Pluralist Points with Ben Klutsey

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Ben Klutsey of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University engages in thought-provoking conversations with experts in the field of civil discourse. Klutsey facilitates discussions that explore ideas and practices essential for maintaining a free and open society, providing listeners with valuable insights and perspectives on this crucial topic.

  1. 28 MAR

    Jeffrey Rosen on Virtue and the Pursuit of Happiness

    In this episode of the Pluralist Points podcast, Ben Klutsey, the executive director of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, speaks with Jeffrey Rosen, the president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, about the Founders’ understanding of the pursuit of happiness and how it relates to virtue. They discuss the notion of bounded liberty, the importance of deep reading, literature that contains ancient wisdom and much more. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video.  Recorded March 5th, 2025 Other ways to connect Follow Discourse Magazine on X Follow Ben on X Follow Jeff on X Follow Ben on LinkedIn Read more by Discourse Magazine. Learn more about the Mercatus Center. Music Copyright Code: QSHX8CE2OGOJIZGV

    38 min

  2. 28 FEB

    Kurt Weyland on Populism vs. Pluralism

    In this episode of the Pluralist Points podcast, Ben Klutsey, the executive director of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, speaks with Kurt Weyland, the Mike Hogg Professor in Liberal Arts at the University of Texas at Austin, about the rise of populism. They discuss what factors contribute to populism, how worried we should be about its rise, why populism leads to authoritarianism, and much more. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video.  Recorded February 11th, 2025 Other ways to connect Follow Discourse Magazine on X Follow Ben on X Follow Ben on LinkedIn Read more by Discourse Magazine. Learn more about the Mercatus Center. Music Copyright Code: QSHX8CE2OGOJIZGV

    46 min

  3. 31 JAN

    Kurt Gray on Moving Beyond Moral Outrage

    In this episode of the Pluralist Points podcast, Ben Klutsey, the executive director of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, speaks with Kurt Gray, a psychology and neuroscience professor at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, about our moral understanding and how we react to perceived threats. They discuss why a “protection” narrative is better than a “destruction” one, the pros and cons of moral outrage, why stories matter more than facts in political disagreements, and much more. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video.  Recorded January 9, 2025 Other ways to connect Follow Discourse Magazine on X Follow Ben on X Follow Kurt on X Follow Ben on LinkedIn Read more by Discourse Magazine. Learn more about the Mercatus Center. Music Copyright Code: QSHX8CE2OGOJIZGV

    40 min

  4. 20/12/2024

    Shira Hoffer on Curious Disagreement

    In this episode of the Pluralist Points podcast, Ben Klutsey, the executive director of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, speaks with Shira Hoffer, the founder and executive director of the Institute for Multipartisan Education, about her work as a mediator and the importance of curious disagreement. They discuss self-censorship among college students, how to develop good conflict resolution skills, the Hotline for Israel/Palestine and much more. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video.  Recorded November 11th, 2024. Other ways to connect Follow Discourse Magazine on X Follow Ben on X Follow Ben on LinkedIn Read more by Discourse Magazine. Learn more about the Mercatus Center. Music Copyright Code: QSHX8CE2OGOJIZGV

    38 min

  5. 22/11/2024

    Daryl Davis on How to Fight Hatred

    In this episode of the Pluralist Points podcast, Ben Klutsey, the executive director of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, speaks with author, activist and musician Daryl Davis, who is known for his work confronting racism through dialogue. They discuss Davis’ first encounter with a member of the Ku Klux Klan, his determination to discover the “why” behind racism, his meeting and eventual friendship with klan leader Roger Kelly and much more. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video. Recorded September 25th, 2024. Other ways to connect Follow Discourse Magazine on X Follow Ben on X Follow Ben on LinkedIn Follow Daryl Davis on X Read more by Discourse Magazine. Learn more about the Mercatus Center. Music Copyright Code: QSHX8CE2OGOJIZGV

    43 min

  6. 25/10/2024

    Corey Brettschneider on Citizen Checks on Presidential Power

    In this episode of the Pluralist Points podcast, Ben Klutsey, the executive director of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, speaks with Corey Brettschneider, a professor of political science at Brown University, about his new book, “The Presidents and the People: Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought To Defend It.” They discuss the early presidential models of Washington and Adams, what categorizes a “recovery” president after a period of crisis, Frederick Douglass as a founder of American democracy, how we haven’t yet recovered from Nixon and much more. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video. Recorded August 28th, 2024 Other ways to connect Follow Discourse Magazine on X Follow Ben on X Follow Ben on LinkedIn Follow Corey on X Read more by Discourse Magazine. Learn more about the Mercatus Center. Music Copyright Code: QSHX8CE2OGOJIZGV

    43 min

  7. 27/09/2024

    Musa al-Gharbi on Symbolic Capital and Social Justice

    In this episode of the Pluralist Points podcast, Ben Klutsey, the executive director of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, speaks with Musa al-Gharbi, an assistant professor of journalism, communication and sociology at Stony Brook University, about his forthcoming book, “We Have Never Been Woke: The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite.” They discuss the evolution of terms like “woke” and “politically correct,” how social justice beliefs can be both sincere and self-interested, why elites don’t always realize they’re elite and much more. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video. Recorded September 12th, 2024 Other ways to connect Follow Discourse Magazine on X Follow Ben on X Follow Ben on LinkedIn Follow Musa on X Read more by Discourse Magazine. Learn more about the Mercatus Center. Music Copyright Code: QSHX8CE2OGOJIZGV

    1h 11m

  8. 06/09/2024

    Ilana Redstone on Escaping the Certainty Trap

    In this episode of the Pluralist Points podcast, Ben Klutsey, the executive director of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, speaks with Ilana Redstone, a professor of sociology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, about her new book, “The Certainty Trap: Why We Need To Question Ourselves More—and How We Can Judge Others Less.” They discuss why we ascribe ill intent to others, shortcomings of the term “critical thinking,” the role of education in escaping the certainty trap and much more. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video. Recorded August 23rd, 2024 Other ways to connect Follow Discourse Magazine on X Follow Ben on X Follow Ben on LinkedIn Follow Ilana Redstone on X Read more by Discourse Magazine. Learn more about the Mercatus Center.   Music Copyright Code: QSHX8CE2OGOJIZGV

    37 min
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Ben Klutsey of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University engages in thought-provoking conversations with experts in the field of civil discourse. Klutsey facilitates discussions that explore ideas and practices essential for maintaining a free and open society, providing listeners with valuable insights and perspectives on this crucial topic.

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