The DC Salon

This podcast features either Wieseltier or Marcus speaking to Liberties writers. The writers are given time to explain the roots of their argument and why they arrived at their opinions. The hosts are curious and have insight as well. Great discussions on specific books and films.

These discussions are disappointing. This is a gathering of people who see themselves as intellectuals, yet the discussions sound like the conversations we had as freshmen in our college dorms. The navel-gazing discussion about the book as a “totalitarian” form was exasperating. Very dim ideas here. A better use of time would be David Runciman’s Past, Present, & Future. His discussion of various important essays is terrific. His discussions with Lea Ypi have also been good.