The Optimistic Curmudgeon

Cornelis Schilt: On Science, Scientism, and Gender Ideology (3x10)

Dr. Cornilis Schilt of the Free University in Brussels joins Josh for a conversation about science, scientism, Sir Isaac Newton, and the many ways science has been corrupted by politics and ideology. Dr. Schilt is the Lecturer and Researcher in the Center for Logic and Philosophy of Science at the Free University in Brussels, and author of Isaac Newton and the Study of Chronology: Prophecy, History, and Method. Be sure to make it to the end--Dr. Schilt takes on the false science of gender ideology and gender mutilating surgery.

 

Key words: #ScienceJournalists, #ScienceCommunication, #Epistemology, #God, #Nature, #Science, #Philosophy, #Religion, #17thCentury, #NaturalPhilosophers, #magic, #manipulation #Alchemy, #Chemistry, #Mathematics, #Kepler, #Bacon, #Descartes, #Copernicus, #Newton #PowerDynamics, #Progress, #Modernism, #Individualism, #RichardDawkins, #StephenWeinberg, #ClimateChange, #DoomMongering, #marketing

Katy Faust: On Them Before Us (3x9)

Katy Faust, author of Them Before Us: Why We Need a Global Children's Rights Movement, joins Josh to discuss her National Conservatism Speech "What is a Child?" - Katy shares fascinating insights from social science research about the necessary connections between children, their biological parents, maternal and paternal love, and long flourishing. Katy argues that adults have a responsibility to prioritize the needs of children over their own desires. To learn more, check out Katy's non-profit, Them Before Us, here: 
https://thembeforeus.com/?utm=semalt.com

Susanne Hartl: On Management, Leadership, & Virtue (4x1)

Dr. Suzanne Hartl joins Josh to discuss her work in business and as a business professor. They discuss workplace realities for women, the role of management in corporate structure, what it takes to be successful in business, several famous business stories, and the role of virtue in modern business. Dr. Hartl closes with advice for those wanting to launch their own entrepreneurial ventures - check it out, and share this episode with a friend!

#podcast #leadership #management

Mark Bauerlein: On Classical Education (3x7)

Mark Bauerlein comes on the show to discuss his book The Dumbest Generation Grows Up, classical education, and literature. Dr. Bauerlein is convinced that technology has a clear cost in terms of attention span, distraction, and the likelihood the students will actually read books. Mark Bauerlein is the host of The First Things Podcast, author of The Dumbest Generation and The Dumbest Generation Grows Up. Check out this episode for a great conversation about #education, #civilization, and #hope for the future!

Ryan Ryckman: On Real Estate (3x6)

Ryan Ryckman comes on the show to discuss real estate, property values, sales, and what makes for strong customer relations! Ryan is an award winning real estate agent with The Real Estate Group - join him and Josh as they talk about property, why land and life patterns matter, and what makes for a strong property investment!

 

#podcast #realestate #housingmarket

Mike Young on Gadamer & Hermeneutics (3x5)

Dr. Mike Young of Faulkner University joins Josh to discuss Hans Georg Gadamer. Gadamer wrote Truth and Method, and remains one of the most influential scholars in the fields of philosophy and hermeneutics. A student of Heidegger's, Gadamer argues that hermeneutics, the science of interpretation, applies to all forms of human communication. Dr. Young shares about Gadamer's life, studies, theory, and influence. Check it out - and share this episode with a philosophically inclined friend!

George Leef: On The Awakening of Jennifer Van Arsdale (3x4)

George Leef discusses his latest book, The Awakening of Jennnifer Van Arsdale. The protagonist is a woke journalist who is 
"mugged by reality" and comes to terms with the failures of progressive governance. One part fable, another part near future dystopia, and a third part political philosophy, the novel works portrays universal basic income, the removal of statues, a national gun buyback program, runaway inflation, and the propensity of woke individuals to join riot mobs. Leef introduces the Austrian school of economics alongside major libertarian concerns like eminent domain and unintended consequences.
Listen, and then order your copy here: 

https://www.amazon.com/Awakening-Jennifer-Van-Arsdale-Political/dp/1637583567/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+awakening+of+jennifer+van+arsdale&qid=1664787594&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjc4IiwicXNhIjoiMC44MyIsInFzcCI6IjAuOTMifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=awakening+jennifer%2Caps%2C79&sr=8-1

Matt Slaboch: On Progress (3x3)

Dr. Matt Slaboch joins Josh for a discussion of his book, A Road to Nowhere: The Idea of Progress and Its Critics. The conversation opens with a discussion of Dr. Slaboch's experience in the modern academy hunting for a job post-PhD. They discuss the nature of progress, and trace both the idea of progress and the criticisms of progress from the Enlightenment to the present day. With shoutouts to Hegel, Tolstoy, and many others, Dr. Slaboch takes listeners on an intellectual tour de force, highlighting the way governments can use the idea of progress to lean totalitarian. They discuss the Dobbs v. Jackson Supreme Court Case, and whether correcting a political course counts as progress, and then consider the idea of progress within both the Trump and Biden administrations. Enjoy the conversation!

Jenna Robinson: On Higher Education & the University (3x2)

Join Josh as he interviews Dr. Jenna Robinson, President of the Martin Center for Academic Renewal as they discuss the purposes of higher education (liberal, illiberal, and professional), the state of higher education generally, and recommendations for colleges that do student formation well, and a critique of UNC Chapel Hill's new core curriculum approach. Along the way, they discuss New College Franklin, Zaytuna College, Thales College, Hillsdale College, Grove City College, and a variety of other institutions that form students into individuals prepared to pursue truth, goodness, and beauty for a lifetime. 

#podcast #education

Scott Yenor: On feminism, modernity, and family life (3x1)

In this episode, Josh interviews Scott Yenor, political science professor at Boise State University, about his latest book The Recovery Family Life. Yenor explains Aristotle's concept of a regime, and how that influences his views on public policy. They then discuss the current regime, how it has been shaped by radical feminist thought, and the current crisis of a society which fails to cultivate the virtues necessary for marriage. 

 

"Feminism is the desire to separate our bodies from our identity; so that our bodies will not have any enduring effects on who we become as people.” - Scott Yenor 

Follow Dr. Yenor at @ScottYenor, and click here to buy his book on Amazon!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08K97YQNV/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0