Concepts with Shawn Whatley

Shawn Whatley
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Uncovering the concepts behind current events. Challenging accepted thinking. Offering solutions. shawnwhatley.substack.com

  1. 4d ago

    Robert Nisbet, Community, and the Growth of the State | Prof. Luke Sheahan #112

    Robert Nisbet is not a communitarian in the modern sense. He combines an older view with a resolute concern about state power.  Nisbet offers the best and most readable resources for thinking about community from a non-Left perspective.  Prof. Luke Sheahan wrote the forward to a re-release of Nisbet's Social Philosophers. The book is more like a review of intellectual history through the social lens of community.  Check out Dr. Sheahan's website to learn more about his work, articles, and published material. Thanks again for checking this out! Shawn   AI summary and chapters: Host Shawn Whatley interviews political scientist Luke Sheahan about Robert Nisbet’s thought and Sheahan’s foreword to the re-release of Nisbet’s The Social Philosophers: Community and Conflict in Western Thought. Sheahan describes Nisbet as a major 20th-century conservative whose The Quest for Community argued that modern state power erodes the authority of families, churches, and voluntary associations, producing alienation and instability. They discuss Nisbet’s “idea-systems” of community and his typology of military, political, religious, withdrawal, revolutionary, and plural communities, with the plural community linked to the American constitutional order and multiple overlapping authorities. The conversation addresses legitimacy versus raw power, authority’s dependence on local institutions, the role of political theology, and how weakening intermediate communities contributes to loneliness, deaths of despair, and ideological movements. 00:00 State Power and Alienation 00:33 Meet Luke Sheahan 01:29 Who Was Robert Nisbet 03:17 Quest for Community Thesis 04:07 National We-ness Critique 06:02 Social Philosophers and Ideas 08:05 Reprinting the Lost Book 10:09 Three Core Communities 11:32 Military to Political Shift 13:33 Religious Community Rise 15:12 Withdrawal Communities 16:55 Revolutionary Community 19:59 Plural Community Vision 22:13 Pluralism and Authority 24:43 Protestant vs Catholic Order 29:15 Community Beyond Protestantism 29:51 Legitimacy From Local Ties 31:58 Alienation And Mass Society 36:41 Authority Versus Power 41:19 Prejudgments And Liberal Crisis 45:22 Do Ideas Shape History 54:37 Social Health Versus State Power 58:19 Rebuilding Associations Closing

  2. Sep 1

    Post-Liberalism and the Common Good (with Prof. James Wood) #111

    Post-liberalism hasn't been tried and found wanting. It's been found confusing and left untouched in Canada.  Post-liberalism has been around since the 1980s in theology and at least since the 1990s in politics. It only became popular in the 2010s. Conservatives need to go deep into post-liberal thought. We need to know what bits align with intellectual conservatism and what elements of post-liberalism may never fit. We need to understand the elements of policy that might flow from different branches of post-liberalism. We can't simply dismiss it as nothing but collectivism.  Dr. James Wood is a professor of religion and theology at Redeemer University (Ontario Canada) with a deep interest and understanding of post-liberalism.  The article we discuss isn't posted online yet. I will endeavour to add a link when it's available. Let me know what you think! Thanks again Shawn   Chapters and AI summary: Host Shawn Whatley interviews Professor James Wood about his review of Stefan Borg’s book The Return of the Common Good and the wider post-liberal conversation. Wood recounts how his Christian conversion, dissatisfaction with market logic in finance, and early moral concerns (including abortion) led him to critiques of liberal atomistic individualism and liberal “neutrality.” He traces post-liberal roots to 1980s–90s communitarianism (e.g., Sandel, MacIntyre, Taylor), post-liberal theology influenced by Barth (Frei, Lindbeck), and figures like Milbank and Hauerwas, and distinguishes British from contemporary American post-liberal currents (national populists, common-good conservatives, integralists). The discussion argues liberalism tends toward autonomy maximization, depends on pre-liberal virtues it can’t sustain (the Böckenförde dilemma), and treats liberalism as a political theology and “prodigal child” of Christendom, with Wood emphasizing an ecclesiocentric, church-centered post-liberalism. 00:00 Liberalism And Autonomy 01:01 Episode Setup And Stakes 01:52 Guest Introduction 03:12 Wood’s Postliberal Journey 07:10 Communitarians And Radical Orthodoxy 11:58 Postliberal Theology Roots 16:16 Milbank And Hauerwas Bridge 20:50 Barth And Political Theology 25:15 British Vs American Postliberalism 30:36 Common Good Debates 34:26 Liberalism and Common Good 35:33 State Power and Virtue 36:42 Shared Logos and Dilemma 39:55 Desire and Modernity 44:24 Liberal Separations Critique 48:24 Neutral State Myth 55:12 Heresy and Freedom 01:00:38 Post Liberal Revolutions 01:02:52 Church and Politics Finale

