Conversations with Bill Kristol

Latest Episodes:

Yuval Levin on Reform Conservatism Aug 11, 2014

Show notes

The Hertog Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and editor of the policy journal "National Affairs", Yuval Levin is a leading figure in the public policy movement that has come to be known as "Reform Conservatism." This conversation focuses on how conservatives—and conservatism—should respond to the challenges of the twenty-first century.

Paul Cantor on Shakespeare Jul 28, 2014

Show notes

The Clifton Waller Barrett Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of Virginia, Paul Cantor is a leading scholar of Shakespeare as well as an authority on American popular culture. In part one of a two part series, Cantor discusses comedies, tragedies, and what Shakespeare can teach us about politics. Plays discussed including Hamlet, Measure for Measure, The Merchant of Venice, Coriolanus, and Julius Caesar, among others. Visit www.thegreatthinkers.org for an online course on Shakespeare curated by Professor Cantor.

Charles Murray on Economic and Moral Life in America Jul 14, 2014

Show notes

Charles Murray is one of America's most distinguished political scientists and the W. H. Brady Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. This conversation focuses on Murray's groundbreaking books from "Losing Ground" to "Coming Apart," the controversies surrounding the publication of "The Bell Curve," as well as the economic and moral challenges that America faces today.

Elliott Abrams on the State Department and the White House Jun 30, 2014

Show notes

A fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, Elliott Abrams discusses his career in Washington, mostly in the State Department and the White House. Much of the conversation focuses on Abrams work on Latin American affairs and, particularly, Israel and Middle Eastern affairs.

Amy and Leon Kass on Liberal Education and Citizenship Jun 30, 2014

Show notes

Leon Kass and Amy Kass were for many years teachers at the University of Chicago. There, they taught great books, political philosophy, the Hebrew bible, literature, and many other subjects as part of the university's then-commitment to a comprehensive education. This conversation focuses on the experience of teaching as well as considers themes such as love, friendship, and courtship in contemporary America.

Harvey Mansfield on Political Philosophy Jun 30, 2014

Show notes

The first in a series of conversations with the Harvard government professor Harvey Mansfield. In this conversation Mansfield discusses his work on Edmund Burke, Alexis de Tocqueville, Niccolo Machiavelli, and the importance of political philosophy. He also discusses the influence of Leo Strauss.