Episodes

  • Derryck Green: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

    Derryck Green: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
    Apr 16 2024
    Once required reading for high school students, To Kill a Mockingbird now comes with trigger warnings. The book, which confronts and calls out the evils of racism, is considered by some to be too offensive for our modern-day woke sensibilities. Why? Set in 1930s Alabama, a young girl watches her attorney father defend a black man falsely accused of raping a white woman. Michael Knowles is joined by Derryck Green to discuss the powerful themes of this timeless American classic and why it should continue to be read (not banned).
    Show More Show Less
    27 mins
  • Pastor Rob McCoy: Sermon on the Mount

    Pastor Rob McCoy: Sermon on the Mount
    Jan 17 2024
    Michael Knowles is joined by Pastor Rob McCoy to discuss the Sermon on the Mount, one of the most beloved and frequently cited passages in the gospels of the New Testament. Together, Michael and Pastor McCoy explore the various interpretations of the text and reflect on the lessons that Jesus’s sermon teaches us about living a virtuous Christian life.
    Show More Show Less
    39 mins
  • Charles Kesler: Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics

    Charles Kesler: Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics
    Nov 21 2023
    Is the purpose of life happiness, and if so, how can we achieve it? Written nearly 2,500 years ago, Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics is as relevant today as it's ever been. Michael Knowles is joined by Professor Charles Kessler to discuss this seminal work exploring the age-old question of how to live a happy and meaningful life. As it turns out, Aristotle’s recipe for the good life has not grown stale.
    Show More Show Less
    30 mins
  • Julie Hartman: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

    Julie Hartman: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
    Sep 19 2023
    What if your sins were on display for all the world to see? Michael Knowles is joined by Julie Hartman to discuss The Scarlet Letter, which tells the story of a young woman who is shunned by her community after bearing an illegitimate child. What can we learn from this American classic about society’s response to immorality, the complexities of love and passion, guilt, shame, hypocrisy, and repentance?
    Show More Show Less
    36 mins
  • Andy Puzder: The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

    Andy Puzder: The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
    Aug 16 2023
    How do you stay true to yourself in a world that demands conformity? Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead—centered around a talented architect who refuses to compromise his principles or conform to the expectations of others—examines whether we should uphold the “common good” if it means sacrificing our own self-interest. Michael Knowles is joined by former Carl’s Jr. and Hardee's CEO Andy Puzder to discuss this seminal work and its view of the collective vs. the individual. This video was made possible by a generous gift from The Peter & Judy Copses Foundation.
    Show More Show Less
    36 mins
  • Owen Anderson: The Book of Job

    Owen Anderson: The Book of Job
    Jul 18 2023
    If you lost every good thing in your life, would you still praise God? The Book of Job from the Old Testament is considered one of the great masterpieces of early literature. Michael Knowles is joined by Owen Anderson, Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Arizona State University, to examine one of the Bible's most profound stories, which explores the issues of human suffering, the nature of God, and the meaning of life.
    Show More Show Less
    34 mins
  • Solveig Gold: The Cave by Plato

    Solveig Gold: The Cave by Plato
    May 16 2023
    How do you know if you’re trapped in a false reality? Can you see the truth or are you simply looking at shadows on the wall? Solveig Gold joins Michael Knowles to discuss Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” from his renowned work, “The Republic.” This symbolic story about human perception and the pursuit of truth reminds us not to trust our senses alone. We must step outside the cave and challenge our perceptions to discover the true nature of reality.
    Show More Show Less
    26 mins
  • The Book Club: The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer with Catherine Illingworth

    The Book Club: The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer with Catherine Illingworth
    Apr 19 2023
    What makes The Canterbury Tales the most popular work of English literature ever? Penned by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century, this medieval collection of stories depicts a diverse group of characters and covers topics ranging from chivalry and deceit to religious corruption. Michael Knowles sits with Catherine Illingworth to discuss what he describes as “the most vulgar, bawdy, downright often disgusting book I’ve ever read.”
    Show More Show Less
    39 mins