Chasing Leviathan

CG Productions
  • 5.0 (7)
  • PHILOSOPHY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Who thinks that they can subdue Leviathan? Strength resides in its neck; dismay goes before it. It is without fear. It looks down on all who are haughty; it is king over all who are proud. These words inspired PJ Wehry to create Chasing Leviathan. Chasing Leviathan was born out of two ideals: that truth is worth pursuing but will never be subjugated, and the discipline of listening is one of the most important habits anyone can develop. Every episode is a dialogue, a journey into the depths of a meaningful question explored through the lens of personal experience or professional expertise.

  1. 4D AGO

    Three Pieces of Glass: Why We Feel Lonely in a World Mediated by Screens with Dr. Eric Jacobsen

    In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ is joined by Dr. Eric Jacobsen, senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Tacoma, Washington, to discuss his book Three Pieces of Glass: Why We Feel Lonely in a World Mediated by Screens. Together they explore how modern life, shaped by smartphones, automobiles, and screen-mediated environments, quietly reshapes our relationships, our neighborhoods, and our sense of belonging. Rather than treating loneliness as only a personal or psychological problem, Jacobsen reframes it as a civic and cultural issue rooted in how we build and inhabit our shared spaces. The conversation moves through the hidden costs of car-centered development, the loss of walkable neighborhoods, and the rise of placeless places that fail to hold human stories. Jacobsen explains how habits formed since the mid-twentieth century have trained us to see others as obstacles rather than neighbors, while also hollowing out the everyday relationships that once created social trust and connection. Drawing on urban theory, theology, and lived experience, he makes the case that loneliness is not only about missing close friendships but also about losing meaningful ties to place, community, and civic life. Throughout the episode, PJ and Dr. Jacobsen discuss placemaking, social capital, and the importance of ordinary relationships with neighbors, shopkeepers, and strangers who slowly become acquaintances. They also reflect on how Christian theology, common grace, and the pursuit of the common good can help believers collaborate with their wider communities for the flourishing of shared spaces. This episode will resonate with anyone interested in technology and culture, urban design, Christian theology, or the growing crisis of loneliness in modern society. Make sure to check out Jacobsen's book: Three Pieces of Glass: Why We Feel Lonely in a World Mediated by Screens 👉 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1587434229 Check out our blog on www.candidgoatproductions.com  Who thinks that they can subdue Leviathan? Strength resides in its neck; dismay goes before it. When it rises up, the mighty are terrified. Nothing on earth is its equal. It is without fear. It looks down on all who are haughty; it is king over all who are proud.  These words inspired PJ Wehry to create Chasing Leviathan. Chasing Leviathan was born out of two ideals: that truth is worth pursuing but will never be subjugated, and the discipline of listening is one of the most important habits anyone can develop.

    56 min

  2. JAN 27

    Foundations of Black Epistemology: Knowledge Discourse in Africana Philosophy with Dr. Adebayo Oluwayomi

    In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ Wehry is joined by philosopher Dr. Adebayo Oluwayomi, assistant professor of philosophy at West Chester University of Pennsylvania, to discuss his book Foundations of Black Epistemology: Knowledge, Discourse, and Africana Philosophy. The conversation examines how philosophical canons are formed, who is recognized as a knower, and how Black thinkers have often been treated as secondary or optional within Western philosophy. Dr. Oluwayomi argues that philosophy is never neutral and that canon formation reflects deeper questions of power, exclusion, and epistemic harm. They discuss major figures such as Immanuel Kant and G. W. F. Hegel, focusing not only on their influence but also on the racial assumptions that are frequently ignored in philosophical education. The episode then turns to Black intellectuals including Frederick Douglass, Ida B. Wells, and Huey P. Newton, showing how their work contributes substantively to epistemology, moral reasoning, political theory, and liberation movements. Dr. Oluwayomi's work challenges inherited assumptions about philosophy, knowledge, and authority, and asks what is lost when entire traditions are treated as peripheral rather than foundational. Make sure to check out Dr. Oluwayomi's book: Foundations of Black Epistemology: Knowledge Discourse in Africana Philosophy 👉 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1439925488 Check out our blog on www.candidgoatproductions.com  Who thinks that they can subdue Leviathan? Strength resides in its neck; dismay goes before it. When it rises up, the mighty are terrified. Nothing on earth is its equal. It is without fear. It looks down on all who are haughty; it is king over all who are proud.  These words inspired PJ Wehry to create Chasing Leviathan. Chasing Leviathan was born out of two ideals: that truth is worth pursuing but will never be subjugated, and the discipline of listening is one of the most important habits anyone can develop.

