The Christian Humanist Podcast

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Episode 118: Metamodernism Nov 05, 2013

Show notes

Michial Farmer hosts a a conversation with Danny Anderson and Nathan Gilmour about metamodernism, a philosophical movement described recently in an article by Timotheus Vermeulen and Robin van den Akker. Metamodernism claims to move beyodn postmodernism by giving up the latter's pervasive cynicism, preferring instead to oscillate between naivete and cynicism. A fight over the relative worth or worthlessness of the movement ensues.

Episode 117: Star Wars: Return of the Jedi Oct 29, 2013

Show notes

Nathan Gilmour hosts a a conversation with Michial Farmer and Danny Anderson on "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi." Taking a close-reading, mythological approach to the final Star Wars episode, the trio dig into images of descending into the underworld, gathering the heroes, watching power lose its grip on order, and other such things. Among the characters, mythological constructs, and other realities engaged are the Orpheus myth, Mon Mothma, redemption of betrayers, the self-destructiveness of evil, and post-colonialism on Endor.

Episode 116: Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Oct 22, 2013

Show notes

Danny Anderson hosts a a conversation with Michial Farmer and Nathan Gilmour on "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back." Conversation focuses on the changing role and character of the Force, its increasing prominence with the introduction of Yoda, and the ways in which the episodes of Star Wars fit together as parts of a trilogy. Among the characters, plot turns, and other matters discussed are the "I am your father" reveal, the Dagobah cave, the religious character of Yoda, and what giant asteroid monsters eat.

Episode 115: Star Wars: A New Hope Oct 15, 2013

Show notes

Michial Farmer hosts a a conversation with Danny Anderson and Nathan Gilmour on "Star Wars: A New Hope." Focusing on the movie's place in film history and more specifically in the career of George Lucas, the trio talks about its status as one of the first summer blockbusters; the influence of Joseph Campbell's mythological criticism on the film; and what, despite the film's shortcomings, makes it the sort of movie that shapes a whole generation's sense of the universe. Among the people, scenes, and other realities discussed are John Williams, monomyth, and Harrison Ford.

Episode 114: The Meno Oct 08, 2013

Show notes

Nathan Gilmour talks with Danny Anderson and Michial Farmer about Plato's dialogue "Meno." The dialogue's central question is whether arete, a word meaning excellence or virtue, can be taught or whether it's naturally part of some people's character but not others'. Among the questions, concepts, and other realities discussed are the pre-existence of the soul, the nature of "Socratic" pedagogy, relationships between dialectic and rhetoric in education, and whether there is any such thing as "the" Platonic position on anything.

Episode 113: Tradition Oct 01, 2013

Show notes

Michial Farmer talks with Danny Anderson and Nathan Gilmour about tradition. Starting with its roots in Roman law and its mixed reputation in the New Testament, the crew digs into the strange designator "traditional music," the relationships between Scripture and tradition, a few hard-hitting books on tradition, and some ways to imagine Christian existence as traditional without being static. Among the texts, traditions, and other realities engaged are Alasdair MacIntyre, Matthew Arnold, Hans-Georg Gadamer, conservatism, globalism, and church organs.

Episode 112: Authenticity Sep 24, 2013

Show notes

Nathan Gilmour talks with Michial Farmer and Danny Anderson about authenticity. A term with etymological roots in reflexive pronouns and historical roots in art criticism, authenticity has taken on philosophical, cultural-critical and pop-cultural meanings that deserve some exploration. Among the texts, trends, and other realities explored are Heidegger's Being and Time, Lionel Trilling's Sincerity and Authenticity, youth ministry, Emerging Church, and faculty workshop speakers.

Episode 111: Letter from a Birmingham Jail Sep 17, 2013

Show notes

Michial Farmer talks with Nathan Gilmour and Danny Anderson about Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous "Letter from a Birmingham Jail." A classic piece of American written rhetoric, beloved by Christians and unbelievers alike, King's letter invokes a rich array of philosophical, Biblical, and other intellectual traditions to make the case for immediate, direct, nonviolent resistance to unjust governments. Among the ideas and other realities discussed in the episode are divine law, gradualism, civil disobedience, civil rights, and nonviolent resistance.

Episode 110: Jewish-American Novels Sep 10, 2013

Show notes

Nathan Gilmour talks with Michial Farmer and Danny Anderson about Jewish-American novels. Drawing from the experiences of immigrants and of internationally persecuted minorities, these writers offer readers a side of the human experience that other writers can't see and offer a look at the particularities of being Jewish in a changing america. Among the novelists and other realities discussed are Saul Bellow, Michael Chabon, Philip Roth, E.L. Doctorow, and Woody Allen.

Episode 109: Country Music Sep 05, 2013

Show notes

Michial Farmer moderates a conversation with Danny Anderson and Nathan Gilmour on the roots, the heart, and the history of country music. Along the way familiar figures like the Carter family, Waylon Jennings, and even Taylor Swift show up, and the question of genre in popular music is never far away. Among the singers and other realities discussed are the early mixtures of country with blues and folk music; the rise of outlaw country and the question fo what "real" county music might be; George Jones, Garth Brooks, Tammy Wynette, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and a good sampling of other country artists.

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