Humane Pursuits Podcast

Garrett Brown
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Society & Culture
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to Humane Pursuits, a podcast about the core ideals and concepts relating to the American experiment, on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of its founding. humanepursuits.substack.com

Episodes

  1. Jun 15

    Tony Williams on the Declaration of Independence

    Summary: The Declaration of Independence is often remembered as the document that announced America’s separation from Great Britain. But for nearly 250 years it has also served as a touchstone for debates about liberty, equality, citizenship, and national purpose. In this conversation, Tony Williams discusses his new book on the Declaration and the generations of Americans who have argued over its significance. From the founding era and the struggle over slavery to debates about suffrage, empire, civil rights, and the nation's future, Williams shows how the Declaration’s principles have been invoked by people across the political spectrum. The result is a conversation not only about a historic document but also about the enduring questions Americans continue to ask about who they are and what kind of country they hope to become. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit humanepursuits.substack.com

    41 min

  2. Jun 11

    Erik Matson and Jordan Ballor on the History of Christian Political Economy

    Summary: Modern economics is often presented as a product of the Enlightenment, emerging with figures such as Adam Smith and David Hume. But what if many of its central ideas have much deeper roots? In this conversation, Erik Matson and Jordan Ballor discuss their new books on the history of Christian political economy and the thinkers who wrestled with questions of trade, prices, property, interest, work, and human flourishing long before economics became a distinct discipline. Drawing on sources that span nearly two millennia, they explore the complex relationship between theology and economic thought, challenge familiar narratives about the origins of modern economics, and reflect on what contemporary scholars can learn from a tradition that once treated moral, social, and economic questions as part of a common conversation. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit humanepursuits.substack.com

    41 min

  3. Jun 5 ·  Bonus

    BONUS: From Polarization to Resilience: Lessons from Benjamin Klutsey’s Work on Civic Dialogue

    In this bonus conversation, Benjamin Klutsey reflects on several projects that grew out of his work on pluralism and polarization. We discuss the origins of his podcast Pluralist Points, the lessons he drew from conversations with leading thinkers on civic life and democratic disagreement, and his experience helping to create the documentary Undivide Us. Along the way, Klutsey shares what surprised him most about bringing people with opposing views together and why he remains optimistic about Americans’ capacity to reconnect across differences. The conversation concludes with a preview of his emerging work on resilience and what America’s approaching 250th anniversary can teach us about the institutions, habits, and relationships that help a free society endure and adapt. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit humanepursuits.substack.com

    16 min

  4. Jun 4

    Ben Klutsey on Political Polarization, Pluralism, and Civil Discourse

    Before becoming executive director of the Mercatus Center, Benjamin Klutsey spent years studying a question that has become increasingly urgent in American life: how can people who disagree deeply still live, work, and govern together? In this conversation, Klutsey reflects on his work leading the Pluralism and Civil Exchange Project, explains what pluralism means beyond mere diversity, and explores the difference between political disagreement and the more troubling rise of affective polarization. Along the way, we discuss what social science can teach us about division, why many Americans misunderstand one another, and what Klutsey learned from bringing people with conflicting views into conversation. The discussion offers a thoughtful look at the habits, institutions, and relationships that make coexistence possible in a democratic society. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit humanepursuits.substack.com

    56 min

  5. Apr 23 ·  Bonus

    Bonus Episode: Films of the American Revolution

    Summary: In this bonus episode, Garrett Brown continues his conversation with historian Al Zambone, turning to film portrayals of the American Revolution. Zambone explains why the era has proven resistant to compelling cinematic treatment, critiques films such as The Patriot and Drums Along the Mohawk, and reflects on adaptations like Johnny Tremain and the musical 1776. The discussion closes with a more favorable assessment of HBO’s John Adams, highlighting what it gets right about the period — particularly legal culture — while acknowledging the limits of film as a medium for conveying historical ideas. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit humanepursuits.substack.com

    9 min

  6. Apr 18

    Al Zambone on the Great Historians of the American Revolution

    Summary: More than two centuries after the American Revolution, historians continue to return to the same events with new questions, methods, and insights. In this episode, historian Al Zambone helps us trace how some of the most important works on the Revolution have approached the subject — from early participant accounts to modern studies shaped by political ideas, social experience, and the wider Atlantic world. What do these different layers of interpretation reveal about the Revolution itself? How have historians expanded the story without discarding what came before? And how do these works deepen our understanding of the American past — and of the variety and ambition of the American experiment? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit humanepursuits.substack.com

