Conservative Conversations with ISI

Intercollegiate Studies Institute

Conservative ideas are no longer welcome on most college campuses—or anywhere else. If you are a conservative student or professor, or just interested in the conservative intellectual tradition, this podcast is for you! Join Johnny Burtka and Marlo Slayback for in-depth conversations with leading thinkers on the most important issues facing conservatism. read less

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Kevin Gutzman on the Jeffersonians, State’s Rights and “Virginia Supremacy”, and Westward Expansion

Kevin Gutzman on the Jeffersonians, State’s Rights and “Virginia Supremacy”, and Westward Expansion

In This Episode:Kevin Gutzman, professor of History at Western Connecticut State University, joins the podcast to discuss the presidencies of Democratic-Republican presidents Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroehow the states and sectionalism played an important role in the Early Republic, and why Jefferson and his successors emphasized the importance of state’s rights and decentralized powerthe key events during the presidencies of Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe that kick off Westward Expansion and Manifest DestinyTexts Mentioned:The Jeffersonians: The Visionary Presidencies of Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe by Kevin GutzmanJames Madison and the Making of America by Kevin GutzmanFirst Inaugural Address by Thomas JeffersonLetter from Thomas Jefferson to George Washington, 15 February, 1791“Opinion on the Constitutionality of a National Bank” by Alexander Hamilton“A Summary View of the Rights of British America” pamphlet by Thomas JeffersonJames Madison’s Notes of the Constitutional Convention from June 18, 1787Letter from Thomas Jefferson to Robert Livingston, 18 April, 1802Letter from Thomas Jefferson to John Dickinson, 9 August, 1803Proposed Amendment to the Constitution Regarding Louisiana by James MadisonTrans-Continental Treaty of 1819 Monroe DoctrineCalhoun: American Heretic by Robert ElderDiary of John Quincy AdamsBecome a part of ISI:Become a MemberSupport ISIUpcoming ISI Events

Kevin Gutzman on the Jeffersonians, State’s Rights and “Virginia Supremacy”, and Westward Expansion

Kevin Gutzman on the Jeffersonians, State’s Rights and “Virginia Supremacy”, and Westward Expansion

In This Episode:Kevin Gutzman, professor of History at Western Connecticut State University, joins the podcast to discuss the presidencies of Democratic-Republican presidents Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroehow the states and sectionalism played an important role in the Early Republic, and why Jefferson and his successors emphasized the importance of state’s rights and decentralized powerthe key events during the presidencies of Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe that kick off Westward Expansion and Manifest DestinyTexts Mentioned:The Jeffersonians: The Visionary Presidencies of Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe by Kevin GutzmanJames Madison and the Making of America by Kevin GutzmanFirst Inaugural Address by Thomas JeffersonLetter from Thomas Jefferson to George Washington, 15 February, 1791“Opinion on the Constitutionality of a National Bank” by Alexander Hamilton“A Summary View of the Rights of British America” pamphlet by Thomas JeffersonJames Madison’s Notes of the Constitutional Convention from June 18, 1787Letter from Thomas Jefferson to Robert Livingston, 18 April, 1802Letter from Thomas Jefferson to John Dickinson, 9 August, 1803Proposed Amendment to the Constitution Regarding Louisiana by James MadisonTrans-Continental Treaty of 1819 Monroe DoctrineCalhoun: American Heretic by Robert ElderDiary of John Quincy AdamsBecome a part of ISI:Become a MemberSupport ISIUpcoming ISI Events

Special Lecture: Dan McCarthy on the History of Conservatism and the Conservative Movement in America

Special Lecture: Dan McCarthy on the History of Conservatism and the Conservative Movement in America

In this episode: Dan McCarthy gives a lecture on the various elements of the conservative movement to ISI’s staff at our campus in Wilmington, DEa historical account of the American revolution and its implications for American conservatismwhy conservatives need to see through “both eyes” of history and ideasTexts Mentioned:Second Treatise of Government by John LockeNatural Right and History by Leo StraussThe Conservative Mind by Russell KirkThe Quest for Community by Robert NisbetCrisis of the House Divided by Harry V. Jaffa“Is Liberalism Worth Saving?” symposium in Harper’s MagazineRoots of American Order by Russell KirkDemocracy in America by Alexis de TocquevilleThe Superfluous Men by Robert CrundenThe Education of Henry Adams by Henry AdamsThe Waste Land by T.S. EliotMemoirs of A Superfluous Man by Alfred Jay NockThe Revolt of the Masses by Jose Ortega y GassetThe Liberal Tradition in America by Louis HartzThe Conservative Intellectual Movement in America Since 1945 by George NashThe Road to Serfdom by Friedrich HayekThe Constitution of Liberty by Friedrich HayekWitness by Whittaker ChambersContainment or Liberation? by James BurnhamThe Emerging Republican Majority by Kevin PhillipsThe Virtue of Nationalism by Yoram Hazony

