Podcast appearances and mentions of gary saul morson

You have likely heard, and perhaps said, that we live in a world that is very polarized. Too often, communities of faith have contributed to this polarization rather than offered help or healing to a divided world. David Goa has been, and continues to be, a formational voice for Rector's Cupboard and for the work of Reflector Project. David has been running Philosopher Cafés in his home province of Alberta, Canada around the topic of “The New Fundamentalisms and How They Divide Us.” He has drawn from the work of Gary Saul Morson and Morton Schapiro in describing how openness to the other person is a more hopeful and faithful way of living than being closed and fundamentalist. Saul Morson refers to a notion that he calls the “congregation of the blessed.” This is the idea that anyone and anything outside of a particular group becomes seen as suspect or even evil, “Where people belonging to one faction (or faith, or denomination) feel that they are not just in a particular party, but are part of the congregation of the blessed, fighting demonic forces.” David and I recently had three conversations about the new fundamentalisms and the possibility of finding a better way forward in faith, belief and worldview. Part one of this series considers how fundamentalism, rigidity and suspicion of others can be unfortunately understood as faithful when it is actually fearful. David Goa is a thoughtful and helpful guide through a consideration of how our faith and worldview might grow up past a kind of spiritually adolescent fundamentalism.

Originally Recorded March 14th, 2025 About Professor Gary Saul Morson: https://slavic.northwestern.edu/people/faculty/morson-gary-saul.html Check out Professor Morson's article in First Things, titled Dostoyevsky's Credo: https://firstthings.com/dostoevskys-credo/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit musicallyspeaking.substack.com

Send us a textWhat's the meaning of life? Why is there pain and suffering? How do you balance justice and love? These "accursed questions" have haunted humanity for centuries. Fyodor Dostoevsky sought to answer these questions through his characters' lives. His answers are prophetic for our time.In this episode, I sit down with Northwestern University professor of Russian literature Gary Saul Morson. We discuss what Dostoevsky reveals about developing intellectual honesty, how to deal with suffering and brokenness, as well as his arguments for and against God. His latest book, Wonder Confronts Certainty: Russian Writers on the Timeless Questions and Why Their Answers Matter, sets the stage for this interview sets the stage for this interview.Topics:The "Accursed Questions" of Russian LiteratureDostoevsky's Intellectual Honesty with FaithBattle-Testing Worldviews through FictionThe Dangers of Abstracting IndividualsNotes from Underground: Human Freedom vs DeterminismThe Core of Ethics: Human Surprisingness"What books have had an impact on you?""What advice do you have for teenagers?Bio:Gary Saul Morson is Lawrence B. Dumas Professor of the Arts and Humanities and Professor of Russian Literature at Northwestern University.   His 21 authored or edited volumes and 300 shorter publications have examined major Russian writers, the philosophy of time, the role of quotations in culture, great aphorisms, and the ultimate questions about life taken seriously in Russian literature. His classes on Russian writers in translation have enrolled over 500 students, and he is the recipient of numerous teaching and research awards. Morson writes regularly for numerous national publications, including The New York Review of Books, The Wall Street Journal, Commentary, First Things, Mosaic, and several others.  He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1995Prof. Morson on the best Dostoevsky translations:“The best translations of Dostoevsky are by Constance Garnett or revisions of Garnett.  For Notes from Underground, use Garnett revised by Ralph Matlaw;  for The Brothers Karamazov, Garnett revised by Susan McReynolds;  and for The Possessed (Demons)be sure to use the Modern Library version of the Garnett translation with appendixes containing versions of a chapter he was not allowed to publish.”Socials -Lessons from Interesting People substack: https://taylorbledsoe.substack.com/Website: https://www.aimingforthemoon.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiming4moon/Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aiming4Moon

On June 8, 1978, Harvard University invited the Soviet dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn to deliver a major commencement address. Solzhenitsyn was, by this time, a world famous figure who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1970. Some two and a half decades earlier, while serving in the Soviet army during World War II, he was arrested and sent to the Gulag for criticizing the Soviet premier Joseph Stalin in a private letter. He was imprisoned there for nearly a decade, during which he underwent a profound spiritual, religious, philosophical reorientation and awakening, eventually reflecting on his experiences in a major study of Soviet Gulag system, The Gulag Archipelago. In time, he was freed from the camp but exiled from the Soviet Union. He settled in America, and there, was thought perhaps to be a valuable critic of the Soviet system. But the fact that he was a critic of Soviet repression and the soul-deforming debasement that Russians were forced to endure did not necessarily mean that he would endorse the American system in which he had found his freedom. When Harvard invited Solzhenitsyn to address their graduating classes that year, probably weren't expecting so thoroughgoing a critique civic, philosophical, and moral as the one he delivered, warning Americans about deep-seated tendencies of mind that could lead their nation into the very sort of societal sickness from which he had just escaped. This week, as students return to campus, Solzhenitsyn's analysis of America's vulnerabilities may still be relevant. To think about that, host Jonathan Silver here speaks with the literature scholar Gary Saul Morson, author of a recent essay called “Solzhenitsyn Warned Us".

Before White Guilt afflicted American liberals, the Russian intelligentsia set a precedent of their own. Famous professor of Russian literature Gary Saul Morson joins the Dorx to talk about Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's literary masterpiece The Gulag Archipelago, which leads to so much more: the self-hatred of educated people; political orthodoxy; peer monitoring; doublethink; whether consciously telling falsehoods is lying; neurodivergence; literary appropriation; terrorism as a career path; the charisma of ruthlessness; and Nina's fetish for shoe polish. Solzhenitsyn saw the US heading in the same direction as Soviet Russia, and if you listen to this episode you might too. Links: Prof. Gary Saul Morson: https://slavic.northwestern.edu/people/faculty/morson-gary-saul.html The Masterpiece of Our Time: on The Gulag Archipelago at 50: https://newcriterion.com/article/the-masterpiece-of-our-time/ Morning After the Revolution by Nellie Bowles: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/678113/morning-after-the-revolution-by-nellie-bowles/ The Age of White Guilt by Shelby Steele: https://www.cir-usa.org/2002/11/the-age-of-white-guilt-and-the-disappearance-of-the-black-individual/ Mosaic of Minds blog: https://mosaicofmindss.substack.com/ Living My Life by Emma Goldman: https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/emma-goldman-living-my-life The God That Failed: https://chinhnghia.com/the-god-that-failed.pdf Wonder Confronts Certainty by Gary Saul Morson: https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674971806 --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/heterodorx/support

Originally Recorded December 15th, 2023 About Professor Gary Saul Morson: https://slavic.northwestern.edu/people/faculty/morson-gary-saul.html Check out Professor Morson's Article in Commentary, titled What is 'Russophobia': https://www.commentary.org/articles/gary-morson/russophobia-victim-narrative/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit musicallyspeaking.substack.com

The Heritage Foundation and Alliance Defending Freedom are honored to announce that the renowned author and social activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali will deliver the 2024 Russell Kirk Lecture. Hirsi Ali has received innumerable awards and honors for her courageous opposition to political Islamism and vigorous advocacy of the besieged Western traditions of freedom of religion, inquiry, and speech. Her Russell Kirk Lecture will be an important extension of her thinking to the current upheavals in the Middle East and in Western culture and politics.Ayaan Hirsi Ali was born in Somalia in 1969 and was raised there, in Saudi Arabia, and in Kenya. In 1992, en route to an arranged marriage to a distant cousin, Hirsi Ali escaped to the Netherlands, where she eventually became a leading member of the Dutch Parliament. She came to the United States in 2006, accepting a fellowship at the American Enterprise Institute, and became an American citizen in 2013. Her dramatic life story and the evolution of her political thinking are related in her best-selling books Infidel (2006), Nomad (2010), Heretic (2015), and Prey (2021). She is a prolific essayist, and her recent “Why I Am Now a Christian” (UnHerd, Nov. 11, 2023) has attracted worldwide attention. Presently, Hirsi Ali is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution and founder of the AHA Foundation.The namesake of the lecture, famed scholar Russell Kirk (1918–1994), established the philosophical foundations of the modern conservative movement with his landmark books The Conservative Mind (1953) and The Roots of American Order (1974). He was instrumental in the founding of National Review and Modern Age and was for many years a distinguished fellow of The Heritage Foundation.Kirk's political philosophy, summarized in his “six cannons of conservatism,” emphasized tradition and convention, transcendence and piety, political prudence, and ordered liberty. His application of those canons to contemporary issues, in a steady stream of essays, lectures, and newspaper columns, was always noteworthy and often provocative and controversial. Today, his works and legacy are being preserved and advanced by The Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal.The Russell Kirk Lecture Series recognizes eminent thinkers in the tradition of “the father of American conservatism.” Previous lecturers are Bishop Robert Barron, Robert George, Roger Scruton, Shelby Steele, George Nash, Robert Reilly, David Goldman, Roger Kimball, and Gary Saul Morson. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Professor Gary Saul Morson of Northwestern University joins the podcast to discuss his recent article in The New York Review of Books about “Russian exceptionalism.” Gary explains what Eurasianism is, to what extent it motivates the decisions and ideology of the Kremlin, and how to think about the history of Russia's ideas about the Westin the context of Russia and Ukraine's futures.--Timestamps:(00:00) - Intro (02:00) – Eurasianism(17:00) – What does Putin think/believe(28:06) – Russia's views of the East/China(32:32) - Russian exceptionalism--Referenced in the Show:Link to Gary's piece: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2024/02/22/russian-exceptionalism-foundations-of-eurasianism/--CI Site: cognitive.investmentsJacob Site: jacobshapiro.comJacob Twitter: x.com/JacobShapSubscribe to the Newsletter: bit.ly/weekly-sitrep--Cognitive Investments is an investment advisory firm, founded in 2019 that provides clients with a nuanced array of financial planning, investment advisory and wealth management services. We aim to grow both our clients' material wealth (i.e. their existing financial assets) and their human wealth (i.e. their ability to make good strategic decisions for their business, family, and career).--Disclaimer: Cognitive Investments LLC (“Cognitive Investments”) is a registered investment advisor. Advisory services are only offered to clients or prospective clients where Cognitive Investments and its representatives are properly licensed or exempt from licensure.The information provided is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice and it should not be relied on as such. It should not be considered a solicitation to buy or an offer to sell a security. It does not take into account any investor's particular investment objectives, strategies, tax status or investment horizon. You should consult your attorney or tax advisorThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacyPodtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

At the heart of Russia is the vast hinterland known as the Steppe, bordering Mongolia, China and the Central Asian Republics. Around this territory, Putin has endorsed an ideology called "Eurasianism," and it's influenced by Eastern Orthodox Christianity. 