  3. Aug 25

    Is Western Civilization Already Dead? Danny Randell on Secularization, Tradition, and Renewing the West #110

    Marshall McLuhan said we were sleepwalking through civilizational change. Danny Randell, PhD student in intellectual history at University of Buckingham, says Western civilization is already dead. Conservatives have been telling us to wake up decades before anyone had heard of being woke.  But Randell doesn't offer the same old, dour observations. He confronts the most dire predictions, then he gets to work trying to rescue Western civilization from itself. Danny Randell gives me hope. He is part of a new, young cohort of conservative builders and thinkers. Please consider subscribing to his Foundations Forum and check out some of his writing below. And let me know what you think!  Thanks again, Shawn Western Civilization is Already Dead In Search of the Public Houses Against John Stuart Mill   Chapters and AI summary: Shawn Whatley interviews Danny Randell, a doctoral student in intellectual history at the University of Buckingham and managing director of Foundations Forum, about his claim that “Western civilization is already dead,” arguing that the inherited norms and mores many associate with the West—often remembered as strong in the 1990s—no longer exist in the same form amid rapid cultural change, crime, altered education, and declining affordability. Randell outlines his PhD research on the shift from religious toleration to secular pluralism in Britain and Canada, discusses how axiomatic ideas can drive secularization, and explores breaks from tradition since the 1960s, including the sexual revolution and family breakdown. They debate liberalism, John Stuart Mill, neutrality and the state, factionalism, and civic education, and conclude with Randall’s call for communal “public houses” and his Foundations Forum newsletter and events aimed at recovering Western intellectual, spiritual, and cultural heritage. 00:00 Western Civilization Dead 00:41 Meet Danny Randell 01:33 PhD Secular Pluralism 03:22 Axioms Drive Secularization 04:28 Trends Advertising Fashion 06:09 Why The West Feels Gone 09:36 Nineties Politics Shift 10:54 History Connection Breaks 14:37 Twentieth Century Upheaval 20:30 Freedom Discipline Debate 23:51 Mill Debating Club Rules 27:45 Athens Meets Jerusalem 30:25 Beyond Law and Property 31:08 Hobbes and New Leviathans 32:59 Civic Education and State Role 34:30 Myth of Neutral State 38:39 Conflict and Strongmen 40:14 Factionalism and Shared Good 42:59 Disagree Better in Politics 45:50 Public Houses and Community 52:35 Foundations Forum Mission 57:23 Subscribe and Closing

  4. Aug 18

    Éric Zemmour’s “The Suicide of France” with Dr. Nathan Pinkoski | Progressivism, EU, and Western Decline #109

    In France, the progressive Left has invented a new history, identity, and legal framework. French people no longer feel at home. The France they knew has disappeared. Sound familiar? We need to pay attention to other countries, especially those in Europe. A similar process is happening in North America. There's no reason, yet, to see why we don't end up in the same place. Dr. Nathan Pinkoski has spent years studying French and Anglo-American political thought. This is his third book translated from French into English, and he offers insights you won't get from other sources.   Check out Zemmour's The Suicide of France: The Quiet Revolution That Destroyed a Nation And let me know what you think -- thanks again! Shawn Chapters and AI summary: Host Shawn Whatley interviews Dr. Nathan Pinkoski about his English translation of Éric Zemmour’s 2014 bestseller The Suicide of France, a 140,000-word political nonfiction “literary event” that sold 500,000 copies in months and helped set the stage for Zemmour’s 2022 presidential run. Pinkoski explains Zemmour’s method of “deconstructing the deconstructors” through 42 episodic vignettes that flip post–May 1968 progressive “moments of progress” into accounts of national decline, rooted in an elite revolt against de Gaulle’s legacy. They discuss why this style fits France’s more unified literary/TV culture, contrast it with North America’s fragmented narratives, and compare it to works like Allan Bloom and Christopher Caldwell. The conversation covers shifts in capitalism, class, feminism, judicial activism, laïcité, the EU as a neoliberal borderless project, loss of political control, and Zemmour’s call for the West to recover Greco-Roman and Christian roots. 00:00 Zemmour Book Phenomenon 01:35 Meet the Guest 03:54 Breaking French Progressivism 07:46 Why It Became a Bestseller 10:33 Could It Work in America 16:54 Events Ideas Method 21:46 EU Neoliberal Dream 33:29 America and French Mimicry 40:19 Laicite vs Religious Freedom 45:52 Universalism and Western Roots 55:48 Closing Thanks

