John Wood Jr. Show

The United States of America is at a crossroads. Do we drown in the crashing waves of never ending culture wars? Or do we bring out the best in each other by living up to the better angels of our nature? Braver Angels national ambassador John Wood Jr. brings visionary idealism to American politics through a life lived battling the forces of cynicism at the intersections of race, religion and politics. Follow John as he opens the door to the movement to unite America, challenging political and thought leaders from across the divide to see the best in each other one conversation at a time.

Follow on

Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app

Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episodes

Virtue in the face of tribalism | with Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a celebrated scholar, stateswoman and activist who has championed women's rights and liberal values while opposing identity politics and religious extremism. She has been maligned for her views, and as you will hear her say here, she has made mistakes along the way. But I was honored to speak to Ayaan because she has always struck me as a true example of moral and intellectual courage. Please enjoy this short conversation touching on virtue, philosophical nonviolence and the w...

Aug 23, 2022•24 min•Ep. 10

Is "Wokism" a Religion? | A Conversation with John McWhorter

Is "Wokism" a religion? The modern antiracist movement, often referred to as the Woke movement, has provoked backlash for seemingly seeking to deplatform and censor Americans with dissenting points of view, and attributing racism to wide swaths of American society. According to John McWhorter, this is because "Wokism" is less an ideology and more an irrational religion. But is it? I ask John some questions to see if he isn't rushing to this characterization too quickly. As always John is ready t...

Dec 21, 2021•43 min•Ep. 9

Class and Black America | A Conversation with Bertrand Cooper

Is the black American experience defined by race in 2021? Or are the struggles of millions of African-Americans far more a symptom of class? Bertrand Cooper is a deeply insightful yet underappreciated voice on the intersections of race and poverty in American life. In our conversation we talk about popular culture's representation of black life, the differences in the black experience as a function of class, and Bertrand's own compelling journey through race, poverty and the ladder of education....

Dec 14, 2021•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 8

Empathizing with the Left?! Discussing Race with Dennis Prager

Dennis Prager, (author, talk radio show host and long time thought leader among American conservatives) believes that everything the left touches it destroys. But is there nothing to empathize with on the left? That was the conversation I wound up having with Dennis particularly with respect to the subject of race. Twitter: @DennisPrager @braverangels @JohnRWoodJr Websites: www.braverangels.org www.prageru.com/...

Dec 07, 2021•56 min•Ep. 7

Facts are NOT all that matters

A quick filler episode! I wanted to take a moment to talk about the importance of understanding what we don't know, and the limited value of understanding facts outside of experience. I also talk about my conversation with Dave Rubin, my recent appearance with economist Glenn Loury and upcoming podcast with Dennis Prager. See Glenn and I at the Manhattan Institute: https://youtu.be/W8YnyUu6qAg Join Braver Angels: www.braverangels.org Twitter: @JohnRWoodJr @BraverAngels...

Dec 01, 2021•24 min•Ep. 6

The Road to Braver Angels with Luke Phillips

Braver Angels is America' largest, grassroots, bipartisan organization in America dedicated to reviving the communal spirit of American democracy. A high-minded vision! I've been a leader of Braver Angels for going on four years now. But I wouldn't be on the front lines of this movement to unite the American people in goodwill if it wasn't for my long time friend and associate, writer, historian and Braver Angels staffer Luke Phillips. Luke drops by the studio in L.A. for a conversation looking ...

Nov 23, 2021•56 min•Ep. 5

Critiquing the Heterodox Community on Race and Reason

I find myself on Twitter perhaps a little more than is healthy. But one thing that has been very healthy for me is interacting with Will Fullwood (mathematics teacher, host of the Contraband Wagon) Brandon Bradford (writer and consultant) and Dr. Mansa Keita (PhD computer science) as they've criticized conservatives and traditional liberals (sometimes myself) for the blindspots on race and reason they see as being prevalent in the online heterodox community. Do "classical liberals" and others in...

Nov 16, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 4

Should we be Pessimistic about America? A Conversation with Karen Hunter

Karen Hunter, the host of The Karen Hunter Show on Sirius XM, is a fearless voice on the airwaves for justice and truth telling. She's lived a successful life as a journalist, author and activist; yet Karen is not optimistic about America's ability to overcome the racism she sees as operating at its core. I try to give a more hopeful view, even as Karen surprises me with some of her takes on the importance of owning our racial identity and the problems with labels. Karen is a strong, gracious wo...

Nov 08, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 3

Are We Too Divided to Heal? A Conversation with Dave Rubin

Dave Rubin, the host of The Rubin Report, has famously traveled from one side to the other of our political spectrum. Once a rising star on the progressive network The Young Turks, Rubin moved to the center becoming a pillar figure in the diverse, counter-cultural online movement often referred to as The Intellectual Dark Web. As that space began unraveling however Dave became a champion of the libertarian right, emerging as a wildly popular personality in conservative America. But does Dave sti...

Oct 29, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 2

The John Wood Jr. Show Begins

America is caught in the grip of the culture wars. Unity and respect look like old fashioned ideas. But some Americans are rejecting cynicism in favor of trying to reach each other from across the divides. John Wood Jr. is national ambassador for Braver Angels, America's largest grassroots organization working to heal the political divide from the halls of congress to your living room. In this opening overview John opens the door for conversations and insights into politics, race, religion and t...

Oct 29, 2021•32 min•Ep. 1

Hosted on Libsyn

For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android

Open in Metacast