    49 min

  3. JAN 20

    Hunting for Justice: The Cosmology of Dike in Aeschylus’s Oresteia with Dr. Kalliopi Nikolopoulou

    In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ and Dr. Kalliopi Nikolopoulou discuss the intersection of ancient tragedy, justice, and cosmology. Drawing from Dr. Nikolopoulou’s book Hunting for Justice: The Cosmology of Decay in Aeschylus' Oresteia, the conversation explores how the relationship between nature and justice has been severed by modern political thought. Together, they examine Aeschylus’ Oresteia—the only fully surviving trilogy of Greek tragedy—to trace the move from tribal blood-feuds to the establishment of the Areopagus, the world's first courtroom. The discussion engages the philosophical tension between the "Solar" order of Apollo and the "Chthonic" justice of the Furies, asking whether human reason alone can sustain a civic community. Analyzing the trial of Orestes and its famous hung jury, Dr. Nikolopoulou critiques the Hegelian view of progress, suggesting that when justice is reduced to a mere social construct, it loses its vital alignment with the natural world. The episode explores concepts such as ananke (necessity), the "theological politics" of Athena, and the inherent arbitrariness that persists within even the most rational legal systems. This conversation is essential for those interested in classical philology, legal theory, environmental ethics, and continental philosophy. Rather than viewing the Oresteia as a simple story of legal evolution, Dr. Nikolopoulou reframes it as a warning about the limits of human technology and craft in the face of mortality. Scholarly yet accessible, this episode speaks to the need for a "cosmological" justice that remains open to the biological and existential realities of the human condition. Make sure to check out Dr. Nikolopoulou's book: Hunting for Justice: The Cosmology of Dike in Aeschylus’s Oresteia 👉 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DFSSGKL4 Check out our blog on www.candidgoatproductions.com  Who thinks that they can subdue Leviathan? Strength resides in its neck; dismay goes before it. When it rises up, the mighty are terrified. Nothing on earth is its equal. It is without fear. It looks down on all who are haughty; it is king over all who are proud.  These words inspired PJ Wehry to create Chasing Leviathan. Chasing Leviathan was born out of two ideals: that truth is worth pursuing but will never be subjugated, and the discipline of listening is one of the most important habits anyone can develop.

    57 min

  4. JAN 13

    Marginality: Solidarity and the Fight for Social Change with Dr. Jin Park

    In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ and Dr. Jin Park explore the idea of marginality and why it matters for understanding power, identity, and social change. Their conversation is grounded in Dr. Park’s book, Marginality: Solidarity, and the Fight for Social Change, which brings together philosophy, Buddhist thought, ethics, and lived experience to examine how societies organize themselves around centers and margins—and what that means for those who live at the edges. Dr. Park reflects on her own journey from Korea to the United States, showing how questions of gender, race, class, and institutional authority are never merely abstract. She argues that marginality is not just a personal experience but a structural condition shaped by language, law, and violence, and she challenges common assumptions about hierarchy, justice, and equality. Along the way, the conversation opens up a rich interdisciplinary dialogue between philosophy and religion, emphasizing reflection, humility, and the limits of our own perspectives. Rather than offering easy conclusions, this episode invites listeners into deeper questions about responsibility, agency, and what meaningful change actually looks like in everyday life. It is a thoughtful, wide-ranging conversation that treats philosophy not as a set of detached ideas, but as a lived practice with real consequences for how we understand ourselves and others. Make sure to check out Dr. Park's book: Marginality: Solidarity and the Fight for Social Change 👉 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DJF2NYN9 Check out our blog on www.candidgoatproductions.com  Who thinks that they can subdue Leviathan? Strength resides in its neck; dismay goes before it. When it rises up, the mighty are terrified. Nothing on earth is its equal. It is without fear. It looks down on all who are haughty; it is king over all who are proud.  These words inspired PJ Wehry to create Chasing Leviathan. Chasing Leviathan was born out of two ideals: that truth is worth pursuing but will never be subjugated, and the discipline of listening is one of the most important habits anyone can develop.