    48 min

  7. Feb 19

    Sandra Peart and Erik Matson on The Wealth of Nations

    Summary: Two hundred and fifty years after its publication, Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations remains both celebrated and misunderstood. In this episode, scholars Sandra Peart and Erik Matson help us see beyond the caricatures to discover Smith’s moral vision — one that challenges both colonial empires and modern assumptions about markets, virtue, and human equality. Why do both the Left and the Right claim him? What did he really say about slavery, monopolies, and the “sacred thirst for gold”? And what does his “oceanic” masterwork still have to teach us about navigating technological change and economic upheaval? Thanks for reading Humane Pursuits! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit humanepursuits.substack.com

    49 min

  8. Jan 27

    Daniel Dreisbach on Covenant and the Constitution

    Summary: In this episode, I interview Daniel Dreisbach about the Hebraic ideas that helped shape American political thought. We discuss his contribution to Jewish Roots of American Liberty and the powerful influence of the Hebrew Bible on the founders — from covenant and political anthropology to the Exodus story that inspired generations of Americans, from the Revolution to the civil rights movement. Dreisbach explains why Deuteronomy was one of the most cited political texts of the founding era, how biblical narratives informed early understandings of liberty, justice, and human nature, and why recovering this literacy matters today. We also reflect on the challenges facing history education, the state of academic publishing, and the pressures of teaching in the age of AI. The result is a wide-ranging, accessible conversation about the ideas that defined the founding — and what they still offer a fractured society. For more information, visit https://humanepursuits.substack.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit humanepursuits.substack.com

    51 min

  9. Jan 20

    Daniel Dreisbach on the Separation of Church and State

    Summary: In this episode, I interview Daniel Dreisbach to explore one of the most contested ideas in American political life: the separation of church and state. We trace its deep roots — from biblical sources and colonial debates to Locke, Madison, and the revolution in thinking that made religious liberty a natural right rather than a privilege of toleration. Dreisbach brings to life the theological and political diversity of the colonies, the disestablishment movement, and the surprising ways federalism shaped the First Amendment. He also tells the remarkable story behind Jefferson’s famous “wall of separation” metaphor — complete with a 1,700-pound wheel of cheese — and explains how that private letter later came to dominate Supreme Court jurisprudence. This conversation offers a rich, clarifying tour through ideas that still frame American life today. For more information, visit https://humanepursuits.substack.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit humanepursuits.substack.com

    57 min

  10. Jan 13

    Adam Potkay on the Pursuit of Happiness

    Summary: What did Thomas Jefferson really mean by “the pursuit of happiness”? In this conversation, Adam Potkay reveals how 18th-century understandings of happiness differed profoundly from our modern self-help versions. Drawing on classical sources from Plato to Cicero, Jefferson and his contemporaries saw happiness not merely as subjective satisfaction but rather as an objective evaluation of a life well-lived — one centered on virtue, good conscience, and communal bonds. Potkay traces three competing threads in Jefferson’s thought: classical eudaimonism emphasizing tranquility and virtue, Lockean subjective pursuit and acquisition, and sentimental moral philosophy stressing sympathetic community. The Declaration’s original draft reveals Jefferson’s balancing of head and heart, reason and sentiment — dichotomies that defined Enlightenment thinking about human flourishing. Potkay also distinguishes happiness from joy, exploring why “public happiness” became the Enlightenment’s defining contribution to political thought. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit humanepursuits.substack.com

    39 min

  11. Jan 6

    Tony Banout on Academic Freedom

    Summary: In this inaugural episode of Humane Pursuits, Tony Banout, the founding executive director of the University of Chicago’s Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression, explores the history and meaning of academic freedom in American higher education. The conversation traces the Chicago tradition from William Rainey Harper’s foundational 1899 principles through the landmark 1967 Kalven Report on institutional neutrality. Banout explains how academic freedom emerged as a professional norm distinct from constitutional protections, designed to safeguard the university's core mission of pursuing knowledge and truth. He also discusses common misunderstandings about these principles, explains why speech norms appropriately differ across campus spaces—from open quads to structured classrooms—and clarifies how protest fits within this framework. Drawing on historical documents collected in The Chicago Canon on Free Inquiry and Expression, the discussion examines what makes a living tradition and how universities can best serve their mission of discovering and disseminating knowledge. For more information, visit https://humanepursuits.substack.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit humanepursuits.substack.com

    43 min
  • 11 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
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About

Welcome to Humane Pursuits, a podcast about the core ideals and concepts relating to the American experiment, on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of its founding. humanepursuits.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Garrett Brown
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    11
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Garrett Brown
  • Show Website
    Humane Pursuits Podcast