Adam Hoffman on Campus Progressivism, Young Conservative Firebrands, and Reforming Higher Ed

Adam Hoffman on Campus Progressivism, Young Conservative Firebrands, and Reforming Higher Ed

In This Episode:Adam Hoffman, a writer for the Princeton Tory, joins the podcast to discuss his recent piece in the New York Times about how the leftist political culture on college campuses has sparked a reactionary shift for conservative studentshow college administrations are not only actively pushing a progressive social agenda, but also seeking to exclude conservative counter-opinions in the classroom and through student life programshow the size of university endowments has untethered the universities from traditional channels of accountability, and what can be done to rein in woke campus culture Texts Mentioned:“My Liberal Campus is Pushing Freethinkers to the Right” by Adam Hoffman“Boston College professor assigns students to make their own 'fursonas,' has furries come to class” by Kassy Dillon“Toward a Party of the State” by Gladden Pappin“The End of the English Major” by Nathan Heller“Do Ideas Have Consequences? Intellectual History and Conservative Strategy" video by Sam Goldman“Princeton University is the World’s First Perpetual Motion Machine” by Malcolm GladwellThe Princeton Tory, an ISI-sponsored Collegiate Network newspaperThe Kalven ReportBecome a part of ISI:Become a MemberSupport ISIUpcoming ISI Events

William Ruger on Russia and Ukraine A Year Later, The Need for Grand Strategy, and Washington’s “Farewell Address”

William Ruger on Russia and Ukraine A Year Later, The Need for Grand Strategy, and Washington’s “Farewell Address”

In This Episode:William Ruger joins the podcast to discuss the war between Russia and Ukraine, how it came to be, and how America should respondwhy conservatives should take a “grand strategy” approach to foreign policy, global affairs, and the national interesthow George Washington’s “Farewell Address” strikes the right balance for American foreign policy, and where we have departed from it todayTexts Mentioned:“Farewell Address" by George WashingtonJay’s Treaty“The Conquest of the United States by Spain” by William Graham SumnerMadeleine Albright Interview with Matt Lauer“How America Took Out the Nord Stream Pipeline” by Seymour HershA Student’s Guide to International Relations by Angelo CodevillaMonroe DoctrineThe Tragedy of US Foreign Policy by Walter McDougallThe Tragedy of Great Power Politics by John MearsheimerResponsible Statecraft magazineBecome a part of ISI:Become a MemberSupport ISIUpcoming ISI Events

Mark Tooley on “The New Whiggery,” Christian Realism, and Classical Liberalism

Mark Tooley on “The New Whiggery,” Christian Realism, and Classical Liberalism

In This Episode:Mark Tooley, President of the Institute for Religion and Democracy, joins the podcast to discuss “The New Whiggery,” the IRD’s new fellowship on the principles of classical liberalism and the American Foundingwhat a Christian realism approach to foreign policy looks likehow classical liberalism differs from conservatism, and why some right-leaning thinkers like Hayek wanted to eschew the term “conservative”Texts Mentioned:Providence MagazinePlough MagazineThe New Whiggery Fellowship“Thomas Aquinas, The First Whig” by Michael NovakThe Englishman and His History by Herbert Butterfield“Why I Am Not a Conservative” by F.A. HayekThe Spirit of Democratic Capitalism by Michael NovakGod and Man at Yale: The Superstitions of Academic Freedom by William F. Buckley, Jr.“The New Whiggery” by Mark TooleyThe Roots of American Order by Russell KirkBecome a part of ISI:Become a MemberSupport ISIUpcoming ISI Events

Chris Buskirk on Restoring National Vitality, Financialization, and Pragmatic Conservatism

Chris Buskirk on Restoring National Vitality, Financialization, and Pragmatic Conservatism

