The Ralston College Podcast

Great works of literature are often regarded with admiration and even intimidation for their role as the lofty subject of scholarly analysis, but these books were not written for the halls of the university alone. These works were composed to be used: insofar as they are able to challenge, guide, and transform the lives of those who come into their possession. The redemptive power of philosophy and literature is something we focus on often at the college, but few people today model this power as well as Rod Dreher. In this lecture, we find a potent example of the enduring vitality that exists in Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy. The resulting expanse is an account of literature as something spiritually operative. Dante's poem becomes, in Dreher's telling, a work not only to be interpreted but to be inhabited, as a means by which grace can possess the imagination and heal what argument alone cannot. Subscribe for updates at www.ralston.ac/subscribe Authors and Works Mentioned in this Episode: Inferno Purgatorio Paradiso Augustine's Confessions Julian of Norwich Benedict XVI Thomas Aquinas Alasdair MacIntyre's After Virtue

In his first lecture at Ralston College, Spencer Klavan offers a reading of Aeschylus' Oresteia that seeks to make sense of the American political landscape. The Furies exemplify the impersonal arithmetic of blood and counter-blood, while the younger gods introduce personal claims, partiality, and the integrity of the individual. When these powers collide with a single human being, we enter into a tragic cycle that demands a payment which only deepens the debt. Resolution is brought about by Athena and the city that bears her name. Deliberative justice creates a forum in which opposing claims can be weighed without the need for more bloodshed. Vengeance and wrath are transmuted into law that enable the city to live with its past, rather than being ruled by it. Klavan reminds us that scapegoating increases when deliberation is foregone, leaving us prone to ritual violence. Applications for Ralston College's MA in the Humanities are now open. Learn more and apply today at www.ralston.ac/apply Subscribe for updates at: www.ralston.ac/subscribe Authors and Works Mentioned in this Episode: Plato's Euthyphro Homer's Iliad Aeschylus' Oresteia The Code of Hammurabi Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Herodotus Aristotle's Poetics The Book of Exodus Shakespeare's Hamlet Abraham Lincoln Ken Burns' The Civil War Palace of Knossos The Acropolis and Parthenon of Athens The Theatre of Dionysus Barbara Fields Eddie Izzard Neil Gaiman's the Sandman

Dr Barry Strauss, historian and classicist who wrote extensively on Augustus and Roman warfare, explores how Octavian became Rome’s founder of imperial order. He traces youthful ambition, battlefield gambits, political settlements, cultural branding, and the tradeoff between republican freedom and imperial stability. Short, vivid portraits of Actium, propaganda, succession, and the making of the Pax Romana.

Iain McGilchrist, a prominent writer, psychiatrist, and philosopher, discusses the pivotal role of universities in shaping civilization. He warns against the dangers of excessive specialization and mechanistic thought, advocating for a return to education that prioritizes wisdom, tradition, and creativity. McGilchrist emphasizes the importance of lived experience in developing true understanding and critiques trends that prioritize information over meaning. He also questions the impact of AI on human intelligence and urges a revival of cultural inheritance and moral values.

In this conversation, Jay Morris speaks with Dr James Bryson about the modern crisis of meaning and the difficulty of remaining spiritually oriented in a world shaped by reductionist accounts of mind, body, and nature. They reflect on the psychological and cultural repercussions of a scientific picture that brackets teleology and final causes, leaving many modern people disembodied, disenchanted, and uncertain about purpose. While acknowledging the genuine success of modern science, Dr Bryson argues that its limits must be faced honestly, especially where questions of meaning, value, and the human heart are concerned. The discussion then turns to education and the experience of intellectual disinheritance. Dr Bryson reflects on his own formation through a liberal arts education and the humbling discovery of the vast conversation that constitutes the Western tradition. Reading Plato, Dante, and Hegel not as isolated figures but as interlocutors across time, he emphasizes that tradition is a lineage we already inhabit, whether consciously or not. To read historically, he suggests, is not to retreat into the past, but to become aware of the forces shaping our thinking and to take responsibility for them. The conversation culminates in a meditation on teaching, love, and the philosophical life. Dr Bryson argues that education at its best does not impose conclusions, but kindles desire, granting students permission to pursue the questions that genuinely move them. Drawing on Plato's understanding of eros, he describes philosophy as an act of midwifery, helping ideas come to birth rather than dictating outcomes. In an age marked by spiritual malaise and intellectual fragmentation, the conversation offers a hopeful vision of education as the recovery of orientation, enchantment, and the shared pursuit of wisdom. Applications for Ralston College's MA in the Humanities are now open. Learn more and apply today at www.ralston.ac/apply Authors, Artists, and Works Mentioned in this Episode: Plato Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit Blaise Pascal Dante Plotinus Homer Virgil Alfred North Whitehead Arthur O. Lovejoy Aristotle Johann Gottlieb Fichte Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling Will Durant's The Story of Philosophy An Outline of European Architecture by Nikolaus Pevsner Dante's Paradiso The Ring of Truth by Roger Scruton The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis

In this wide-ranging conversation with students at Ralston College, evolutionary biologists Bret Weinstein and Heather Heying reflect on how to live well in the modern world, biologically, philosophically, and spiritually. Moving from Aristotle's De Anima to the ethics of diet and the future of civilization, they explore the body not as an obstacle to overcome but as the very substrate through which consciousness takes form. From lineage and the long arc of life on Earth to nutrition, parenthood, grief, and the challenges of modern medicine, the discussion reveals an integrated vision of human flourishing rooted in both biology and meaning. Applications for Ralston College's MA in the Humanities are now open. Learn more and apply today at www.ralston.ac/apply Subscribe for updates at: www.ralston.ac/subscribe Authors and Works Mentioned in this Episode: Aristotle's De Anima

Bret Weinstein, an evolutionary biologist, and his wife Heather Heying join for captivating discussions on how culture and genes shape humanity. They dive into dual inheritance, exploring how our long childhoods foster cultural learning and unleash creative potential. Weinstein emphasizes consciousness as a tool for novel problem-solving and storytelling, highlighting its role in societal evolution. The couple also warns of cultural mismatch in our fast-paced world, advocating for sustainable practices and the nurturing of craftsmanship to reconnect with our values and nature.

Heather Heying, an evolutionary biologist, explores the emergence of sentient consciousness across species. She reveals common traits in intelligent beings, like long childhoods and social behaviors, drawing parallels among primates, dolphins, and corvids. Heying discusses how play enhances learning and describes innovative behaviors from dolphins using tools to crows refining their tool designs. She connects these insights to broader themes of culture, empathy, and the beauty of natural patterns, challenging conventional views of intelligence in animals.

Bret Weinstein, an evolutionary biologist, and his wife, Heather Hying, join the discussion to explore the intersection of evolution and human culture. They delve into why life emerges from nonlife, critique the conflation of data collection with science, and emphasize the importance of predictive models. The couple also discusses how adaptation shapes human purpose and morality, suggesting humans uniquely reason about survival. The conversation spans the value of language, the relationship between the arts and sciences, and enduring cultural traditions.

Dr. Heather Heying, an evolutionary biologist and public intellectual, dives into the foundations of scientific inquiry, blending biology and philosophy. She challenges dogma, advocating for free inquiry as essential to scientific discovery. Heying distinguishes between biotic and abiotic origins, revealing how evolution impacts everything from molecular structures to human artifacts. Her discussion touches on the nature of universals, the importance of diverse evidence in understanding evolution, and the humility required in scientific exploration. A thought-provoking invitation to view science as a living inquiry!