Nuclear Barbarians

John and I continue our journey through Gillespie’s Theological Origins of Modernity, this time we dig into Petrarch, Martin Luther, the underpinnings of enlightenment humanism, and more. Get full access to Nuclear Barbarians at nuclearbarbarians.substack.com/subscribe

John returns for the first installment of another reading series. This time we’re tackling Michael Gillespie’s The Theological Origins of Modernity, a book that aims at getting to the root of some of the major questions we face today as products of both the Industrial Revolution and the Enlightenment. This is also the first in what John and I hope will be a longer project of delving into the history of the philosophy of science. After Gillespie we hope to explore works by Francis Bacon, Descartes, Galileo, Leibniz, Thomas Carlyle, David Hume, Edmund Husserl, and others. We aim to conclude each author with a Q&A episode. So, if you have any questions, please leave a comment on the Substack—we’ll round them up and get to them at the end of each series. Get full access to Nuclear Barbarians at nuclearbarbarians.substack.com/subscribe

Rachael Zisk just launched a nuclear energy newsletter — Ignition — which is great. I brought her on to talk about her new venture, the challenges of covering highly technical topics, how the media landscape is changing, and more! Subscribe to Ignition. Subscribe to Payload. Get full access to Nuclear Barbarians at nuclearbarbarians.substack.com/subscribe

John and I finish up our discussion of the Machine in the Garden. We reflect on Leo Marx’s contribution—both its successes and failures. And we consider what opportunities there are to think about the American relationship with the Machine. Get full access to Nuclear Barbarians at nuclearbarbarians.substack.com/subscribe

Director Tyson Culver joined me to talk about his new docu-series with —Juice: Power, Politics, and the Grid. We talk about what Tyson learned while making documentaries with Robert about the grid and what’s currently going around with America’s electricity sector. Check it out! You can watch it on YouTube here: And you can watch their first documentary together here: Get full access to Nuclear Barbarians at nuclearbarbarians.substack.com/subscribe

John and I continue our series on Leo Marx’s The Machine in the Garden. In this episode, we talk about Emerson, Thoreau, Melville, and Hawthorne. We recorded this one a bit before Christmas last year. Get full access to Nuclear Barbarians at nuclearbarbarians.substack.com/subscribe

A reading of a piece I wrote for the American Mind. You can read the text here. Get full access to Nuclear Barbarians at nuclearbarbarians.substack.com/subscribe

Author and mechanic of joined me to talk about the nature of progress, our over designed world, the limits of laissez faire, safetyism, the current golden age of hotrodding, and so much more. Here are the pieces we discussed: Misanthropic Use of the Nudge by Matthew B. Crawford A $5,600 Taillight Repair? by Matthew B. Crawford For a way more thorough look into Chernobyl, which comes up towards the end, check out this thread from my friend which has tons of links to resources etc. if you want a way better explanation of what happened than what I give here. Get full access to Nuclear Barbarians at nuclearbarbarians.substack.com/subscribe

I got to sit down with Doug Sandridge, an oil and gas guy with decades of experience, to talk about his shocking new project: OIL AND GAS EXECS FOR NUCLEAR. This is the story of someone called to action to stand up for energy abundance for all—Doug’s a great guy and I loved chatting with him. Check out the declaration of Oil and Gas Execs for Nuclear. Read Doug’s op-ed for Grid Brief. Check out Doug’s Substack: Get full access to Nuclear Barbarians at nuclearbarbarians.substack.com/subscribe

Isaiah Taylor, the founder of Valar Atomics, joined me to talk about his new venture, how he wants to turn the nuclear energy over on its head, how his Christian faith and Midwestern roots inform his work, and much more. Reach more about Valar here. Get full access to Nuclear Barbarians at nuclearbarbarians.substack.com/subscribe

