Political Arena Archives

WOL3 – Hobbes, Locke and the Culture of Death – Reflections on the teachings of Pope John Paul II w/ Dr. Carson Holloway – Discerning Hearts

WOL3 – Episode 3 -The influence of Thomas Hobbes and his role as the father of modern-day liberalism. Absolute monarchy and the tyranny of “unlimited” government. The difference between Divine-right monarchy and Absolute monarchy, and the legitimacy thought behind “dictatorship”. How this affects ruling systems in history, and it’s influence on the “Culture of Death”. Who was John Locke? The Law of Nature and it’s obligations according to Locke’s thought. The fundamental rule to preserve oneself. Bl. John Paul’s response to that thought…to respect the moral law and give of oneself.

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The Way of Life, Carson Holloway examines the fundamental philosophers of modernity-from Hobbes to Toqueville-to suggest that John Paul II’s critique of modernity is intended not to reject, but to improve. Thus, claims Holloway, it is appropriate for liberal modernity to attend to the Pope’s thought, receiving it not as the attack of an enemy but as the criticism of a candid friend.

For other episodes in the series visit Dr. Holloway’s Discerning Hearts page

This series is based on Dr. Holloway’s book “The Way of Life”

WOL2 – What is “Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life)” -The Way of Life – Reflections on the teachings of Pope John Paul II w/ Dr. Carson Holloway – Discerning Hearts

WOL2 – Episode 2 – What is “Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life)”? What does this have to do with Liberal Modernity? What is wrong with public culture we now have? What is the Culture of Death? Are there defects that go at the deepest foundational levels of our culture that have led to this behavior? Human dignity has to be recognized on all levels. Who was Thomas Hobbes, English philosopher and proponent of absolute government? His life and times? And what are the damaging effects of his thought on the value of the human person? What would be Bl. John Paul’s response?

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The Way of Life, Carson Holloway examines the fundamental philosophers of modernity-from Hobbes to Toqueville-to suggest that John Paul II’s critique of modernity is intended not to reject, but to improve. Thus, claims Holloway, it is appropriate for liberal modernity to attend to the Pope’s thought, receiving it not as the attack of an enemy but as the criticism of a candid friend.

For other episodes in the series visit Dr. Holloway’s Discerning Hearts page

This series is based on Dr. Holloway’s book “The Way of Life”

IP#214 Dr. Benjamin Wiker – Worshipping the State on Inside the Pages

Dr. Benjamin Wiker once again brings to us a fascinating, well-researched, and informative historical review of the multiple factors which have brought us to the rise of “secular liberalism” in the United States. This is not book about political parties, but rather the overall mindset that has infected every fabric of our society. He demonstrates the interplay between ideas and events. By looking at the teachings of certain influential philosophers (Machiavelli, Hobbes, Spinoza, Rousseau, and Locke) he demonstrates the “step-by-step” descent which has led us to point where various aspects of our culture lift up the “belief of unbelief”, a strange paradox which ultimately undermines the integrity of the moral life of a society. Dr. Wiker is delightfully engaging to talk with. I always look forward to reading his books…over and over again.

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You can find the book here

“Benjamin Wiker’s book is the most forthright and unblinking analysis yet published of the ubiquitous assault on religion in American society. Not only every religious believer but every believer in religious liberty should read it.’

James Hitchcock, Professor of History, St. Louis University and author of What is Secular Humanism?, The Recovery of the Sacred, and The Supreme Court and Religion in American Life.

IP#75 Dr. Marc Guerra – Christians As Political Animals on Inside the Page

“Christians as Political Animals: Taking the Measure of Modernity and Modern Democracy” as fascinating work that looks at faith, reason, virtue, and the limits of modern liberty. Dr. Marc Guerra, professor of the graduate program at Ave Maria University, brings forward Augstine and Aquinas, as well as 20th century theologians and political philosophers, to help us recognize that Christian thought must keep a proper prospective in viewing the political realm, and not to surrender our call and response as members of the body of Christ. Is it heading stuff? Not at all, faith and reason anchored in Truth, is for all of us to understand…it should be the true rudder we use to navigate the political landscape.

You can find Dr. Guerra’s book here

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IP#156 Fr. Robert Sirico – Defending the Free Market on Inside the Pages

Fr. Robert Sirico offers an engaging presentation of the moral foundation for the free market. He helps us to see our economy, not as a “mechanism” but rather as a dynamic of human relationship. When this is done, basic principles found in Catholic Social Teaching can then be applied and used to redeem a system that can bring about the common good. Many view the free market theory and policies as rationalization for the excess found in capitalism and fuel for the sins in the heart of some capitalists. Fr. Sirico, doesn’t deny this reality, but instead helps us to see the goodness hidden beneath the distorting effects of moral failure, challenging us to bring the light of virtue into the system which can enhance the dignity of the human person and better the society as a whole. An important and fascinating topic for our time, Fr. Sirico somehow manages to make a potentially dry subject compelling and relevant by sharing much from his own spiritual journey and life. An excellent read…highly recommended to all.

