Socrates in the City

Socrates in the City

Socrates in the City is the acclaimed series of conversations on “life, God, and other small topics,” hosted by Eric Metaxas. Starting with the philosopher Socrates’s famous words that “the unexamined life is not worth living,” Metaxas thought it would be valuable to create a forum that might encourage busy New Yorkers in thinking about the bigger questions in life. He founded Socrates in the City in 2000. Metaxas is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of MARTIN LUTHER, IF YOU CAN KEEP IT, BONHOEFFER, AMAZING GRACE, and MIRACLES. His books have been translated into more than twenty-five languages. His writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The New Yorker, and Metaxas has appeared as a cultural commentator on CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC. He is the host of The Eric Metaxas Radio Show, a nationally-syndicated radio program heard in more than 120 cities around the U.S. and via podcast in over 80 countries.

  1. 1d ago

    Eric Metaxas and Ira Stoll: This Founding Father Defies Leftist Narratives

    In this episode of The Revolution, host Eric Metaxas is joined by Ira Stoll, author of Samuel Adams: A Life, as they explore the enduring legacy of Samuel Adams, the often-overlooked visionary who helped lay the intellectual and moral groundwork for the American Revolution long before the first shots were fired. Through his passionate defense of liberty, relentless organizing, and ability to rally ordinary citizens to an extraordinary cause, Adams became one of the driving forces behind America’s fight for independence. Recorded in Lexington—just steps from the historic grounds where the Revolution began—this conversation brings history vividly to life while examining how Adams’ ideas and courage continue to shape the American spirit today. The post Eric Metaxas and Ira Stoll: This Founding Father Defies Leftist Narratives first appeared on Socrates in the City.

    1h 13m

  2. 4d ago

    Eric Metaxas and Nathaniel Philbrick: Washington and Arnold, Honor and Betrayal in the Revolutionary War

    How did George Washington become the indispensable leader of the American Revolution? In this episode of The Revolution, bestselling historian Nathaniel Philbrick joins Socrates in the City host Eric Metaxas to trace Washington’s extraordinary journey through the triumphs, failures, and hard-earned lessons that transformed him from an inexperienced commander into the indispensable leader of the American cause. Set against the backdrop of a war that was as chaotic as it was creative, Philbrick reveals how Washington’s character, resilience, and unwavering sense of duty grew alongside the Revolution itself. Throughout the conversation, Philbrick explores the partnership with French General Rochambeau and the brilliant campaign that culminated at Yorktown as well as the deeply personal side of Benedict Arnold’s shocking betrayal and the profound challenges Washington faced behind the scenes. Set against the chaos and creativity of a nation being born, this conversation offers a compelling portrait of the man who grew alongside the Revolution and emerged as the founder the moment required. The post Eric Metaxas and Nathaniel Philbrick: Washington and Arnold, Honor and Betrayal in the Revolutionary War first appeared on Socrates in the City.

    1h 15m

  3. 4d ago

    Spencer Klavan and Mary Harrington: The West is Having a Crisis (Actually, Five)

    In this episode of Socrates Dialogues with Mary Harrington, Harrington is joined by author and professor Spencer Klavan to explore the enduring conversation between Athens and Jerusalem, asking what Plato might have to do with Tertullian, and why it still matters. Drawing on the great books and the tension between the life of the mind and the life of the world, they unpack the five central crises of modernity: reality, the body, meaning, religion, and regimes. Offering an exclusive preview of Klavan’s forthcoming book, the discussion turns to the power of language as the meeting point between mind and matter, and revisits the story of the Tower of Babel as both a historical touchstone and a striking lens for understanding today’s fractured cultural landscape. The post Spencer Klavan and Mary Harrington: The West is Having a Crisis (Actually, Five) first appeared on Socrates in the City.

    1h 42m

  4. 5d ago

    Eric Metaxas and Jonathan Turley: Rage and the Republic

    Why do most revolutions collapse into chaos, tyranny, or bloodshed, while the American Revolution produced one of the most enduring republics in history? In this episode of The Revolution, Socrates in the City’s newest program, host Eric Metaxas is joined by American author and legal scholar, Jonathan Turley to discuss his book, Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution. They use Thomas Paine’s journey as the lens through which to explore that question. A man who stood at the center of both the American and French Revolutions, Paine embodied the brilliance and danger of revolutionary fervor itself: visionary yet reckless, prophetic yet deeply flawed. Alongside his unlikely friendship with Benjamin Franklin, this conversation examines why America succeeded where so many revolutions failed, the tension between liberty and rage, and the enduring invitation of the American experiment today. The post Eric Metaxas and Jonathan Turley: Rage and the Republic first appeared on Socrates in the City.

