Unlimited Opinions - Philosophy, Theology, Linguistics, & More

Philosophy Podcasts

Welcome to Unlimited Opinions! Have you ever wanted to listen to a lawyer and his son discuss philosophy, mythology, theology, politics and more? No? Well, Mark and Adam Bishop are here to discuss it all the same! From philosophy to mythology to politics, they discuss it all with rants and tangents galore! Now in Season 12, they're discussing The Closing of the American Mind, breaking down Allan Bloom's discussion of the failures of American education! There will also be more than the average amount of references to linguistics, 80s movies, and J.R.R. Tolkien. If any of that sounds vaguely interesting, then this is the podcast for you! Episodes are uploaded every Tuesday at 7:00 a.m. CST. Follow us on Twitter! @UlmtdOpinions

Location:

United States

Genres:

Philosophy Podcasts

Description:

Welcome to Unlimited Opinions! Have you ever wanted to listen to a lawyer and his son discuss philosophy, mythology, theology, politics and more? No? Well, Mark and Adam Bishop are here to discuss it all the same! From philosophy to mythology to politics, they discuss it all with rants and tangents galore! Now in Season 12, they're discussing The Closing of the American Mind, breaking down Allan Bloom's discussion of the failures of American education! There will also be more than the average amount of references to linguistics, 80s movies, and J.R.R. Tolkien. If any of that sounds vaguely interesting, then this is the podcast for you! Episodes are uploaded every Tuesday at 7:00 a.m. CST. Follow us on Twitter! @UlmtdOpinions

Language:

English

Email:

adamfbishop@gmail.com

Episodes

S12 E3: Books and Music

7/1/2025

Do young people even read anymore? What's up with their obsession with music? Such questions are not as boring as they sound, as Allan Bloom describes in the next chapters of The Closing of the American Mind! Join us as we discuss the importance of literature and good music on the formation of the soul and the coherence of political society! Follow us on X! Give us your opinions here!

Duration:00:44:00

S12 E2: The Clean Slate

6/24/2025

Do Americans have a national book? What is America's defining ideology? Is it structured by the Constitution and the Bible, or something else entirely? Such are the questions that Allan Bloom raises in The Closing of the American Mind, and that we discuss in this episode of Unlimited Opinions! Follow us on X! Give us your opinions here!

Duration:00:42:27

S12 E1: Foreword, Preface, and Introduction to "The Closing of the American Mind"

6/17/2025

What is the purpose of education? What is the truth? What is man? Find out in this season of Unlimited Opinions, as we read Allan Bloom's The Closing of the American Mind: How Higher Education Has Failed Democracy and Impoverished the Souls of Today's Students. In this episode, we discuss Saul Bellow's Foreword, as well as Bloom's Preface and Introduction, as the authors lay out the "new virtues" of relativism, openness, and freedom as the basis of our failing education system. Follow us on X! Give us your opinions here!

Duration:00:59:35

S11 E8: Season Finale: J.R.R. Tolkien - Valedictory Address to the University of Oxford

6/3/2025

Join us as for the finale of Season 11, as we discuss J.R.R. Tolkien's Valedictory Address to the University of Oxford, given in 1959 as he retired from the University. We break down his attitude towards the modern state of research-focused education, the problems in separating Language from Literature, and why Tolkien's essays matter more and more today. Follow us on X! Give us your opinions here!

Duration:00:45:54

S11 E7: J.R.R. Tolkien - A Secret Vice

5/27/2025

How weird is it to make your own language? Find out as we discuss J.R.R. Tolkien's "A Secret Vice", in which he describes his own evolution in making languages, the beauty in such a hobby, and language itself being an art form. Follow us on X! Give us your opinions here!

Duration:00:38:27

S11 E6: J.R.R. Tolkien - English and Welsh

5/20/2025

"I was born in the wrong language!" now ranks among perhaps one of the oddest phrases said during an active tornado warning. Join us as we discuss J.R.R. Tolkien's essay "English and Welsh", examining what makes a people a people and the beauty present in studying other languages! Follow us on X! Give us your opinions here!

Duration:00:44:55

S11 E5: J.R.R. Tolkien - On Fairy-stories, Part 2

5/14/2025

Join us as we conclude our discussion on Tolkien's fantastic essay "On Fairy-stories"! In this episode, we discuss why fairy-stories are not just for children, what true fantasy really is, the proper attitude of escapism, and why the Gospels are at the heart of it all. Follow us on X! Give us your opinions here!

Duration:00:37:26

S11 E4: J.R.R. Tolkien - On Fairy-stories, Part 1

5/6/2025

Join us for the first part of our discussion on one of the greatest essays ever written: J.R.R. Tolkien's On Fairy-stories! In this episode, we examine what is and is not a fairy-story, what is really meant by Faërie, how such stories are made, and much more! Follow us on X! Give us your opinions here!