In This Episode:Chris Buskirk joins the podcast to talk about his new book, America and the Art of the Possible, about restoring “national vitality” and re-sparking the risk-taking, adventurous spirit that built Americahow financialization operates in the modern American economy and creates mismatched incentives that undermine widespread American prosperitywhy conservatism should focus less on ideological constructs and more on being practical and getting conservative outcomes like stronger family formation, higher life expectancy, and increasing total factor productivityTexts Mentioned:America and the Art of the Possible: Restoring National Vitality in an Age of Decay by Chris BuskirkAmerican Greatness: How Conservatism, Inc. Missed the 2016 Election and What the Establishment Needs to Learn by Chris Buskirk“Our Mission Statement” by William F. Buckley Jr.“I Had to Guard an Empty Room: The Rise of the Pointless Job” by David GraeberBullshit Jobs: A Theory by David GraeberBecome a part of ISI:Become a MemberSupport ISIUpcoming ISI Events

Thomas West on Natural Rights and the American Founding, Federalism, and Liberty and Equality

Thomas West on Natural Rights and the American Founding, Federalism, and Liberty and Equality

In This Episode:Thomas West joins the podcast to discuss the political theory of the American Founding and its reliance on natural law and natural rightswhy students of the American Founding must read more public laws and state laws and constitutions to fully understand the Founding erahow the Founders fit liberty and equality together in a truly coherent way Texts Mentioned:The Political Theory of the American Founding by Thomas WestThe Declaration of IndependenceVirginia Declaration of RightsVindicating the Founders: Race, Sex, Class and Justice in the Origins of America by Thomas WestThe Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John JayThe ConstitutionThe Real American Founding: A Conversation course with David Azerrad and Thomas WestBecome a part of ISI:Become a MemberSupport ISIUpcoming ISI Events

Gladden Pappin on Post-Liberalism, Hungary, and Family Policy

Gladden Pappin on Post-Liberalism, Hungary, and Family Policy

In This Episode:Gladden Pappin joins the podcast to discuss the conditions in modern Western political culture that have given rise to post-liberalism on the Righthow Hungary draws on often-neglected parts of the Western political tradition as inspiration for their political orderwhy the conservative movement needs to focus on family policy as a political lodestar in the post-Roe eraTexts Mentioned:Postliberal Order substack“Return to Normalcy” by Gladden Pappin“Make Birth Free” by Catherine Glenn Foster and Kristen DayMake Birth Free white paper by Americans United for Life“Affirming the American Family” by Gladden Pappin and Maria MollaAmerican Affairs journalEdmund Burke: A Genius Reconsidered by Russell KirkWhat is Conservatism? edited by Frank MeyerBecome a part of ISI:Become a MemberSupport ISIUpcoming ISI Events

Fr. Benedict Kiely on the Persecution of Christians, Nationalism, and Social Conservatism

Fr. Benedict Kiely on the Persecution of Christians, Nationalism, and Social Conservatism

In This Episode:Fr. Ben Kiely joins the podcast to discuss his ministry of helping persecuted Christians in the Middle East with Nasarean.org why social conservatism is an essential facet of any conservative worldviewhow nationalist politics is compatible with Catholicism and Catholicism’s approach to politicsTexts Mentioned:https://nasarean.org/Fr. Kiely’s speech at NatCon 3Become a part of ISI:Become a MemberSupport ISIUpcoming ISI Events

The Philosopher Pope: The Legacy of Pope Benedict XVI with Paul Kengor

The Philosopher Pope: The Legacy of Pope Benedict XVI with Paul Kengor

In This Episode:Paul Kengor joins the podcast to discuss the late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and his contributions to philosophy and the Church in the Western worldTexts Mentioned:Dupes by Paul KengorThe Pope and the President by Paul KengorThe Divine Plan by Paul Kengor and Robert OrlandoISI Debate on Transgenderism and Womanhood - SIGN UP TODAY!Jesus of Nazareth by Pope Benedict XVICatechism of the Catholic ChurchFides et Ratio by St. Pope John Paul IIConfessionsby St. AugustineHumanae Vitae by Pope Paul VIEvangelium Vitae by St. Pope John Paul IIVeritatis Splendor by St. Pope John Paul IICommentary on the Third Secret of Fatima by Pope Benedict XVI“Vatican Preps for Conclave as ‘Pope is Dying’” by John Gizzi“Reversing the Dictatorship of Relativism: Remembering Pope Benedict XVI” by Paul Kengor“The Politically Incorrect Pope Francis — 14 Shocking Statements” by Paul KengorTraditionis Custodes by Pope FrancisInstitute for Faith and FreedomBecome a part of ISI:Become a MemberSupport ISIUpcoming ISI Events

