Is Joe Biden your president? Was Donald Trump? Whatever your political outlook, bad leadership is a crisis. Shakespeare's Richard II is one of the West's most profound meditations on what happens when a human leader doesn't live up to his country's divine mandate. -- Public Goods is the one stop shop for sustainable, high quality everyday essentials made from clean ingredients. Receive $15 off your first Public Goods order at https://publicgoods.com/HERETICS. -- How can you learn Latin, Ancient ...
May 17, 2022•1 hr 4 min
Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature have taken action against Disney in the battle over parents' rights. But are conservatives betraying their free-market values? What even are those values, and why do conservatives hold them? In this episode of Young Heretics, Spencer Klavan explores the history behind corporate law in America and the deeper truths that underlie free enterprise. -- Truebill is the new app that helps you identify and stop paying for subscriptions you don't need, want, or si...
May 10, 2022•1 hr 5 min
In an era of emotional partisanship, it's tempting to retreat into pure, cold reason. But that way madness lies—Spencer Klavan discusses rationalism throughout the ages, from Plato and Bacon to Bayes, Aella, and Slate Star Codex. We need our minds, but we need our hearts too—they have their reasons that reason knows not of. -- Public Goods is the one stop shop for sustainable, high quality everyday essentials made from clean ingredients. Receive $15 off your first Public Goods order at https://p...
May 03, 2022•1 hr 4 min
Is there such a thing as too much justice? How about too much reason? In Plato's Republic, Book V, Socrates follows the constraints of his argument to conclude that the ideal city would be one of eugenics and sexual communism. In this episode of Young Heretics, Spencer Klavan discusses some of Plato's most controversial arguments, and the danger of snuffing out your gut instincts. -- Bambee is an HR platform built for small businesses. Automate the most important HR practices and get your own de...
Apr 26, 2022•1 hr 2 min
The Romantic poets lived in an age much like ours: science was ascendant, religion was collapsing, and revolutions in mores and politics were tearing down everything that seemed certain. How did they find their way through their turbulent time—and how can we find our way through ours? In this episode of Young Heretics, Andrew Klavan joins Spencer Klavan to discuss his new book on the subject, "The Truth and Beauty." -- Public Goods is the one stop shop for sustainable, high quality everyday esse...
Apr 20, 2022•1 hr 10 min
We are officially 100 episodes into the Young Heretics journey. Looking back with gratitude at the growth of the show during its lifetime, Spencer Klavan gives an assessment of where the West currently stands, where hope lies, and why a classical education is more urgent than ever. Plus: a secret Locals announcement. To get access to Spencer's secret announcement only on Locals, use promo code ANNOUNCEMENT for a 3-month free trial, valid only through the end of April: https://youngheretics.com/l...
Apr 12, 2022•1 hr 15 min
If women ran the world...Aristophanes' Assemblywomen is a play about the abolition of the family, the imposition of matriarchy, and communism of absolutely everything—including sex. In this episode of Young Heretics, Spencer Klavan explains the play's raunchy humor and its surprising significance for today. To get access to live chats, the Young Heretics mailbag, and more exclusive content, use promo code ASSEMBLY for a one-month free trial of the Young Heretics community: https://youngheretics....
Apr 05, 2022•1 hr
God is not ashamed of the female body: that is Christine de Pizan's simple yet radical assertion. It was radical when she made it in the 1400s, and it is radical now, when a new kind of rhetoric is reducing women to "menstruators" and turning human beings generally into collections of parts for sale. Spencer Klavan concludes his series on womanly virtues with a reflection on Christine's enduring message for the age of transhumanism. -- Celebrate the moments that matter most with a professional, ...
Mar 29, 2022•1 hr 8 min
Misogyny is a real thing, even though the word has lost all meaning. But what does it really mean to be pro-woman, and what are the highest womanly virtues? In this episode of Young Heretics, Spencer Klavan introduces Christine de Pizan, a Medieval advocate for the excellence of women who puts modern feminists to shame. -- To get access to live chats, the Young Heretics mailbag, and more exclusive content, use promo code WOMANHOOD for a one-month free trial of the Young Heretics community: https...
Mar 22, 2022•1 hr 6 min
With his country hemorrhaging money and its leadership too weak to function (sound familiar?) William the Marshal, a man of seventy, had to lead English forces against the French at the Battle of Lincoln. In this episode of Young Heretics, Spencer Klavan discusses the courage that took, and how we can learn from it today. To get access to live chats, the Young Heretics mailbag, and more exclusive content, use promo code MARSHAL for a one-month free trial of the Young Heretics community: https://...
