Best Dystopia Themes Podcasts (2025)

In this episode of the Moral Imagination Podcast I speak with Fr. J. Augustine Wetta about his book Humility Rules: Saint Benedict's Twelve-Step Guide to Genuine Self-Esteem. The world teaches us to assert ourselves, to follow our passions, to speak up, talk back, “get yours,” don’t let anyone stand in your way. But it doesn’t really work. As Tyler…

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Episode 59: Catherine Pakaluk, Ph.D - A Life Marathon: On having a large family in a consumerist culture amidst declining marriage and birth rates 2:25:36

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In this episode of the Moral Imagination Podcast I speak with Catherine Pakaluk about her book Hannah’s Children: The Women Quietly Defying the Birth Dearth Over the last 200 years, we have seen a decline in birth rates in the United States and abroad, especially in Western countries. Most European countries are no longer at replacement rates and f…

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Ep. 58 William Easterly Ph.D. : Poverty, Technocracy, and the Tyranny of Experts 1:34:19

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Photo Credit: Tyler Follon - Wingman Visuals In this episode of the Moral Imagination Podcast, I speak with Professor William Easterly of New York University about his work in development economics, and the problems of technocracy and social engineering of the poor. Easterly worked at the World Bank from 1985-2001 and began to be troubled by a numb…

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Ep.57 The Decline of Christianity, the Rise of the “Nones” and Philosophies of the Person that Shape Unbelief 42:42

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This episode of the Moral Imagination Podcast is a talk I gave at AmPhil’s Center for Civil Society conference in November, 2023 on the “Rise of the Nones.” According to Pew Research, those who declare no religious affiliation - None - are now the largest religious category in the United States. In this talk I address several overarching reasons fo…

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Ep.56 Ambassador Eduard Habsburg: Building a Family Legacy — The Habsburg Way: 7 Tools for Turbulent Times 1:01:24

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In this episode of the Moral Imagination Podcast I speak with Hungarian Ambassador to the Holy See and the Sovereign Order of Malta, Ambassador Eduard Habsburg, about his book The Habsburg Way: Seven Rules for Turbulent Times. We discuss a number of themes including some history of the Habsburg Dynasty, the life and death of Blessed Charles of Aust…

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Ep.55 Seth Kapan on Fragile Neighborhoods — Relationships and Place-Based Solutions to Social and Material Poverty 1:17:41

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In this episode of the Moral Imagination Podcast I speak with Seth Kaplan about his book Fragile Neighborhoods: Repairing American Society One Zip Code at a Time. Seth has spent his career working in fragile states around the world — countries that are unstable and prone to violence, war, and political problems. About 10 years ago Seth was increasi…

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Ep.54 Cajetan Cuddy O.P on The Psychology of St. Thomas Aquinas 1:24:06

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In this episode I speak with Fr. Cajetan Cuddy O.P. about Thomistic Psychology: A Philosophic Analysis of the Nature of Man, by Fr. Robert Edward Brennan, O.P., edited and with an introduction by Fr. Cuddy. Aristotle wrote that “to attain any assured knowledge about the soul is one of the most difficult things in the world.” We often read psycholog…

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Vigen Guroian: Fairy Tales, Classical Learning, and The Moral Imagination 1:08:23

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In this episode I speak with Professor Vigen Gurioan about the revised and expanded edition of his book Tending the Heart of Virtue: How Classic Stories Awaken a Child’s Imagination. We discuss the power of stories, how they help can us develop self-knowledge, and how fairy tales and classic stories are essential for education and moral formation f…

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Ep. 52 Philip Ovadia MD Metabolic Health, Diet, Cholesterol, Heart Disease, and Modern Medicine 1:36:35

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In this episode I speak with heart surgeon, Dr. Philip Ovadia MD, about metabolic health, diet, science, cholesterol, insulin resistance, the US government food pyramid, Ancel Keys and the cholesterol - saturated fat -heart disease hypothesis. We discuss medical education, health insurance, scientism, and some of the obstacles doctors and scientist…

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Ep. 51 Titus Techera: Dune and Bladerunner Science Fiction, Dystopia and Humanity in American Life 2:01:55

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In this episode I speak with Titus Techera about Dune, Bladerunner, science fiction, dystopian film, technocratic view of humanity, and the formative power of science fiction on the imagination. We discuss contemporary technological society, social breakdown, loneliness, men and women and decline in marriage, technology and trans-humanism/ transgen…

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Ep.50 On Benedict XVI -Reason, Freedom, Beauty, and the Intellectual Sources of Secularism and the New Evangelization 56:45

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Pope Benedict XVI / Joseph Ratzinger passed away on December 31 at the age of 95 years old. His writing and teaching have been a major influence on my thinking. So in honor of his memory and gratitude for his example, this episode is a talk I gave on Pope Benedict XVI on Five Crises of Culture and the Intellectual sources of Secularism and the New …

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Ep. 49 Flagg Taylor, Ph.D: The Parallel Polis 1:43:46

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In this episode I speak with Flagg Taylor about the life and writing of Vaclav Benda, and his idea of the parallel polis, decentralization, and creating space in society for culture, the family, charity, education, and human flourishing. Though he was writing under communist regimes, Benda’s writings are very relevant today in light democratic pres…

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Ep. 48 Jonathan Bi: Rene Girard - Social Pressure, True and False Desires, Sacrifice, and Belief 1:59:23

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In this episode I speak with Jonathan Bi about the ideas of Rene Girard, social pressure, authentic and false desires, victims and scapegoats, persecution, and Girardian theories on imitation and violence. We also discuss how Girard’s work sheds light on woke capitalism, right and left totalitarianism, Max Scheler, Hannah Arendt, Alexis de Tocquevi…

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Ep. 47 Rachel Ferguson, Ph.D: Exclusion & Opportunity - Black Liberation Through the Marketplace 1:24:26

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In this episode I speak with Rachel Ferguson about her book Black Liberation Through the Marketplace: Hope, Heartbreak, and the Promise of America, co-authored with Marcus Witcher. The book address issues of social justice, exclusion, opportunity, race and discrimination, classical liberalism, and the economic history of African Americans since the…

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Ep. 46 Bill Rivers: Last Summer Boys A Novel about Family, Honor, and the Power of Community 1:11:21

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peak with Bill Rivers about this novel, Last Summer Boys. The novel is about a rural Pennsylvania family and the adventures of three boys and a cousin and set in the tumultuous summer of 1968 with the Vietnam war, the assignations of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King. “Summer 1968. When thirteen-year-old Jack Elliot overhears the barbershop men…

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Ep. 45 Paul McLaughlin PsyD, Mark R. McMinn PhD: Can Wisdom be Cultivated? 2:00:17

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In this episode I speak with two psychologists, Paul McLaughlin PsyD and Mark R. McMinn PhD, about their book A Time for Wisdom. The provide a unique perspective by examining wisdom from a psychological viewpoint. They divide it into 4 categories, both to explain and provide a guide to develop wisdom in our lives. Knowledge Factual Knowledge,Know-H…

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Ep. 44 Deion Kathawa: Technology, Religion, and Humanity in a Post-Human Age 1:45:32

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In this episode of The Moral Imagination Podcast I speak with Deion Kathawa about his essays at Public Discourse Technology and Dignity. We discuss a number of topics including digital technology social media biotech genetic engineering CRISPR post and trans-humanism transgenderism technology and power how tech effects the rich and the poor and mid…

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Ep. 43: Orthodox Judaism, