The New Thinkery

In this edition of The New Thinkery, the guys take a look at perhaps the greatest individual of the 20th century: Winston Churchill. Specifically, the guys analyze Churchill's 1931 essay "Mass Effect…

In this edition of The New Thinkery, the guys are back from stuffing themselves with turkey last week, and are joined by Dr. Robert Faulkner, a research professor at Boston College focusing on modern…

In this short bonus episode of TNT, Alex, David, and Greg go around the digital table discussing what they're thankful for. Alex also poses lightning round questions. Stick around to hear about Greg'…

In this edition of The New Thinkery, the guys talk about life in Sparta through the lens of Plutarch's writings on Lycurgus. You might be asking yourself what an ostensible history text is doing on a…

This week, the guys return to Plato and Socrates. In the third installment of this ongoing series analyzing Plato's Symposium, the guys break down Pausanias' speech. This includes a discussion of anc…

In this episode of The New Thinkery, the guys tackle Francis Bacon. Specifically, the guys reveal Bacon's idea of who should rule us. Plus: is Bacon Machiavellian?

In this edition of The New Thinkery, the guys are joined by James Ceaser, professor of politics at the University of Virginia. Together, the group discuss the nature of foundings. From ancient Greece…

Shakespeare's Macbeth is among his most famous plays. it is "read" far and wide in high school classrooms, where the teacher promptly puts students to sleep by making such an interesting play boring.…

This week, the guys return to ancient Greece and the roots of Western political philosophy, Plato and Socrates. In this installment of an ongoing series analyzing Plato's Symposium, the guys break do…

This week the guys return to Greek philosophy after their trip to the movies. They go through Aristotle's discussion of courage in Book III of the Nicomachean Ethics. Spoiler: there's more to it than…

The guys headed to the movies this week and watched Zulu. They discuss the movie's plot, themes, and underlying philosophy to tease out the hidden importance of the film and its characters. Plus: you…

On this week's episode of The New Thinkery, the guys are kicking off a new series of episodes aimed at breaking down one of the greatest works of political philosophy ever put to paper: Plato's Sympo…

This week, the guys are joined by one of Greg's former teachers, Robert C. Bartlett, Behrakis Professor of Hellenic Political Studies at Boston College. Together, they discuss his new book of transla…

Join the guys this week as they break down Plato's famous book, Gorgias. They analyze the larger themes of the book with a dash of humor, while also pausing to explain some of the most important pass…

In this episode of The New Thinkery, the guys interview Dr. Charles Butterworth, Emeritus Professor of Government and Politics at the University of Maryland, College Park. Ever the teacher, Dr. Butte…

On this week's edition of The New Thinkery, the guys discuss how to (and not to) teach political philosophy. Alex and Greg teach political philosophy as a full-time job, so they have several key insi…

Alex, David, and Greg are back again this week, but they leave the realm of hard philosophy books to tease out the underlying political philosophy in Shakespeare's lesser-known, but nevertheless impo…

Join Alex, David, and Greg as they discuss how to read Plato, perhaps the most influential philosopher in history, while also talking about the insights that are illuminated by their reading. Plus: G…

As a follow up to the last episode of The New Thinkery, the guys look specifically at chapter 15 of Machiavelli's The Prince. Their close reading elucidates the world-historical shift Machiavelli ini…

Join Alex, David, and Greg as they dive into one of the most infamous and polarizing books in political philosophy, Machiavelli's The Prince. The guys introduce the book and break down its most impor…