Nature and the Nation
Society & Culture
About
Nature and the Nation explores politics, philosophy, psychology, sociology and economics from a naturalistic, paleoconservative perspective, using the format of a book review.
Episodes
- Review: A History of Philosophy vol 1 by Frederick Copleston (Epicureanism)
In this episode I look at the first volume of Frederick Copleston's nine volume History of Philosophy. I focus on the Epicureans, with a special focus on their proposal of pleasure as the purpose or end of life.
- Review: Stoicism by John Sellars
This episode reviews John Sellars' Stoicism, exploring the philosophical concept of whether virtue is its own reward or if happiness is the reward of a virtuous life.
- Review: The Republic of Plato by Allan Bloom
This episode reviews Allan Bloom's interpretative essay on Plato's Republic, with a specific focus on Book 1 and its exploration of the definition of justice.
- Review: Revolt Against the Modern World (Part 2) by Julius Evola
Nature and the Nation reviews Julius Evola's "Revolt Against the Modern World" (Part 2). The discussion centers on the book's exploration of metaphysical tradition, monarchy, aristocracy, and Evola's perspective on materialism.
- Review: A Million and One Gods by Page duBois
This episode reviews Page duBois's book "A Million and One Gods," discussing polytheism in theory and practice, and examining the Greek Gods Artemis and Dionysus, as well as the political dimensions of polytheism.
- Review: The Rage and the Pride by Oriana Fallaci
This episode reviews Oriana Fallaci's controversial book, "The Rage and the Pride." The discussion centers on Fallaci's analysis of migration's impact on Italy and her personal connection to Christianity.
- Review: Return of the Strong Gods by R. R. Reno
In this episode I look at Reno's phenomenal examination of the gods as shared loves and social values. I focus on his analysis of Popper, Hayek and Durkheim.
- Review: Atheopaganism by Mark Green
In this book I look at Mark Green's exposition of his religious system, Atheopaganism. I focus on the evolutionary aspect of religion, and Green's positions on values and hierarchy.
- Review: The Strange Death of Europe by Douglas Murray
In this episode I explore Douglas Murray's phenomenal best-seller, The Strange Death of Europe, with a focus on the history of post-war migration into the United Kingdom.
- Review: The New Polytheism by (Hillman) by David Miller and James Hillman
In this episode I return to The New Polytheism by David Miller, focusing exlusively on the the essay in the appendix by James Hillman called Psychology: Monotheistic or Polytheistic. This essay discusses how our theological inclinations af…
- Review: The New Polytheism (Miller) by David Miller and James Hillman
In this episode I look at David Miller's insightful examination of polytheism in sociology, psychology, and philosophy. I focus on his discussions of Niebuhr, Cornford, and Heidegger.
- Review: Existence and Being (Holderlin and the Essence of Poetry) by Martin Heidegger
In this episode I look at Heidegger's theories about the role of the poet in carrying the message of the gods to the people, as described in his 1936 essay Holderlin and the Essence of Poetry.
- Review: He: Understanding Masculine Psychology by Robert A. Johnson
In this episode I explore the myth of Parsifal and the quest for the Holy Grail as presented in Robert Johnson's Jungian analysis, He: Understanding Masculine Psychology.
- Review: Man and his Symbols (Von Franz) edited by Carl Jung
In this episode I look at The Process of Individuation, an essay by Jung's close friend and colleague, Marie-Louise von Franz, in the anthology Man and his Symbols. I focus on the shadow and the anima, as well as the individualist nature o…
- Review: Man and his Symbols (Jung) edited by Carl Jung
In this episode I look at Carl Jung's bird's eye view of his whole life's work, as presented in his contribution to the anthology Man and his Symbols, edited by Jung and published after his death.