Jon Askonas on the Technological Age, “Post-Reality", and Marxism

Jon Askonas on the Technological Age, “Post-Reality", and Marxism

In This Episode:Jon Askonas joins the podcast to discuss how a technological age makes conservative and traditional values obsolete, and how to overcome this problemwhy Karl Marx has to teach conservatives about analyzing and understanding “historical materialism,“ the fundamental material elements of societywhat really drove the disintegration of a shared conception of reality, and how to navigate the “post-real” worldTexts Mentioned:“Why Conservatism Failed” by Jon AskonasThe Market and Other Orders by F.A. HayekIdeas Have Consequences by Richard WeaverRevolt of the Public by Martin Gurri “Reality: A Post-Mortem” by Jon AskonasBecome a part of ISI:Become a MemberSupport ISIUpcoming ISI Events

Aaron Renn on Evangelicalism in America, American Reformer, and Christian Nationalist Politics

Aaron Renn on Evangelicalism in America, American Reformer, and Christian Nationalist Politics

In This Episode:Aaron Renn joins the podcast to discuss American Reformer’s goal of reinvigorating evangelical intellectual thought within conservatismthe history and traditions of Evangelicalism in American social and political life, and how evangelicalism needs to respond to hostility to Christianityhow class, social status, and wokeness shape the disconnect between Protestant elites and the evangelical base that supports nationalist populismTexts Mentioned:“The Three Worlds of Evangelicalism” by Aaron Rennaaronrenn.substack.comThe Benedict Option by Rod DreherWhy Liberalism Failed by Patrick J. DeneenA Secular Age by Charles TaylorThe Case for Christian Nationalism by Stephen Wolfeamericanreformer.orgBecome a part of ISI:Become a MemberSupport ISIUpcoming ISI Events

Sarah Gustafson on Anxiety and Restlessness in Democratic Times, Democratic and Aristocratic Soulcraft, and Harvey Mansfield

Sarah Gustafson on Anxiety and Restlessness in Democratic Times, Democratic and Aristocratic Soulcraft, and Harvey Mansfield

In This Episode:Sarah Gustafson joins the podcast to discuss the theme of her course at Harvard University, “Anxiety and Restlessness in Democratic Times”how America’s “mental health crisis” is driven by the quality of American souls and affected by the American regimethe legacy of Harvey Mansfield as a scholar, public political philosopher, and intellectual giant at HarvardTexts Mentioned:Democracy in America by Alexis de TocquevilleManliness by Harvey MansfieldDeaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism by Anne Case and Angus DeatonBowling Alone by Robert PutnamThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott FitzgeraldConfessions by Augustine of HippoRepublic by PlatoCity of God: Against the Pagans by Augustine of HippoNicomachean Ethics by AristotlePolitics by AristotleLeisure, the Basis of Culture by Josef PieperPensees by Blaise PascalLost in Thought by Zena HitzThe Emperor’s Club movieBecome a part of ISI:Become a MemberSupport ISIUpcoming ISI Events

Rod Dreher on The Benedict Option, The Myths and Realities of Hungary, and The Future of Christianity

Rod Dreher on The Benedict Option, The Myths and Realities of Hungary, and The Future of Christianity

In This Episode:Rod Dreher joins the podcast to discuss “The Benedict Option,” a program for living an authentically Christian life in an anti-Christian culture that reigns today in the liberal Westwhat conservatives in America need to learn from Hungarian conservatives about conserving Christian culturewhy Christians in the post-Christian West need to adopt a new disposition towards state power, evangelization, and interactions with non-ChristiansTexts Mentioned:The Benedict Option by Rod Dreher“When Gay Rights Clash with Religious Freedom” by Tish Harrison Warren“A Small Texas City Gets a Drag-Queen Parade for Christmas” by Kevin E. StuartLive Not by Lies by Rod DreherThe Matter with Things by Iain McGilchristRod Dreher’s DiaryBecome a part of ISI:Become a MemberSupport ISIUpcoming ISI Events

Matthew Spalding on Natural Law and the American Founding, Post-liberalism, and National Conservatism

Matthew Spalding on Natural Law and the American Founding, Post-liberalism, and National Conservatism

In This Episode:Matthew Spalding, Professor of Constitutional studies at Hillsdale College in Washington D.C., joins the podcast to discuss the first principles and permanent truths that undergird the American Foundinghow critiques from National Conservatives and Post-Liberal Integralists misunderstand classical liberalism and the “American Enlightenment”the common ground between Straussians and Kirkians, and the potential for a principled fusion between the once-warring camps in the conservative movementTexts Mentioned:We Still Hold These Truths by Matthew SpaldingHeritage Guide to the Constitution by Matthew Spalding and David FortePolitics by AristotleBecome a part of ISI:Become a MemberSupport ISIUpcoming ISI Events