Concerns have been raised over the false conversion of asylum seekers in the UK, why many religious "nones" still believe in a higher power, the Russian ideology of Eurasianism and its influence by Eastern Orthodox Christianity. 

Gary Saul Morson is the Lawrence B. Dumas Professor of the Arts and Humanities and Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures at Northwestern University. Saul's work ranges from literary theory, the history of ideas, and the relation between literature and philosophy in the works of Chekov, Dostoevsky, and Tolstoy. Get full access to What Happens Next in 6 Minutes with Larry Bernstein at www.whathappensnextin6minutes.com/subscribe

Since the age of Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and Chekhov, Russian literature has posed questions about good and evil, moral responsibility, and human freedom with a clarity and intensity found nowhere else. In Wonder Confronts Certainty: Russian Writers on the Timeless Questions and Why Their Answers Matter (Harvard University Press, 2023), Dr. Gary Saul Morson delineates intellectual debates that have coursed through two centuries of Russian writing, as the greatest thinkers of the empire and then the Soviet Union enchanted readers with their idealism, philosophical insight, and revolutionary fervor. Dr. Morson describes the Russian literary tradition as an argument between a radical intelligentsia that uncompromisingly followed ideology down the paths of revolution and violence, and writers who probed ever more deeply into the human condition. The debate concerned what Russians called “the accursed questions”: If there is no God, are good and evil merely human constructs? Should we look for life's essence in ordinary or extreme conditions? Are individual minds best understood in terms of an overarching theory or, as Tolstoy thought, by tracing the “tiny alternations of consciousness”? Exploring apologia for bloodshed, Dr. Morson adapts Mikhail Bakhtin's concept of the non-alibi—the idea that one cannot escape or displace responsibility for one's actions. And, throughout, Dr. Morson isolates a characteristic theme of Russian culture: how the aspiration to relieve profound suffering can lead to either heartfelt empathy or bloodthirsty tyranny. What emerges is a contest between unyielding dogmatism and open-minded dialogue, between heady certainty and a humble sense of wonder at the world's elusive complexity—a thought-provoking journey into inescapable questions. Gary Saul Morson is without a doubt one of the leading specialists on 19th and 20th century Russian literature. He is professor of Arts and Humanities at Northwestern University. And he is perhaps one of the few writers who has written for both The New Criterion and the New York Review of Books.  Charles Coutinho, PH. D., Associate Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, received his doctorate from New York University. His area of specialization is 19th and 20th-century European, American diplomatic and political history. He has written for Chatham House's International Affairs, the Institute of Historical Research's Reviews in History and the University of Rouen's online periodical Cercles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Since the age of Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and Chekhov, Russian literature has posed questions about good and evil, moral responsibility, and human freedom with a clarity and intensity found nowhere else. In Wonder Confronts Certainty: Russian Writers on the Timeless Questions and Why Their Answers Matter (Harvard University Press, 2023), Dr. Gary Saul Morson delineates intellectual debates that have coursed through two centuries of Russian writing, as the greatest thinkers of the empire and then the Soviet Union enchanted readers with their idealism, philosophical insight, and revolutionary fervor. Dr. Morson describes the Russian literary tradition as an argument between a radical intelligentsia that uncompromisingly followed ideology down the paths of revolution and violence, and writers who probed ever more deeply into the human condition. The debate concerned what Russians called “the accursed questions”: If there is no God, are good and evil merely human constructs? Should we look for life's essence in ordinary or extreme conditions? Are individual minds best understood in terms of an overarching theory or, as Tolstoy thought, by tracing the “tiny alternations of consciousness”? Exploring apologia for bloodshed, Dr. Morson adapts Mikhail Bakhtin's concept of the non-alibi—the idea that one cannot escape or displace responsibility for one's actions. And, throughout, Dr. Morson isolates a characteristic theme of Russian culture: how the aspiration to relieve profound suffering can lead to either heartfelt empathy or bloodthirsty tyranny. What emerges is a contest between unyielding dogmatism and open-minded dialogue, between heady certainty and a humble sense of wonder at the world's elusive complexity—a thought-provoking journey into inescapable questions. Gary Saul Morson is without a doubt one of the leading specialists on 19th and 20th century Russian literature. He is professor of Arts and Humanities at Northwestern University. And he is perhaps one of the few writers who has written for both The New Criterion and the New York Review of Books.  Charles Coutinho, PH. D., Associate Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, received his doctorate from New York University. His area of specialization is 19th and 20th-century European, American diplomatic and political history. He has written for Chatham House's International Affairs, the Institute of Historical Research's Reviews in History and the University of Rouen's online periodical Cercles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literary-studies

Since the age of Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and Chekhov, Russian literature has posed questions about good and evil, moral responsibility, and human freedom with a clarity and intensity found nowhere else. In Wonder Confronts Certainty: Russian Writers on the Timeless Questions and Why Their Answers Matter (Harvard University Press, 2023), Dr. Gary Saul Morson delineates intellectual debates that have coursed through two centuries of Russian writing, as the greatest thinkers of the empire and then the Soviet Union enchanted readers with their idealism, philosophical insight, and revolutionary fervor. Dr. Morson describes the Russian literary tradition as an argument between a radical intelligentsia that uncompromisingly followed ideology down the paths of revolution and violence, and writers who probed ever more deeply into the human condition. The debate concerned what Russians called “the accursed questions”: If there is no God, are good and evil merely human constructs? Should we look for life's essence in ordinary or extreme conditions? Are individual minds best understood in terms of an overarching theory or, as Tolstoy thought, by tracing the “tiny alternations of consciousness”? Exploring apologia for bloodshed, Dr. Morson adapts Mikhail Bakhtin's concept of the non-alibi—the idea that one cannot escape or displace responsibility for one's actions. And, throughout, Dr. Morson isolates a characteristic theme of Russian culture: how the aspiration to relieve profound suffering can lead to either heartfelt empathy or bloodthirsty tyranny. What emerges is a contest between unyielding dogmatism and open-minded dialogue, between heady certainty and a humble sense of wonder at the world's elusive complexity—a thought-provoking journey into inescapable questions. Gary Saul Morson is without a doubt one of the leading specialists on 19th and 20th century Russian literature. He is professor of Arts and Humanities at Northwestern University. And he is perhaps one of the few writers who has written for both The New Criterion and the New York Review of Books.  Charles Coutinho, PH. D., Associate Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, received his doctorate from New York University. His area of specialization is 19th and 20th-century European, American diplomatic and political history. He has written for Chatham House's International Affairs, the Institute of Historical Research's Reviews in History and the University of Rouen's online periodical Cercles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/russian-studies

Since the age of Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and Chekhov, Russian literature has posed questions about good and evil, moral responsibility, and human freedom with a clarity and intensity found nowhere else. In Wonder Confronts Certainty: Russian Writers on the Timeless Questions and Why Their Answers Matter (Harvard University Press, 2023), Dr. Gary Saul Morson delineates intellectual debates that have coursed through two centuries of Russian writing, as the greatest thinkers of the empire and then the Soviet Union enchanted readers with their idealism, philosophical insight, and revolutionary fervor. Dr. Morson describes the Russian literary tradition as an argument between a radical intelligentsia that uncompromisingly followed ideology down the paths of revolution and violence, and writers who probed ever more deeply into the human condition. The debate concerned what Russians called “the accursed questions”: If there is no God, are good and evil merely human constructs? Should we look for life's essence in ordinary or extreme conditions? Are individual minds best understood in terms of an overarching theory or, as Tolstoy thought, by tracing the “tiny alternations of consciousness”? Exploring apologia for bloodshed, Dr. Morson adapts Mikhail Bakhtin's concept of the non-alibi—the idea that one cannot escape or displace responsibility for one's actions. And, throughout, Dr. Morson isolates a characteristic theme of Russian culture: how the aspiration to relieve profound suffering can lead to either heartfelt empathy or bloodthirsty tyranny. What emerges is a contest between unyielding dogmatism and open-minded dialogue, between heady certainty and a humble sense of wonder at the world's elusive complexity—a thought-provoking journey into inescapable questions. Gary Saul Morson is without a doubt one of the leading specialists on 19th and 20th century Russian literature. He is professor of Arts and Humanities at Northwestern University. And he is perhaps one of the few writers who has written for both The New Criterion and the New York Review of Books.  Charles Coutinho, PH. D., Associate Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, received his doctorate from New York University. His area of specialization is 19th and 20th-century European, American diplomatic and political history. He has written for Chatham House's International Affairs, the Institute of Historical Research's Reviews in History and the University of Rouen's online periodical Cercles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/intellectual-history

