Not Dead Yet

Andy Crouch

Technology, idolatry, time, and habits. Andy Crouch joins the gang to talk about technology, work without rest, and rest. How radical is an hour a day, a day a week, and

Yuval Levin

World renowned for his beauty and his above-average thoughtfulness, Yuval Levin joins the guys. Why does he describe his work as gratitude for America? Why can’t you scri

Gordon Gee

Ok, they’ll bite. What’s a university? Ben and Chris are joined by legendary university president E. Gordon Gee. Public trust is in collapse, the core curriculum looks li

Cal Newport

The guys do some deep work. Prolific author and computer scientist Cal Newport joins the podcast. The gang talks about why email is a slog, what sparks human creativity,

Listener Mail, Ep 2: Electric Boogaloo

You write; they talk. Bicycle gangs are good, schools are overrated, chronological snobbery is bad, vocations are always plural, and Chris waxes poetic about his favorite

Andrew Roberts

The guys get fancy when Andrew Roberts, Baron Roberts of Belgravia, joins the pod. (Again with the historians.) The guys talk about Churchill and the Special Relationship

H.R. McMaster

Everyone knows the Warrior Poets get the headlines, but do Warrior Historians deserve the recognition? Do free societies produce better soldiers? How do leaders know when

Megan McArdle

Everything’s great and nobody’s happy? Megan joins the guys to talk about affluenza.  Each generation has to figure it out — so take some risks, make some bad decisions,

Ken Burns

History, storytelling, and America, baby! Ken Burns joins the guys to talk about the work he’s done to translate the American experience to a wide audience. What makes a

Dana Gioia

Ok, they’ll bite. What is poetry? Poet and critic Dana Gioia joins the guys to talk about poetry. How do poems reward the reader? What can verse tell us about memory? Wha

Jeffrey Rosen

As America celebrates 250 years, the guys talk with Jeff Rosen about the pursuit of happiness. Did Ben Franklin and John Adams really see it the same way? Does self-gover

Katherine Boyle

Ben and Chris talk with one of the most interesting people in Silicon Valley who isn’t actually in Silicon Valley. Ben’s got morphine fog. Katherine’s got parenting sleep

David Zahl

Dave talks with the guys about the problem of replacing faith with the cheap imitations of disordered goods, the need for thick community, the emptiness of striving, and

Jack and John Harbaugh

Happy Fathers Day! While Chris is pulled away for journalism stuff, Ben talks about more important things with America’s football family. Jack and John Harbaugh talk abou

Mitch Daniels

Indiana is better than West Virginia, nobody disagrees — except Chris. Ben, Chris, and the former Governor — and reality TV star? — Mitch Daniels talk about higher educat

William McRaven

Ben can’t do pull-ups anymore, so it’s a great time to talk to Admiral William McRaven. The guys talk about the fine line between swagger and arrogance, the importance of

Listener Mail

This Q&A episode has everything. Habits, dispositional conservatism, family bookshelves, Bo Jackson, Viking longboats, Apollo space ships, theology, and more. In an effor

Ben Thompson

Ben and Chris talk with tech analyst Ben Thompson about the future. Is AI heaven, or hell, or both? Does the future belong to China or the United States? What’s the deal

Clint Black

Singer, songwriter, musician, actor, and record producer Clint Black joins underachievers Ben and Chris. The gang talks about country music, writing, parenting, career ch

Clayton Anderson

Astronaut and Nebraskan Clayton Anderson joins the guys to talk about all things space. The human desire to explore, the vocation of spacewalking hundreds of miles above