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Jeremi Suri is a historian, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, and the author of multiple books, including his most recent, "Civil War by Other Means: America’s Long and Unfinished Fight for Democracy."During our conversation, Jeremi talks about the circumstances leading up to the American Civil War, the key players in the war, including Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, and Ulysses S. Grant, the Confederate roots of the Ku Klux Klan, little-known facts about important Confederate leaders in the war, including those who joined and agreed to fight for Mexico, and those who eventually rose to American political power during the post-war years. Perhaps most centrally, Jeremi argues that Lincoln's grand vision for a fully unified, equal America was never realized, and its aftereffects can be felt and observed to this day.Despite its historic atrocities and current injustices, I still believe that America is the world's best hope for human freedom, real prosperity, and inspiring the rights and the dignity of the individual. Its founding principles have endured and have changed the world. And people vote with their feet: there's a reason why America continues to be immigrants' top choice as their preferred home. The United States will never be perfect, but it can be better, and the knowledge and insights from this book can help the place Lincoln called, "the last best hope of earth."------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------Show notesRate on SpotifyRate on Apple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------(00:00) Intro(02:30) The creation of "Civil War By Other Means"(06:14) January 6th, 2021 (08:20) America before The Civil War(14:37) Robert E. Lee(19:59) England and Southern cotton(24:42) The Union vs. The Confederacy by the numbers(27:17) Abraham Lincoln (29:58) Lincoln, the master storyteller(35:22) Ulysses S. Grant(40:07) The pernicious end to the Civil War(44:22) Reconstruction and its failures(46:45) Rutherford B. Hayes and the end of Reconstruction(51:44) 50,000 Confederates joined the Mexican army(59:07) The Confederate link to the KKK(01:03:52) Unlearning insidious Confederate stories(01:11:02) Jeremi's story as a symbol of America

Christopher Ryan is a writer, a podcaster, and the author of the bestselling books "Sex at Dawn" and "Civilized to Death." During our conversation, Chris talks about his interest in human nature, Native American culture, humanity's origins as hunter-gatherers, and what we can learn from the environment and general culture that shaped our psychology. He also talks about the dawn of agriculture, and why that event - which occurred independently numerous times - is arguably humanity's biggest mistake.If "know thyself" is the bedrock of wisdom, we must first understand who we are, where we come from, and how we evolved. Chris's perspective may allow us all to better understand and prioritize the important aspects of human life: how we work, how we love, and what's worth valuing - especially for those who are struggling and suffering in modern civilization. I love his irreverence, his intelligence, his independence of mind, and his unique lifestyle.------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------Show notesRate on SpotifyRate on Apple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------(00:00) Intro (01:44) Preferring life as a hunter-gatherer (07:40) Chris's work tries to understand human nature (14:38) Civilized to Death (27:51) The mistake of the dawn of agriculture (37:34) Lessons from Native Americans (51:09) Chris forging his own path (01:04:20) Monogamy and "Sex at Dawn" (01:13:12) Suspicion of American ambition (01:23:10) Joseph Campbell and humans returning home

Thomas Moore is a spiritual teacher, a psychotherapist, and the author of many books, including his bestseller, "Care of the Soul."During our conversation, Thomas talks about his many years as a Catholic monk, his time in academia, and his work as a therapist. He also talks about the ideas and life of Carl Jung and James Hillman, archetypes of the human psyche, and spirituality and religion in the modern world.Thomas is well-known for his writings on the human soul. He discusses his appreciation for historical figures like Emily Dickinson and Henry David Thoreau and details their wisdom and insights. In an increasingly secular age, Thomas has given mystical sustenance to those seeking to better understand their own soul, its needs, and how one might live a life of spirituality and soulfulness.------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------Show notesRate on SpotifyRate on Apple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------(00:00) Intro (02:36) Attraction to religion and Catholicism (05:10) The life of a monk (06:51) What left Thomas and led to leaving a monk's life (08:25) Being denied tenure at SMU(11:00) Carl Jung (14:10) The influence of Jung (14:51) Jung's biography (20:32) The magician archetype (23:06) Disagreements with Jung (25:50) What is the soul? (30:45) "Care of the Soul" quotes (35:07) Space for soul in modernity (40:38) The exodus from traditional religion is a sign of maturation (45:25) Who should be consulted for wisdom? (48:49) Wisdom from history (52:23) The ego and the mystical (56:04) What is religion? (58:47) Approaching life's decisions religiously (01:02:20) Archetypes and the role of men (01:09:19) Phineas Gage and the implications for a human soul (01:16:09) Lessons from 40 years as a therapist (01:20:30) What's next for Thomas?