- Review: Existence and Being (What is Metaphysics?) by Martin Heidegger and Werner Brock
In this essay I look at Heidegger's famous essay 'What is Metaphysics?' as well as the accompanying essay by Werner Brock that examines and interprets the essays in the book. I explore Heidegger's assertion that nothingness is a critical c…
- Review: The Greek Way by Edith Hamilton
Edith Hamilton's The Greek Way is a masterpiece in helping the reader really understand the vital spirit and love of life that contributed to Classical Greek greatness. In this episode I cover this Greek vitalism and also look at Pindar an…
- Review: Adaptation and Natural Selection by George Williams
In this episode I look at George Williams' famous rebuke to group selection theory as outlined in Adaptation and Natural Selection. I focus on secondary adaptations, sexual reproduction as an organic adaptation, and the difference between…
- Review: Essays in Radical Empiricism by William James
In this episode I examine William James' 1904 address to the American Psychological Association, The Experience of Activity, as presented in Essays in Radical Empiricism. I focus on the illusory aspect of agency and the need to operate wit…
- Review: Essays in Experimental Logic by John Dewey
In this episode I look at John Dewey's 1900 essay Some Stages in Logical Thought, as published in this 1916 collection, Essays in Experimental Logic. I focus on Dewey's assertion that both some fixity and some flexibility is required on th…
- Review: History of Politics (Kant) edited by Leo Strauss and Joseph Cropsey
In this episode I return to Strauss and Cropsey's magisterial History of Political Philosophy to examine the essay on Kant. I focus on the split between science and morality, and the contradiction formed by Kant's fundamental mistake.
- Review: Heidegger by Michael Inwood
In this episode I engage in an extra-long two-hour examination of the basic philosophy of Martin Heidegger, as described in Michael Inwood's study, Heidegger. Inwood focuses primarily on Heidegger's magnum opus, Being and Time. In this epi…
- Review: Be Like the Fox by Erica Benner
In this episode I revisit Niccolo Machiavelli through the lens of Erica Benner's biography of the Renaissance Italian thinker, Be Like the Fox. I examine Machiavelli's dedication to the ideals of the Florentine Republic and his opposition…
- Review: History of Political Philosophy (Machiavelli) edited by Leo Strauss and Joseph Cropsey
In this episode I return to Leo Strauss and Joseph Cropsey's History of Political Philosophy, to look at Strauss' own examination of Machiavelli. I focus on Machiavelli's strategic deployment of virtue and vice, and his comparison of Chris…
- Review: The Oldest Dead White European Males by Bernard Knox
In this episode I look again at the Sophists with a focus on their dedication to rhetoric, as described by classicist Bernard Knox in his collection of essays, The Oldest Dead White European Males.
- Review: Why Evolution is True by Jerry Coyne
In this episode I examine sexual selection and basic mating strategies, plus a look at the possibility of escaping the our evolutionarily acquired behaviors as described in Jerry Coyne's Why Evolution is True.
- Review: The Philosophy of Aristotle by D. J. Allan
In this episode I review the basic elements of Aristotle's philosophy, discussing his conception of nature, the four causes, and the four elements. I also continue the discussion from the previous two episodes regarding eudaimonia, phrones…
- Review: History of Political Philosophy (Aristotle) edited by Leo Strauss and Joseph Cropsey
In this episode I review Aristotle's political and ethical premises with a focus on eudaimonia, arete, and the mixed regime, as described by Carnes Lord in Leo Strauss and Joseph Cropsey's essay collection, History of Political Philosophy.
- Review: Aristotle's Way by Edith Hall
In this episode I examine various forms of happiness, the difference between happiness and eudaimonia, and the basics of Aristotelian virtue ethics as described by Edith Hall in Aristotle's Way.
- Review: Industrial Policy for the United States by Marc Fasteau and Ian Fletcher
In this episode I cover Marc Fasteau and Ian Fletcher's new, massive, authoritative tome on industrial policy, Industrial Policy for the United States. I look particularly at the qualities of advantageous industries, England's initiation o…
- Review: The Death of the West by Pat Buchanan
In this episode I look at how birthrates and population prompt replacement migration, and how it all ties to feminism as described in another Pat Buchanan masterpiece, The Death of the West.
- Review: Men Among the Ruins by Julius Evola
In this episode I examine Evola's impression of the nation and it's constrast to the state, as well as his discussion of population and birth rates, as described in his primary political work, Men Among the Ruins.
