The Optimistic Curmudgeon
by OptimisticCurmudgeon2021
Latest episode
Nietzsche: Morality, Philosophy, Relevance, Controversy
Nietzsche: Morality, Philosophy, Relevance, Controversy
About this podcast
An interview show advancing the conversation of intellectual conservatism in Education, Politics, Economy, Business, Leadership, Philosophy, and Great Books.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 119 episodes
- Nietzsche: Morality, Philosophy, Relevance, Controversy · 1 h 38 min · Episode 121Dr. Joshua Trevino joins Dr. Josh Herring to discuss the philosophical writings of Freiderich Nietzsche. In this discussion, the Joshes ponder Nietzsche's concepts of morality…
- Total Boomer Luxury Communism with Russ Greene · 1 h 6 min · Episode 120Russ Greene explains his views on Total Boomer Luxury Communism, a phrase he coined in his viral essay for The American Mind. He and Josh discuss Medicare, Medicaid, housing…
- Against the Machine with C.R. Wiley, Annie Crawford, and Josh Herring · 1 h 53 min · Episode 119Annie Crawford, cultural apologist and Director of the C.S. Lewis Studies certificate for the @LogresInstitute , and C.R. Wiley of @TheTheologyPugcast join Josh for a discussion…
- He Man and the Masters of the Universe, with Sharkbait and Pla-Doh · 57 min · Episode 118Josh Herring and Jarrod Scott discuss the 2026 He-Man adaptation, Masters of the Universe. As @F3NEWake friends, they explore masculinity, nostalgia, and the mocking of HR within…
- Classical Educators Responds to AI (The Alpha School) · 1 h 57 min · Episode 117Josh Gibbs, Annie Crawford, Sean Hadley, Mark Perkins, and Josh Herring discuss the existence of the Alpha School and the challenges it presents to classical education. Is AI a…
- Book Launch: The American Book of Fables, by Dr. Matthew Mehan · 1 h 3 min · Episode 116Dr. Matthew Mehan calls his new book, The American Book of Fables, as a "250th birthday present" for America. Releasing today (5/19/26), this volume is filled with rhymes and…
- Eulogy for Charlie Kirk, Assessment Design, and Phonics: Dr. Tracy Gardner (10x9) · 1 h 4 min · Episode 115Josh interview Dr. Tracy Gardner about her work in psychometrics, its application to national testing design, and the science of reading. Dr. Gardner has worked for the…
- Creating Classroom Culture with Mandi Gerth (10x8) · 1 h 21 min · Episode 114Mandi Gerth draws from her book Thoroughness and Charm: Cultivating the Habits of the Classical Classroom to explain what teaching is, how teachers can draw on the wisdom of…
- Stranger Things Series Finale, with Brad Birzer (10x7) · 1 h 23 min · Episode 113Dr. Brad Birzer of Hillsdale College analyzes the Stranger Things series finale. Birzer argues that Stranger Things is a mythology of the 1980s, and he thinks the finale episode…
- Annie Crawford and Ashley Lande: Psychedelics and the Incarnation (10/6) · 1 h 13 min · Episode 112Annie Crawford and Ashley Lande join Josh Herring for a discussion of psychedelics, their stories, and what people actually long for when they turn to ecstatic experiences. The…
- The Ciceronian Society - with Josh Bowman (10x5) · 1 h 9 min · Episode 111Josh Bowman, Executive Director of the Ciceronian Society, explains the nature of the Ciceronian Society, and reflects on why the church needs Christian academics. He also…
- Only a Conservative Military Wins: Chase Spears (10x4) · 1 h 11 min · Episode 110Chase Spears, host of Finding Your Spine, joins Josh to discuss his essay "Only a Conservative Military can Defend America." They discuss Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, the role…
- Culture: Procreative or Decreative (10x3) · 58 min · Episode 109Graham Dennis is a Dean of Academics for Veritas Academy and an elder in the CREC; he also holds a PhD in philosophy. In this wide ranging conversation, he introduces a…
- Death, Sex, and Birth: Nathan Gwinn on Biology Education (10x2) · 53 min · Episode 108Nathan Gwinn of Freedom of Education tells his story as a teacher, a principal, and an author of the Franklin Standards, a new approach to reinvigorating science education. The…
- Classical Education and Christian Banking: Frank Clement of America's Christian Credit Union (10x1) · 1 h 11 min · Episode 107Frank Clement of America's Christian Credit Union joins Josh for a discussion of classical education, Christian banking, and the role that financial institutions can play helping…
- Logic, Classical Education, and Memoria Press - with Martin Cothran (9x10) · 48 min · Episode 106Martin Cothran, co-founder of @memoriapress , discusses his entry into classical education, the challenges facing classical education today, and the reason he and Cheryl Lowe…
- The Faerie Queene: A Conversation with Junius Johnson (9x9) · 1 h 6 min · Episode 105Junius Johnson discusses Edmund Spenser's great poem, The Faerie Queene. With a great focus on allegory, symbolism, pageantry, and characters, this conversation is a great place…
- Remember Remember the 5th of November (Bonus) · 19 min · Episode 104Josh interviews his students in Modern Communications as part of a bonus episode commemorating the Fifth of November. Guy Fawkes, traditions, integralism, constitutional order…
- Read Plato's Republic: A Conversation with Dr. Thaddeus Kozinski (9x7) · 1 h 3 min · Episode 103Thaddeus Kozinski makes a compelling case for why every student should read Plato's Republic with an excellent teacher. Plato discourses on justice, reality, the human condition…
- Timothy Knotts: Reasoning Together Philosophy (9x6) · 1 h 17 min · Episode 102Timothy Knotts of @Classical_Conversations explains the latest CC textbook: Reasoning Together Philosophy. He outlines the nature, tradition, and value of philosophy…