Nicholas Christakis is a sociologist, a physician, and is the Sterling Professor of Social and Natural Science at Yale University. He is also the author of a variety of books including "Apollo's Arrow" and "Blueprint."During our conversation, Nicholas talks about his experiences as a hospice doctor and what he has learned from working with the dying, his book "Blueprint" and our current evolutionary understanding of human nature, and the scientific roots of love and friendship. He also discusses another topic about which he has written and which he has experienced: the madness of crowds, and the danger of mobs.Nicholas is a polymath, a public intellectual, and an amazingly curious mind. His professional life has spanned many fascinating and important fields, and his life and his knowledge can help all of us to be more self-aware, more conscious of our natures, and more rooted in reality.------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------Show notesRate on SpotifyRate on Apple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------(00:00) Intro (02:03) Journey to a hospice doctor (09:01) Lessons from the dying (14:59) How hospice care changed Nicholas (24:15) Advice for young people from hospice experiences (27:40) "Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society" (34:47) Why does human friendship exist? (40:13) Why close friendships end (42:51) Why does human love exist? (52:36) Monogamy and polygyny (57:54) Sexual selection and men and women (58:59) The madness of crowds: Greece, Yale and COVID (1:10:24) How an individual can avoid the madness of crowds

Chip Conley is an entrepreneur, the author of many books including "Wisdom at Work," and is the co-founder of the Modern Elder Academy. During our conversation, Chip talks about founding, running, and eventually selling Joie de Vivre Hospitality, mentoring both California Governor Gavin Newsom and Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, and the role of elders in contemporary and ancestral societies.Chip aims to change the purpose, the usefulness, and the cultural esteem of one of our most untapped resources: our elders. In a society obsessed with youth and fearful of aging, our elders have an abundance of the quality most apt to avoid mistakes, improve decision-making, and increase overall health and wellness: wisdom.If Chip is successful in propelling the growth and the influence of his Modern Elder Academy, and its offshoot Regenerative Communities - an attempt to disrupt, innovate, and improve senior living - I believe he and his team will help us improve as a culture, provide meaning to people as they age, and mature our civilization.------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------Show notesRate on SpotifyRate on Apple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------(00:00) Intro (02:32) Chip's interest in wisdom and elders (05:22) What is wisdom?(08:51) Chip's wisdom gained through suffering (13:44) The ancestral role of elders in society (20:20) "Of Boys And Men" (25:19) The Modern Elder Academy (30:22) Elders: our great, untapped resource (37:14) Carl Jung, the ego, and the soul (46:29) Regenerative Communities: transforming senior living (51:44) How would America change if we elevated our elders?

Greg Lukianoff is a journalist, an attorney, the co-author of "The Coddling of the American Mind," and the President of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). During our conversation, Greg talks about freedom of speech in America, how social media has affected our propensity to speak openly, and the threats to free expression on modern university campuses.As Greg mentions, while the legal support for free speech is strong in the U.S., it isn't in our culture. A citizen's right to free speech is the counterintuitive exception to the rule in human history. Free speech societies tend to be societies that are peaceful and prosperous. Cancel culture societies seem to be societies that lead to self-censorship, a zeitgeist of fear and suspicion, and an inability to rigorously pursue the truth.The work of people like Greg and organizations like FIRE are crucial to the continuance of our sacred inheritance: a free civilization and a free people. And their noble mission reminds me of two quotes to be considered, one from James Hollis, the other from Václav Havel:"Wherever there is a hysterical certainty, and there is much in our land, it is because doubt has already planted its black flag inside the soul and the ego is running away like a child.""In everyone there is some willingness to merge with the anonymous crowd and to flow comfortably along with it down the river of pseudo-life."------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------Show notesRate on SpotifyRate on Apple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------(00:00) Intro (02:29) Greg's interest in free speech (08:06) Free speech: "the eternally radical idea" (12:26) What happens in societies without free speech (18:45) How free speech creates a more peaceful society (25:48) Key observations from "The Coddling of the American Mind" (36:03) Social media's effect on free speech (45:06) Examples of cancel culture (51:53) Respect for free speech must begin early in one's life (59:13) What is the point of education?(01:05:07) Antifragility and the importance of growth through struggle (01:10:19) How overcoming mental health struggles informs Greg's beliefs

Richard Reeves is a writer, a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and the author of "Of Boys and Men." During our conversation Richard presents data detailing how boys and men are falling behind in education and employment, that men represent three out every four "deaths of despair," and the confusion over what is good about being a man and what it means to be a man as gender roles have significantly changed.Richard also talks about the phenomenon of both Jordan Peterson and Andrew Tate, why Peterson and Tate have gained such an audience, his primary concern of "checked-out" rather than "acting-out" men, the influence of video games and pornography, the effect of divorce on men, the evolutionary point and purpose of the male sex, and what can be done to help problems of modern men.I think Richard's book will be a seminal work of our era. It puts the data to what is already known by millions of men: the isolation, the detachment, the loneliness, the disconnection, the feeling of being unnecessary, the silent despair. A healthy civilization encourages, designs, and incentivizes all of its citizens to flourish, and Richard's book should help raise our consciousness to the reality of the lives of so many men.------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------Show notesRate on SpotifyRate on Apple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------(00:00) Intro(02:24) How Richard realized men are falling behind(06:00) The data re: men falling behind in education(09:20) The structure of education helps women's natural abilities(13:44) A response to the indifference of male decline(18:24) Stories of suffering of modern men(21:48) Men are "opting out" not "acting out"(27:00) What would men be doing without porn and video games?(28:37) Big stats and small stats that reveal the decline of men(32:14) A sense of agency is crucial for men who are struggling(38:49) Jim Hollis' work for men(40:04) Jordan Peterson is a gigantic listening ear for men(45:24) The Andrew Tate phenomenon(52:49) Jordan Peterson's rage and empathy (58:27) Divorce and its effect on men (01:03:02) What is the evolutionary purpose of men? (01:08:04) Children need positive relationships with their fathers; married parents less so (01:16:57) Solutions to increase male flourishing

