126 – 40 Must-Read Conservative Books – Part 1
The conservative tradition embodies centuries of accumulated wisdom from some of the brightest and most inspiring thinkers you’ll find....
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The Saving Elephants Podcast
The Saving Elephants Podcast features engaging conversations about conservative values and ideas with a mercifully modern twist. Tired of political shock-talk and rank punditry? Curious about what conservative thinkers of yesteryear had to say but don't have time to read some terribly long, boring book they wrote? Join us!
New episodes every 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month.
Listen to individual episodes below or subscribe by clicking on these platforms:
- Feb 21
125 – Braver Angels with Elizabeth Doll
In response to America’s rapidly polarizing political divide a number of organizations have developed to try and turn down the heat....
- Feb 7
124 – The Unpopulists and the New Right with Shikha Dalmia
Populism is on the rise today—or so we’re told. But what is populism? Is it something to be feared or should it only be concerning to...
- Jan 17
123 – Judging Lord Acton with Dan Hugger
1st Baron Acton, 13th Marquess of Groppoli, John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton who, for obvious reasons, is more commonly referred to as...
- Jan 3
122 – The Political Animals with Jonathan Cole
Late last year Jonathan Cole had Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis on his podcast, The Political Animals, to talk about the quirkiness of...
- Dec 20, 2022
121 – Kids These Days with Scott Howard
While Saving Elephants is targeted to younger Americans, more and more Millennials cannot be counted among “the kids these days”. ...
- Dec 6, 2022
120 – Why Associations Matter with Luke Sheahan
In 1953 sociologist Robert Nisbet published his most famous work The Quest for Community, arguing for the necessity of association to the...
- Nov 15, 2022
119 – Inflating the Apocalypse with David Bahnsen
What is the great economic challenge of our times? Is it inflation? Rising inequality? Artificially low interest rates? Economist...
- Nov 1, 2022
118 – Fearlessly Curious with Mónica Guzmán
Mónica Guzmán joins Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis as they reach across the political divide to explore how the Left and Right might...
- Oct 18, 2022
117 – Conservatism Down Under with Jonathan Cole
American conservatism has long struggled to reconcile the American Revolution with a worldview that defers to the slow accretion of...
- Oct 4, 2022
116 – Fifty Conservative Thinkers
In an age where what passes for the archetype conservative are the likes of Candace Owens, Bill Mitchell, Sean Hannity, Matt Gaetz, Tomi...
- Sep 20, 2022
115 – A Post-Roe World with Kimberly Ross
With the end of Roe, the pro-life movement scores a major victory in the fight to protect the life of the unborn. But does this victory...
- Sep 6, 2022
114 – Are We Right? - Crossover Podcast
Earlier this summer, Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis joined three other veteran podcasters to launch a new show: Are We Right? Cal...
- Aug 16, 2022
113 – It's Greek to Me with Christopher Chesny
The Orthodox Christian faith is a growing yet tiny minority in the Christendom body in the United States. Yet they are growing in...
- Aug 2, 2022
112 – Geriatric Millennials with Eric Kohn
Fellow geriatric millennial Eric Kohn joins Josh to discuss what keeps the Acton Institute anchored in turbulent political waters, the...
- Jul 19, 2022
111 – What Hath Conservatism Conserved? with Avi Woolf
Matthew Continetti’s new book The Right: The Hundred-Year War for American Conservatism has instigated a vigorous conversation around the...
- Jul 5, 2022
110 – Reaching the Future with Marlo Slayback
Founded in the early 1950s, the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) sought to fill the gaping void in higher education where...
- Jun 21, 2022
109 – The Right with Matthew Continetti
Esteemed AEI scholar Matthew Continetti returns to the podcast for a woefully brief overview of his latest book, The Right: The...
- Jun 7, 2022
108 – Following Up with Bo Winegard
Bo Winegard returns to the show to talk about controversies surrounding the science of human variation, his experience with cancel...
- May 17, 2022
107 – Right to Work with Christopher Chesny
As more and more working-class Americans join the Republican party some voices on the Right are advocating the GOP become the worker’s...
- May 3, 2022
106 – Reappraising Herbert Hoover with George Nash
Historian George Nash returns to the show to discuss the life and legacy of Herbert Hoover. Few American presidents are as decried by...
- Apr 19, 2022
105 – AllSides with Julie Mastrine
Julie Mastrine of AllSides joins Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis in a freewheeling conversation about the media. Conservatives love to...
- Apr 5, 2022
104 – Armchair Burkeans with Bo Winegard
Josh engages in a Cannonball Run conversation with Bo Winegard across a wide variety of subjects from how Bo found himself migrating from...
- Mar 15, 2022
103 – Creative Impostors with Andrea Klunder and David Blatt
In this re-podcast episode Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis joins his committed liberal friend David Blatt on Andrea Klunder’s show The...
- Mar 1, 2022
102 – More Talking Less Killing with Corey Nathan
The British theologian and philosopher G. K. Chesterton observed that “religious liberty might be supposed to mean that everybody is free...