  5. Aug 11

    Jonah Goldberg on Populism, Elites, and Why Liberal Democracy Is “Unnatural” #108

    Jonah Goldberg never leaves you wondering what he thinks. Clear, bold, and exciting, Goldberg makes politics more fun than should be allowed.  Goldberg has been a keen observer of conservative politics for nearly four decades. You might say he was the voice of Republicanism in America before President Donald Trump. He thinks deeply, reads widely, and is willing to change his mind. Don't miss this episode withJonah Goldberg, witty, thoughtful, and entertaining as always.   From his website: "Jonah Goldberg is a Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute where he holds the Asness Chair in Applied Liberty. In 2019, he left National Review magazine after a 21-year stint to cofound The Dispatch, where he is Editor-in-Chief. He has been a weekly columnist for the Los Angeles Times since 2005 and a nationally syndicated columnist since 2000. He hosts the popular podcast The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg. His syndicated column appears regularly in many of America’s leading newspapers. His first book, Liberal Fascism, was a #1 New York Times and Amazon bestseller and was selected as the #1 history book of 2008 by Amazon readers. His second book, The Tyranny of Clichés, was also an instant bestseller and hailed as perhaps “the best and most fun-to-read primer on the tenets of conservative politics since P. J. O’Rourke’s Parliament of Whores.” His most recent book, Suicide of the West: How the Rebirth of Tribalism, Populism, Nationalism, and Identity Politics Is Destroying American Democracy, was also a New York Times bestseller in 2018."   Thanks for checking this out! Shawn   Chapters and AI summary: Jonah Goldberg clarifies his consistent dislike of populism while distinguishing between necessary elites and irresponsible or hypocritical ones. He argues conservatism is rooted in prudence, trade-offs, and Burkean skepticism of one-size-fits-all principles, warning that ideologies claiming all good things align invite authoritarianism. Goldberg critiques technocracy and “value-neutral” pragmatism as rhetorical games used to short-circuit debate, linking moral-equivalent-of-war politics from Wilson through the New Deal to modern progressivism. He explains his idea that “complexity is a subsidy,” rewarding those with cognitive, financial, and social capital and fueling resentment. In discussing Suicide of the West, he argues capitalism, democracy, and rights are “unnatural” historical achievements deserving gratitude. He condemns Trump-era right-wing dishonesty, audience capture, and the erosion of character standards, and briefly addresses Canada’s politics and Trump’s treatment of Canada. 00:00 Populism and Elites 00:58 Poverty Wealth and Complexity 02:52 Trump and Character Test 03:21 Conservatism and Contradiction 05:42 Fusionism Tradeoffs and Prudence 08:51 One Thingism and Triage 13:46 Liberal Fascism Cover Controversy 16:42 New Right and Illiberal Turn 23:10 State Cannot Love You 23:45 Microcosm vs Macrocosm 32:42 Complexity as Subsidy Revisited 36:54 Tyranny of Cliches and Values 38:18 Values in Government 39:05 Liberal vs Progressive Labels 41:30 Word Games and Cliches 43:57 Pragmatism and Technocracy 48:47 Crisis Politics and War 51:12 New Deal as Mobilization 53:09 Elitism vs Populism 56:26 Tea Party Lessons 58:47 Defining Elite and Oligarchy 01:04:34 Institutions and Staying Lanes 01:06:21 Unnatural Miracle of Modernity 01:12:05 Hockey Stick Prosperity 01:14:49 French vs English State 01:15:32 Straussian Theology Questions 01:16:29 God And Rights 01:18:29 Locke And Liberal Origins 01:22:59 Culture Over Intellectuals 01:24:41 Ideas Lag Reality 01:28:44 Trump And Right Wing Capture 01:38:00 Power Corrupts Intellectuals 01:42:47 Canada And Trump Fallout 01:46:13 Closing Thanks