    56 min

  5. JAN 6

    A Death of the World: Surviving the Death of the Other with Dr. Harris Bechtol

    In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ and Dr. Harris Bechtol discuss the death of the other—and why Western philosophy has largely failed to take it seriously. Drawing from Bechtol’s book A Death of the World: Surviving the Death of the Other, the conversation explores how grief, mourning, and loss are not merely private emotions but world-altering events that rupture time, memory, and meaning itself. Together, they examine Martin Heidegger’s famous claim that when someone dies we are “merely nearby,” asking whether that view can really account for the lived reality of grief. Engaging thinkers like Heidegger, Derrida, Augustine, and Nicholas Wolterstorff, Dr. Bechtol reframes death as an event—an interruption that transforms the world for those who remain. The episode explores concepts like interruption, disruption, presence-of-absence, transactive memory, and why the loss of a loved one is never confined to a single moment in time. This conversation is especially relevant for anyone wrestling with grief, sudden loss, terminal illness, or the long aftermath of mourning. Rather than offering platitudes or stages to “get over” loss, Dr. Bechtol proposes an ethic of workless mourning—a way of living on after death that remains open to sorrow, surprise, and transformation. Philosophical yet deeply human, this episode speaks to theology, continental philosophy, grief studies, and the existential realities of surviving the death of someone you love. Make sure to check out Dr. Bechtol's book: A Death of the World: Surviving the Death of the Other 👉 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DJF2NYN9 Check out our blog on www.candidgoatproductions.com  Who thinks that they can subdue Leviathan? Strength resides in its neck; dismay goes before it. When it rises up, the mighty are terrified. Nothing on earth is its equal. It is without fear. It looks down on all who are haughty; it is king over all who are proud.  These words inspired PJ Wehry to create Chasing Leviathan. Chasing Leviathan was born out of two ideals: that truth is worth pursuing but will never be subjugated, and the discipline of listening is one of the most important habits anyone can develop.

    57 min

  6. 12/16/2025

    Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Christian Humanism with Dr. Jens Zimmermann

    In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ talks with Dr. Jens Zimmermann about Christian humanism and what it means to understand humanity through Christ. Their conversation explores the dualism that often divides faith and reason, how Neoplatonism shaped Christian thought, and why Bonhoeffer saw the incarnation as the key to recovering a truly human life. Zimmermann examines the limits of modern science and technology, the tension between individual freedom and the common good, and how education can better reflect the embodied, holistic nature of human existence. He also highlights the church’s role in embodying the new humanity Christ represents and the value of engaging deeply with philosophy and theology. Whether you're interested in Bonhoeffer, theology, Christian humanism, or the intersection of faith and culture, this discussion offers a rich invitation to think more deeply about what helps—and hinders—human flourishing. Make sure to check out Dr. Zimmermann's book: Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Christian Humanism 👉 https://www.amazon.com/dp/0198832567 Check out our blog on www.candidgoatproductions.com  Who thinks that they can subdue Leviathan? Strength resides in its neck; dismay goes before it. When it rises up, the mighty are terrified. Nothing on earth is its equal. It is without fear. It looks down on all who are haughty; it is king over all who are proud.  These words inspired PJ Wehry to create Chasing Leviathan. Chasing Leviathan was born out of two ideals: that truth is worth pursuing but will never be subjugated, and the discipline of listening is one of the most important habits anyone can develop.

