The main task of JUST FYI POD: IDEAS ' second season is to discuss "Our Ten Favorite Works of Philosophy." On today's episode, my cohost Clark Elliston and I explore two massively influential texts from the twentieth century. Yet, before doing so, we spend some time discussing the recent flash floods in Central Texas, which devastated Clark's hometown of Kerrville. In this opening segment, Clark gives a firsthand account of what life is now like in the Texas Hill Country. Next, and not unrelated...
Jul 28, 2025•2 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 10
The main task of JUST FYI POD: CULTURE 's second season is to discuss "Ten Novels That Changed Our Lives." On today's episode, my cohost Amy Welborn and I resume our countdown, this time focusing -- at long last! -- on the #1 novel on our respective lists. I begin by examining Fyodor Dostoevsky's last and greatest novel THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV (Братья Карамазовы, 1880). Next, Amy delves into THE POWER AND THE GLORY (1940), arguably the magnum opus of British author Graham Greene. Both novels are ...
Jul 14, 2025•1 hr 45 min•Season 2Ep. 16
The main task of JUST FYI POD: CULTURE 's second season is to discuss "Ten Novels That Changed Our Lives." On today's episode, my cohost Amy Welborn and I resume our countdown, this time focusing on the #2 (!) novel on our respective lists. I begin by examining what is undoubtedly one of the most important books in the history of world literature--namely, Don Quixote (1606/1615) by Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616). Next, Amy delves into Brideshead Revisited (1945), the magnum opus of the great En...
Jun 09, 2025•1 hr 37 min•Season 2Ep. 15
The main task of JUST FYI POD: IDEAS ' second season is to discuss "Our Ten Favorite Works of Philosophy." On today's episode, my cohost Clark Elliston and I explore two recent philosophical texts -- one that is already considered a classic in the field, another that presents a penetrating overview some of philosophy's greatest thinkers. The former is Alasdair MacIntyre's After Virtue: A Study in Moral Theory (1981), which, as I will explain, has had a massive influence on the recovery of Aristo...
Jun 02, 2025•1 hr 47 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Habemus papam ! On May 8, Robert Francis Prevost, a Chicago native and a 1977 graduate of Villanova University, was elected Bishop of Rome at the 2025 papal conclave. He took the (meaningful) name of Leo XIV and is the first pope to be born in the United States. Joining me with instant reaction to this historic election is Amy Welborn, who is currently in Rome and was, in fact, present for the announcement today. See Just FYI (cbarnett,substack.com) for more details, links, and much, much more c...
May 09, 2025•38 min•Season 2Ep. 14
The main task of JUST FYI POD: CULTURE'S second season is to discuss "Ten Novels That Changed Our Lives." On today's episode, my cohost Amy Welborn and I resume our countdown, this time focusing on the #3 novel on our respective lists. Amy begins by examining Flannery O'Connor's darkly comic debut WISE BLOOD (1952). Next, I explore Cormac McCarthy's fêted late masterpiece THE ROAD (2006). These two works are very different in tone, and yet both ponder the possibility of a godless world -- and wh...
May 05, 2025•1 hr 44 min•Season 2Ep. 13
The main task of Just FYI Pod: Ideas ’ second season is to discuss "Our Ten Favorite Works of Philosophy." On today's episode, my cohost Clark Elliston and I explore two key works from the transformative years of the mid 20th Century. First, I dive into Simone Weil's posthumously published classic The Need for Roots: Prelude Towards a Declaration of Duties Towards Mankind ( L'Enracinement, prélude à une déclaration des devoirs envers l'être humain ). Next, Clark turns to Iris Murdoch's 1970 expl...
