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 14, they're discussing Russell Kirk's The Conservative Mind, breaking down his history of English and American conservative thought from Edmund Burke to T.S. Eliot! 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
Has conservatism really defeated utilitarianism? Or are modern conservatives just utilitarians at their core? Find out as we discuss Jeremy Bentham, James Mill, John Stuart Mill, Walter Scott, George Canning, and Samuel Coleridge in their war for English politics!
Was Adams truly the most conservative voice among the Founding Fathers? How does he compare to Alexander Hamilton and Fisher Ames? What has been the impact of Adams' influence on the United States to this day? Find out all this and more as we continue discussing Russell Kirk's The Conservative Mind!
Is Edmund Burke really the founder of modern conservatism? What do his insights into prejudice, natural law, and divine providence mean for us today? Was he justified in opposing the French Revolution so strongly? Find out as we discuss Chapter 2 of Russell Kirk's The Conservative Mind!
Season premiere! Join us as we begin discussing Russell Kirk's 1953 The Conservative Mind, reading Kirk's discussion of the history of conservatism from Edmund Burke to T.S. Eliot. In this first episode, we break down Kirk's goal in writing the book, his six canons of conservatism, and the four major claims of its opponents.
What do we think of Plato's Republic overall? Find out as we conclude our discussion of this cornerstone work as we read the Book X, in which Plato elaborates on his theory of art and representation; describes how he views the soul as immortal; and provides a case for the practical rewards of being a justice person.
Can you pursue happiness by chasing fleeting pleasures? If not, how can we finally demonstrate that? Join us for our thoughts on Plato's conclusion that the pursuit of knowledge leads to the highest form of happiness, demolishing any argument in favor of pursuing any lower goods!
How does Plato's ideal state collapse? What kind of society does it become, and what does the soul of the person represented by that society look like? Find out as we discuss the origin and development of timarchy, oligarchy, democracy, and tyranny, as well as their corresponding faults!
The perfect society can only be achieved by banishing everyone over the age of 10 and starting fresh! At least, according to Plato. Join us as we discuss Book VII of the Republic, discussing what the allegory of the cave really means and Socrates' description of the ideal education for the philosopher-king.
What makes someone truly a philosopher? How does knowledge differ from opinion? Does evil really exist? Find out as we discuss all this and more, breaking down Plato's definition of what a philosopher is, and whether it is possible to put philosopher-kings in place.
Is this the worst book of the Republic? Does Plato think that anything he is describing is achievable? Find out as we discuss Book V, in which Socrates outlines the sameness of men and women, the benefits of having children in common, and the beginning of what it means to be a philosopher.
Join us as we discuss Book IV of Plato's Republic, which we (surprisingly) both enjoyed! We continue our discussion by reflecting on the necessity of education for the existence of a culture, whether a state needs to be a certain size for unity to exist, and ultimately how Socrates' imagine state reflects the soul.
Is Plato prescribing what he says in the Republic as literal guidance on how to run a state, or is this all just an extreme allegory for the ordering of the soul? Listen to us debate this exact question on this episode of Unlimited Opinions, discussing what messages in art ought to be outlawed; the relation of moral character and beauty; the different classes of citizens; and much more!
Thrasymachus, didn't do that bad of a job of arguing in favor of injustice, did he? Glaucon and Adeimantus seem to think so! Join us as we consider the stronger argument in favor of acting unjustly, discussing the Ring of Gyges, the origins of society, and the beginning of Socrates' discussion of the education of the Guardians!
Is it better to be just than unjust, and what makes something subjective? Find out as we discuss Book I of Plato's Republic, breaking down the opening discussion on old age, Polemarchus' traditional definition of justice as doing good to your friends and harm to your enemies, and Thrasymachus' view of justice as what is in the interest of the stronger party. Additionally, we consider what it means to strive for human...
Join us as we begin our discussion of one of the most foundational texts in Western history: Plato's Republic! In this episode, we talk about our prior knowledge and opinions of Plato, the historical background leading up to the writing of the work, and what we hope to gain from reading it again. In this season, we are reading Sir Desmond Lee's Penguin Classics translation of the work, but will also be pulling insights fr...
In the end, what does Allan Bloom recommend in The Closing of the American Mind? Not much, as it turns out. After an excellent diagnosis of the problems facing American higher education, Bloom ends on a pessimistic note, stating that no reforms can fix the problems in the university. Is this true? Find out as we discuss our thoughts on Bloom's work and ideas on how to fix the university!
Where have Allan Bloom's descriptions of the modern university gotten us? Where have all of these philosophical trends ended up? Join us as we discuss the first half of the last chapter of The Closing of the American Mind, examining what the fight for the university looked like in 1987, and how that fight has changed (or larger remained the same) for us today.
Why did all university professors and administrators capitulate to the insane mobs of student radicals in the sixties? Find out as we continue discussing Allan Bloom's The Closing of the American Mind, discussing how the 1960s carried along the most damaging threads in prior educational history, ultimately ripping out the foundations of what education ought to be.
What does Gulliver's Travels have to do with the development of the modern education system? Why does classical scholarship see renewed interests in periods of philosophical interest? Why spend 70 pages on one chapter detailing various components of philosophic history before getting to your point on education? Find out as we continue discussing Allan Bloom's The Closing of the American Mind!
Was Socrates really all that great? What does he have to say about education, anyway? Find out as we discuss Socrates' impact on the idea and purpose of philosophy, as well as the reasons for our modern society favoring nameless globalist scientists as the architects of civilization!
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