143 – The Conservative Mind at 70 with Michael Lucchese
In 1953 a little-known political theorist Russell Kirk repurposed his doctoral dissertation as a book for publication. His book, The...
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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:
- Nov 7
142 – Jiving with Jaffa with Seth Root
While Leo Strauss was famous for influencing men and women who became intellectual heavyweights in the conservative movement—names like...
- Oct 17
141 – The Soul of Civility with Alexandra Hudson
Everyone supports civility, in theory, when the “other side” is behaving themselves. But what is the role of civility in an era of...
- Oct 3
140 – Back to Burke
The name Edmund Burke is used quite liberally on the Saving Elephants podcast as host Josh Lewis makes no bones about being a “Burkean”...
- Sep 19
139 – Perspectives from Across the Pond with Sarah Stook
The United States and United Kingdom have enjoyed and, at times, endured a symbiotic history, culture, politics, and global relationship....
- Sep 5
138 – The Conservative Historian with Belisarius Aves
“History offers not simply a chronicle of events but, more importantly, opportunities to gain insights about the human condition from the...
- Aug 15
137 – Political Theology with Jonathan Cole – Part 2
Christian or not, it’s undeniable that Western civilization, and the United States in particular, has deep historical roots in...
- Aug 1
136 – Political Theology with Jonathan Cole – Part 1
“I never discuss anything else except politics and religion,” English writer, philosopher, and Christian apologist G. K. Chesterton once...
- Jul 18
135 – Cool Ellul with Jason Thacker
Modern views on how future technology is likely to change our lives range from bloviatingly aspirational visions of utopia to musings on...
- Jul 4
134 – Gilding a Mess with Avi Woolf
In the aftermath of the Civil War and prior to the first World War lies an often overlooked era in American history known as the Gilded...
- Jun 20
133 – Grappling with Hate Speech with Brooke Medina
In this brave new digital world, opportunities for hate speech seem ubiquitous and increasingly dangerous. How should a conservative...
- Jun 6
132 – Classical Period Non-Perverts with Jack Butler
Among the very-online, relatively young, and mostly male cohorts of the Right is a movement growing in popularity and intensity that...
- May 16
131 – Witnessing Whittaker with Sam Tanenhaus
In 1948 Whittaker Chambers shocked the nation when, while testifying before Congress, he gave the names of individuals he claimed were...
- May 2
130 – Cultivating Kirk with Jeff Nelson
Perhaps no other individual (or person, for the benefit of the Kirkian insider) was more responsible for resuscitating intellectual...
- Apr 18
129 – Epistemological Musings with Bonnie Kristian
Our digital world is saturated in “facts” but there’s little agreement on what constitutes “truth”. If we can no longer agree on what...
- Apr 4
128 – Reconciling Kirk and King with John Wood Jr
What do Russell Kirk and Martin Luther King Jr. have in common? Though they’re traditionally depicted as coming from opposing political...
- Mar 21
127 – 40 Must-Read Conservative Books – Part 2
The conservative tradition embodies centuries of accumulated wisdom from some of the brightest and most inspiring thinkers you’ll find. ...
- Mar 7
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....
- 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...
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