Nature and the Nation
Philosophy Podcasts
Nature and the Nation explores politics, philosophy, psychology, sociology and economics from a naturalistic, paleoconservative perspective, using the format of a book review. I examine books published in a wide array of time periods, with a special emphasis on the early to middle 20th century, the ancient Greeks, and of course the present.
Location:
United States
Genres:
Philosophy Podcasts
Description:
Nature and the Nation explores politics, philosophy, psychology, sociology and economics from a naturalistic, paleoconservative perspective, using the format of a book review. I examine books published in a wide array of time periods, with a special emphasis on the early to middle 20th century, the ancient Greeks, and of course the present.
Twitter:
@neofusionist
Language:
English
Website:
http://www.neofusionist.com/
Email:
Dylan John
Episodes
Review: The True Believer by Eric Hoffer
4/21/2024
In this episode, I explore Eric Hoffer's description of the various types of people that constitute the leaders and followers of mass movements, as described in his classic 1951 book, The True Believer.
Duration:00:51:21
Review: The Sophists by W. K. C. Guthrie
4/14/2024
In this episode I examine the competing forces of Physis (Nature) and Nomos (Custom) as detailed in the erudite examination The Sophists by W. K. C. Guthrie.
Duration:01:15:10
Review: From Religion to Philosophy by F. M. Cornford
4/7/2024
In this episode I examine the connections between Nomos, Physis, and Moira in early Greek philosophy as detailed by Cornford in From Religion to Philosophy.
Duration:01:01:13
Review: The Iliad by Homer
3/31/2024
In this episode I look at the violent glory of war in Homer's Iliad, as detailed in Bernard Knox's introduction to the Robert Fagles translation of this classic epic poem of war, and several choice readings of the battle for the Argive ships.
Duration:00:43:58
Review: Sailing the Wine Dark Sea by Thomas Cahill
3/23/2024
In this episode I look at Thomas Cahill's examination of Ancient Greece in Sailing the Wine Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter. I pay special attention to the first three chapter where Cahill discusses Homer and his great works, The Iliad and the Odessey.
Duration:00:50:35
Review: History of Political Philosophy (Hume) edited by Leo Strauss and Joseph Cropsey
3/23/2024
In this episode I explore another essay in Leo Strauss and Joseph Cropsey's massive History of Political Philosophy 3rd Edition. This time it's David Hume and his so-called skepticism, which I call into question on account of his deference to habit and custom. This episode is the fourth of a series.
Duration:00:35:09
Review: History of Political Philosophy (Montesquieu) edited by Leo Strauss and Joseph Cropsey
3/9/2024
In this episode I explore another essays in Leo Strauss and Joseph Cropsey's massive History of Political Philosophy 3rd Edition, this time looking at an essay by David Lowenthal that discusses Montesquieu and the various types of regimes, and the English synthesis of them. This episode is the third of a series.
Duration:01:02:35
Review: History of Political Philosophy (Locke) edited by Leo Strauss and Joseph Cropsey
3/4/2024
In this episode I explore another essays in Leo Strauss and Joseph Cropsey's massive History of Political Philosophy 3rd Edition, this time looking at an essay by Robert A. Goldwin discussing John Locke and his theories of the state of nature vs the state of war, and his thoughts on the right of rebellion. This episode is the second of a series.
Duration:01:15:57
Review: History of Political Philosophy (Hobbes) edited by Joseph Cropsey and Leo Strauss
2/26/2024
In this episode I examine one of the many essays in Leo Strauss and Joseph Cropsey's massive History of Political Philosophy 3rd Edition, detailing the thoughts of Thomas Hobbes. This essay by Laurence Berns discusses the weaknesses of Hobbes' conception of sovereignty. This episode is the first of a series.
Duration:00:59:34
Review: Trade Wars Against America by WIlliam Gill
2/7/2024
In this episode I revisit the history of trade policy in America, with Gill's book Trade Wars Against America. I look especially at the 2nd half of the 19th Century and Woodrow Wilson.
Duration:00:53:15
Review: Pragmatism: A Reader (Part 2) edited by Louis Menand
1/27/2024
In this episode I revisit Louis Menand's collection of Pragmatist writings, Pragmatism: A Reader, with an eye toward the more recent writers. I discuss Richard Rorty's Postmodernist Bourgeois Liberalism and Richard Bernstein's Pragmatism, Pluralism, and the Healing of Wounds.
Duration:00:50:25
Review: Pragmatism: A Reader (Part 1) edited by Louis Menand
1/24/2024
In this episode I look at some of the early pragmatist writings, in particular The Will to Believe by William James, and The Ethics of Democracy by John Dewey. This episode is the first of a two part series on this book.
Duration:01:33:58
Review: The Blind Watchmaker by Richard Dawkins
1/20/2024
In this episode I look at the evolutionary exposition of Richard Dawkins in his classic The Blind Watchmaker, with a closer look at how DNA replicates and evolves.
Duration:00:33:54
Review: The Essential William James edited by John R. Shook
1/12/2024
In this episode I look at a few of William James' early essays What Is an Emotion? and The Function of Cognition, and I make a particular examination of his essay The Dilemma of Determinism.
Duration:01:16:14
Review: The Creation by P. W. Atkins
1/6/2024
In this episode I examine the deterministic vision of the nature of the universe as described by P. W. Atkins in The Creation.
Duration:00:53:07
Review: Essays on a Science of Mythology by C. G. Jung and C. Kerenyi
12/26/2023
In this episode I explore the myth of the divine child, viewed through both historical myths and the archetypes of the collective unconscious, in the collaborative book by both Carl Jung and Carl Kerenyi, Essays on a Science of Mythology.
Duration:01:07:31
Review: Patriarchs of Time by Samuel L. Macey
12/22/2023
In this episode I look at the ancient Roman god of Saturn and the festival of Saturnalia, as described in Samuel Macey's Patriarchs of Time.
Duration:01:02:23
Review: The Cry for Myth by Rollo May
12/20/2023
In this episode I explore the lack of myth in our modern world, as described by Rollo May in The Cry for Myth.
Duration:00:49:20
Review: The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell
12/11/2023
In this episode I look at The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell, with a particular emphasis on his definitions of myth, archetype, metaphor, and transcendence.
Duration:00:58:17
Review: Free Trade Doesn't Work by Ian Fletcher
12/9/2023
In this episode I look at the phenomenal book Free Trade Doesn't Work by Ian Fletcher. I focus on Fletcher's overview of trade deficits and his explanation of the theory of comparative advantage.
Duration:01:04:32