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Project Cosmos: Conversations on the Future of Civilization

Project Cosmos: Conversations on the Future of Civilization

Written by: Intercollegiate Studies Institute
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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.

© 2026 Project Cosmos: Conversations on the Future of Civilization
Political Science Politics & Government
Episodes
  • Strong Gods: The End of the Long 20th Century
    Apr 28 2026

    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 and Dawn Tibbetts Potter Endowed Professor of Politics
    Khalil Habib — Allison and Dorothy Rouse Professor in Politics, Associate Professor of Politics
    Miles Smith IV — Assistant Professor of History
    Daniel O'Toole — Assistant Professor of Politics
    Rich Bacigalupi — Director, Deany's Days Foundation

    Timestamps:
    0:00 – Introduction: NS Lyons & the Return of the Strong Gods
    0:19 – Why the left calls conservatives "fascists"
    3:58 – Malcolm X, identity, and strong gods on the left
    8:08 – The structure of progressive movements: weak gods as the ideal
    26:43 – Is traditional Christianity making a comeback?
    43:09 – Two versions of Christianity & the immigration debate
    1:08:37 – AI, Silicon Valley & the political realignment
    1:09:24 – AI as a threat to elections and public opinion
    1:31:19 – Can the republic be saved? The role of the statesman

    Project Cosmos is a production of ISI — the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. Visit isi.org to learn more about our educational programs on Western and American civilization.

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    1 hr and 32 mins
  • Democracy in America Today: Tocqueville, Congress, and Decentralized Power
    Mar 24 2026

    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 Congress must predominate in a republic
    7:22 - Andrew Jackson and the paradox of executive power
    20:50 - Who was Alexis de Tocqueville?
    27:18 - Tocqueville's reception in America through history
    36:14 - The pathologies of democracy and soft despotism
    51:37 - The bank war and Hamiltonian vs. Jacksonian visions
    1:11:00 - The New Deal, progressivism, and centralized power
    1:25:25 - Markets, government, and the problem of centralization
    1:29:27 - The democratic soul and forming citizens
    1:40:30 - Religion, morality, and American democracy today
    1:50:25 - Reforming institutions and educating the next generation

    Featured Topics: Tocqueville, Congress, separation of powers, Andrew Jackson, administrative state, progressive era, federalism, subsidiarity, religious liberty, democratic soul, education, virtue ethics, institutional reform, aristocracy vs. democracy

    A production of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute | isi.org

    ProjectCosmos #Tocqueville #Democracy #Congress #PoliticalPhilosophy #AmericanGovernment #ISI

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    1 hr and 34 mins
  • Enchanting the Machine: Liturgy, Technology, & Wonder
    Feb 27 2026

    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 machine"
    23:33 - How did materialism become dominant?
    36:14 - Constantine and converting pagan culture
    51:37 - Technology as spiritual warfare
    1:11:00 - Asceticism and spiritual formation
    1:25:25 - The Incarnation and cosmic transformation
    1:29:27 - What do we do? Practical steps forward

    Featured Topics: Tolkien, liturgy, sacramental ontology, the Reformation, technology and Babel, saints' lives, the Jesus prayer, AI and attention, neo-paganism

    Recorded live at ISI's Christmas Open House on December 15, 2025, at Butterworth's in Washington, DC.

    A production of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute | isi.org

    ProjectCosmos #Enchantment #Christianity #Theology #Tolkien #Technology

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    1 hr and 36 mins
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