Since the age of Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and Chekhov, Russian literature has posed questions about good and evil, moral responsibility, and human freedom with a clarity and intensity found nowhere else. In Wonder Confronts Certainty: Russian Writers on the Timeless Questions and Why Their Answers Matter (Harvard University Press, 2023), Dr. Gary Saul Morson delineates intellectual debates that have coursed through two centuries of Russian writing, as the greatest thinkers of the empire and then the Soviet Union enchanted readers with their idealism, philosophical insight, and revolutionary fervor. Dr. Morson describes the Russian literary tradition as an argument between a radical intelligentsia that uncompromisingly followed ideology down the paths of revolution and violence, and writers who probed ever more deeply into the human condition. The debate concerned what Russians called “the accursed questions”: If there is no God, are good and evil merely human constructs? Should we look for life's essence in ordinary or extreme conditions? Are individual minds best understood in terms of an overarching theory or, as Tolstoy thought, by tracing the “tiny alternations of consciousness”? Exploring apologia for bloodshed, Dr. Morson adapts Mikhail Bakhtin's concept of the non-alibi—the idea that one cannot escape or displace responsibility for one's actions. And, throughout, Dr. Morson isolates a characteristic theme of Russian culture: how the aspiration to relieve profound suffering can lead to either heartfelt empathy or bloodthirsty tyranny. What emerges is a contest between unyielding dogmatism and open-minded dialogue, between heady certainty and a humble sense of wonder at the world's elusive complexity—a thought-provoking journey into inescapable questions. Gary Saul Morson is without a doubt one of the leading specialists on 19th and 20th century Russian literature. He is professor of Arts and Humanities at Northwestern University. And he is perhaps one of the few writers who has written for both The New Criterion and the New York Review of Books.  Charles Coutinho, PH. D., Associate Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, received his doctorate from New York University. His area of specialization is 19th and 20th-century European, American diplomatic and political history. He has written for Chatham House's International Affairs, the Institute of Historical Research's Reviews in History and the University of Rouen's online periodical Cercles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/eastern-european-studies

Democracy scholar Rachel Kleinfeld joins Beg to Differ to discuss polarization, violence, the GOP, the rule of law, Ivy League hypocrites, and more. highlights / lowlights Mona Charen: What Is Happening at the Columbia School of Social Work? by Pamela Paul Damon Linker: A Trump dictatorship is increasingly inevitable. We should stop pretending. and The Trump dictatorship: How to stop it, both by Robert Kagan Bill Galston: The troubling testimony of Ivy League professors before the House on anti-semitism on campus. Linda Chavez: Why Dostoevsky Loved Humanity and Hated the Jews by Gary Saul Morson

Laura sits down with Mary Smith and Ryan Haber to discuss Leninthink, Communism, partyness, and more in this episode the Simpleton Podcast. Also in this episode: • How Lenin's ideology influenced our American thinking • Do Americans believe authority is a sham? • Carlos Eire's "Waiting for Snow in Havana" • Party-ness, gaslighting, and Chernobyl • Cancel culture, Who/Whom, oppression, and ideologies --- Links: Article - "Leninthink" by Gary Saul Morson: https://newcriterion.com/issues/2019/10/leninthink Podcast - "Ep. 15: Thinking Like Lenin, with Gary Saul Morson" (from The Moral Imagination Podcast): https://youtu.be/EmQM3TzzZjM?si=-7ucU5hNYvCErYxK --- Chapters: 0:00 Intro to Ryan and Mary 2:09 The three main ideas of Leninthink 3:11 "The right side of history" 14:25 Lenin's view of morality and truth 20:09 How Lenin's ideology influenced our American thinking 31:35 Do Americans believe authority is a sham? 35:16 Carlos Eire's "Waiting for Snow in Havana" & communism 42:19 The loss of morality 45:51 Party-ness, gaslighting, and Chernobyl 59:32 Carlos Eire's experience with communist ideology in Cuba 1:06:07 The Leninism spectrum: misinformation, Covid, Cancel Culture, & Cuba 1:22:43 Who/Whom, Zero Sum Games, oppression, and ideologies 1:37:46 Using history to defend Catholicism? --- The Simpleton Podcast is also on YouTube, Rumble and Odysee. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TButEN2jbVQ&list=PL6J5x7lptOXsnTAQRah4MhOOZwuttVNtb Rumble: rumble.com/user/asimplehouseU Odysee: odysee.com/@asimplehouseU You can also find the audio version of the podcast almost anywhere you stream podcasts (specifically, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RadioPublic, Pocket Casts, Breaker, and Anchor). Just search "The Simpleton Podcast", or go to https://anchor.fm/simpletonpodcast. --- Send us feedback! Email: asimplehouse@gmail.com A Simple House is a Catholic ministry that serves project and Section 8 neighborhoods in southeast Washington, DC and Kansas City, MO. Missionaries strive to meet the material and spiritual needs of the poor while living a simple religious life. Each missionary attends daily Mass, says morning and evening prayer from the Catholic Church's Liturgy of the Hours, and makes time for personal prayer and scripture study. Visit https://www.asimplehouse.org/ to learn more about A Simple House and The Simpleton Podcast. YouTube - A Simple House: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@asimplehouse.catholic⁠ YouTube - A Simple House U (home of The Simpleton Podcast): ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@ASimpleHouseU_2023⁠ Facebook: @asimplehouse | ⁠https://www.facebook.com/@asimplehouse⁠ Instagram: @asimplehouse.catholic | ⁠https://www.instagram.com/asimplehouse.catholic --- Thank you to Ben Friedman from Totus Media for editing and producing The Simpleton Podcast. Totus Media is a video production company based out of Des Moines, Iowa. Totus Media is an Iowa digital media production company, social media management firm, wedding videography business, and digital marketing agency. Visit https://www.totusmedia.co/ to learn more. --- #catholic #podcast #politics

A noted literary scholar traverses the Russian canon, exploring how realists, idealists, and revolutionaries debated good and evil, moral responsibility, and freedom. Since the age of Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and Chekhov, Russian literature has posed questions about good and evil, moral responsibility, and human freedom with a clarity and intensity found nowhere else. In Wonder Confronts Certainty: Russian Writers on the Timeless Questions and Why Their Answers Matter (Harvard University Press, 2023), Dr. Gary Saul Morson delineates intellectual debates that have coursed through two centuries of Russian writing, as the greatest thinkers of the empire and then the Soviet Union enchanted readers with their idealism, philosophical insight, and revolutionary fervor. Dr. Morson describes the Russian literary tradition as an argument between a radical intelligentsia that uncompromisingly followed ideology down the paths of revolution and violence, and writers who probed ever more deeply into the human condition. The debate concerned what Russians called “the accursed questions”: If there is no God, are good and evil merely human constructs? Should we look for life's essence in ordinary or extreme conditions? Are individual minds best understood in terms of an overarching theory or, as Tolstoy thought, by tracing the “tiny alternations of consciousness”? Exploring apologia for bloodshed, Dr. Morson adapts Mikhail Bakhtin's concept of the non-alibi—the idea that one cannot escape or displace responsibility for one's actions. And, throughout, Dr. Morson isolates a characteristic theme of Russian culture: how the aspiration to relieve profound suffering can lead to either heartfelt empathy or bloodthirsty tyranny. What emerges is a contest between unyielding dogmatism and open-minded dialogue, between heady certainty and a humble sense of wonder at the world's elusive complexity—a thought-provoking journey into inescapable questions. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose doctoral work focused on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

A noted literary scholar traverses the Russian canon, exploring how realists, idealists, and revolutionaries debated good and evil, moral responsibility, and freedom. Since the age of Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and Chekhov, Russian literature has posed questions about good and evil, moral responsibility, and human freedom with a clarity and intensity found nowhere else. In Wonder Confronts Certainty: Russian Writers on the Timeless Questions and Why Their Answers Matter (Harvard University Press, 2023), Dr. Gary Saul Morson delineates intellectual debates that have coursed through two centuries of Russian writing, as the greatest thinkers of the empire and then the Soviet Union enchanted readers with their idealism, philosophical insight, and revolutionary fervor. Dr. Morson describes the Russian literary tradition as an argument between a radical intelligentsia that uncompromisingly followed ideology down the paths of revolution and violence, and writers who probed ever more deeply into the human condition. The debate concerned what Russians called “the accursed questions”: If there is no God, are good and evil merely human constructs? Should we look for life's essence in ordinary or extreme conditions? Are individual minds best understood in terms of an overarching theory or, as Tolstoy thought, by tracing the “tiny alternations of consciousness”? Exploring apologia for bloodshed, Dr. Morson adapts Mikhail Bakhtin's concept of the non-alibi—the idea that one cannot escape or displace responsibility for one's actions. And, throughout, Dr. Morson isolates a characteristic theme of Russian culture: how the aspiration to relieve profound suffering can lead to either heartfelt empathy or bloodthirsty tyranny. What emerges is a contest between unyielding dogmatism and open-minded dialogue, between heady certainty and a humble sense of wonder at the world's elusive complexity—a thought-provoking journey into inescapable questions. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose doctoral work focused on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literary-studies

