Jamie Weinstein Show
Episode 29: Alan Keyes

The Jamie Weinstein Show

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 24, 2017 144:50


Alan Keyes gives a fascinating, wide-ranging, and passionate interview. From his life growing up as an Army brat, his time at Cornell and Harvard with Allan Bloom and Harvey Mansfield, to his presidential campaigns, Dr. Keyes gives a detailed account of his convictions and how he came to them. Show Notes What values Alan Keyes learned growing up as an Army brat How he became an amazing orator About the speech he gave in High School about the Six Day War What was the important of Allan Bloom to his intellectual development Why he left Cornell University Why Alan Keyes thinks Uncle Tom is thought of in the wrong way How he ended up going to Paris for a year His experience during the Willard Straight takeover Alan’s move to Harvard How Harvey Mansfield influenced him Why he did not become a Senator or Representative The relationship between Trump and George Soros What happened to the Tea Party in Alan’s view What he has done in the decade since his last political campaign Links 1969 Willard Straight Hall takeover Allan Bloom Harvey Mansfield Bill Kristol episode LoyaltoLiberty.com

Conversations with Bill Kristol
Harvey Mansfield on Leo Strauss and the Straussians

Conversations with Bill Kristol

Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2015 96:38


The fourth conversation in our ongoing series with the distinguished Harvard political philosopher considers the political philosopher Leo Strauss (1899 - 1973) and the "Straussian school" of philosophy he founded. Mansfield and Kristol discuss key themes in Strauss's work, including esoteric writing, the quarrel between Ancients and Moderns, and the theological-political problem. Mansfield also reflects on three outstanding students of Strauss: Seth Benardete, Allan Bloom, and Ernest Fortin.

Conversations with Bill Kristol
Harvey Mansfield on Leo Strauss and the Straussians

Conversations with Bill Kristol

Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2015 96:38


The fourth conversation in our ongoing series with the distinguished Harvard political philosopher considers the political philosopher Leo Strauss (1899 - 1973) and the "Straussian school" of philosophy he founded. Mansfield and Kristol discuss key themes in Strauss's work, including esoteric writing, the quarrel between Ancients and Moderns, and the theological-political problem. Mansfield also reflects on three outstanding students of Strauss: Seth Benardete, Allan Bloom, and Ernest Fortin.

Conversations with Bill Kristol
Harvey Mansfield on Leo Strauss and the Straussians

Conversations with Bill Kristol

Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2015 96:38


The fourth conversation in our ongoing series with the distinguished Harvard political philosopher considers the political philosopher Leo Strauss (1899 - 1973) and the "Straussian school" of philosophy he founded. Mansfield and Kristol discuss key themes in Strauss's work, including esoteric writing, the quarrel between Ancients and Moderns, and the theological-political problem. Mansfield also reflects on three outstanding students of Strauss: Seth Benardete, Allan Bloom, and Ernest Fortin.

Free Thoughts
Campus Censorship and the End of American Debate

Free Thoughts

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 17, 2014 48:35


Greg Lukianoff joins us for a discussion about the state of free speech on college campuses in the United States. We talk about campus speech codes, the constitutionality of “free speech zones,” chilling effects of trigger warnings, and more. What are the larger effects that these campus restrictions have on our society?Show Notes and Further ReadingGreg Lukianoff, Unlearning Liberty: Campus Censorship and the End of American Debate (book)Greg Lukianoff, Freedom From Speech (book coming Sept. 2014)Alan Charles Kors and Harvey Silverglate, The Shadow University: The Betrayal of Liberty on America’s Campuses (book)Dinesh D’Souza, Illiberal Education: The Politics of Race and Sex on Campus (book)Allan Bloom, Closing of the American Mind: How Higher Education Has Failed Democracy and Impoverished the Souls of Today’s Students (book)Jonathan Rauch, Kindly Inquisitors: The New Attacks on Free Thought (book) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Christ Redeemer Church » Sermons
The Radical Requirements of King Jesus

Christ Redeemer Church » Sermons

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 6, 2014 40:13


REFLECTION QUOTES “Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide. It is in vain to say that democracy is less vain, less proud, less selfish, less ambitious, or less avaricious than aristocracy or monarchy…. Those passions are the same in all men, under all forms of simple government, and when unchecked, produce the same effects of fraud, violence, and cruelty.” ~John Adams in a letter to John Taylor (April 15, 1814) “Flattery of the people and incapacity to resist public opinion are the democratic vices, particularly among writers, artists, journalists and anyone else who is dependent on an audience.” ~Allan Bloom (1930-1992), The Closing of the American Mind “Many forms of Government have been tried and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.” ~Winston Churchill in a speech to the House of Commons (November 11, 1947) “We are now forming a republican government. Real liberty is neither found in despotism or the extremes of democracy, but in moderate governments.” ~Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804), Founding Father “You measure democracy by the freedom it gives its dissidents, not the freedom it gives its assimilated conformists.” ~Abbie Hoffman (1936-1989), American political and social activist “For in a democracy, every citizen, regardless of his interest in politics, ‘hold office'; everyone of us is in a position of responsibility; and, in the final analysis, the kind of government we get depends upon how we fulfill those responsibilities. We, the people, are the boss, and we will get the kind of political leadership, be it good or bad, that we…deserve.” ~John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) in Profiles in Courage “All men should strive to learn before they die, what they are running from, and to, and why.” ~James Thurber (1894-1961), American cartoonist and writer SERMON PASSAGE Luke 9:18-26 (NASB) 18 And it happened that while He was praying alone, the disciples were with Him, and He questioned them, saying, “Who do the people say that I am?” 19 They answered and said, “John the Baptist, and others say Elijah; but others, that one of the prophets of old has risen again.” 20 And He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered and said, “The Christ of God.” 21 But He warned them and instructed them not to tell this to anyone, 22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day.” 23 And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. 24 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. 25 For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself? 26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. Luke 14:25-27 (NASB) 25 Now large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. 27 Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

The Christian Humanist Podcast
Episode 25: Plato

The Christian Humanist Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 31, 2010 61:55


Nathan Gilmour moderates a discussion with David Grubbs and Michial Farmer about the Athenian philosopher Plato, the content of his philosophy, and his continuing influence for good and for ill in the Christian era. Along the way we dig into questions of the goodness of creation, the relationships between critical and laudatory versions of great individuals' stories, and how to live with teh ancients. Among the texts and authors we discuss are Plato's Republic, Euthyphro, Apology, Timaeus, and the Laws; C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia; E. Abbot's Flatland, and Allan Bloom's The Closing of the American Mind.

The Christian Humanist Podcast
Episode 25: Plato

The Christian Humanist Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 31, 2010 1:01


Nathan Gilmour moderates a discussion with David Grubbs and Michial Farmer about the Athenian philosopher Plato, the content of his philosophy, and his continuing influence for good and for ill in the Christian era. Along the way we dig into questions of the goodness of creation, the relationships between critical and laudatory versions of great individuals' stories, and how to live with teh ancients. Among the texts and authors we discuss are Plato's Republic, Euthyphro, Apology, Timaeus, and the Laws; C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia; E. Abbot's Flatland, and Allan Bloom's The Closing of the American Mind.