‘An Extended Discourse’—An Origin Story with William B. Allen

This very special edition of the Power Line Show features Steve Hayward and two guest hosts—John and Elizabeth Eastman—in an extended conversation with William B. Allen, a teacher and thinker who defies easy description. All three of us were students of Bill Allen way back in the 1980s, and when chance and/or Providence put us all together again with Bill this week in Boulder, Colorado, it was clear we needed to do a podcast.

This "origin story" conversation takes us from Bill's youth all the way through to the present Age of Trump. We talk a lot about education, political philosophy, the influence of key thinkers such as Harry Jaffa, Martin Diamond, and many many others. We have a lot of laughs along the way—maybe too many—but above all, I think you will come away with a sense of the excitement of discovery in Bill's classrooms, and acquire a sense of why a generation of students are so devoted to him.

For the exit bumper music for this episode I chose the old Blues Image tune "Ride, Captain, Ride," because the refrain fits perfectly the occasional mystery ship that our great Captain Allen commanded. We'd have missed a lot if we hadn't formed the classroom fellowship with him:

Ride, captain ride upon your mystery ship

Be amazed at the friends you have here on your trip

Ride captain ride upon your mystery ship

On your way to a world that others might have missed. . .

"We're callin' everyone to ride along to another shore

We can laugh our lives away and be free once more"