A noted literary scholar traverses the Russian canon, exploring how realists, idealists, and revolutionaries debated good and evil, moral responsibility, and freedom. Since the age of Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and Chekhov, Russian literature has posed questions about good and evil, moral responsibility, and human freedom with a clarity and intensity found nowhere else. In Wonder Confronts Certainty: Russian Writers on the Timeless Questions and Why Their Answers Matter (Harvard University Press, 2023), Dr. Gary Saul Morson delineates intellectual debates that have coursed through two centuries of Russian writing, as the greatest thinkers of the empire and then the Soviet Union enchanted readers with their idealism, philosophical insight, and revolutionary fervor. Dr. Morson describes the Russian literary tradition as an argument between a radical intelligentsia that uncompromisingly followed ideology down the paths of revolution and violence, and writers who probed ever more deeply into the human condition. The debate concerned what Russians called “the accursed questions”: If there is no God, are good and evil merely human constructs? Should we look for life's essence in ordinary or extreme conditions? Are individual minds best understood in terms of an overarching theory or, as Tolstoy thought, by tracing the “tiny alternations of consciousness”? Exploring apologia for bloodshed, Dr. Morson adapts Mikhail Bakhtin's concept of the non-alibi—the idea that one cannot escape or displace responsibility for one's actions. And, throughout, Dr. Morson isolates a characteristic theme of Russian culture: how the aspiration to relieve profound suffering can lead to either heartfelt empathy or bloodthirsty tyranny. What emerges is a contest between unyielding dogmatism and open-minded dialogue, between heady certainty and a humble sense of wonder at the world's elusive complexity—a thought-provoking journey into inescapable questions. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose doctoral work focused on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/russian-studies

A noted literary scholar traverses the Russian canon, exploring how realists, idealists, and revolutionaries debated good and evil, moral responsibility, and freedom. Since the age of Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and Chekhov, Russian literature has posed questions about good and evil, moral responsibility, and human freedom with a clarity and intensity found nowhere else. In Wonder Confronts Certainty: Russian Writers on the Timeless Questions and Why Their Answers Matter (Harvard University Press, 2023), Dr. Gary Saul Morson delineates intellectual debates that have coursed through two centuries of Russian writing, as the greatest thinkers of the empire and then the Soviet Union enchanted readers with their idealism, philosophical insight, and revolutionary fervor. Dr. Morson describes the Russian literary tradition as an argument between a radical intelligentsia that uncompromisingly followed ideology down the paths of revolution and violence, and writers who probed ever more deeply into the human condition. The debate concerned what Russians called “the accursed questions”: If there is no God, are good and evil merely human constructs? Should we look for life's essence in ordinary or extreme conditions? Are individual minds best understood in terms of an overarching theory or, as Tolstoy thought, by tracing the “tiny alternations of consciousness”? Exploring apologia for bloodshed, Dr. Morson adapts Mikhail Bakhtin's concept of the non-alibi—the idea that one cannot escape or displace responsibility for one's actions. And, throughout, Dr. Morson isolates a characteristic theme of Russian culture: how the aspiration to relieve profound suffering can lead to either heartfelt empathy or bloodthirsty tyranny. What emerges is a contest between unyielding dogmatism and open-minded dialogue, between heady certainty and a humble sense of wonder at the world's elusive complexity—a thought-provoking journey into inescapable questions. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose doctoral work focused on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/intellectual-history

A noted literary scholar traverses the Russian canon, exploring how realists, idealists, and revolutionaries debated good and evil, moral responsibility, and freedom. Since the age of Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and Chekhov, Russian literature has posed questions about good and evil, moral responsibility, and human freedom with a clarity and intensity found nowhere else. In Wonder Confronts Certainty: Russian Writers on the Timeless Questions and Why Their Answers Matter (Harvard University Press, 2023), Dr. Gary Saul Morson delineates intellectual debates that have coursed through two centuries of Russian writing, as the greatest thinkers of the empire and then the Soviet Union enchanted readers with their idealism, philosophical insight, and revolutionary fervor. Dr. Morson describes the Russian literary tradition as an argument between a radical intelligentsia that uncompromisingly followed ideology down the paths of revolution and violence, and writers who probed ever more deeply into the human condition. The debate concerned what Russians called “the accursed questions”: If there is no God, are good and evil merely human constructs? Should we look for life's essence in ordinary or extreme conditions? Are individual minds best understood in terms of an overarching theory or, as Tolstoy thought, by tracing the “tiny alternations of consciousness”? Exploring apologia for bloodshed, Dr. Morson adapts Mikhail Bakhtin's concept of the non-alibi—the idea that one cannot escape or displace responsibility for one's actions. And, throughout, Dr. Morson isolates a characteristic theme of Russian culture: how the aspiration to relieve profound suffering can lead to either heartfelt empathy or bloodthirsty tyranny. What emerges is a contest between unyielding dogmatism and open-minded dialogue, between heady certainty and a humble sense of wonder at the world's elusive complexity—a thought-provoking journey into inescapable questions. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose doctoral work focused on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/eastern-european-studies

This is Thinking in Public, a program dedicated to intelligent conversation about frontline theological and cultural issues with the people who are shaping them.In this edition of the popular podcast series "Thinking in Public," Albert Mohler speaks with Lawrence B. Dumas Professor of the Arts and Humanities at Northwestern University and world-renowned scholar of Russian literature, Professor Gary Saul Morson. They discuss Professor Morson's most recent book, "Wonder Confronts Certainty," and the deep mysteries of great Russian literature.If you enjoyed this episode of Thinking in Public, you can find hundreds of these conversations here.You can purchase "Wonder Confronts Certainty: Russian Writers on the Timeless Questions and Why Their Answers Matter" here.Sign up to receive every new Thinking in Public release in your inbox.Follow Dr. Mohler:Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTubeFor more information on The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, go to sbts.edu.For more information on Boyce College, just go to BoyceCollege.com.

Originally Recorded May 19th, 2023 Check out Professor Morson's new book, Wonder Confronts Certainty: https://www.amazon.com/Wonder-Confronts-Certainty-Timeless-Questions/dp/0674971809 Check out Professor Morson's article on Commentary, titled Do Russians Worship War: https://www.commentary.org/articles/gary-morson/russians-worship-war/Check out Professor Morson's article on First Things, titled What Pilate Learns: https://www.firstthings.com/article/2023/03/what-pilate-learns Get full access to Unlicensed Philosophy with Chuong Nguyen at musicallyspeaking.substack.com/subscribe

The Heritage Foundation's B. Kenneth Simon Center for American Studies is honored to announce that the Most Reverend Bishop Robert Barron of the diocese of Winona-Rochester will deliver the 2023 Russell Kirk Lecture for his speech titled, “The Breakdown of the Tocquevillean Equilibrium.”The namesake of the lecture—famed scholar Russell Kirk—was a pillar of the conservative movement, bringing like-minded individuals under the very name conservative. Through his well-known books, The Conservative Mind and The Roots of American Order, Kirk provided a philosophical foundation for the conservative movement.Helping to establish the influential publications National Review and Modern Age, Kirk strove to consolidate a rich, academic bedrock for conservatives, developing the six canons of conservatism which defined the tenets of the movement.Following the path of the America's greatest conservative intellectual, the Russell Kirk Lecture series recognizes those individuals who exemplify Kirk's commitment to conservative scholarship.Previous Russell Kirk Lectures have been delivered by Robert George, Roger Scruton, Shelby Steele, George Nash, Robert Reilly, David Goldman, Roger Kimball, and Gary Saul Morson.Bishop Robert Barron: This year's Russell Kirk Lecture speaker, Bishop Robert Barron, is known for his highly influential Word on Fire ministerial organization, which seeks to “proclaim Christ in the Culture” by “utilizing the tremendous resources…of art, architecture, poetry, philosophy, theology, and the lives of the saints in order to explain and interpret the event of Jesus Christ.” Bishop Barron is one of the most followed Catholics on social media and is frequently featured on FOX, NBC, and EWTN. He is an #1 Amazon bestselling author and has received acclaim for two documentary series, Catholicism and Pivotal Players. Despite his international prominence, he remains committed to the faithful of his Diocese of Winona-Rochester, MN. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Heritage Foundation's B. Kenneth Simon Center for American Studies is honored to announce that Professor Robert P. George will deliver our 2022 Russell Kirk Lecture, for his speech titled, Natural Law and the Recovery of Human Freedom.The namesake of the lecture—famed scholar Russell Kirk—was a pillar of the conservative movement, bringing like-minded individuals under the very name conservative. Through his well-known books, The Conservative Mind and The Roots of American Order, Kirk provided a philosophical foundation for the conservative movement.Helping to establish the influential publications, National Review and Modern Age, Kirk strove to consolidate a rich, academic bedrock for conservatives, developing the six canons of conservatism, which defined the tenets of the movement.Following the path of America's greatest conservative intellectual, the Russell Kirk Lecture series recognizes those individuals who exemplify Kirk's commitment to conservative scholarship.Previous Russell Kirk Lectures have been delivered by Roger Scruton, Shelby Steele, George Nash, Robert Reilly, David Goldman, Roger Kimball, and Gary Saul Morson. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Gary Saul Morson joins the podcast to talk about his article, “Suicide of the Liberals” from the October 2020 issue. They discuss the future of America in light of its uncanny similarities to pre and post-revolution Russia.

