210 episodes

The classical education you never knew you were missing. Join scholar and writer Spencer Klavan on a tour through the great works of the West. In a world gone mad, we're not alone: the great men and women who went before us have wisdom to guide us. With their help, we can recover truth, beauty, and the stuff that matters.

Young Heretics Spencer Klavan

    • Education
    • 4.9 • 4.3K Ratings

The classical education you never knew you were missing. Join scholar and writer Spencer Klavan on a tour through the great works of the West. In a world gone mad, we're not alone: the great men and women who went before us have wisdom to guide us. With their help, we can recover truth, beauty, and the stuff that matters.

    Interview: Isabel Brown, Gen Z Champion

    Interview: Isabel Brown, Gen Z Champion

    Are the kids alright? Before you leap to respond "absolutely not," listen to content creator Isabel Brown argue that in fact there really is honest-to-goodness hope among members of--wait for it--Gen Z. As an ancient Millennial myself, I think this is great news. Isabel lays out the case for why Gen Z might actually be trending conservative culturally in her new book, The End of the Alphabet. Bored with the wokescolds and searching for meaning, the newest generation to come of age may have more going for it than its skeptics claim.
    Check out Isabel's Book, The End of the Alphabet: https://a.co/d/fO4QMWN
    Pre-order my new book, Light of the Mind, Light of the World: https://a.co/d/2QccOfM
    Subscribe to my new joint Substack with Andrew Klavan (no relation): https://thenewjerusalem.substack.com
    Check out our sponsor, the Ancient Language Institute: https://ancientlanguage.com/youngheretics/
    Sign up to be in the mailbag: https://rejoiceevermore.substack.com/

    • 38 min
    That Magician Ain't Real!

    That Magician Ain't Real!

    These days we tell a tidy little story: once there was magic, now there's reason. But there's another, older story that might be closer to the truth: once there was fake magic, now there's real magic. In fact, not only is that the story that many luminaries of the scientific revolution told--it's also a story that extends back before the scientific revolution, to the days of Merlin and King Arthur in the Medieval chronicles of English history. Scientists, meet Merlin: you guys have a lot in common.
    Pre-order my new book, Light of the Mind, Light of the World: https://a.co/d/2QccOfM
    Check out our sponsor, the Ancient Language Institute: https://ancientlanguage.com/youngheretics/
    Subscribe to my new joint Substack with Andrew Klavan (no relation): https://thenewjerusalem.substack.com
    Sign up to be in the mailbag: https://rejoiceevermore.substack.com/
    Read Scott Yenor's essay on the women of country music: https://claremontreviewofbooks.com/the-first-ladies-of-country-music/
     

    • 58 min
    Words, Words, Words 6: What's in a Name?

    Words, Words, Words 6: What's in a Name?

    Oh, we're really in it now. On today's translation segment, I take a question that will lead us into the heart of magic, language, and human nature: what's in a name? Specifically, what's in God's name? Throughout the Bible, not just God but God's name is invoked as a stand-in for God himself. Figuring out why will take us through Greek philosophy, Medieval theology, Jewish wisdom literature, and magical thinking of the most intense kind. Let's dive in.
    Check out our sponsor, the Ancient Language Institute: https://ancientlanguage.com/youngheretics/
    Pre-order my new book, Light of the Mind, Light of the World: https://a.co/d/2QccOfM
    Subscribe to my new joint Substack with Andrew Klavan (no relation): https://thenewjerusalem.substack.com
    Take a look at Ralston College's MA in the Humanities: https://www.ralston.ac/humanities-ma
    Sign up to be in the mailbag: https://rejoiceevermore.substack.com/

    • 33 min
    The Ursula-Jafar Theory of Bad Magic

    The Ursula-Jafar Theory of Bad Magic

    Are you a good magician, or a bad magician? This week, I start diving into the weird and complicated world of magic, from Disney to the Book of Acts. There's lots to say here, but let's start with what we want to avoid, namely: stealing people's voices and usurping the throne. In a deep cut from back when Disney wasn't awful, I hereby present: the Ursula-Jafar Theory of Bad Magic.
    Check out our sponsor, the Ancient Language Institute: https://ancientlanguage.com/youngheretics/
    Pre-order my new book, Light of the Mind, Light of the World: https://a.co/d/2QccOfM
    Subscribe to my new joint Substack with Andrew Klavan (no relation): https://thenewjerusalem.substack.com
    Sign up to be in the mailbag: https://rejoiceevermore.substack.com/

    • 59 min
    Words, Words, Words 5: She Thinks I'm a Steed!

    Words, Words, Words 5: She Thinks I'm a Steed!

    YOU ARE ENTIRELY A STAR CHILD! Maybe you've seen the internet meme where someone--or perhaps some program--translates the lyrics of Smash Mouth's "All Star" into Aramaic and then back into ornate, florid English. For '90s kids who grew up screaming those lyrics, this is hilarious. But it's also kind of revealing about our assumptions when it comes to register in translation. Why does the process of going into Aramaic, then back into English, end you up in a higher register than the original? Answers to these and other questions on a new installment of Words, Words, Words.
    Plus, here's a new essay on translation by yours truly in the Claremont Review of Books: https://claremontreviewofbooks.com/homer-without-heroes/ 
    Pre-order my new book, Light of the Mind, Light of the World: https://a.co/d/2QccOfM
    Subscribe to my new joint Substack with Andrew Klavan (no relation): https://thenewjerusalem.substack.com
    Check out our sponsor, the Ancient Language Institute: https://ancientlanguage.com/youngheretics/
    Sign up to be in the mailbag: https://rejoiceevermore.substack.com/

    • 27 min
    Neuralink is Magic (And that Might Not be a Good Thing)

    Neuralink is Magic (And that Might Not be a Good Thing)

    They’re putting chips! In people’s brains! We have to talk about it. But this is Young Heretics—so let’s not talk about it from a panicked, world-is-ending catastrophe mindset, or from a naïve, tech-will-save us progressive mindset. With one eye on tradition and one eye on the future, I want to embark this week on an attempt to seriously argue that what we’re doing with tech is, and always has been, actual magic—with all the enticements and dangers that come along with that.
    Pre-order my new book, Light of the Mind, Light of the World: https://a.co/d/2QccOfM
    Subscribe to my new joint Substack with Andrew Klavan (no relation): https://thenewjerusalem.substack.com
    Take a look at Ralston College's MA in the Humanities: https://www.ralston.ac/humanities-ma
    Check out our sponsor, the Ancient Language Institute: https://ancientlanguage.com/youngheretics/
    Sign up to be in the mailbag: https://rejoiceevermore.substack.com/

    • 1 hr 4 min

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
4.3K Ratings

4.3K Ratings

cricket1904 ,

Thank You!

What a joy to listen to Spencer’s melodious voice, guiding me through the magnificent classics!
How can we give anything less than a 5 star review for a taste of the education in classics that so many of us wished for but never received. Thank you! Keep up the very much needed work.

Chill Out Dog Guy ,

A Remedy for Hard Hearts and Soft Heads

Klavan achieves the high aim of resolving the issue at the heart of C.S. Lewis’ observation that “a hard heart is no infallible protection against a soft head.”

The podcast is self described as “the classical education didn’t know you were missing”. Five minutes into any episode and you’ll fully agree.

Listen. Subscribe. Enjoy.

Garrett Delgado ,

Informative History and Etymology Lessons

Spencer does a phenomenal job articulating the etymologies behind words used in historic texts. The podcast is clever and informative!

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