Mar 15, 2022•1 hr
Headlines across America have been unanimously proclaiming the death of chivalry for decades—10 out of 10 tastemakers agree, it's sexist, hippocrytical, and probably somehow racist to aspire to manly excellence. So why won't chivalry stay dead? Using the biography of England's greatest knight, William Marshal, Spencer Klavan uncovers the true meaning of chivalry, and its enduring importance for today. To get access to live chats, the Young Heretics mailbag, and more exclusive content, use promo ...
Mar 08, 2022•1 hr 4 min
Last week, Spencer Klavan explored the crucial role of first principles in debates of every kind. This week on Young Heretics, he applies those ideas to one of America's most heated public discussions—the discussion about abortion. Why can't we stop fighting? A look at the first principles involved shows why. To get access to live chats, the Young Heretics mailbag, and more exclusive content, use promo code PISTIS for a one-month free trial of the Young Heretics community: https://youngheretics....
Mar 01, 2022•54 min
American public discourse is breaking down. On abortion, on coronavirus, on war, we just seem to be talking past each other—why? Using the abortion debate as an example and Aristotle as a guide, Spencer Klavan gets at the philosophical heart of America's first principle problem in this episode of Young Heretics. To get access to live chats, the Young Heretics mailbag, and more exclusive content, use promo code AXIOM for a one-month free trial of the Young Heretics community: https://youngheretic...
Feb 22, 2022•1 hr 1 min
Why can't we come to terms with the horrors of Gulag? Why were so many of us taught about the Holocaust, but not about Stalin? In this next installment of his series on Solzhenitsyn's masterwork, Spencer Klavan describes the dark shadow-religion that swept over Russia and created concentration camps in the archipelago. -- How can you learn Latin, Ancient Greek, or Biblical Hebrew in order to read the classics of the ancient western world, in their original language? Get 10% off of your Ancient L...
Feb 15, 2022•1 hr 16 min
Shakespeare's As You Like It is a reflection on social roles: how they work, and what happens when they don't. Escape with Spencer Klavan to the Forest of Arden, where you can be free from the expectations of society, MAN. Or can you? -- Public Goods is the one stop shop for sustainable, high quality everyday essentials made from clean ingredients. Receive $15 off your first Public Goods order at https://publicgoods.com/HERETICS. -- Take the guesswork out of taking care of your skin with Disco. ...
Feb 08, 2022•59 min
In The Apology of Socrates, Plato exposes the pretensions of self-styled experts and authorities. Socrates was the only man in Athens who admitted he was not wise—and neither was anyone else. This didn't make him very popular, but he was willing to die rather than give up the truth. -- Celebrate the moments that matter most with a professional, hand-painted portrait from Paint Your Life. Get 20% off your painting right now if you text the word HERETICS to 64-000. -- Once you know the comfort, th...
Feb 01, 2022•1 hr 2 min
The fight for life is a crucial issue that touches on the deepest principles of the West. Without the right to life, there are no other rights. In a Young Heretics special, Students for Life President Kristan Hawkins joins Spencer Klavan to discuss her bold new campaign to restore and preserve the most fundamental right for the most vulnerable members of society. It's the Final Fight for Freedom. The pair examines why this moment is so crucial both for the pro-life and conservative movement, and...
Jan 27, 2022•28 min
Experts hate to be laughed at, especially when they have something to hide. Aristophanes, the genius of Old Attic Comedy, shows us how it's done in Clouds, his goofy satire of an education system in decline. In this episode of Young Heretics, Spencer Klavan explores the question, was Socrates part of the problem—or part of the solution? -- Indeed is the hiring partner where you can attract, interview, and hire all in one place. Get a $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post at https://I...
Jan 25, 2022•1 hr 10 min
It's the year of our Lord 2022 and Spencer Klavan is here to spoil your fun. Not really, but since the Marvel Cinematic Universe has become such an enormous cultural touchstone, it makes sense to ask: where do its ideas come from? In this episode of Young Heretics, Spencer Klavan takes a deep dive into the multiverse, an ancient concept that is now gaining currency in art and physics alike. -- How can you learn Latin, Ancient Greek, or Biblical Hebrew in order to read the classics of the ancient...
Jan 18, 2022•1 hr 6 min
As the new year rolls in, most of us think about how to be better—but what does that even mean? Luckily, our journey through Plato's Republic has taken us to the perfect book for thinking about excellence of all kinds. In this episode of Young Heretics, Spencer Klavan discusses the cardinal virtues and how to cultivate them. NEW YEARS SALES ARE HERE: Become a Young Heretics VIP at a limited-time discounted rate between now and January 15 at https://youngheretics.com/locals. Get your exclusive Yo...