Duration:00:51:15

S11 E3: J.R.R. Tolkien - Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

4/23/2025

Is Sir Gawain underappreciated as a Catholic story? How did 14th-century English poets reconcile courtly honor and Christian love? Find out as we discuss Tolkien's essay on the great Middle English poem, as well as our thoughts on people's misconceptions about the pope! Follow us on X! Give us your opinions here!

Duration:00:39:51

S11 E2: J.R.R. Tolkien - On Translating Beowulf

4/8/2025

Why should we care about poetry? Are we just too stupid to really understand it? Find out as we discuss Tolkien's thoughts on how to properly translate an Old English poem into prose, and the many errors that a translator can fall into in the process. Follow us on X! Give us your opinions here!

Duration:00:44:02

S11 E1: J.R.R. Tolkien - The Monsters and the Critics

4/2/2025

Is Beowulf still relevant today? How often do we destroy towers to investigate their component parts, failing to recognize that we could have seen the sea from the top of them? These and other important questions are discussed, as we begin diving into J.R.R. Tolkien's The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays, discussing the best of Tolkien's scholarly writings and what they mean for us today. Follow us on X! Give us your opinions here!

Duration:00:53:44

S10 E16: Season Finale - Biographical Sketches and Random Thoughts

3/18/2025

Season Finale! Join us as we discuss how Thomas Sowell's early life and upbringing shaped his career, and our thoughts on several of his best one-liners. We also talk about our opinion of his writings overall, and our plans for Season 11! Follow us on X, and give us suggestions for Season 11! Give us your opinions here!

Duration:00:51:08

S10 E15: Educational Issues, Part 2 - Shallow Teachers and School-Resorts

3/11/2025

Does a university really need a student recreation center with a sauna and a smoothie bar? Find out as we finish our discussion on Thomas Sowell's thoughts on the modern education system! We talk about teachers who don't know very much, the necessity for gifted students to have opportunities, the problems with the "publish or perish" attitude, and much more! Send us suggestions on X for books to cover for Season 11! Give us your opinions here!

Duration:00:59:35

S10 E14: Educational Issues, Part 1 - Forced "Volunteerism", School Choice, and the Idea of a University

3/4/2025

What is a university for? Is it just to get a degree and a well-paying job, or is it for a bigger, deeper formation? Find out as we discuss Thomas Sowell's writings on education, covering topics from unintelligent educators to the lack of transparency in the educational system! Follow us on X! Give us your opinions here!

Duration:00:55:22

S10 E13: Race and Ethnicity, Part 3 - Affirmative Action and World Geography

2/25/2025

What results have affirmative action policies had across the world? How much does geography impact the economies and cultures of various regions? Find out in this episode, as we finish our discussion on Thomas Sowell's thoughts on race and ethnicity! Follow us on X! Give us your opinions here!

Duration:00:48:25

S10 E12: Race and Ethnicity, Part 2 - Historical Context, Cultural Bias, and Mom's Deli

2/18/2025

Join us for a continued discussion on affirmative action, the historical context behind debates on equality, and race hoaxes! Also in this episode are rants about Linguistics and AI; stories of record collecting; and our recommendations for one of the best places to eat in St. Louis before the end of the month! Follow us on X! Give us your opinions here!

Duration:00:54:28

S10 E11: Race and Ethnicity, Part 1 - Affirmative Action, Diversity, and Budweiser

2/11/2025

Is the Right partially to blame for the state of our country over the past several decades, and how does our approach to race play into the broader social world? Find out as we discuss Thomas Sowell's thoughts on race and ethnicity, covering stereotypes, false notions of diversity, lowering standards, and more! Follow us on X! Give us your opinions here!

Duration:00:50:35

S10 E10: Legal Issues, Part 2 - USAID, Judicial Activism, and Freedom

2/4/2025

What does the dismantling of USAID mean for freedom? Is this government overreach, or the government pulling back its power? Join us as we discuss this and more, breaking down Thomas Sowell's thoughts on a variety of legal issues, from allegations of racist cops, lack of trust between doctors and patients, and what freedom actually is. Follow us on X! Give us your opinions here!

Duration:00:55:45

S10 E9: Legal Issues, Part 1 - Presidential Pardons, Birthright Citizenship, and Loving Criminals

1/28/2025

Should all of the January 6th protestors have been pardoned? Can we do away with birthright citizenship? Why do we keep making martyrs out of criminals? Find out as we examine Thomas Sowell's thoughts on legal issues, ranging from abortion to gun control and everything in between! Follow us on X! Give us your opinions here!

Duration:01:01:49

S10 E8: Political Issues, Part 3 - John Stuart Mill and Karl Marx

1/21/2025

Should we care about the personal lives of influential thinkers? In Marx's case, probably! In this episode, we discuss two more articles from Thomas Sowell: one evaluating John Stuart Mill's On Liberty, and the other giving a detailed description of Karl Marx. We also talk about Donald Trump's second inauguration and what it means for the country! Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/UlmtdOpinions Give us your opinions here!

Duration:00:41:26