    58 min

  7. 12/09/2025

    The Fall and Redemption of Conscience: A Reformed Biblical Theology with Rev. Andrea Ferrari

    In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, host PJ Wehry sits down with Rev. Andrea Ferrari—Reformed pastor, theologian, and author of The Fall and Redemption of Conscience: A Reformed Biblical Theology—to explore one of the most neglected yet foundational topics in Christian thought: the nature of the human conscience. From John Calvin’s sensus divinitatis to Thomas Aquinas’ intellectual approach to moral reasoning, Rev. Ferrari uncovers how Scripture, church history, and theological tradition shape our understanding of what it means to be human before God. Together, PJ and Rev. Ferrari discuss how conscience functions not merely as a moral calculator but as a spiritual sense, an innate awareness of the presence, judgment, and goodness of God. The conversation ranges from the spiritual senses tradition of the early church and medieval theologians like Bonaventure, to modern debates about whether conscience existed before the Fall, engaging voices like Herman Bavinck, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and John Webster. Along the way, they explore the implications of conscience for everyday moral experience, the universality of moral awareness in Romans 2, and the relationship between law, grace, and the human person in Reformed theology. If you're interested in biblical theology, Christian anthropology, Reformed doctrine, spiritual perception, Calvin vs. Aquinas, or the intersection of philosophy, psychology, and theology, this deep and accessible conversation sheds new light on the heart of what it means to perceive God and respond to Him. A rich and thoughtful dialogue for pastors, scholars, students, and anyone curious about how conscience shapes the Christian life. Make sure to check out Rev. Ferrari's book: The Fall and Redemption of Conscience: A Reformed Biblical Theology 👉 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1683598725 Check out our blog on www.candidgoatproductions.com  Who thinks that they can subdue Leviathan? Strength resides in its neck; dismay goes before it. When it rises up, the mighty are terrified. Nothing on earth is its equal. It is without fear. It looks down on all who are haughty; it is king over all who are proud.  These words inspired PJ Wehry to create Chasing Leviathan. Chasing Leviathan was born out of two ideals: that truth is worth pursuing but will never be subjugated, and the discipline of listening is one of the most important habits anyone can develop.

    54 min

  8. 12/02/2025

    Adorno, Heidegger, and the Politics of Truth with Dr. Lambert Zuidervaart

    In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ and Dr. Lambert Zuidervaart discuss his book, Adorno, Heidegger, and the Politics of Truth, tracing how his decades of work on Adorno led to a deep exploration of truth, art, and society. Dr. Zuidervaart explains why Adorno believed art reveals forms of truth that science and philosophy often miss—and how these insights expose what is “untrue” in modern capitalist culture. They unpack Adorno’s critique of Hegel’s idea that “the true is the whole,” his early engagement with Kierkegaard, and his fierce opposition to Heidegger’s language of authenticity. The conversation highlights how education, the culture industry, and advertising shape identity, conformity, and our sense of what is possible. PJ and Dr. Zuidervaart also explore the connections between Adorno and Foucault on truth and power, discuss Freud’s influence on Adorno’s views of repression and sublimation, and consider whether a more truthful, humane society is still possible. Dr. Zuidervaart closes with an invitation to reflect on what in our society is truly worthwhile—and what must change for human flourishing. Make sure to check out Dr. Zuidervaart's book: Adorno, Heidegger, and the Politics of Truth 👉 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1438496419 Check out our blog on www.candidgoatproductions.com  Who thinks that they can subdue Leviathan? Strength resides in its neck; dismay goes before it. When it rises up, the mighty are terrified. Nothing on earth is its equal. It is without fear. It looks down on all who are haughty; it is king over all who are proud.  These words inspired PJ Wehry to create Chasing Leviathan. Chasing Leviathan was born out of two ideals: that truth is worth pursuing but will never be subjugated, and the discipline of listening is one of the most important habits anyone can develop.  Every episode is a dialogue, a journey into the depths of a meaningful question explored through the lens of personal experience or professional expertise.

    1h 2m
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Who thinks that they can subdue Leviathan? Strength resides in its neck; dismay goes before it. It is without fear. It looks down on all who are haughty; it is king over all who are proud. These words inspired PJ Wehry to create Chasing Leviathan. Chasing Leviathan was born out of two ideals: that truth is worth pursuing but will never be subjugated, and the discipline of listening is one of the most important habits anyone can develop. Every episode is a dialogue, a journey into the depths of a meaningful question explored through the lens of personal experience or professional expertise.

Information

  • Creator
    CG Productions
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    201
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2021 Candid Goat Productions

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