  6. Aug 4

    Country Before Party: Patriotism, Carney, Anti-Americanism, & Conservative Future w Dimpee Brar & Matt Spoke #107

    Social media posts about conservative debates aim at the sizzle but miss the substance. Dimpee Brar and Matt Spoke invest a ton of their own time and resources into saving Canada from Leftist nonsense. They aren't just offering opinions devoid of effort. Is patriotism a 'conservative value' that demands devotion to Canada, even when Canada is ignoble? Should we defend the prime minister, because his office deserves respect? Do separatists deserve an audience, or should we denounce them outright? The Canadian non-Left is a coalition. It includes people with major differences in opinion. It's what makes the Right more exciting than the Left, in my opinion. Brar and Spoke offer attractive examples of the best in the conservative movement in Canada. Make sure you check out their other work too! A Grateful Canadian's Love Letter to America, by Dimpee Brar Country Before Party, by Matt Spoke   Let me know what you think! Thanks again, Shawn Chapters and AI summary: Host Shawn Whatley moderates a discussion with Dimpee Brar and Matt Spoke about whether opposing Prime Minister Mark Carney can be patriotic, how Canadian conservatives should balance “country before party,” and why anti-Americanism is a weak basis for national unity. Brar argues Western patriotism rests on truth, justice, and reason, claims the Liberal project has dethroned reason in favor of resentment, and contends Carney lacks loyalty and has stoked anti-American sentiment while being trapped by it in trade talks; she favors deeper Canada–U.S. alignment and views Trump as a model for pushing back against leftism and relativism. Spoke agrees it’s patriotic to fight flawed domestic leadership but urges a united international posture, rejects both anti-American tactics and separatist/annexation talk, and says Trump widened what conservatives can openly address while warning against importing Trump as Canada’s template. 00:00 Patriotism and Carney 00:26 Country Before Party 02:17 Western Patriotism Explained 03:46 Welcome and Guests 05:07 Twitter Spat Origins 08:47 Truth Above Nation 11:49 Matt’s Loyalty Argument 18:00 Principles Versus Interests 19:29 Carney and Trade Deal Doubts 25:47 Is Anti Carney Patriotic 29:45 Anti Americanism and Annexation Talk 33:24 Who Belongs in the Right 34:59 Conservatism vs Separatism 36:34 Country Before Ideology 37:57 Hyphenated Conservatism Debate 39:23 Relativism and Trump Model 46:29 Can Trump Save Canada 47:42 Overton Window and Leadership 53:11 Trump Space to Build 01:01:11 Outsiders and Patriot Fight 01:03:59 Socrates and Common Good 01:06:38 Coalition Closing Thanks

  7. Jul 28

    Rusty Reno on the Crisis of Solidarity, Post-Liberalism, and Quebec’s Bill 21 #106