Northwestern University President Morton Schapiro and Professor Gary Saul Morson are the Authors of Minds Wide Shut: How the New Fundamentalisms Divide Us join Skoo Walker and Pete Jansons to chat about their latest book as well as other issues facing society Quotes: GSM " You cannot make people less extreme by insulting them" (Hillary Clinton) GSM/MS "Trump was a symptom, not a cause" GSM "You look for the best argument from the other side, not the worst" MS/GSM/Tolstoy/Game of Thrones "In a world filled with uncertainty what matters most is not the plant but alertness... And for Alertness you need sleep" MS " NU is 75k All in and 1/3 of NU Students pay less than 10% of that price. 10-15% of all private/non for profit/universities pay full price tuition GSM "It would not surprise me if in 10 years we will be going to Russia for freedom... not because they are freer but because we will be worse off than they will be" MS "Jan 6th will be the low point of America for generations" GSM "My job is to get kids to love literature" MS " Blanket forgiving of Student Debt would be very regressive" Topics: President Schapiro will be ending his 22 year run as NU President next year (when the average is 6.5 years) The decline in respectable dialogue What event can bring the USA together? Liberal Bias by professors? MOOC Massive Open Online Courses Flipped Classroom Cents and Sensibility: What Economics Can Learn from the Humanities 1.6 Billion in Student Loan Debt https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691214917/minds-wide-shut https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691183220/cents-and-sensibility Have an idea for a topic or guest? pete@NorthShorePodcast.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/pete-jansons3/message

Capitalism doesn't work without democracy. So, it's particularly concerning that polarization and fundamentalism are threatening the underlying principles that make our democracy possible. A new book by Northwestern President and economist Morton Schapiro and literary scholar Gary Saul Morson called "Minds Wide Shut" explores the forces that are destroying the open-mindedness democracy requires. We talk with them about their book and discuss solutions on this episode.

Host:  Larry Bernstein. Guests include Gary Saul Morson, Morty Schapiro, and Josh Soven

What are the benefits of interdisciplinary research for educators in terms of gaining a deeper understanding of the larger issues that affect their field? The noted literary critic Gary Saul Morson and leading economist Morton Schapiro discuss how humanities, especially literature, offer economists ways to make their models more human, their predictions more accurate, and their policies more effective and fair. Their book Cents And Sensibility provided critical insights and lessons during this episode. The discussion explored ways the study of literature helps people gain new insights into truth, right and wrong through literary characters. In addition, they provide some insights into how economists and other scientific disciplines can express the context of their work more effectively by following the same approach.Listen to the exciting conversations they have with host Greg LaBlanc about why students aren't exposed to literature in meaningful ways before entering a university. An even more captivating discussion was held on funding humanities as a discipline and its effect on students' career prospects.You won't want to miss the remainder of the episode as they explore how economics is evolving, how science co-exists with the humanities, and what makes literature so special that it helps develop empathy.Episode Quotes:Does interdisciplinary work really require understanding where one discipline ends and begins?"If you look at the paperback of Cents and Sensibility, we lead off with the results of a survey that we hadn't been aware of until one of the reviews came out, and it had asked people in different disciplines. These are professors in the United States. Is there anything to learn from fields other than your own? And you know, 79% of psychology professors said, sure, there is. I'm shocked that it wasn't 95. But anyway, 73% of sociologists and, you know, as soon as generally among the social scientists, 70 to 80% said, yes. There was one notable outlier, and that was only 42% of economists said there was anything they can learn from other fields [...] And it really is about intellectual humility, dialogue, and getting out of your, away from your echo chambers and doing better work by being more open to what you can learn from other fields." —Morton Schapiro"Yeah, we were trying to distinguish real interdisciplinarity from something that is sometimes mistaken for it. That a discipline is not just a subject matter, it's a way of seeing the world, defining certain questions as interesting and specifying, what kind of evidence would count and what assumptions are made when you start out. That's a whole different worldview. And what we're trying to suggest is that something can be learned when two different disciplines and needs of two different ways of seeing things examine the same subject matter and can profit from each other's shortcomings." —Gary Saul MorsonIs economics too watered down to a point where it's no longer objectionable and is applied to all human behavior? Or is it necessary to make claims that are challenging?"What I'm saying is that what I love about the field of economics is we do our analysis, and we do our mathematical models, and we see how it comes out. We don't write the conclusion before we do our analysis. There's always a temptation to do that.." —Morton Schapiro"To contrast that with the limitations of my own field, I have never seen an article in literary criticism that reported I had this hypothesis, but I investigated, and the evidence didn't bear it out. You have an idea, and you don't test it; you illustrate it. What's always struck me as very familiar. Any theory, any idiotic theory, can be illustrated. The test of a theory is not the evidence, but the counter-evidence" —Gary Saul MorsonWhy aren't students exposed to literature in meaningful ways, even before they're at university?"I asked them (the students) how they've taught literature in secondary school. I always get three answers in descending frequency. The most frequent is that they've been taught as a kind of technical exercise. The second most common way is to start with the presumption that our values of our social class today. You can't learn that you're correct. And everyone else is wrong.So again, there's no reason to read it. So each of these methods leaves the student with a sense that reading literature is uninteresting, none of them." —Gary Saul MorsonWhy should the government invest in education, faculty, research, and literature when it's not going to produce people who can go out and get jobs?I'll tell you, and it's really overblown in the media that people with humanities degrees are lost in the labor force. I think if done right. They learn how to learn. They learn how to communicate, and that's probably why their earnings are much higher than people would expect, but it takes a number of years. —Morton Schapiro"Why should the state legislature support pure mathematics, which has no application? Areas of physics that will never be used? That's an equivalent question. If knowledge is valuable in itself, it will have an indirect effect. A culture where people understand each other, empathize with each other, see things from different points of view, which is what literature would teach. It's not going to wind up with people hating anybody who differs from them. That's what literature should do, and we badly need it right now." —Gary Saul MorsonWhat is so special about literature it helps build empathy?"We mentioned something similar in the book, trying to get out of your own self, trying to truly understand what it's like to be a different gender, sexuality, sexual expression, race, ethnicity. And I think I would say, most importantly, a different sense of right and wrong. I happened to be observant too. There's a certain view that's informed by my weekly study of the Hebrew Bible, but I love reading great fiction. Where somebody has a very different view of morality from mine, and it helps me understand why I believe certain things, and maybe I should believe other things. And I don't think anything is better than fiction." —Morton Schapiro"People think of what you do when you read a great novel, you identify with a character. The author gets you to see the world from the heroine's perspective. You understand how she's making the decision, what she's thinking, what you can't do with people in real life. You can't trace their thoughts and feelings. You understand all the things that are not said. The person is thinking [...], and you do this for hundreds and hundreds of pages, and you make a habit when you do it with several different people with different points of view." —Gary Saul MorsonShow Links:About Gary Saul MorsonGary's Profile at Northwestern UniversityGary's Profile on the American ScholarGary on LinkedInAbout Morton SchapiroMorton's Profile at Northwestern UniversityTheir Work:Minds Wide Shut: How the New Fundamentalisms Divide UsCents and Sensibility: What Economics Can Learn from the HumanitiesThe Fabulous Future?: America and the World in 2040

Two very thoughtful oddfellows--a labor economist and a Russian literature scholar--take on the world's problems in their newest collaboration, Minds Wide Shut How the New Fundamentalisms Divide Us (Princeton University Press, 2021).  Gary Saul Morson and Morton Schapiro bring to bear the remarkably powerful tool of great 19th century Realist literature (and other parts of the Western canon) to define and counter the all-or-nothing fundamentalisms that have come to divide us in recent years. They touch upon politics, religion and economics, as well as great literature itself, and advocate bridging the divides with assertion and dialogue rather than the crude dismissal of opponents based upon absolute, unyielding assumptions. Daniel Peris is Senior Vice President at Federated Hermes in Pittsburgh. He can be reached at DanielxPeris@gmail.com or via Twitter @HistoryInvestor. His History and Investing blog and Keep Calm & Carry On Investing podcast are at https://strategicdividendinvestor.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

Two very thoughtful oddfellows--a labor economist and a Russian literature scholar--take on the world's problems in their newest collaboration, Minds Wide Shut How the New Fundamentalisms Divide Us (Princeton University Press, 2021).  Gary Saul Morson and Morton Schapiro bring to bear the remarkably powerful tool of great 19th century Realist literature (and other parts of the Western canon) to define and counter the all-or-nothing fundamentalisms that have come to divide us in recent years. They touch upon politics, religion and economics, as well as great literature itself, and advocate bridging the divides with assertion and dialogue rather than the crude dismissal of opponents based upon absolute, unyielding assumptions. Daniel Peris is Senior Vice President at Federated Hermes in Pittsburgh. He can be reached at DanielxPeris@gmail.com or via Twitter @HistoryInvestor. His History and Investing blog and Keep Calm & Carry On Investing podcast are at https://strategicdividendinvestor.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Two very thoughtful oddfellows--a labor economist and a Russian literature scholar--take on the world's problems in their newest collaboration, Minds Wide Shut How the New Fundamentalisms Divide Us (Princeton University Press, 2021).  Gary Saul Morson and Morton Schapiro bring to bear the remarkably powerful tool of great 19th century Realist literature (and other parts of the Western canon) to define and counter the all-or-nothing fundamentalisms that have come to divide us in recent years. They touch upon politics, religion and economics, as well as great literature itself, and advocate bridging the divides with assertion and dialogue rather than the crude dismissal of opponents based upon absolute, unyielding assumptions. Daniel Peris is Senior Vice President at Federated Hermes in Pittsburgh. He can be reached at DanielxPeris@gmail.com or via Twitter @HistoryInvestor. His History and Investing blog and Keep Calm & Carry On Investing podcast are at https://strategicdividendinvestor.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/political-science

