The Future in Context

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Contradictions of Pomp, Circumstance and Populism (Ep. 66) Sep 30, 2022

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President and first lady Biden attended the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on Monday, Sept. 19, 2022. More than 500 heads of state and foreign dignitaries from all over the planet made their way to London to attend the funeral.

It was part of a long tradition of world leaders paying respects at the death of a monarch. But the last one, early in the American century, was different. Yet there are contemporary lessons to be learned from the way Theodore Roosevelt, then the most popular man in the world, navigated a royal funeral 112 years ago.

Trust the Vote? (Ep. 65) Sep 22, 2022

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In 1990, a quirky campaign run by the then upstart music channel MTV encouraged its viewers to Rock the Vote. Now, three decades later, we need a similarly audacious bid to have Americans trust the validity of the vote.

Charles III is Not a Sequel (Ep. 64) Sep 18, 2022

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The passing of the United Kingdom's longest serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, sparks reflections on English history and former British kings named Charles. By George, the House of Windsor may have missed the mark on this one.

In Institutions We Don't Trust (Ep. 63) Sep 11, 2022

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The last half century has been a period of great disillusionment. A recent NBC News poll indicated that 74 percent of the American people believe the country is headed in the wrong direction. According to Gallup, the American people's general confidence in their national institutions is at an all-time low, averaging 27 percent, down from just under 50 percent in 1979. Our resident humanities scholar asks, what happens when the glue that holds our society together stops sticking?

A Constitution for the Living (Ep. 62) Sep 03, 2022

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Thomas Jefferson thought that each generation should rewrite its own founding document. A constitutional scholar talks about the changes that could have happened if Americans had taken Jefferson up on his challenge.

We are all Salman Rushdie now (Ep. 61) Aug 26, 2022

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The 33-year ordeal of Salmon Rushdie came to head with a knife attack at a venerable cultural venue in upstate New York. That the onstage stabbing took place in America is a grim reminder of the need for eternal vigilance in defending the First Amendment.

Montana: The Beauty of Isolation (Ep. 60) Aug 20, 2022

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This large and largely unpopulated western state with a rich history is pioneering a new future by setting aside several million acres of public and private land to serve as natural habitat for returning bison and other displaced animals.

Our resident humanities scholar in resident Clay Jenkinson spent a big chunk of his summer in Montana.

The state left a mark on him, as it does on the farmers and ranchers who live a strenuous life in Big Sky Country – echoing the harrowing journey made by Lewis and Clark.

Where the Lewis and Clark Trail Begins (Ep. 59) Jul 03, 2022

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Our resident humanities scholar is spending July leading tour groups that retrace the Lewis and Clark Expedition. It is an annual summer ritual, and one that has him questioning where the trail actually begins.

America's Immigration Catch 22 (Ep. 58) Jun 23, 2022

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Assessing a terribly broken system, Alex Nowrasteh of the libertarian-leaning Cato Institute details the conflicting dynamics and possible solutions to America's illegal immigration dilemma. To him, solving the problem of illegal immigration hinges on increasing legal immigration.

Inglorious History: America and Indigenous Communities (Ep. 57) Jun 17, 2022

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Taking a page from other countries, the United States is moving toward establishing a Native American Truth and Reconciliation Commission in the hope that reconciliation begins when the survivors are heard.

It looks as if the United States is going to begin to come to terms with the dark legacy of the Indian Boarding Schools. On May 11, 2022, the U.S. Department of Interior released volume one of an investigative report on the history and legacy of these schools, which existed to force Native American children to break with their Native communities and traditions and assimilate into the dominant white culture as quickly as possible and as forcibly as necessary. The 102-page report makes for grim and chilling reading: violence, malnutrition, beatings, sexual abuse, solitary confinement, untreated diseases, unreported deaths, and disappearances.

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