Apr 21, 2025•1 hr 47 min•Season 2Ep. 8
The main task of JUST FYI POD: CULTURE's second season is to discuss "Ten Novels That Changed Our Lives." On today's episode, my cohost Amy Welborn and I resume our countdown, this time focusing on the #4 novel on our respective lists. I begin by examining Joris-Karl Huysmans' fascinating (and disturbing!) 1891 novel THE DAMNED ( Là-Bas ). Next, Amy explores Shūsaku Endō's famous (and controversial!) 1966 novel SILENCE (沈黙). Both works dare to probe the darkest corners of human life, albeit with...
Apr 07, 2025•1 hr 27 min•Season 2Ep. 12
The main task of Just FYI Pod: Ideas ’ second season is to discuss "Our Ten Favorite Works of Philosophy." Today's episode, however, will be different. In a wide-ranging conversation, my cohost Clark Elliston and I speak with George Pattison -- one of the world's leading philosophical theologians, who, among other things, has served as Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity at the University of Oxford (2004-13) and 1640 Professor of Divinity at the University of Glasgow (2013-19). The occasion for ...
Mar 17, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Season 2Ep. 7
The main task of Just FYI Pod: Culture 's second season is to countdown "Ten Novels That Changed Our Lives." However, on this episode, my cohost Amy Welborn and I sat down on a stormy Mardi Gras afternoon to discuss two major news stories, both of which significantly intersect with Christianity in general and the Catholic Church in particular. First, we consider the recent concerns about Pope Francis' health -- as of this recording, the Holy Father has been in hospital for a few weeks -- and we ...
Mar 05, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 11
The main task of JUST FYI POD: IDEAS' second season is to discuss "Our Ten Favorite Works of Philosophy." On today's episode, my cohost Clark Elliston and I explore two classics from the 19th Century. First, Clark offers an analysis of Democracy in America ( De la démocratie en Amérique , 1835 and 1840 ) by the French political philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-59). Next, I turn to the existentialistic novella Notes from Underground ( Записки из подполья , 1862-64) written by the great Rus...
Mar 03, 2025•1 hr 55 min•Season 2Ep. 6
The main task of Just FYI Pod: Culture ’s second season is to discuss "Ten Novels That Changed Our Lives." On today's episode, my cohost Amy Welborn and I resume our countdown—this time focusing on the #5 novel on our respective lists. Amy kick things off with an examination of Wilfrid Sheed's underrated 1963 book The Hack . Next, I explore Thomas Pynchon's 1997 magnum opus Mason & Dixon . Though different in setting and in style, both novels wryly probe the modern world for signs of meaning...
Feb 18, 2025•1 hr 18 min•Season 2Ep. 10
The main task of JUST FYI POD: CULTURE's second season is to discuss "Ten Novels That Changed Our Lives." On today's episode, my cohost Amy Welborn and I resume our countdown -- this time focusing on the #6 novel on our respective lists. I kick things off with an examination of Walter M. Miller's post-apocalyptic sci-fi classic A CANTICLE FOR LEIBOWITZ (1959). Next, Amy explores J.F. Powers' debut novel MORTE D'URBAN (1962). Both books explore the tension between church and society, albeit in di...
Jan 27, 2025•1 hr 14 min•Season 2Ep. 9
The main task of JUST FYI POD: IDEAS' second season is to discuss "Our Ten Favorite Works of Philosophy." On today's episode -- which might be called " Plato Day" on the pod -- I begin with a discussion of arguably the greatest philosophical work of Greek antiquity, Plato's REPUBLIC (Πολιτεία). Next, my cohost Clark J. Elliston turns to Plato's late and massively influential text TIMAEUS (Τίμαιος). As always, additional content and links can be found at JUST FYI ( cbarnett.substack.com ). Please...
Jan 20, 2025•1 hr 56 min•Season 2Ep. 5
In the last episode before we return to our series "Ten Novels That Changed Our Lives," my cohost Amy Welborn and I sit down to discuss the year 2024 -- the highlights and the lowlights, particularly in the arena of culture. After a brief debate about the political "theme" of the year, we turn to our main topic: our favorite movies, TV series, books, and music of 2024. Talking points include, but are hardly limited to: A Complete Unknown , Nosferatu , A Real Pain , The Bear , Shōgun , novelist J...