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You can find the book here

“I’ve been doing financial counseling and education for over two decades, and one thing that has always stood out to me is how much money is connected to every part of our lives, from relationships to politics to ministry. Money is never just about money; it’s always just part of the issue. That’s why I appreciate Father Robert Sirico’s ministry. Sure, he talks about money, but he also shows how all of these different aspects of our lives interact with and impact each other.”
—Dave Ramsey, New York Times best-selling author and nationally syndicated radio show host

IP#129 Mary Ann Glendon – The Forum and The Tower on Inside the Pages

It was with great joy to be able to speak with Mary Ann Glendon about “The Forum and the Tower: How Scholars and Politicians Have Imagined the World, from Plato to Eleanor Roosevelt”. A fascinating book that chronicles not only the thoughts, but also the lives of 12 notable philosophers and/or statesmen throughout history. The “and/or” is important, because not all can can successfully combine both. In fact, only two in this particular work, are found to be that complete “Philosopher Statesman”. Why is that so? Why is difficult for one who develops a theory to put it into practice? And on personal level on my part, that this is one of the most enjoyable and engaging converstations I’ve been blessed to have in this particular “forum”. We also discuss Blessed John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI and their influence in today’s world.

Mary Ann Glendon is Learned Hand Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, and is a former United States Ambassador to the Vatican. She holds A.B., J.D., and M.C.L. degrees from the University of Chicago. In 2004, Pope John Paul II named her as the first woman to serve as President of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.

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You can find the book here
About the Book:

As Aristotle noted long ago, two very different and sometimes incompatible ways of life—the political and the philosophical—exert a powerful pull on the ambitious and talented members of any society. Mary Ann Glendon, who teaches at Harvard Law School, says that she sees this double attraction in her students. Some go into politics, but many turn away, fearful of the compromises and corruptions of power. Such students may go on to become teachers and scholars, but they never quite give up on the idea of “making a difference” in the wider, public world, even if they aren’t quite sure how to do it. Ms. Glendon’s The Forum and the Tower profiles 12 figures in Western history who struggled—not always successfully—with the conflict between an active life and a contemplative one, between ‘life in the public forum and life in the ivory tower.’… The Forum and the Tower is a wise exploration of the eternal tension between action and thought.
— Brian C. Anderson, The Wall Street Journal

IP#124 Marcello Pera – Why We Should Call Ourselves Christian on Inside the Pages

It was an honor to have a conversation with Marcello Pera, who served as president of the Italian Senate from 2001 to 2006 and who now teaches political philosophy at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome. We discussed his book “Why We Should Call Ourselves Christians: The Religious Roots of Free Societies. He maintains “that the very ideas on which liberal societies are based and by which they can be justified—the dignity of the human person, the moral priority of the individual, the view that man is a “crooked timber” inclined to prevarication, the limited confidence in the power of the state to render him virtuous—are distinctively Christian or, more precisely, Judeo-Christian ideas. Take them away and the open society will collapse.” A fascinating insight from a European viewpoint why America has succeeded in the past and the danger it faces in the future.

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“The challenges of our particular historical moment”, as Pope Benedict XVI calls them in the Preface to the book, can be faced only if we stress the historical and conceptual link between Christianity and free society.

IP#107 John Mueller – Redeeming Economics on Inside the Pages

“Redeeming Economics: Rediscovering the Missing Element”, boy do we need this now! John Mueller, of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, does an extraordinary job of pointing out what we are missing in all the discussions about economics…the fundamental productive unit – the family. He helps us to leap forward by looking backwards, by looking at the error in Adam Smith’s theory which has had no way to account for a fundamental aspect of human experience: the social relationships that define us, the loves (and hates) that motivate and distinguish us as persons.

In trying to reduce human behavior to mere exchanges, modern economists have lost sight of how these essential motivations are expressed: as gifts (or their opposite, crimes). Mueller makes economics whole again, masterfully reapplying economic thought as articulated by Aristotle, Augustine, and Aquinas.

Contrarian and compelling, Redeeming Economics covers everything from unemployment, to inflation, to the economics of parenthood, to the greatest geopolitical challenge facing the United States, to flaws in the mega-bestseller Freakonomics, to the author’s illuminating exchange with the controversial philosopher Peter Singer.

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Learn more about the book here