Catastrophe at Cambridge – Jason Arday and the Scandal at DEI

Catastrophe at Cambridge – Jason Arday and the Scandal at DEI

Author: The Claremont Institute August 5, 2026 Duration: 58:58

Jason Arday, who rocketed to academic stardom as the youngest black professor at Cambridge, now faces claims that his PhD thesis contains plagiarism. That's not all: huge portions of his story seem likely to be fabricated, from a supposed brain surgery days before his defense, to an appearance on the documentary Seven Up. But is Arday really the problem? It seems the institutional decay goes much deeper. This week, hosts Spencer and Mike discuss the necessity of a reckoning in the academies. Plus: is America having a Catholic moment? Or is she an irrevocably Protestant nation?

Recommended:

Questions Mount Over a Star Scholar’s Life and Career

A Catholic Moment or an Evangelical Century?

The Political Theory of the American Founding



This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

Behind the daily headlines and political noise, there's a deeper current of ideas shaping the nation. The American Mind Podcast, from The Claremont Institute, digs into that foundational layer. It moves beyond surface-level debate to examine the philosophical assumptions and historical principles that actually drive American life. In each episode, hosts sit down with Claremont scholars and a range of thoughtful critics to untangle the real causes of our cultural moment. These conversations aren't about quick takes or partisan scoring; they're sustained explorations of how concepts from history, philosophy, and political theory manifest in our society, news cycles, and personal lives. Tuning in, you'll hear rigorous but accessible discussions that connect timeless thought to contemporary upheaval. This podcast provides a space for listeners to step back from the frenzy and consider the underlying forces-the enduring ideals and the new challenges-that are continually remaking the American experiment. It’s for anyone who suspects there’s more to the story and wants to engage with the substantive ideas, not just the symptoms, of our political and cultural reality.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

The American Mind Podcast
Podcast Episodes
America 250: Go Big or Go Home ft. Matthew Mehan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:13
Associate Dean of Hillsdale’s graduate school of government Matthew Mehan joins the guys to discuss his latest work, The American Book of Fables. It’s a richly illustrated tour through the nation’s wonders, celebrating A…
Homer’s Odyssey and Nolan’s Oddity [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 5:48
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comThe Odyssey: Homer’s epic tale of a man’s harrowing return home from war. Today, the object of gender-critical, woke narrative…
Pratt Boy Summer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:08
Spencer Pratt, formerly a reality television star on MTV’s The Hills, has entered Los Angeles’s mayoral race as a Republican to challenge incumbent Karen Bass. His campaign’s satirical ads depict opponents as movie villa…
The Wilting Ivies [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:43
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comAs institutes of higher learning lose public trust, a Yale committee has issued several recommendations for greater "openness."…
Callooh, Callais [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:53
In a historic ruling, the Supreme Court has effectively declared it unconstitutional for legislatures to gerrymander based on race. This week, the guys unravel the convoluted history of how we got to Louisiana v. Callais…
A Rebirth of Faith? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 5:57
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comIn a new Gallup poll, the number of young men who consider religion “very important” rose dramatically (up 14 percent to 42, fr…
The Piker Pill [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:46
Over the weekend, a California man bolted past security at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, wielding two firearms and a knife. The suspect was operating under a dangerous and widespread notion that Trump is an int…
Trump v. Slaughter Part III: Creating Monsters to Destroy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:53
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comIn anticipation of an eventual Trump v. Slaughter ruling, Spencer and Ryan follow up last week’s special episode by outlining t…
Cloak and Docket [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:36
In a dramatic leak, The New York Times has published seven private memos from a 2016 exchange between Supreme Court Justices leading up to the now-famous interim order that blocked President Obama's "Clean Power Plan." T…
Trump v. Slaughter Part II: Look at Me, I am the Government Now [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:39
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comIn this installment of our Trump v. Slaughter mini-series, Spencer and Ryan get to the heart of the Trump Administration’s theo…