    54 min

  5. 6d ago

    Eric Metaxas and Jan Jekielek: Killed to Order: China’s Organ Harvesting Industry

    In this Socrates in the Studio conversation, host Eric Metaxas is joined by author and editor of The Epoch Times, Jan Jekielek, to discuss his new book, Killed to Order: China’s Organ Harvesting Industry and the True Nature of America’s Biggest Adversary, which explores the disturbing realities behind one of the world’s most controversial transplant systems. This conversation discusses the hidden costs of life-saving organ replacement surgeries, exploring the dark truth of forced organ harvesting tied to political repression, corruption, and state power in modern China. Moving through the intersections of history, ideology, and authoritarian control, Jekilek unpacks how vulnerable populations — including Falun Gong practitioners, Uyghurs, and other marginalized groups — have allegedly become targets within a vast and deeply opaque transplant industry. The conversation also explores the rise of transplant tourism, the ethics surrounding global medical demand, and the broader moral questions raised when medicine, profit, and political power converge. The post Eric Metaxas and Jan Jekielek: Killed to Order: China’s Organ Harvesting Industry first appeared on Socrates in the City.

    1h 1m

  6. Jun 12

    Freya India and Mary Harrington: Are Women Becoming Objects?

    In this episode of Socrates Dialogues, Mary Harrington is joined by author Freya India for a candid and culturally incisive conversation on the growing commodification of women in the digital age. They trace how social media, pop culture, and influencer platforms, from Call Her Daddy to Cardi B, have reshaped the expectations placed on young women. At the center is the rise of the “Instagram face,” a curated, hyper-perfected ideal that blurs individuality and encourages constant self-surveillance. This conversation explores what it means to internalize an ever-present gaze and questions the modern mental health industry’s role, suggesting future generations may look back with alarm at how deeply it reinforced these pressures on young girls. The post Freya India and Mary Harrington: Are Women Becoming Objects? first appeared on Socrates in the City.

    1h 9m

  7. Jun 11

    Eric Metaxas and Carl Trueman: How the Rejection of God Degrades Our Humanity

    In this Socrates in the Studio conversation, host Eric Metaxas is joined by author and professor Carl Trueman to discuss his newest book “The Desecration of Man” exploring the modern crisis of meaning through the lenses of philosophy, theology, art, and culture—tracing humanity’s journey from enchantment to disenchantment, from sacred order to nihilism. Drawing on figures like Thomas Aquinas and the great philosophers of the Western tradition, they examine how religious symbolism, artistic expression, and moral imagination once shaped a vision of what it meant to be human—and how that vision has eroded in the wake of Darwinian materialism, technological obsession, and the decline of transcendent belief. From the haunting symbolism of the Belfast Cathedral’s stained glass to the ideological architecture of the European Parliament, the conversation probes the rise of herd mentality, the loss of spiritual sight, and the phenomenon of “Promethean shame”: the growing suspicion that humanity sees itself as flawed, obsolete, or inferior to its own machines. As transhumanism promises a redesigned future beyond the limits of the human person, the discussion asks a deeper question: what happens when man attempts to replace God—and in doing so, forgets himself? The post Eric Metaxas and Carl Trueman: How the Rejection of God Degrades Our Humanity first appeared on Socrates in the City.

    1h 7m

  8. Jun 10

    Eric Metaxas and Margarita Mooney Clayton: Surprising Encounters with the Mother of God

    In this Socrates in the City conversation, Eric Metaxas is joined by Margarita Mooney Clayton, author and founder of the Scala Foundation, to discuss her new book “When Mary Calls: Surprising Encounters with the Mother of God.” In our current day, more and more people are looking to Mary as a spiritual mother and guide. Throughout this conversation, Mooney Clayton shares the enduring and often miraculous influence of Mary in times of danger, loss, and spiritual renewal. Bridging theological differences across Christian traditions, their conversation considers Mary’s mysterious yet deeply personal role, not only as the second Eve in the story of redemption, but as a living spiritual mother who continues to call, guide, and draw souls closer to God. The post Eric Metaxas and Margarita Mooney Clayton: Surprising Encounters with the Mother of God first appeared on Socrates in the City.

    1h 1m
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4.7
out of 5
525 Ratings

About

Socrates in the City is the acclaimed series of conversations on “life, God, and other small topics,” hosted by Eric Metaxas. Starting with the philosopher Socrates’s famous words that “the unexamined life is not worth living,” Metaxas thought it would be valuable to create a forum that might encourage busy New Yorkers in thinking about the bigger questions in life. He founded Socrates in the City in 2000. Metaxas is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of MARTIN LUTHER, IF YOU CAN KEEP IT, BONHOEFFER, AMAZING GRACE, and MIRACLES. His books have been translated into more than twenty-five languages. His writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The New Yorker, and Metaxas has appeared as a cultural commentator on CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC. He is the host of The Eric Metaxas Radio Show, a nationally-syndicated radio program heard in more than 120 cities around the U.S. and via podcast in over 80 countries.

Information

  • Creator
    Socrates in the City
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    99
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Show Website
    Socrates in the City

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