Senator Jeff Sessions on Honest Populism, Education Reform, and Coalition-Building in the New Right

Senator Jeff Sessions on Honest Populism, Education Reform, and Coalition-Building in the New Right

In This Episode:Jeff Sessions, former Senator from Alabama and 84th Attorney General of the United States, joins the podcast to discuss his accomplished career in politicswhat conservative education reform looks like at the curricular and administrative levelshow the GOP can reach voters by appealing to the important issues without exaggerating or being demagogicTexts Mentioned: Federalist No. 10 by James MadisonThe Declaration of IndependenceBecome a part of ISI:Become a MemberSupport ISIUpcoming ISI Events

Greg Collins on Burke’s Political Economy, Capitalism and the State, and the Importance of “Manners”

Greg Collins on Burke’s Political Economy, Capitalism and the State, and the Importance of “Manners”

In This Episode:Greg Collins joins the podcast to discuss his book, Commerce and Manners in Edmund Burke’s Political Economyhow traditional society gave rise to market societies and property rights, and how Burke’s defense of economic liberty differed from that of Adam Smithhow the rise of capitalism is coterminous with the rise of the modern state and administrative powersTexts Mentioned:Commerce and Manners in Edmund Burke’s Political Economy by Greg CollinsReflections on the Revolution in France by Edmund BurkeThoughts and Details on Scarcity by Edmund BurkeThe Wealth of Nations by Adam SmithDemocracy in America by Alexis de TocquevilleMemoirs on Pauperism and Other Writings by Alexis de TocquevilleBecome a part of ISI:Become a MemberSupport ISIUpcoming ISI Events

Alexandra DeSanctis on Abortion, Women and Work, and the Pro-Life Movement after the Midterms

Alexandra DeSanctis on Abortion, Women and Work, and the Pro-Life Movement after the Midterms

In This Episode:Alexandra DeSanctis joins the podcast to discuss abortion and building a pro-life agenda after Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization and the 2022 Congressional midterm electionshow support for abortion is rooted in a defective view of what womanhood iswhat pro-lifers can and must do to make abortion unthinkable in AmericaTexts Mentioned:Tearing Us Apart: How Abortion Harms Everything and Solves Nothing by Alexandra DeSanctis and Ryan T. Anderson“Why Big Business Loves Abortion” by Alexandra DeSanctis“Congress Has a Role To Play in Limiting Abortion” by Alexandra DeSanctisAmerica and the Pill: A History of Peril, Promise, and Liberation by Elaine Tyler MayBecome a part of ISI:Become a MemberSupport ISIUpcoming ISI Events

Dan McCarthy on Willmoore Kendall, Public Orthodoxy and Majoritarianism, and Nationalist Populism

Dan McCarthy on Willmoore Kendall, Public Orthodoxy and Majoritarianism, and Nationalist Populism

In This Episode:Dan McCarthy returns to the podcast to discuss Willmoore Kendall’s The Conservative Affirmationwhat majoritarianism and “the social contract” in the American tradition really means for today’s politicshow Kendall interpreted John Locke and its relation to the American FoundingTexts Mentioned:The Conservative Affirmation by Willmoore KendallThe Conservative Intellectual Movement in America Since 1945 by George NashThe Dilemmas of American Conservatism, edited by Kenneth DeutschWhat is Political Philosophy? by Leo StraussHeaven Can Indeed Fall by Christopher OwenJohn Locke and the Doctrine of Majority Rule by Willmoore KendallTucker Carlson interview clipThe Basic Symbols of the American Political Tradition by Willmoore KendallThe Second Treatise of Government by John LockeNatural Right and History by Leo StraussThe Social Contract by Jean-Jacques RousseauThe Government of Poland by Jean-Jacques RousseauModern AgeBecome a part of ISI:Become a MemberSupport ISIUpcoming ISI Events

Curt Mills on the Midterm Elections, America’s Political Realignment, and the Future of the GOP

Curt Mills on the Midterm Elections, America’s Political Realignment, and the Future of the GOP

In this episode: Curt Mills joins the podcast to discuss the political dynamics surrounding the upcoming midterm electionshow the establishment GOP is navigating the challenges and opportunities of the growing nationalist-populist movement within the partyWhy traditionally Blue states like Oregon, Rhode Island, and Maine could become Red states in the coming yearsTexts Mentioned:What It Takes: The Way to the White House by Richard Ben CramerBecome a part of ISI:Become a MemberSupport ISIUpcoming ISI Events