- Review: Immigration and the American Identity edited by Thomas Fleming
In this episode I look at the immigration crisis is terms of population control and the environment, as well as the long failure of politicians to respond to the overwhelming opposition of the American public to the ongoing flood of both l…
- Review: The Conservative Movement by Paul Gottfried
In this episode I look at the Goldwater campaign, the battle over human nature in academia, and the revival of antiestablishment fusionism among the paleocons and paleolibertarians, as described by Paul Gottfried in The Conservative Moveme…
- Review: The Conservative Intellectual Movement in America by George Nash
In this episode I look at the birth of National Review, its controversies, and the resolution provided by Fusionism, all described in George Nash's expansive Conservative Intellectual Movement in America SInce 1945.
- Review: The Betrayal of the American Right by Murray Rothbard
In this episode, I look at the Old Right, its birth in the lead-up to World War 2, and its death at the hands of Wall Street Republicans, Dwight Eisenhower, and National Review as described in the fantastic book, The Betrayal of the Americ…
- Review: The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James (Part 2)
In this episode I continue my exploration of William James' The Varieties of Religious Experience, with a focus on the conversion process and the subconscious mind.
- Review: The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James (Part 1)
In this episode I dive into the healthy mind and the sick soul, the foundational concepts of William James' masterpiece, The Varieties of Religious Experience. This is the first of a two-part series.
- Review: The Odyssey of the American Right by Michael W. Miles
In this episode I explore the early nationalism of the Republican Party from the New Deal to the Cold War, as described in Michael Miles' Odessey of the American Right, with particular attention paid to US foreign policy at that time.
- Review: The Metaphysical Club by Louis Menand
In this episode I look at the contrast, ruptures, and uncertainties among three early Pragmatists: Charles Peirce, William James, and John Dewey, as detailed in Louis Menand's bestselling The Metaphysical Club. I also examine Randolph Bour…
- Review: Prophets on the Right by Ronald Radosh
In this episode I look at the two writers Oswald Garrison Villard and John Flynn, and their associations with the America First Committee as depicted in Ronald Radosh's Prophets on the Right.
- Review: Existentialism and Human Emotions by Jean-Paul Sartre
In this episode I look at Jean-Paul Sartre's Existentialism and Human Emotions with a focus on the failure of existentialism to acknowledge human nature.
- Review: William James' Essays on Faith and Morals edited by Ralph Barton Perry
In this episode I dive deeper into William James' lecture series Talks to Students with the essays On a 'Certain Blindness in Human Beings' and 'What Makes a Life Significant' as presented in Ralph Barton Perry's collection of James' essay…
- Review: Ideas Have Consequences by Richard Weaver
In this episode I arrive at Richard Weaver's classic statement of post-war Conservatism, Ideas Have Consequences, in particular the the traditionalist, hierarchical, formal aspects of enduring culture.
- Review: The Heart of William James edited by Robert Richardson
In this episode, I discuss William James' consequential essay Philosophical Conceptions and Practical Results and his lecture to students, The Gospel of Relaxation, as collected in The Heart of William James, edited by Robert Richardson.
- Review: Darwinism and Human Affairs (Part 2) by Richard D. Alexander
In this episode I continue my examination of Darwinism and Human Affairs, this time exploring the connections between cultural evolution and genetic evolution. I focus on ways that cultural evolution both aligns with and betrays our geneti…
- Review: Darwinism and Human Affairs (Part 1) by Richard D. Alexander
In this episode I return to evolutionary theory, discussing the controversy surrounding group selection and its relationship with kin selection and inclusive fitness as described by Richard Alexander in his book Darwinism and Human Affairs.
- Review: Talks to Teachers by William James
In this episode I look at William James' further discussions of psychology in Talks to Teachers, in which he draws on prior psychological writings to address the needs of teachers. I pay particular attention to the practical and pragmatic…
- Review: Pragmatism: The Classic Writings (Part 2) edited by H. S. Thayer
In this episode I return to John Dewey for a look at his essay The Practical Character of Reality, included in the compilation Pragmatism: The Classic Writings edited by H. S. Thayer. I focus on Dewey's examination of the nature of knowled…
- Review: Pragmatism: The Classic Writings (Part 1) edited by H. S. Thayer
In this episode I look at John Dewey's overview of the early history of pragmatism as described in Pragmatism: The Classic Writings edited by H. S. Thayer. I examine the major themes of pragmatism, including the importance of consequences,…