Jan 11, 2022•55 min
The final installment in the Space Trilogy, "That Hideous Strength," is a perfect allegory for our Fauci-worshiping times. In this episode of "Young Heretics," Spencer Klavan describes the logic which Lewis reveals in his myth of megalomania and satanism—a logic which is still at work today. NEW YEARS SALES ARE HERE: Become a Young Heretics VIP at a limited-time discounted rate between now and January 15 at https://youngheretics.com/locals. Get your exclusive Young Heretics merch at 20% off with...
Jan 04, 2022•1 hr 9 min
In the second book of the Ransom trilogy, C.S. Lewis imagines what it would have been like if Eve got a second chance in the Garden of Eden. In this episode of Young Heretics, Spencer Klavan reads from this rip-roaring tale of demonic possession and space travel to tell a Christmas story about the cosmic power of one human choice to change the world. NEW YEARS SALES ARE HERE: Become a Young Heretics VIP at a limited-time discounted rate between now and January 15 at https://youngheretics.com/loc...
Dec 28, 2021•1 hr 9 min
Sometimes to see earth clearly, you have to look down on it from mars. C.S. Lewis's space trilogy is a classic of sci-fi literature but it's also, weirdly, the perfect thing to read at Christmas. In "Out of the Silent Planet," Lewis takes his place alongside Dante and Milton with a Christian vision of the worlds beyond our world. CHRISTMAS SALES: Become a Young Heretics VIP at a limited-time discounted rate between now and Christmas at https://youngheretics.com/locals. Get your exclusive Young H...
Dec 21, 2021•1 hr 9 min
We say "never forget"...but do we really mean it? We deceive ourselves if we think that murderous tyrants like Stalin are uniquely evil in some way that we ourselves could never be. Reading through Volume 1 of the Gulag Archipelago, Spencer Klavan shows how ordinary people can consent to terrible things. CHRISTMAS SALES: Become a Young Heretics VIP at a limited-time discounted rate between now and Christmas at https://youngheretics.com/locals. Get your exclusive Young Heretics merch at 20% off w...
Dec 14, 2021•58 min
In this episode of Young Heretics, Spencer Klavan begins a journey through Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's masterwork, "The Gulag Archipelago," which exposed the horrors of Lenin's and Stalin's Russia to the West. Describing how Russia's Empire was overthrown and replaced with a socialist state, Spencer explains the nightmare philosophy behind it all and reveals what really made Stalin's rule so gruesome. CHRISTMAS SALES: Become a Young Heretics VIP at a limited-time discounted rate between now and Chr...
Dec 08, 2021•1 hr 4 min
You've heard about the "first Thanksgiving," but have you heard about the miraculous sea crossing that made it possible in the first place? In this Young Heretics Thanksgiving special, Spencer Klavan talks about the journey of faith that gave birth to the American spirit. -- The Magnus Fellowship is the college to end colleges and serves as a tuition-free alternative for those who need an online resource that is equally as rigorous. Apply to the Magnus Fellowship today and receive a free gift at...
Nov 30, 2021•59 min
Are video games art? What about a urinal? And how about splotches of paint on a wall? We all have instinctive answers to these questions, but it can be hard to articulate the logic behind them. In this episode of Young Heretics, Spencer Klavan discusses one of the West's oldest and most sophisticated books on the topic and how it can help us solve modern problems about censorship and cancel culture. -- Public Goods is the one stop shop for sustainable, high quality everyday essentials made from ...
Nov 23, 2021•58 min
If you want a perfect state, you have to seize the means of artistic production. That's something that both the Right and the Left now instinctively understand... which is why we're fighting so hard over things like Netflix. Plato saw to the heart of the matter in the third book of his Republic, which is why that book has caused, shall we say, quite a bit of trouble. In this episode of Young Heretics, Spencer Klavan explains. -- Take the guesswork out of taking care of your skin with Disco. Chec...
Nov 16, 2021•1 hr 2 min
Everyone's talking about mob rule these days—but why is it happening now? In this episode of Young Heretics, Spencer Klavan explains insights into mob rule from the French anthropologist, philosopher, and literary critic René Girard. Using Girard's brilliant exposition of the Gospels, Spencer explains everything that's going on in our politics... and what to do about it. -- How can you learn Latin, Ancient Greek, or Biblical Hebrew in order to read the classics of the ancient western world, in t...
Nov 09, 2021•57 min
W.W. Jacobs was a one-hit wonder, but his one hit is a Halloween masterpiece: The Monkey's Paw. In this Young Heretics holiday special, Spencer Klavan reads the story and reveals the theological truths behind it—without which, many of our modern ghost stories are doomed to fall flat. -- Public Goods is the one stop shop for sustainable, high quality everyday essentials made from clean ingredients. Receive $15 off your first Public Goods order at https://publicgoods.com/HERETICS. -- Take the gues...
Nov 02, 2021•1 hr 4 min