Jan 06, 2025•1 hr 36 min•Season 2Ep. 8
The main task of Just FYI Pod: Culture 's second season is to discuss "Ten Novels That Changed Our Lives," but today my cohost Amy Welborn and I have something else in mind. With Christmas fast approaching, we have decided to discuss our favorite Christmas movies -- an extension of our December 2023 analysis of Frank Capra's It's A Wonderful Life (1946) and Billy Wilder's The Apartment (1960). And yet, before digging into that topic, we begin by catching up on a few hot-button news items, includ...
Dec 23, 2024•1 hr 37 min•Season 2Ep. 7
The main task of JUST FYI POD: IDEAS' second season is to discuss "Our Ten Favorite Works of Philosophy." On today's episode, I begin with a discussion of THE STRUCTURE OF SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTIONS (1962), written by the decorated American philosopher of science Thomas S. Kuhn (1922-96). Meanwhile, my cohost Clark Elliston turns to the French critic and philosopher Michel Foucault (1926-84) and his celebrated 1975 study DISCIPLINE AND PUNISH: THE BIRTH OF THE PRISON ( Surveiller et punir: Naissance...
Dec 17, 2024•1 hr 53 min•Season 2Ep. 4
The main task of JUST FYI POD: CULTURE 's second season is to discuss "Ten Novels That Changed Our Lives." On this episode, my cohost Amy Welborn and I resume our countdown -- this time focusing on the #7 novel on our respective lists. Amy begins with THINGS AS THEY ARE (1951), written by the American historian and novelist Paul Horgan. Meanwhile, I dive into THE VIOLENT BEAR IT AWAY , Flannery O'Connor's searing second novel, published in 1960. Please visit JUST FYI (cbarnett.substack.com) for ...
Nov 26, 2024•1 hr 26 min•Season 2Ep. 6
The main task of JUST FYI POD: IDEAS ' second season is to discuss "Our Ten Favorite Works of Philosophy." On today's episode, my cohost Clark Elliston analyzes CROSSING THE POSTMODERN DIVIDE (1992), written by longtime University of Montana professor Albert Borgmann (1937-2023). Next, I follow with an assessment of A SECULAR AGE (2007), the magnum opus of celebrated Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor (1931-). These are two great books, both of which intend to help us navigate the complexity of...
Nov 18, 2024•2 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Looking for more Election 2024 coverage? Interested in a point of view that does not coincide with Twitter/X sensationalism or MSM banality? Look no further than Just FYI Pod: Culture .! On today's episdode, Amy Welborn and I take a break from our usual content and offer an analysis of Tuesday's United States presidential election. But this is not just any analysis. Instead of prattling on about "Decision 2024," Amy and I have pithily subdivided our thoughts into various categories, focusing on ...
Nov 07, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 5
The main task of Just FYI Pod: Ideas ' second season is to discuss "Our Ten Favorite Works of Philosophy." On today's episode -- which might very well be called "Nietzsche Day" on the pod -- my cohost Clark Elliston and I discuss two key texts by the (in)famous German thinker Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900). After a mutual examination of the background to Nietzsche's authorship, Clark offers an assessment of Nietzsche's 1883 opus Thus Spoke Zarathustra: A Book for All and None ( Also sprach Zara...
Oct 28, 2024•1 hr 53 min•Season 2Ep. 2
The main task of Just FYI Pod: Culture 's second season is to discuss "Ten Novels That Changed Our Lives." On this episode, my cohost Amy Welborn and I resume our countdown—this time focusing on the #8 novel on our respective lists. Amy begins with Catholics (1972), written by Belfast-born novelist Brian Moore (1921-99), while I dive into Submission ( Soumission , 2015), arguably the greatest work by France's literary enfant terrible Michel Houellebecq (1956-). Please visit cbarnett.substack.com...