Two very thoughtful oddfellows--a labor economist and a Russian literature scholar--take on the world's problems in their newest collaboration, Minds Wide Shut How the New Fundamentalisms Divide Us (Princeton University Press, 2021).  Gary Saul Morson and Morton Schapiro bring to bear the remarkably powerful tool of great 19th century Realist literature (and other parts of the Western canon) to define and counter the all-or-nothing fundamentalisms that have come to divide us in recent years. They touch upon politics, religion and economics, as well as great literature itself, and advocate bridging the divides with assertion and dialogue rather than the crude dismissal of opponents based upon absolute, unyielding assumptions. Daniel Peris is Senior Vice President at Federated Hermes in Pittsburgh. He can be reached at DanielxPeris@gmail.com or via Twitter @HistoryInvestor. His History and Investing blog and Keep Calm & Carry On Investing podcast are at https://strategicdividendinvestor.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/book-of-the-day

Two very thoughtful oddfellows--a labor economist and a Russian literature scholar--take on the world's problems in their newest collaboration, Minds Wide Shut How the New Fundamentalisms Divide Us (Princeton University Press, 2021).  Gary Saul Morson and Morton Schapiro bring to bear the remarkably powerful tool of great 19th century Realist literature (and other parts of the Western canon) to define and counter the all-or-nothing fundamentalisms that have come to divide us in recent years. They touch upon politics, religion and economics, as well as great literature itself, and advocate bridging the divides with assertion and dialogue rather than the crude dismissal of opponents based upon absolute, unyielding assumptions. Daniel Peris is Senior Vice President at Federated Hermes in Pittsburgh. He can be reached at DanielxPeris@gmail.com or via Twitter @HistoryInvestor. His History and Investing blog and Keep Calm & Carry On Investing podcast are at https://strategicdividendinvestor.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/education

Two very thoughtful oddfellows--a labor economist and a Russian literature scholar--take on the world's problems in their newest collaboration, Minds Wide Shut How the New Fundamentalisms Divide Us (Princeton University Press, 2021).  Gary Saul Morson and Morton Schapiro bring to bear the remarkably powerful tool of great 19th century Realist literature (and other parts of the Western canon) to define and counter the all-or-nothing fundamentalisms that have come to divide us in recent years. They touch upon politics, religion and economics, as well as great literature itself, and advocate bridging the divides with assertion and dialogue rather than the crude dismissal of opponents based upon absolute, unyielding assumptions. Daniel Peris is Senior Vice President at Federated Hermes in Pittsburgh. He can be reached at DanielxPeris@gmail.com or via Twitter @HistoryInvestor. His History and Investing blog and Keep Calm & Carry On Investing podcast are at https://strategicdividendinvestor.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/politics-and-polemics

Two very thoughtful oddfellows--a labor economist and a Russian literature scholar--take on the world's problems in their newest collaboration, Minds Wide Shut How the New Fundamentalisms Divide Us (Princeton University Press, 2021).  Gary Saul Morson and Morton Schapiro bring to bear the remarkably powerful tool of great 19th century Realist literature (and other parts of the Western canon) to define and counter the all-or-nothing fundamentalisms that have come to divide us in recent years. They touch upon politics, religion and economics, as well as great literature itself, and advocate bridging the divides with assertion and dialogue rather than the crude dismissal of opponents based upon absolute, unyielding assumptions. Daniel Peris is Senior Vice President at Federated Hermes in Pittsburgh. He can be reached at DanielxPeris@gmail.com or via Twitter @HistoryInvestor. His History and Investing blog and Keep Calm & Carry On Investing podcast are at https://strategicdividendinvestor.com/

Two very thoughtful oddfellows--a labor economist and a Russian literature scholar--take on the world's problems in their newest collaboration, Minds Wide Shut How the New Fundamentalisms Divide Us (Princeton University Press, 2021).  Gary Saul Morson and Morton Schapiro bring to bear the remarkably powerful tool of great 19th century Realist literature (and other parts of the Western canon) to define and counter the all-or-nothing fundamentalisms that have come to divide us in recent years. They touch upon politics, religion and economics, as well as great literature itself, and advocate bridging the divides with assertion and dialogue rather than the crude dismissal of opponents based upon absolute, unyielding assumptions. Daniel Peris is Senior Vice President at Federated Hermes in Pittsburgh. He can be reached at DanielxPeris@gmail.com or via Twitter @HistoryInvestor. His History and Investing blog and Keep Calm & Carry On Investing podcast are at https://strategicdividendinvestor.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/intellectual-history

In this episode of Gospelbound, Collin Hansen is joined by Morton Schapiro and Gary Saul Morson, authors of Minds Wide Shut: How the New Fundamentalisms Divide Us (Princeton University Press). Schapiro and Morson describe fundamentalism as “radical simplification of complex questions and the inability to learn either from experience or from opposing views.”Among their proposed solutions is a recovery of casuistry, or employing case studies especially from great literature for experience-based learning.Gospelbound Book Giveaway Entry Steps: Write a review about the Gospelbound podcast on Apple Podcasts  (reviews can take up to 48 hours to appear in the ratings and review section, so be sure to check back after that time period to see your review)Take a screenshot of your reviewEmail us your screenshot to podcasts@thegospelcoalition.org  by Friday, April 23We'll pick the first 10 entries on April 23 to receive a free copy of Gospelbound, the book.This episode of Gospelbound is sponsored by The Good Book Company, publisher of The End of Me by Liz Wann. More information at thegoodbook.com.

Why is it so hard to acknowledge when our opponents get something right? Orto admit when we are wrong? Why do so few people see that BOTH this issue AND that issue can be right or wrong? Collin, Justin, and Kevin discuss these divisions that we experience on this episode. They also ask, “What is Christian Nationalism?” Listen to the end for the book recommendations and scroll down for the links. Life and Books and Everything is sponsored by Crossway, publisher of the ShortStudies in Biblical Theology Series, edited by Dane C. Ortlund and Miles V. Van Pelt. The Short Studies in Biblical Theology Series is designed to help readers see the whole Bible as a unified story culminating in Jesus Christ. In each volume, a trusted scholar traces an important topic through God’s word and explores its significance for the Christian life. For 30% off this series and all other books and Bibles at Crossway, sign up for a free Crossway+ account at crossway.org/LBE. Timestamps: The Best Person to Disagree With [0:00 – 1:46] Collin’s Jolly Holiday [1:46 – 4:17] A Brief Digression on Morally Problematic Television [4:17 – 7:34] Justin’s COVID Christmas [7:34 – 10:53] VidAngel & Cobra Kai [10:53 – 12:15] Kevin’s December Viewing [12:15 – 17:45] Both/And: Why is it so hard to see both sides of an issue? [17:45 – 25:54] Both/And: Should we even want this approach? [25:54 – 35:23] Whataboutism & Selective Policing [35:23 – 40:57] Christian Nationalism [40:57 – 56:16] Book Recommendations Featuring Pro-Life and MLK, Jr. Topics [56:16 – 1:08:25] Books and More Books: The Case for Life: Equipping Christians to Engage the Culture, by ScottKlusendorf Defending Life, by Francis J. Beckwith Beyond Racial Gridlock: Embracing Mutual Responsibility, by George Yancey Letter from a Birmingham Jail, by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Abe: Abraham Lincoln in His Times, by David S. Reynolds The Attributes of God: An Introduction, by Gerald Bray Forty Questions About the End Times, by Eckhard Schnabel The Bible and the Future, by Anthony A. Hoekema Not Tragically Colored: Freedom, Personhood, and the Renewal of Black America,by Ismael Hernandez America in the King Years, by Taylor Branch Abuse of Discretion: The Inside Story of Roe v. Wade, by Clarke D. Forsythe Concise Guide to Conservatism, by Russell Kirk The Myth of the Lost Cause: Why the South Fought the Civil War and Why the North Won, by Edward H. Bonekemper, III Geerhardus Vos: Reformed Biblical Theologian, Confessional Presbyterian, by Danny E. Olinger Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day, by Jake Knapp and JohnZeratsky Heralds of the King: Christ-Centered Sermons in the Tradition of Edmund P. Clowney, edited by Dennis E. Johnson For Christ and the University: The Story of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship ofthe USA - 1940-1990, by Keith Hunt, Gladys Hunt C. Stacey Woods and the Evangelical Rediscovery of the University, by A.Donald MacLeod Moral, Believing Animals: Human Personhood and Culture, by Christian Smith Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth: 12 Questions Christians Should Ask About Social Justice, by Thaddeus J. Williams Minds Wide Shut: How the New Fundamentalisms Divide Us, by Gary Saul Morson and Morton Schapiro R. C. Sproul: A Life, by Stephen J. Nichols

In this episode, I speak with Professor Gary Saul Morson about the thought of Vladamir Lenin and how Lenin's ideas and way of seeing the world influences us today. We discuss his New Criterion essay, "Leninthink" and some of the key aspects of Lenin's thought, including Who-Whom: adherence to all politics and life as a win-lose, zero-sum game, the rejection of truth, Party-ness and ideological commitment over all, affirmation of violence, and philosophical materialism. We discuss moral relativism and the adherence to lying that many Western intellectuals failed to understand. Morson gives examples from Arthur Koestler's Darkness at Noon, Richard Wright's American Hunger, and G.K. Chesterton's Father Brown stories. If "Leninthink" sounds a bit like the situation we are in today, it is because Lenin's ideas are alive and well. Visit https://www.themoralimagination.com/episodes/gary-saul-morson  for show notes and resources.