    Rusty Reno offers insight into "our crisis of solidarity" that I haven't found anywhere else. In his book Return of the Strong Gods, he tackles the post-WWII liberal consensus that Karl Popper called The Open Society. It is an essential resource to help you understand our times. Reno is also articulate on post-liberalism. It's not the simplistic idea you see dismissed in most of the legacy media. We also touch on secularism, and I tried to get him to use the contrast between Catholic and Protestant political theology to explain the issues in Quebec over Bill 21. He's too smart and didn't take the bait. I hope you enjoy this one. Let me know what you think! Thanks again Shawn Chapters and AI summary:   Host Shawn Whatley interviews Rusty Reno, editor of First Things and author of Return of the Strong Gods (2019; updated 2021), on how liberalism struggles to generate solidarity amid a “meta-crisis” of disintegration. Reno explains his critique of the postwar “open society” consensus shaped by Popper and Hayek and unpacks “neoliberalism” as a left-right, technocratic, globalization-era economic and cultural project that promoted openness, porous borders, and creative destruction, helping set the stage for populist backlash where immigration fuses economic and cultural concerns. They discuss universalism vs particularism, the “order of loves,” and why civic loyalty and a “pre-political we” matter for freedom. The conversation also addresses post-liberalism’s varieties, liberalism’s limits, and Quebec’s laïcité/Bill 21 tensions in a multicultural society. 00:00 Liberalism Lacks Solidarity 00:52 Meet Rusty Reno 01:16 Episode Roadmap 03:45 Rock Climbing Icebreaker 05:13 Introducing Strong Gods 07:04 Praise Words And God Terms 10:07 Neoliberalism And Weakening 15:42 Populism And Open Society 21:47 Universalism Versus Particularism 27:01 Political We And Self Interest 32:39 Crisis Of Disintegration 33:41 Canada And Multicultural Identity 34:34 Freedom and Solidarity 36:07 Critiques of Liberal Mind 37:28 Defining Post Liberalism 38:43 Post Liberal Theology Roots 42:55 Liberalism Not Enough 43:50 War Immigration Nationalism 46:45 Totalitarianism Debate 48:43 Quebec Bill 21 Laicite 55:10 Multiculturalism Managed Diversity 59:41 Republican We and Civic Virtue 01:02:04 Platonism and Real Nations 01:06:38 Metaphysical Density and Youth 01:10:34 Closing Thoughts and Farewell

  8. Jul 21

    Quebec’s Secularism Debate Explained: Bill 21, Laïcité, and Canada’s Two Solitudes w Lisa Richmond #105

    Profound political differences exist between national and cultural traditions. This episode is an introduction to the 4-part audio documentary created by Cardus: The Nation and the Veil: Quebec’s Struggle with Secularism and Religion. A few hightlights: 1. French republicanism carries markedly different presuppositions than English liberal traditions. 2. We cannot ignore the political differences the follow from a Catholic vs Protestant starting point. 3. Language matters, e.g., freedom of conscience implies freedom to think as one sees fit, in French, and it means freedom on understanding of moral issues, in an Anglo-American tradition. 4. Why is Bill 21, Quebec's so-called secularism bill, so interesting today, when it wouldn't have been conceived in the 1960s? Tons of essential political concepts in this episode! Tell me what you think. I hope you get a chance to listen and check out the whole Nation and the Veil series. Thanks for listening! Shawn   Chapters and AI summary: Host Shawn Whatley interviews Lisa Richmond (VP of Research at Cardus) about Cardus’s four-part audio documentary, "The Nation and the Veil: Quebec’s Struggle with Secularism and Religion," created over three years with Jean-Christophe Jasmyn and Étienne-Alexandre Beauregard to help English and French Canadians better understand Quebec and Bill 21. Richmond explains laïcité as a state-religion framework grounded in four principles: separation of church and state, equality of citizens, freedom of religion, and state religious neutrality. They compare Anglo-American liberalism and French republicanism, discuss how Protestant and Catholic histories shape fears of state vs religious power, trace Quebec’s church-state history through the Quebec Act and the Quiet Revolution, and explore why secularism and pluralism have become defining political questions alongside sovereignty, including differences in how “conscience” is understood in French and English. 00:00 Why Quebec Secularism Matters 03:04 Welcome and Episode Overview 05:17 Inside the Audio Documentary 09:42 Defining Laïcité 13:07 French Republican vs Anglo Liberal 21:19 Locke Rousseau and Minorities 26:38 Catholic vs Protestant Secular Fears 37:48 How Quebec Became Catholic State 42:47 Church Runs Society 43:46 Governance Vacuum After Conquest 45:48 Church Role Reconsidered 47:26 Common Law Versus Civil 49:41 Great Darkness Explained 51:23 Quiet Revolution Reframed 55:11 Laïcité Political Flip 58:23 Bear Pelt Metaphor 01:03:14 Secularism Versus Sovereignty 01:09:40 Conscience And Common Good 01:17:44 Canada Two Solitudes 01:24:16 Closing Plug And Thanks

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About

Uncovering the concepts behind current events. Challenging accepted thinking. Offering solutions. shawnwhatley.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Shawn Whatley
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Shawn Whatley
  • Show Website
    Concepts with Shawn Whatley

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