John and I are back with our third installment of our reading series on The Machine in the Garden by Leo Marx. This chapter is all about “the machine” as a symbol in American life and letters. We talk about obscure figures like the Pennsylvanian manufacturer Tench Coxe, Thomas Carlyle’s “Signs of the Times,” the Newtonian reconciliation of art and nature, 19th century machine boosterism, and more! Get full access to Nuclear Barbarians at nuclearbarbarians.substack.com/subscribe

Writer and film critic Andrew Plimpton returns to the pod to speak with me about Scorsese’s latest film, which centers around oil rights and a covert assault on the Osage tribe. We discuss the merits and demerits of this epically long film, Scorsese’s legacy, the American project, and more. Get full access to Nuclear Barbarians at nuclearbarbarians.substack.com/subscribe

John and I continue our series on Leo Marx’s The Machine in the Garden: Technology and the Pastoral Ideal in America. This chapter delves deep into the symbol of the garden—we dive into Marx’s reading of Jefferson, the nature of the pastoral ideal and how it evolved, the vision of Virginia, and more. Get full access to Nuclear Barbarians at nuclearbarbarians.substack.com/subscribe

Hugo Kruger is a razor sharp engineer with a deep knowledge of energy systems. He came onto the show to talk to me about what’s going on with South Africa’s grid. I learned a ton from this episode—I hope you guys enjoy it! Check out Hugo’s work on Substack. Connect with him on LinkedIn. Get full access to Nuclear Barbarians at nuclearbarbarians.substack.com/subscribe

John Goodson, my old co-host from the ex.haust podcast, joined me in the first of our series on Leo Marx’s The Machine in the Garden: Technology and the Pastoral Ideal in America. There are a few audio problems in this episode, for which we apologize. Thankfully, they’re brief. “Believing in America,” Leo Marx, Boston Review. The Elizabethan World Picture: A Study of the Idea of Order in the Age of Shakespeare, Donne and Milton by Eustace Tilyard Get full access to Nuclear Barbarians at nuclearbarbarians.substack.com/subscribe

Spencer Klavan (author, podcaster, and editor) joined me to talk about that horrible Apple clean energy/Mother Nature video, neo-paganism as social and ideological force, quantum physics, epistemology, THE LORD, and more. Watch the Apple video here. “Mother Nature Returns,” Spencer Klavan, Rejoice Evermore “Where Wind Meets Matter,” Spencer Klavan, Claremont Review of Books Listen to Young Heretics, The Round Table, and The Close Read Buy Spencer’s book: How to Save the West: Ancient Wisdom for 5 Modern Crises Get full access to Nuclear Barbarians at nuclearbarbarians.substack.com/subscribe

Nick O’Hara—writer, host of the Gridlocked podcast, and owner of an enviable speaking voice—joined me to talk about climate, energy, how to have a sane conversation in insane times, and much more. Listen to Gridlocked: Why the 21st Century is Broken and How to Fix It. Why Big Oil Loves the Renewable Energy Industry by Nick O’Hara, Salon. We abandoned nuclear power. Now the earth is paying the price. by Nick O’Hara, Salon. Abandoning nuclear power was a mistake. Germany must return to the future of energy. by Nick O’Hara, Salon. Get full access to Nuclear Barbarians at nuclearbarbarians.substack.com/subscribe

Wireline worker Andrew De La Rosa came on to talk to me about the fracking process and how wireline works. I learned a ton from this conversation and had a great time. I hope you guys enjoy it! Follow Andrew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Tejanobrown Get full access to Nuclear Barbarians at nuclearbarbarians.substack.com/subscribe

Writer and film critic Andrew Plimpton joined me for a new running series we’re doing: Energy Cinema. For our inaugural episode, we decided to talk about the new Oppenheimer movie. Hope you enjoy it! Get full access to Nuclear Barbarians at nuclearbarbarians.substack.com/subscribe

Entergy’s Chief Nuclear Officer Kimberly Cook-Nelson stopped by the pod to talk to me about Entergy’s nuclear fleet, her experience working in the nuclear industry, how utilities plan on changing nuclear comms, and more. Get full access to Nuclear Barbarians at nuclearbarbarians.substack.com/subscribe