What We Can't Not Talk About

Austin Institute

Join Austin Institute Executive Director and Director of Academic Programs Dr. Marianna Orlandi as she discusses topics that are relevant for the family and for society at large with prominent scholars and leaders in their fields. We promise that you’ll learn something and enjoy the conversations!

  1. Jul 15

    Neither Feminists nor Trad-wives: Discussing a Thomistic Solution with Dr. Angela Knobel

    The modern script for women seems to contemplate exclusively two options: either the feminist and childless virago, or the homemaker and mother of as many children as possible. While neither path may be “wrong”, and while we won’t tell anyone how to live their lives! - a real problem may lie in the way both conservatives and progressives understand women more broadly. As important as motherhood may be, does women’s generative nature “define” them? Are children a woman’s “job”? If so, for how long? Even more radically, to what extent are men and women “different”? Biology provides some answers without a doubt. It is only with the help of lady philosophy, however, that both men and women can appreciate what to do with their differences and how to understand their common human nature. In this episode, we discuss these issues with Dr. Angela Knobel, professor of Philosophy at the University of Dallas. Dr. Knobel’s forthcoming book deals precisely with these questions, and with the unexplored territory of Aristotle and Aquinas' ethical naturalism applied to motherhood. Links & Resources Dr. Angela Knobel: https://udallas.edu/academics/programs/philosophy/faculty/knobel-angela.php Dr. Knobel’s Book, Aquinas and the Infused Moral Virtues (2021): https://undpress.nd.edu/9780268201104/aquinas-and-the-infused-moral-virtues/ The University of Dallas: https://udallas.edu/ Austin Institute for the Study of Family and Culture: https://www.austin-institute.org The Austin Institute: https://www.austin-institute.org/

  2. Jun 26

    America 250 and What it Means to be an American: A Conversation with Dr. Jacob Wolf

    As we approach the 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the question of what defines an American remains at large. Is it tied to our shared civic history, or is there something more? Why should students still read the classics, from Socrates to Nathaniel Hawthorne, and how are ancient ideas still relevant in a postmodern society? And, why found a new University when thousands already exist, much less in a city that already has a world-class University? Dr. Jacob Wolf joins Dr. Orlandi to discuss why we celebrate the Declaration of Independence, the American Cultural Canon, the educational void filled by the University of Austin, and the specifically “American” brand of Individualism. Happy Birthday, America! Links & Resources: Dr. Jacob Wolf: https://uaustin.org/people/jacob-wolf/ The University of Austin: https://uaustin.org/ Austin Institute for the Study of Family and Culture: https://www.austin-institute.org

  3. Jun 15

    Poisoned Modern Medicine and Ancient Antidotes: Discussing Faith and MAID with Dr. Kristin Collier

    In this episode of What We Can’t Not Talk About, Dr. Kristin Collier of the University of Michigan joins us to discuss a side of medicine often forgotten—considering the doctors and patients as both body and soul—and the implications this has on the field of medicine. Dr. Collier also discusses the rise of physician-assisted suicide in the West, and how this changes the relationship between doctor and patient.

  4. May 27

    Healing Romance, Resurrecting Marriage: An Austin Institute Conference

    In this episode, we present the "Healing Romance, Resurrecting Marriage" conference, which took place on April 25th, 2026 at the Thompson Conference Center in Austin, Texas. The purpose of the conference was to shed light on the anthropology that lies at the basis of our current understanding of relationships, romance, and marriage. While the institution of marriage continues to be praised by some and opposed by others, very few people are attentively looking at the way young people, both men and women, understand themselves before entering a romantic relationship. With a series of talks, Q&A sessions, and a final panel, our excellent invited speakers addressed some of the positive and negative myths about romantic relationships, family life, and marriage, while uncovering the real struggles and the true benefits that come from the institution, both for the couple and for society at large.

  5. Apr 29

    Christianity in Japan: A Conversation with Dr. Lauren Spohn

    Today, people of Christian faith are exceedingly rare in Japan. By no means, however, is the religion without history in the nation. Join us for this in-person episode with Dr. Lauren Spohn, as we discuss the story of the Catholic samurai and daimyō Blessed Justo Takayama Ukon, among other prominent developments in the story of Christianity in Japan. Listen as we discuss Dr. Spohn’s work on the upcoming EWTN documentary on this very subject, reflecting on what the Catholic faith in all places and all times can teach us here and now.

  6. Mar 29

    The Desecration of Man: A Conversation with Carl Trueman

    Abortion, pornography, euthanasia: at the height of our technological development, most of the Western world seems unable to find purpose and meaning. Unable to overcome challenges and natural limits, we prefer altering nature—or at least we try. While politicians address issues like “sex work” and gender transitions, hordes of regular people waste time gambling and forgo marriage, childbearing, and all that truly matters in life. Some blame it all on a “disenchanted” world. Our returning guest, Professor and author Carl Trueman, suggests an even simpler and more radical answer which he explores in his latest book: we desecrated ourselves. The solution, however, is equally radical. Tune in for more! You can order (or pre-order) “The Desecration of Man” here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/729796/the-desecration-of-man-by-carl-r-trueman/

  7. Mar 6

    The Death of Prestige? A Conversation with the Authors of “Slacking: A Guide to Ivy League Miseducation”

    Receiving a degree from an Ivy League institution has historically implied a level of educational prowess and prestige—but is that still the case today? In this episode, we sit down with Adam Kissel, Rachel Alexander Cambre, and Madison Marino Doan to discuss their research on the eight Ivy League universities and how their general education curricula have shifted over the years—and not for the better. When a student today can receive a world-renowned degree by learning about Cardi B where their contemporaries a century ago might have been learning about Shakespeare or Aristotle, what does Ivy League status truly amount to in the modern world, and how easy is it to slack one’s way to the illusion of education?

  8. Feb 11

    Feminism and "The Dignity of Dependence". A Conversation with Leah Libresco Sargeant.

    Women on the pill, female CEOs, women abhorring becoming mothers: is this all that feminism has to preach? What if—as author, spouse, and mother Leah Libresco Sargeant argues in her most recent book—real feminism starts by acknowledging how radically different men and women are? And how radically interdependent? Far from suggesting a “trad wife” model—one that thinks that all solutions should be found in 1952—Leah helps us rediscover our nature, rethink some of our policies, and embrace our dependence.

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Join Austin Institute Executive Director and Director of Academic Programs Dr. Marianna Orlandi as she discusses topics that are relevant for the family and for society at large with prominent scholars and leaders in their fields. We promise that you’ll learn something and enjoy the conversations!

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