Oct 21, 2024•1 hr 31 min•Season 2Ep. 4
During the first season of Just FYI Pod: Ideas , my cohost Clark Elliston and I counted down our ten favorite theological texts. On today’s episode, which marks the first of Just FYI Pod: Ideas ' second season, we begin to rank our favorite works of philosophy . I will start our countdown with a discussion of the #10 book on my list -- namely, Joseph Schumpeter's 1942 magnum opus Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy . Clark will follow with an analysis of Hannah Arendt's famous and controversial ...
Oct 07, 2024•1 hr 38 min•Season 2Ep. 1
The main task of Just FYI Pod: Culture 's second season is to discuss "Ten Novels That Changed Our Lives." On this episode, my cohost Amy Welborn and I resume our countdown -- this time focusing on the #9 novel on our respective lists. Amy begins with Love in the Ruins (1971), written by the great Catholic novelist Walker Percy (1916-90), while I dive into one of the more celebrated novels of the last 50 years, namely, A Confederacy of Dunces (1980) by John Kennedy Toole (1937-69). Please visit ...
Sep 30, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Season 2Ep. 3
The main task of Just FYI Pod: Culture 's second season is to discuss "Ten Novels That Changed Our Lives." On this episode, my cohost Amy Welborn and I begin our countdown -- this time focusing on the #10 novel on our respective lists. Amy begins with Souls and Bodies (also known as How Far Can You Go? ), published in 1980 by the English author and critic David Lodge (1935-), while I explore In the Beauty of the Lilies (1996), written by the great American homme de lettres John Updike (1932-2009...
Sep 16, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Just FYI Pod: Culture is back for a second season! On a sweltering late August afternoon, amid unexpected technological "upgrades" and loud recycling trucks, Amy Welborn and I sat down to preview our upcoming podcast series: "Ten Novels That Changed Our Lives." We sincerely hope that you will join us on this project over the next several months. Additionally, given the political tumult of the last six weeks, we couldn't resist also setting aside a few minutes to talk about the unfolding "Electio...
Aug 29, 2024•49 min•Season 2Ep. 1
After a lengthy hiatus, JUST FYI POD: CULTURE returns for a midsummer check-in. This is *not* the beginning of Season 2, which should come out around the first of September. Instead, it’s a chance to discuss a number of recent goings-on, whether personal, political, or cultural. Pull up a chair, grab your favorite refreshment, and join us!
Jul 10, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 24
During the first season of JUST FYI POD: IDEAS, my cohost Clark Elliston and I have been counting down our ten favorite works of theology. On today’s episode, and after months of deliberation, we turn to the #1 book on our respective lists! In a moment of chutzpah, Clark begins with none other than The Bible itself. Meanwhile, I explore Søren Kierkegaard’s 1849 psycho-spiritual masterpiece THE SICKNESS UNTO DEATH (SYGDOMMEN TIL DØDEN). Additional content and links, not to mention my updated Spot...
May 31, 2024•2 hr 20 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Over the last six weeks, there has been a wave of protests on university campuses throughout the country, occasioned by the ongoing Israel-Hamas War. In this “emergency” episode, my cohost Clark Elliston and I talk about these protests and their significance for higher education. Our goal here is not to delve into the war as such—an analysis better left to political scientists—but to ask why universities (especially elite universities) have become cultural flashpoints and what this phenomenon me...
May 17, 2024•1 hr 17 min•Season 1Ep. 11
During the first season of JUST FYI POD: IDEAS, my cohost Clark Elliston and I will countdown our ten favorite works of theology. On today’s episode, we turn to the #2 book on our respective lists. I will kick things off with a discussion of St. Thomas Aquinas’s magnum opus the SUMMA THEOLOGIAE (1265-74), while Clark will follow with a deep-dive into J.R.R. Tolkien’s mythopoeia THE SILMARILLION (1977). Additional content and links, not to mention my updated Spotify “Theological Playlist,” can be...
May 09, 2024•2 hr 18 min•Season 1Ep. 10