- Feb 15, 2022
101 – Voting Vexations
How secure and reliable are elections in the United States? The Left and Right are both replete with voices warning of the dire...
- Feb 1, 2022
100 – The Genius of Thomas Sowell with Alan Wolan
Saving Elephants officially hits 100 episodes! Host Josh Lewis is joined by Alan Wolan to discuss their mutual admiration for the...
- Jan 18, 2022
Episode 99 – The Forgotten Legacy of Willmoore Kendall with Chris Owen
Few individuals have had as deep an impact on modern conservative thought, yet remain in relative obscurity, as Willmoore Kendall. The...
- Jan 4, 2022
Episode 98 – The Deep Places with Ross Douthat
New York Times columnist Ross Douthat joins Josh Lewis to talk about his recent memoir The Deep Places. His book tells of his recent...
- Dec 21, 2021
Episode 97 – Good Grief with Jimmy Humphrey and Andrew Snyder
Christmastime is here, a season of joy and merriment, happy gatherings of family and friends, peace on earth and goodwill to all. Both...
- Dec 7, 2021
Episode 96 – Conservative Minds with Kyle Sammin and Corey Astill
Hosts of the Conservative Minds podcast Kyle Sammin and Corey Astill join Josh to discuss the timeless questions of what conservatism...
- Nov 30, 2021
Bonus Episode – America's Future with Ericka Andersen
In this re-podcast from America’s Future Facebook live interview, Ericka Andersen interviews Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis about his...
- Nov 16, 2021
Episode 95 – Reassessing the GOP with Justin Stapley
For the Trump-skeptical conservative, the past five years have been dizzyingly disconcerting. We’ve often felt politically homeless and...
- Nov 2, 2021
Episode 94 – What's the Matter with Socialism?
Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis offers a conservative critique of socialism. It’s hardly news that socialism is gaining in popularity...
- Oct 19, 2021
Episode 93 – Repainting the Fusionist Fence with James Davenport
Founded in 1953, the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) has remained on the forefront of the conservative intellectual movement with...
- Oct 5, 2021
Episode 92 – The Spice of Life
As the old adage goes, variety is the spice of life. And the conservative heartily agrees. Variety, not uniformity, is what gives life...
- Sep 21, 2021
Episode 91 – Invisible Men with Ian Rowe and Nique Fajors
Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis is joined by Ian Rowe and Nique Fajors—two black Harvard Business School graduates—who hope to change...
- Sep 7, 2021
Episode 90 – Redlining and Reparations with Charles Marohn
America’s history of bigotry and racism have left wounds that fester to this day. How might the country make amends to those racial...
- Aug 31, 2021
Bonus Episode – En Route with Dennis Sanders
Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis joins Dennis Sanders on his podcast En Route to discuss the past, present, and future of the GOP and...
- Aug 17, 2021
Episode 89 – Uprooted with Gracy Olmstead
Often the highest praise we can offer a bright, promising student is “you’ll go far”. Americans have long associated success with...
- Aug 3, 2021
Episode 88 – Opioid Pains with Peter Pischke
The opioid overdose crisis is back in the news with recent revelations that the already shocking death toll has increased dramatically...
- Jul 20, 2021
Episode 87 – E Pluribus Unum with Avi Woolf
What is America and what does it mean to be an American? We Americans have been debating this question for centuries, yet we seem even...
- Jun 29, 2021
Episode 86 – Perfect Bedrock
Josh takes a break from the guests to cover a little conservatism 101. Russell Kirk’s pithy list Ten Conservative Principles: begins with...
- Jun 15, 2021
Episode 85 – Strong Towns with Charles Marohn
For thousands of years the ways in which cities and towns developed has provided us with a of blueprint for what human habitats need to...
- Jun 1, 2021
Episode 84 – The History of American Conservatism with George Nash
In 1976 historian George H. Nash wrote The Conservative Intellectual Movement in America Since 1945, a celebrated historical accounting...
- May 18, 2021
Episode 83 – West Coast (Straussianism) is the Best Coast with Seth Root
Few conservative thinkers are as little known, controversial, or had as great an impact on the conservative elite as Leo Strauss. Who was...
- May 4, 2021
Episode 82 – Ruminating Remnants with Jonah Goldberg
Syndicated columnist, author, podcaster, and political commentator Jonah Goldberg joins Josh to discuss his work in conservative media,...
- Apr 20, 2021
Episode 81 – But, He's a Fighter
How often have you heard someone say of a Republican politician that they don’t necessarily approve of everything they do or say, but at...
- Apr 6, 2021
Episode 80 – The Future of Fusionism with Stephanie Slade
“There's a well-worn tale about modern American conservatism,” writes Stephanie Slade in her piece for Reason entitle Is There a Future...
- Apr 1, 2021
Bonus Episode – What is Conservatism? – with Corey Astill and Kyle Sammin
The Saving Elephants podcast turns three years old today—no joke! To celebrate Saving Elephants is releasing a bonus episode: a...
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