Getting people excited to read books is quite a challenge these days. Especially when it comes to old books, including classics. Gary Saul Morson spells out 4 reasons why literature needs to be saved from its teachers. More evidence that we're living in bizarro world, Facebook has demonitized The Babylon Bee for a satirical article it published last week. Every time I see a video of a police officer arresting someone for not wearing a mask, I wonder how a society that prides itself on being free can simply shrug in acceptance. Barry Brownstein has a great take on how mindlessness fuels tyranny. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/loving-liberty/support

October 01, 2020 Carter has a wide-ranging discussion with guest host Sunny Lohmann. Sunny is a political satirist who contributes regularly for PJ Media and whose popular videos can be seen on her YouTube channel, House of Sunny. They discuss buying votes, the myriad Atlas Shrugged characters surrounding us today, George Soros, and the upcoming election. After pausing to wonder who the last President who wrote his own speeches was, they contemplate why Objectivists and other intellectual elites support Biden over Trump, the superfluous neologism "White Blindness," and the Coinbase announcement by CEO Brian Armstrong that the company is NOT Woke. Then the real Unsafe topics begin as they chat about the possibility of States leaving the Union, if a peaceful solution to today's culture war is possible, and if a “Civil War” would erupt should a group of States give up and leave. Follow Sunny at: Twitter: @sunnylohmann Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/houseofsunny.tv YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/HouseofSunny Instagram: @sunnylohmann LINKS REFERENCED IN TODAY'S SHOW Rep. Katie Porter's white board video: https://twitter.com/RepKatiePorter/status/1311746313294290945 Francisco's money speech from Atlas Shrugged: https://www.capitalismmagazine.com/2002/08/franciscos-money-speech/ Suicide of the Liberals by Gary Saul Morson: https://www.firstthings.com/article/2020/10/suicide-of-the-liberals “Coinbase is a mission focused company” post by Brian Armstrong: https://blog.coinbase.com/coinbase-is-a-mission-focused-company-af882df8804 Twitter thread that originally contained Dick Costello's response to Coinbase (he has deleted his tweet): https://twitter.com/pt/status/1311458389856116736 An archived screenshot of the deleted Dick Costello tweet, because he can't hide: https://unsafespace.com/451/ep449/dick_costello_tweet.png Thanks for watching! Please don't forget to like, subscribe, and share. Follow us on the following social media channels...at least until we get banned: Twitter: @unsafespace Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unsafepage Instagram: @_unsafespace Gab: @unsafe Minds: @unsafe Parler: @unsafespace Telegram Chat: https://t.me/joinchat/H4OUclXTz4xwF9EapZekPg Pick up some Unsafe Space merch at unsafespace.com! YouTube link to video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/PJfp3zL4p6k

October 01, 2020 Carter has a wide-ranging discussion with guest host Sunny Lohmann. Sunny is a political satirist who contributes regularly for PJ Media and whose popular videos can be seen on her YouTube channel, House of Sunny. They discuss buying votes, the myriad Atlas Shrugged characters surrounding us today, George Soros, and the upcoming election. After pausing to wonder who the last President who wrote his own speeches was, they contemplate why Objectivists and other intellectual elites support Biden over Trump, the superfluous neologism "White Blindness," and the Coinbase announcement by CEO Brian Armstrong that the company is NOT Woke. Then the real Unsafe topics begin as they chat about the possibility of States leaving the Union, if a peaceful solution to today’s culture war is possible, and if a “Civil War” would erupt should a group of States give up and leave. Follow Sunny at: Twitter: @sunnylohmann Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/houseofsunny.tv YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/HouseofSunny Instagram: @sunnylohmann LINKS REFERENCED IN TODAY'S SHOW Rep. Katie Porter's white board video: https://twitter.com/RepKatiePorter/status/1311746313294290945 Francisco's money speech from Atlas Shrugged: https://www.capitalismmagazine.com/2002/08/franciscos-money-speech/ Suicide of the Liberals by Gary Saul Morson: https://www.firstthings.com/article/2020/10/suicide-of-the-liberals “Coinbase is a mission focused company” post by Brian Armstrong: https://blog.coinbase.com/coinbase-is-a-mission-focused-company-af882df8804 Twitter thread that originally contained Dick Costello's response to Coinbase (he has deleted his tweet): https://twitter.com/pt/status/1311458389856116736 An archived screenshot of the deleted Dick Costello tweet, because he can't hide: https://unsafespace.com/451/ep449/dick_costello_tweet.png Thanks for watching! Please don't forget to like, subscribe, and share. Follow us on the following social media channels...at least until we get banned: Twitter: @unsafespace Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unsafepage Instagram: @_unsafespace Gab: @unsafe Minds: @unsafe Parler: @unsafespace Telegram Chat: https://t.me/joinchat/H4OUclXTz4xwF9EapZekPg Pick up some Unsafe Space merch at unsafespace.com! YouTube link to video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/PJfp3zL4p6k

Support the Show: houseofsunny.tv or subscribstar/houseofsunny Angelo Codevilla piece: https://americanmind.org/essays/revolution-2020/ Gary Saul Morson piece: https://www.firstthings.com/article/2020/10/suicide-of-the-liberals?fbclid=IwAR21PjiGWWK8W7HkRcjDjUN5dIUg3BnuhEHXEJ-2Bvx7XhH8yC0vNdG6fr8

With a chaotic modern America as the backdrop, Matt asks Northwestern professor of Russian Literature Gary Saul Morson for historical insight.

Guest speakers include Bjorn Neumann, Gary Saul Morson, Gregory Clark, Mark Wilf, Dr. Alan Gwertzman, Dr. Charles Schwartz, Stuart Greenbaum, Michael Flamm, and Arnette Heintze.

Discussions about "cancel culture," the practice of stigmatizing and ostracizing a person or institution deemed to have transgressed political correctness, have become ubiquitous in the United States. From the campus to the boardroom to the newsroom, the cost of having ever said or thought the wrong thing can now put one's reputation and livelihood at risk. And there is no path for the accused to enjoy ablution, to wash away the sin of wrongthink. Public figures of all kinds, from politics to journalism, have been accused and tried in the court of public opinion without the ability to defend themselves. American culture seems to be undergoing a kind of revolution, fomented in social media, that is reshaping the contours of our public life. In this podcast, Jonathan Silver is joined by Professor Gary Saul Morson to discuss his 2019 New Criterion essay, "Leninthink." Morson's essay is not about Lenin the man, nor is it about Lenin's ideology. Leninthink is actually anti-ideological. It is a cast of mind, and a political tactic that utilizes ideology to wage political revolution. At a time when cancel culture threatens to tear down the universities, the museums, and the press, Morson's study is more important than ever. Musical selections in this podcast are drawn from the Quintet for Clarinet and Strings, op. 31a, composed by Paul Ben-Haim and performed by the ARC Ensemble.

Guest speakers include Michael Robinet, Edward Glaeser, Desmond Lachman, Max Roser, Steven Davis, Philip Fischer, Chris Arnade, Stephen Krasner, Dr. Charles Schwartz, Dr. Alan Gwertzman, Joel Mokyr, Ernest Freeberg, Dr. Jeremy Brown, Gary Saul Morson, and Jeff Shell.

The Russians famously believe that instead of literature being fodder for life, life is fodder for literature. Isn’t that giving too high a place to art? The CenterForLit team turns to Gary Saul Morson as he demonstrates this idea and the overall centrality of literature to Russian culture in his New Criterion article entitled “How the great truth dawned.” In this episode of BiblioFiles, we kick around some of the arguments in this article and talks about what they might mean for the study of literature in general. Referenced Works;– “How the great truth dawned” by Gary Saul Morson in the September 2019 issue of The New Criterion– The Gulag Archipelago and The Red Wheel by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn– Anna Karenina and War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy– Historical Consciousness by John Lukacs– Solzhenitsyn’s Nobel Prize Acceptance SpeechWe love hearing your questions and comments! You can contact us by emailing adam@centerforlit.com, or you can visit our website www.centerforlit.com to find even more ways to participate in the conversation.

Gary Saul Morson, the Lawrence B. Dumas Professor of the Arts and Humanities at Northwestern University, delivers the inaugural Circle Lecture on the pernicious legacy of Vladimir Lenin.

Gary Saul Morson, the Lawrence B. Dumas Professor of the Arts and Humanities at Northwestern University and the author of “Leninthink,” joins James Panero to discuss the pernicious legacy of Vladimir Lenin.

The post The Abiding Truths of Russian Literature: A Conversation with Gary Saul Morson appeared first on AlbertMohler.com.

