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
Chimping Out [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:10
For the second time in recorded primatology, a civil war has been observed between chimpanzees. This week, the guys get a little philosophical about the unique status of mankind as a political animal and the unlikelihood…
The Administrative State in the Slaughterhouse, Part I [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 5:41
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comHost Spencer Klavan and Claremont president Ryan Williams kick off a new series on Trump v. Slaughter, a Supreme Court case tha…
Genocide or Hyperbole? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:19
Over Easter weekend, as the Iran War approached its sixth week, Trump reissued his ultimatum to Iran: open the Strait of Hormuz or face complete destruction. This week, the guys take some guesses at what Trump intends fo…
Dispatch from Japan, Part III: Trumpism [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:46
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comWrapping up a short series of talks focused on Japanese politics, host Spencer Klavan and Claremont Institute president Ryan Wi…
Congress Take the Wheel [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:13
Amid an ongoing congressional battle over Department of Homeland Security funding, the House Democrats eked out a bill in the early hours last Friday—excluding ICE and Border Patrol. After a century of Congressional abdi…
Dispatch from Japan, Part II: From Antiquity to Modernity [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:42
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comClaremont Institute president Ryan Williams continues his conversation with host Spencer Klavan about his quasi-diplomatic miss…
Boomers, Zoomers and Doomers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:38
After another tense week of Iran-US operations, Trump is reportedly looking to broker a deal and snuff out the Middle East conflict. Meanwhile, amid rumors that the Right is tearing at the seams, polling now reveals that…
Dispatch from Japan, Part I [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 5:16
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comJoining host Spencer Klavan fresh off the plane from a Japan-hosted outreach mission, Claremont Institute president Ryan Willia…
Does the Right Have a Woman Problem? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:32
A buzzy new essay at New York Mag announces that some women have grown disgruntled at the MAGA movement and by their treatment from some on the New Right. Now their criticisms are being used to publicly discredit conserv…