Audio/Video

Odysseus: Patron Hero of the Liberal Arts

Odysseus has the art we need. I think he came by it through a rare combination of acutely honed cleverness and deep-souled imagination; we can acquire it by education. This art, the art of discovering significance, is the art of interpretation...

Liberal Learning, the Human Person, and Plato’s “Meno”

“First attend to the adjustment of your own soul, particularly the regulative liberal learning of your intellect, then project your internal economy on the world as social and political justice. The other way around is headless.”  – Eva...

A Writer’s Life

Distinguished scholar Eva Brann, of St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland, shares her thoughts, discusses how St. John’s is truly unique among American colleges, why students should read Homer first, how Aristotle speaks to us today, and why Yogi Berra is one of her favorite philosophers. The first...

Higher Gossip: Eva Brann on the Good Life

Publisher's Note: In this episode of a documentary series on St. John's College's most beloved tutors, Senior Contributor Dr. Eva Brann recounts how she escaped Nazi Germany and ended up at the College; her relationships with such philosophic luminaries as Jacob Klein, Seth Benardete, and Leo Strauss; and her vision...

Thomas Jefferson in His Own Words

Editor's Note: We invite you to join Thomas Jefferson (portrayed by Bill Barker) as he explores the remarkable history of the early American Republic and the principles that undergird it. From Jamestown to Plymouth, from the American Revolution to the Louisiana Purchase, the promise of free enterprise...

Clash of Civilizations: Greece or Rome?

Join Boris Johnson, Britain's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and Mary Beard, professor of classics at the University of Cambridge, as they debate the significance of the world's most timeless civilizations: Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. Mr. Johnson defends the culture, art, and philosophy of Ancient...

“Meeting of Minds”: Cleopatra, Aquinas, Paine, & Teddy Roosevelt

Editor's Note: Join host Steve Allen as he welcomes Cleopatra, Thomas Aquinas, Thomas Paine, and Theodore Roosevelt to a discussion of questions of enduring significance. Topics include the merits and evils of imperialism, the American Revolution, the possibility of nobility in war, certitude of religious doctrine, and...

Preserving the Western Tradition

Why do conservatives conserve? And what is worth conserving? What is free enterprise? What is law? What is dignity? If these questions intrigue you, join Dr. Bradley Birzer as he explores answers to these questions.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCB613EdMJU This address was given at the Free Enterprise Institute’s 40th Annual Founders’ Day Breakfast (October 2016). Subscribe...

What Is the Promise of the Free Enterprise System?

The Free Enterprise System is dynamic. It is disruptive, yet also full of opportunities in its competitive nature. It requires hard work and virtue in order for it to be possible. If capitalism is to rise above cronyism, a proper understanding must not only be cultivated but also...

The Democrats Sit In: A Violation of Principled Governance?

On the heels of the Orlando massacre and with the Fourth of July recess in the near future, House Democrats sought to "seize the moment" to bring about strict gun control. Thus, on Wednesday, July 22, 2016, they orchestrated and executed a twenty-five-hour sit-in on their chamber's floor....

The Logos of Heraclitus

http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.libsyn.com/partiallyexaminedlife/PEL_ep_079_6-22-13.mp3 In the above podcast, Eva Brann discusses her book The Logos of Heraclitus (2011). What is the world like, and how can we understand it? Heraclitus thinks that the answer to...

A History of the Will

http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.libsyn.com/partiallyexaminedlife/PEL_ep_120pt1_6-26-15.mp3 Dr. Eva Brann recently wrote an important book, Un-Willing: An Inquiry into the Rise of Will'’s Power and an Attempt to Undo It (2014), which asks certain questions regarding human will: What...

Three Ways America Is Older Than You Think

Robert Reilly of the American Foreign Policy Council discusses how America is rooted in the ideas that informed the ancient cities of Jerusalem, Athens, and Rome. This video was originally published by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute and appears here with permission.  Books...

Thucydides and Never-Ending War

Thucydides' account of the twenty-seven-year war between Athens and Sparta is filled with timeless questions about human conflict: When are aggression and vengeance justified? Can peace ever truly be secured by war? How does war affect the integrity of language...