The federal Coalition is falling apart – but could and should the Liberal and National Parties continue and coexist, and was federation a mistake (1:24-16:09)? The upcoming NSW election raises issues about why state government obsess about infrastructure, and what powers they should actually have (16:09-33:10)? And Milo Yiannopolous gets his visa to speak in Australia, but how come a 'Liberal' government even considered stopping it, and what do these visa wrangles mean for free speech (33:10-41:06)? Scott Hargreaves and Dr Chris Berg are joined by John Roskam and Catallaxy Files contributor Dimitri Burshtein to answer these questions and share what they've been reading, watching and listening to, including Captain Marvel, Little Pink House, Why Culture Matters Most and War and Peace (41:06-59:04) Show Notes: Kludgeocracy: The American Way of Policy by Steven M. Teles: https://www.newamerica.org/economic-growth/policy-papers/kludgeocracy-the-american-way-of-policy/ Captain Marvel: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154664/  Little Pink House: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3863632/  Why Culture Matters Most by David C. Rose: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/why-culture-matters-most-9780199330720?cc=au&lang=en& The Greatest of All Novels by Gary Saul Morson in the New Critereon: https://www.newcriterion.com/issues/2019/3/the-greatest-of-all-novels 

The vast chasm between classical economics and the humanities is widely known and accepted. They are profoundly different disciplines with little to say to one another. Such is the accepted wisdom. Fortunately, Professors Gary Saul Morson and Morton Schapiro, both of Northwestern University, disagree.  In their new book, Cents and Sensibility: What Economics Can Learn from the Humanities (Princeton University Press, 2017), they argue that the mathematically rigid world of classical economics actually has a lot to learn from the world of great literature. Specifically, they argue that “original passions” (the term is from an overlooked work of Adam Smith) in the form of culture, story telling, and addressing ethical questions are found in great works of literature, but lacking in modern economic theory. Good judgment, they write, “cannot be reduced to any theory or set of rules.” Along the way, they weave together Adam Smith, Lev Tolstoy, Jared Diamond, college admissions practices, the US News and World Report rankings, and the family.  This is an ambitious and original work. Many will disagree with it, but few will be able to put it down. Daniel Peris is Senior Vice President at Federated Investors in Pittsburgh. Trained as a historian of modern Russia, he is the author most recently of Getting Back to Business: Why Modern Portfolio Theory Fails Investors. You can follow him on Twitter @Back2BizBook or at http://www.strategicdividendinvestor.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The vast chasm between classical economics and the humanities is widely known and accepted. They are profoundly different disciplines with little to say to one another. Such is the accepted wisdom. Fortunately, Professors Gary Saul Morson and Morton Schapiro, both of Northwestern University, disagree.  In their new book, Cents and Sensibility: What Economics Can Learn from the Humanities (Princeton University Press, 2017), they argue that the mathematically rigid world of classical economics actually has a lot to learn from the world of great literature. Specifically, they argue that “original passions” (the term is from an overlooked work of Adam Smith) in the form of culture, story telling, and addressing ethical questions are found in great works of literature, but lacking in modern economic theory. Good judgment, they write, “cannot be reduced to any theory or set of rules.” Along the way, they weave together Adam Smith, Lev Tolstoy, Jared Diamond, college admissions practices, the US News and World Report rankings, and the family.  This is an ambitious and original work. Many will disagree with it, but few will be able to put it down. Daniel Peris is Senior Vice President at Federated Investors in Pittsburgh. Trained as a historian of modern Russia, he is the author most recently of Getting Back to Business: Why Modern Portfolio Theory Fails Investors. You can follow him on Twitter @Back2BizBook or at http://www.strategicdividendinvestor.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The vast chasm between classical economics and the humanities is widely known and accepted. They are profoundly different disciplines with little to say to one another. Such is the accepted wisdom. Fortunately, Professors Gary Saul Morson and Morton Schapiro, both of Northwestern University, disagree.  In their new book, Cents and Sensibility: What Economics Can Learn from the Humanities (Princeton University Press, 2017), they argue that the mathematically rigid world of classical economics actually has a lot to learn from the world of great literature. Specifically, they argue that “original passions” (the term is from an overlooked work of Adam Smith) in the form of culture, story telling, and addressing ethical questions are found in great works of literature, but lacking in modern economic theory. Good judgment, they write, “cannot be reduced to any theory or set of rules.” Along the way, they weave together Adam Smith, Lev Tolstoy, Jared Diamond, college admissions practices, the US News and World Report rankings, and the family.  This is an ambitious and original work. Many will disagree with it, but few will be able to put it down. Daniel Peris is Senior Vice President at Federated Investors in Pittsburgh. Trained as a historian of modern Russia, he is the author most recently of Getting Back to Business: Why Modern Portfolio Theory Fails Investors. You can follow him on Twitter @Back2BizBook or at http://www.strategicdividendinvestor.com

The vast chasm between classical economics and the humanities is widely known and accepted. They are profoundly different disciplines with little to say to one another. Such is the accepted wisdom. Fortunately, Professors Gary Saul Morson and Morton Schapiro, both of Northwestern University, disagree.  In their new book, Cents and Sensibility: What Economics Can Learn from the Humanities (Princeton University Press, 2017), they argue that the mathematically rigid world of classical economics actually has a lot to learn from the world of great literature. Specifically, they argue that “original passions” (the term is from an overlooked work of Adam Smith) in the form of culture, story telling, and addressing ethical questions are found in great works of literature, but lacking in modern economic theory. Good judgment, they write, “cannot be reduced to any theory or set of rules.” Along the way, they weave together Adam Smith, Lev Tolstoy, Jared Diamond, college admissions practices, the US News and World Report rankings, and the family.  This is an ambitious and original work. Many will disagree with it, but few will be able to put it down. Daniel Peris is Senior Vice President at Federated Investors in Pittsburgh. Trained as a historian of modern Russia, he is the author most recently of Getting Back to Business: Why Modern Portfolio Theory Fails Investors. You can follow him on Twitter @Back2BizBook or at http://www.strategicdividendinvestor.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The vast chasm between classical economics and the humanities is widely known and accepted. They are profoundly different disciplines with little to say to one another. Such is the accepted wisdom. Fortunately, Professors Gary Saul Morson and Morton Schapiro, both of Northwestern University, disagree.  In their new book, Cents and Sensibility: What Economics Can Learn from the Humanities (Princeton University Press, 2017), they argue that the mathematically rigid world of classical economics actually has a lot to learn from the world of great literature. Specifically, they argue that “original passions” (the term is from an overlooked work of Adam Smith) in the form of culture, story telling, and addressing ethical questions are found in great works of literature, but lacking in modern economic theory. Good judgment, they write, “cannot be reduced to any theory or set of rules.” Along the way, they weave together Adam Smith, Lev Tolstoy, Jared Diamond, college admissions practices, the US News and World Report rankings, and the family.  This is an ambitious and original work. Many will disagree with it, but few will be able to put it down. Daniel Peris is Senior Vice President at Federated Investors in Pittsburgh. Trained as a historian of modern Russia, he is the author most recently of Getting Back to Business: Why Modern Portfolio Theory Fails Investors. You can follow him on Twitter @Back2BizBook or at http://www.strategicdividendinvestor.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The vast chasm between classical economics and the humanities is widely known and accepted. They are profoundly different disciplines with little to say to one another. Such is the accepted wisdom. Fortunately, Professors Gary Saul Morson and Morton Schapiro, both of Northwestern University, disagree.  In their new book, Cents and Sensibility: What Economics Can Learn from the Humanities (Princeton University Press, 2017), they argue that the mathematically rigid world of classical economics actually has a lot to learn from the world of great literature. Specifically, they argue that “original passions” (the term is from an overlooked work of Adam Smith) in the form of culture, story telling, and addressing ethical questions are found in great works of literature, but lacking in modern economic theory. Good judgment, they write, “cannot be reduced to any theory or set of rules.” Along the way, they weave together Adam Smith, Lev Tolstoy, Jared Diamond, college admissions practices, the US News and World Report rankings, and the family.  This is an ambitious and original work. Many will disagree with it, but few will be able to put it down. Daniel Peris is Senior Vice President at Federated Investors in Pittsburgh. Trained as a historian of modern Russia, he is the author most recently of Getting Back to Business: Why Modern Portfolio Theory Fails Investors. You can follow him on Twitter @Back2BizBook or at http://www.strategicdividendinvestor.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The vast chasm between classical economics and the humanities is widely known and accepted. They are profoundly different disciplines with little to say to one another. Such is the accepted wisdom. Fortunately, Professors Gary Saul Morson and Morton Schapiro, both of Northwestern University, disagree.  In their new book, Cents and...

In this episode Gary Saul Morson, distinguished scholar of Russian literature, joins the Letter of Liberty to discuss the greatness of Leo Tolstoy, his ability to capture the consciousness of human beings, and his great search for truth that gave such depth and reality to his great novels and stories. A production of WCWP Studios - LIU Post Public Radio. Visit us at WCWP.org

From Brexit to Russia’s self-destructive response to U.S. sanctions, economists’ predictions have missed the mark recently on several important fronts. So what can be done to make economic models more accurate and more reflective of actual human behavior? In their new book, “Cents and Sensibility: What Economics Can Learn from the Humanities,” Northwestern University president and economics professor Morton Schapiro and Slavic languages and literatures professor Gary Saul Morson discuss how the field of economics would benefit from collaboration with scholars of literature and the humanities. Purchase a hardcopy or e-book edition of "Cents and Sensibility: What Economics Can Learn from the Humanities" through Princeton University Press.

“Quotation, n: The act of repeating erroneously the words of another.” So said Ambrose Bierce, at least we hope. In this entry, we discuss some of our favorite quotes. This show could’ve been the length of a week, but we confine it here to one episode along with Gary Saul Morson of Northwestern and David…

In 1956, an influential group of leaders published The Fabulous Future: America in 1980, in which they attempted to project how various aspects of life might look in 25 years or so. Some of it they got right, some of it wrong. It’s a noble task and an interesting concept for which editors might gather…

Milt talks with experts on Russia. Guests are Yohanan Petrovshky-Stern and Gary Saul Morson from Northwestern University and chess great Garry Kasparov.

Milt talks with experts on Russia. Guests are Yohanan Petrovshky-Stern and Gary Saul Morson from Northwestern University and chess great Garry Kasparov.