Pano Kanelos is an educator, a Shakespeare scholar, and is the founding President of the University of Austin. During our conversation, Pano talks about the problems within modern universities, the principles that have and will guide the creation of the University of Austin, why Austin, Texas was chosen as the location of this new university, the timeline for the rollout of the school, and what success would look like for UATX.UATX received 3,500 inquiries in its first week of existence from professors at other universities about career opportunities. From prior conversations on this podcast, I'm persuaded that censorship, self-censorship, monoculture, a lack of tolerance for minority opinions, a lack of academic diversity, and a lack of courage are real problems at modern universities.Pano has called universities the "beating heart of a free society," and I think he's right about that. If we are a society that aims to remain democratic, tolerant, and pluralistic, that's committed to civil discourse and resists dogma, that's fearless in its aim to seek the truth, we should applaud the lofty ambitions of the University of Austin, and hope that it influences and improves our broader culture and our exceptional institutions of higher learning.------------Support on SubstackSupport via VenmoSupport via PayPalSupport on Patreon------------Show notesRate on SpotifyRate on Apple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------(00:00) Intro (02:25) From Shakespeare scholar to University of Austin President (04:42) Why UATX matters (06:34) What has happened to modern universities? (13:06) UATX principle: the fearless pursuit of truth (14:07) Modern university's monoculture has led to our culture's polarization (17:02) The University of Austin's principles (23:54) Stories of censorship on university campuses (30:55) AUTX received 3,500 faculty inquiries in its first week (35:35) The timeline rollout of UATX over the next few years (41:12) A new financial philosophy for higher education (46:28) What does UATX need to succeed? (49:50) The UATX is about possibility and optimism (55:29) UATX success involves other university's self-correcting through imitation (52:58) Which current universities are honoring its principles? (1:01:52) Why Austin, Texas? (01:07:02) What should students interested in UATX do? (01:10:50) When will on-campus classes take place? (01:13:06) What additional professional skills does UATX need to success? (01:16:03) The Polaris Center at UATX: developing skills for a flourishing life

Jeff Rediger is an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard University and a medical director at McLean SouthEast Adult Psychiatric Programs, who holds a Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary. Jeff is the author of the book "Cured," which details and explores examples of spontaneous remission, and discusses various aspects of human health.During our conversation, Jeff talks about what qualifies as a spontaneous remission, what might be causing diseases that had been deemed incurable to disappear, and his four pillars of healing: nutrition, healing your immune system, healing your stress response, and healing your identity and beliefs.Jeff also discusses what may be causing many environmentally-influenced diseases, how chronically-stressful relationships and environments can cause life-threatening illnesses, and the importance of love and community in a healthy life.------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------Show notesRate on SpotifyRate on Apple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes

Stephen Kinzer is a former "New York Times" correspondent, is a Senior Fellow in International and Public Affairs at Brown University, and is the author of "Poisoner in Chief: Sidney Gottlieb and the CIA Search for Mind Control."During our conversation, Stephen talks about the goals of the MK-Ultra program, its leader Sidney Gottlieb, its record of physical and psychological torture, its secrecy from the public, how it brought LSD into America, and how its existence was revealed to the public.The MK-Ultra program started in 1953 and the public was unaware of it and its abuses for more than 20 years. Because so much of its documentation was destroyed, we'll likely never know the full extent of MK-Ultra's activity and its abuses of power. But, we can learn that it existed, it was real, and it was fully rationalized in its time.------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------Show notesRate on SpotifyRate on Apple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------(00:00) Introduction(02:17) Sidney Gottlieb: the most powerful, unknown American of the 20th century(06:51) What is the CIA’s MK Ultra program?(14:01) The nefarious aspects of MK Ultra’s experiments(16:52) Gottlieb’s interest in clinical experiments with LSD(22:14) Charles Manson and the MK Ultra program(24:44) MK Ultra’s two-step program to first blow out, then control, people’s minds(32:51) How hepatitis patients react to LSD(37:29) MK Ultra was above of the law(44:32) The personal life of Sidney Gottlieb(51:03) Scientific conclusions from the MK Ultra program(53:11) How the public learned about MK Ultra(55:27) Is something like MK Ultra going on today?(59:46) Don't swallow the narrative you're fed by government and power