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Episode 526: Nature Has a Normative Standard?

October 1, 2026 · 1 h 7 min

Show notes

James and guest co-host Tom Krannawitter try to figure out (and explain) what the normative standard of nature is.

00:00 Introduction and Episode Preview

01:08 Trump, the Midterms, and the Future of the Republican Party

06:27 Colorado Republicans and the Changing Conservative Movement

09:42 What Does It Mean to Be a Conservative?

16:02 Aristotle, the American Founding, and the Role of Virtue

18:58 Foolishness of the Week: Mike Johnson and the $5,000 Checks

21:46 The New Deal, Government Spending, and Buying Votes

26:57 Why Culture Matters More Than Politics

30:13 The Normative Standard of Nature

32:50 Natural Law, Human Nature, and Right and Wrong

34:41 Aristotle on Virtue and Friendship

38:46 Can Morality Exist Without Religion?

40:04 Learning from Experience, Age, and Human Nature

44:29 Can Political and Cultural Norms Be Unjust?

46:42 The Declaration of Independence as a Moral Standard

47:54 The Intellectual Origins of American Progressivism

49:05 Hegel, John C. Calhoun, and the Rejection of Natural Rights

50:33 How the German Model Transformed American Education

52:56 Progressivism and the Rejection of Nature

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