Unlimited Opinions - Philosophy, Theology, Linguistics, & More
Welcome to Unlimited Opinions! Have you ever wanted to listen to a lawyer and his son discuss philosophy, mythology, theology, politics and more? No? Well, Mark and Adam Bishop are here to discuss it all the same! From philosophy to mythology to politics, they discuss it all with rants and tangents galore! Now in Season 12, they're discussing The Closing of the American Mind, breaking down Allan Bloom's discussion of the failures of American education! There will also be more than the average amount of references to linguistics, 80s movies, and J.R.R. Tolkien. If any of that sounds vaguely interesting, then this is the podcast for you! Episodes are uploaded every Tuesday at 7:00 a.m. CST. Follow us on X! @UlmtdOpinions
Episodes
Marxism is boring now. So says Allan Bloom. Join us as we discuss the omnipresence of Marxism among the Left, and why the philosophy of the class struggle may not be exactly the crux of the Left, but a desecration of the dignity and depth of man.
What happens to a culture when rationalism takes precedence over belief in anything eternal? Exactly what we've seen over the past 70 years, of course! Join us as we discuss Allan Bloom's thoughts on values, the issues of cultural relativism, and what the future holds for societies with unstable foundations.
What exactly is culture? Is it just the food, clothing, and habits of a people, or is it something more? Does human nature really exist, or should we just be studying the differences between cultures to investigate humanity? Is culture downstream of politics, and what does this mean for the Cracker Barrel rebrand? Find out as we continue discussing Allan Bloom's The Closing of the American Mind!
What is man, really? Do we have a purpose, or should we just listen to our desires and shape the world the way we want it to be? Are the ends of things real, or just fictitious imaginations based on our desires? Find out as we continue to discuss Allan Bloom's The Closing of the American Mind!
What differentiates America from France? Is it our value of life and stability in our Revolution, or is it a distinction between the bourgeois of America and the deeper thinkers of the Continent? Join us as we discuss this and more in this episode of Unlimited Opinions!
Where does modern American nihilism stem from? According to Allan Bloom, ultimately from Nietzsche! Join us as we discuss the impact of German thinking on modern American life, talking about the issues with value relativism and self-actualization, and many other such concepts.
Why has modern society failed to recognize the purpose of marriage? Or, for that matter, the purpose of love, life, and relationships as a whole? Find out as we discuss more of Allan Bloom's thoughts on relationships, examining the complete independence of the modern student, the increased prevalence of divorce, and the lack of love.
Does American society support the same kinds of relationships that it did in generations past? Find out in this episode, as we continue discussing Saul Bellow's The Closing of the American Mind, in which we examine the rise of self-centeredness, the doctrine of absolute equality, the deterioration of race relations, and the problems with modern ideas of sex.
Do young people even read anymore? What's up with their obsession with music? Such questions are not as boring as they sound, as Allan Bloom describes in the next chapters of The Closing of the American Mind! Join us as we discuss the importance of literature and good music on the formation of the soul and the coherence of political society!
Do Americans have a national book? What is America's defining ideology? Is it structured by the Constitution and the Bible, or something else entirely? Such are the questions that Allan Bloom raises in The Closing of the American Mind, and that we discuss in this episode of Unlimited Opinions!
What is the purpose of education? What is the truth? What is man? Find out in this season of Unlimited Opinions, as we read Allan Bloom's The Closing of the American Mind: How Higher Education Has Failed Democracy and Impoverished the Souls of Today's Students. In this episode, we discuss Saul Bellow's Foreword, as well as Bloom's Preface and Introduction, as the authors lay out the "new virtues" of re...
Join us as for the finale of Season 11, as we discuss J.R.R. Tolkien's Valedictory Address to the University of Oxford, given in 1959 as he retired from the University. We break down his attitude towards the modern state of research-focused education, the problems in separating Language from Literature, and why Tolkien's essays matter more and more today.
How weird is it to make your own language? Find out as we discuss J.R.R. Tolkien's "A Secret Vice", in which he describes his own evolution in making languages, the beauty in such a hobby, and language itself being an art form.
"I was born in the wrong language!" now ranks among perhaps one of the oddest phrases said during an active tornado warning. Join us as we discuss J.R.R. Tolkien's essay "English and Welsh", examining what makes a people a people and the beauty present in studying other languages!
Join us as we conclude our discussion on Tolkien's fantastic essay "On Fairy-stories"! In this episode, we discuss why fairy-stories are not just for children, what true fantasy really is, the proper attitude of escapism, and why the Gospels are at the heart of it all.
Join us for the first part of our discussion on one of the greatest essays ever written: J.R.R. Tolkien's On Fairy-stories! In this episode, we examine what is and is not a fairy-story, what is really meant by Faërie, how such stories are made, and much more!
Is Sir Gawain underappreciated as a Catholic story? How did 14th-century English poets reconcile courtly honor and Christian love? Find out as we discuss Tolkien's essay on the great Middle English poem, as well as our thoughts on people's misconceptions about the pope!
Why should we care about poetry? Are we just too stupid to really understand it? Find out as we discuss Tolkien's thoughts on how to properly translate an Old English poem into prose, and the many errors that a translator can fall into in the process.
Is Beowulf still relevant today? How often do we destroy towers to investigate their component parts, failing to recognize that we could have seen the sea from the top of them? These and other important questions are discussed, as we begin diving into J.R.R. Tolkien's The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays, discussing the best of Tolkien's scholarly writings and what they mean for us today.
Season Finale! Join us as we discuss how Thomas Sowell's early life and upbringing shaped his career, and our thoughts on several of his best one-liners. We also talk about our opinion of his writings overall, and our plans for Season 11!
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