Humane Politics

Humane Politics

Author: frontporchrepublic January 17, 2024 Duration: 1:13:51
Adam Smith, a philosopher at the University of Dubuque, counterattacks the disenchanted War on Suffering.  FPR President Mark Mitchell goes biblical to bring down a heightened politics of insanity.  Brass Spittoon podcaster John Murdock looks at a key architect of religious politics and wonders what might happen if his blueprints were followed.  Gerald Ford groupie and FPR perfect attendance award winner Jeff Polet opens by reflecting on political goats.       Highlights Jeff Polet:  Introduction 1:30       Statistical sirens 3:00       Humane oxymorons 5:15       Dirty politics 6:15       Animal farm 9:45       Oh yeah, the intros! Adam Smith: “The Politics of Reenchantment” 10:15    A reading from St. Aldo’s almanac 11:45    Frontlines in the War on Suffering 20:00    Enchanting politics with fairies and green fire 24:00    Institutionalizing flatness 31:00    Supernaturally small Mark Mitchell: “Politics in Babel” 33:00    Towers trump? 38:00    Name callers 42:00    Crashing symbols 46:00    Abraham skips the bricks 47:15    Hope in failure John Murdock: “Back to the Future of the Religious Right” 51:45    “The Poll” and holy holes 57:00    Franciscan biography 62:00    White and wrongs 66:00    The limits of integrity 69:00    Polyface politics and ravines made for walking   Resources Speaker bios and conference videos FPR Books and bookshop Conference co-sponsor Plough Thanks to Wendell Kimbrough for our theme music

There’s a certain kind of conversation that happens best when you’re not in a hurry, when the topic can wander from the headlines of the day to the deeper questions that have always shaped how we live together. The Brass Spittoon is built for that kind of talk. Hosted by the folks at Front Porch Republic, this podcast serves as a gathering spot for discussions rooted in the tangible realities of our lives-our connections to a specific place, the practical limits we encounter, and what genuine liberty means within that framework. Each episode feels less like a lecture and more like joining a thoughtful, meandering dialogue among friends who aren’t afraid to chew over ideas from both the past and the present. You’ll hear explorations of culture, community, and the small-scale practices that build a durable society, all approached with a sense of curiosity and a lack of pretense. It’s for anyone weary of abstract debates and hungry for conversations grounded in the texture of everyday life. So, pull up a chair and settle in; this is where we consider how to live well, right where we are.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 32

The Brass Spittoon
Podcast Episodes
Mark Mitchell on Plutocratic Socialism [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:12
Mark Mitchell, author of Plutocratic Socialism: The Future of Private Property and the Fate of the Middle Class and President of Front Porch Republic, joins the podcast. Mitchell and Murdock discuss the origins of FPR an…
Matt Stewart on Wallace Stegner [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:37
Matthew Stewart, author of The Most Beautiful Place on Earth: Wallace Stegner in California, sits down (literally) with host John Murdock to discuss Stegner’s complicated relationship with the American West. A mobile you…
Katharine Hayhoe Talks Climate Change [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:21
Katharine Hayhoe is a professor at Texas Tech and the Chief Scientist for The Nature Conservancy. Her most recent book is Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World. Dr. Hayhoe, a Chris…
Chuck Marohn on the Human Errors of Traffic Engineering [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:53
Chuck Marohn, the founder of Strong Towns and author of Confessions of a Recovering Engineer, discusses streets, roads, “stroads,” and the perils of the American traffic system. A trained engineer himself, Marohn once im…
Poetry and Politics with A.M. Juster [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:03
Michael J. Astrue has earned degrees from Yale and Harvard. He had a long and distinguished legal career and held several government positions as well as leadership posts in biotech companies. From 2007-2013, he served a…
Will Hoyt‘s Ohio River Journey to the Middle Ages [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:03
Host: John Murdock Guest: Will Hoyt Will Hoyt, author of The Seven Ranges, discusses his journey along the Ohio River into the physical, historical and philosophical interior of the strip-mined region where he lives. In…
Joseph Loconte on War, Friendship, and Imagination [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:37
Guest Host: Jeff Bilbro Guest: Joe Loconte Front Porch Republic editor Jeff Bilbro sits down with Joe Loconte of The King’s College for a spirited discussion of the book-turned-film A Hobbit, A Wardrobe, and a Great War.…
David Cayley on Illich and Institutions [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:07
Canadian radio broadcaster David Cayley pulls up a chair to discuss Ivan Illich, a renegade priest and professor who argued against schools, missionaries, and modern medicine. Cayley, author of Ivan Illich: An Intellectu…
Os Guinness on Liberty and Hope [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:29
Prolific author and social critic Os Guinness discusses the current challenges for liberty and his hopes for the future. The Chinese-born, English-educated, Irish-rooted scholar who lives in America also shares insights…
John de Graaf, Affluenza, and Stewart Udall [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:22
Summary Filmmaker John de Graaf pulls up a chair to discuss his 1997 documentary Affluenza; a forthcoming project on Arizona politician and JFK/LBJ’s Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall; the politics of beauty; and a…