Project Cosmos: Conversations on the Future of Civilization
Project Cosmos is a new series from the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) that brings together leading thinkers for candid, in-depth conversations about politics, culture, history, and the fate of the American regime. Hosted in an informal, living-room setting, each episode feels less like a panel discussion and more like stepping inside a private exchange among some of today’s most influential intellectuals. Together, they explore urgent questions: What is the common good in 21st-century America? Has liberalism failed, and what comes after it? Can the administrative state be reformed—or must it be dismantled? Should Americans embrace a stronger executive power? What lessons can we learn from Rome, the Founders, and modern history? From executive authority and Caesarism to community, culture, and the role of elites, Project Cosmos offers unfiltered discussions at the highest level.
Episodes
What does economic freedom actually look like in an age of artificial intelligence, automation, and geopolitical competition? ISI's flagship long form podcast brings together leading thinkers for a candid roundtable on free markets, innovation, national security, and what it all means for American workers and communities.
Timestamps:
0:00 – Intro: AI, deregulation & tech growth
6:11 – AI and job displaceme...
Are the "strong gods" returning to American life — and what does that mean for politics, Christianity, and civilization?
In this episode of Project Cosmos, host Johnny Burtka is joined by a distinguished panel of scholars to discuss NS Lyons' essay on the long 20th century and the Return of the Strong Gods — building on Rusty Reno's influential work.
Guests:
Tom West — Paul Ermine Potter a...
Join host Johnny Burtka with Yuval Levin, Sarah Gustafson, Vincent Munoz, and Sohrab Ahmari for an in-depth conversation about Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America and its relevance to contemporary American politics. This roundtable explores Congress and democratic governance, the administrative state, religion in democracy, and the formation of democratic citizens in our modern age.
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Why...
Join host Johnny Burtka with Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick, Peter Leithart, Hans Boersma, and Zachary Porcu for a deep conversation about re-enchantment in our technological age. This roundtable explores the revival of liturgical Christianity, the spiritual dimensions of technology, and what it means to live in an enchanted world.
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - What is enchantment?
7:22 - Tolkien, WWI, and "death and the mach...
In this episode of Project Cosmos, Johnny Burtka brings together Dr. Larry Arnn, Pastor Corey Brooks, Jacob Imam, Jeremy Tate, and Dr. Joshua Mitchell for a powerful roundtable discussion on the future of American education as we approach the nation's 250th birthday.
📌 Project Cosmos is ISI's flagship series—intimate, living-room-style conversations where today's leading thinkers tackle the deepest politica...
In this episode of Project Cosmos, Spencer Klavan, Rachel Bovard, Michael Toscano, Gladden Pappin, Leah Libresco Sargent, and Johnny Burtka gather for a thought-provoking roundtable on one of the most pressing questions of our era:
👉 How are technology, transhumanism, and AI reshaping the American family and our society’s future?
This wide-ranging conversation explores:
The promise and peril of AI and em...
In this episode of Project Cosmos, host Johnny Burtka is joined by Ross Douthat, Aaron M. Renn, Michael Miller, Matthew Walther, and Frank Hanna for a profound roundtable on one of the most urgent questions of our time:
👉 What does it mean to be a techno-optimist? Can technology serve the common good, or is it leading us toward dystopia?
This wide-ranging conversation explores:
The promise and peril of A...
Project Cosmos returns with a special LIVE episode, filmed at ISI’s annual Homecoming Weekend in Wilmington, DE. This in-depth roundtable brings together leading voices in the conservative intellectual movement—including Phillip Blond, Rod Dreher, Mary Harrington, Michael Gibson, Dan McCarthy, Nathan Pinkoski, Kevin Roberts, Justin Shubow, and Johnny Burtka—for an unfiltered, wide-ranging dialogue on one of the most pressing questi...
In the second episode of Project Cosmos, James Orr, Alex Petkas, Nathan Pinkoski, Dan McCarthy, Johnny Burtka and Bill Rivers. gather for a profound roundtable on one of the most enduring questions in history:
👉 Can you be a great man and a good father? What does true greatness mean in the modern world?
This wide-ranging conversation explores:
The tension between ambition, leadership, and family life
In the debut episode of Project Cosmos, Christopher Rufo, Patrick Deneen, Christopher Caldwell, Curtis Yarvin, and Johnny Burtka (President of ISI) gather for a provocative roundtable on one of the most urgent questions of our time:
👉 What is the future of executive power and can it serve the common good?
This wide-ranging discussion covers:
-The meaning of the common good in a pluralistic 21st-century Americ...
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