In our last look at Søren Kierkegaard, we left our hero after he had just left the love of his life, Regine Olsen, in favor of a life devoted to God and philosophy. In this episode, Jacke looks at one of the great products of that seismic schism: Fear and Trembling, or Kierkegaard's analysis of God's command that Abraham should sacrifice his beloved son Isaa ... Show More
Today
768 Young James Baldwin (with Nicholas Boggs) | My Last Book with Bruce Robbins
The American writer and civil rights activist James Baldwin (1924-1987) spent the second half of his life as a fixture in American intellectual life. But what formed him? In this episode, Jacke talks to Nicholas Boggs, author of Baldwin: A Love Story, the first major biography of ... Show More
57m 5s
Jan 12
766 Gertrude Stein (with Francesca Wade) | Ruskin on the Only One Way to Get Art | My Last Book with Holly Baggett
Gertrude Stein (1874-1946) has long been one of the most famous - and most polarizing - figures in modernism. Was she a trailblazing genius? Or a literary charlatan? Her bestselling memoir of 1933, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas, which made her internationally famous, only ... Show More
1h 3m
Oct 2022
Ágúst Magnússon, "Kierkegaard and Eastern Orthodox Thought: A Comparative Philosophical Analysis" (Gorgias Press, 2019)
Today I talked to Ágúst Magnússon about his new book Kierkegaard and Eastern Orthodox Thought: A Comparative Philosophical Analysis (Gorgias Press, 2019).
Throughout the years, there has been an extensive engagement with the philosophy of Søren Kierkegaard from the perspective of ... Show More
1h 32m
Mar 2022
Kierkegaard on the Present (Passionless) Age
<p>Do you ever feel like the time we live in feels flat, complacent, timid, conformist, populated by people who are focused on playing it safe and are inwardly empty?</p><p>A century and a half ago, the Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard felt the same way about the period in wh ... Show More
59m 58s
Jan 2022
Conversations: Deus Ex Alien, Ancient Realities vs. Pseudoarchaeology w/ David S. Anderson
Liv speaks with archaeologist David S. Anderson about the concept, and harm, of pseudoarchaeology. Why it matters to promote false notions of alien intervention and the study of the very real ancient people of the world is much more important.CW/TW: far too many Greek myths invol ... Show More
1h 10m
Apr 2023
96 PARADISE LOST, Book 10: ”Evil Got”: Fractured Relation
<p>Book Ten of Paradise Lost is the unraveling of the action of this epic poem. It is vitally important as the corollary of the Fall, which we saw in Book Nine, and it tells us a great deal about the nature of Sin and God's relation to ALL of creation. Join Jenny and I as we disc ... Show More
23m 39s
Feb 2024
Significant Others: A Sneak Peek at the Woman Behind Benedict Arnold’s Betrayal
<p>It’s been said that history is written by the person at the typewriter. But who did the person who made history depend on? Often, it’s impossible to find out. But once in a while, we get lucky, and the story was not only recorded, it’s really good.<br />Well that’s what this p ... Show More
7m 21s
Feb 2024
US 2.0: Lincoln's Dilemma
<p>Over the past few weeks, we've been exploring the psychology of partisanship, and how to effectively handle disagreements with those around us. This week, we conclude our US 2.0 series by turning to the past. We talk with journalist <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/4080709/ ... Show More
52m 13s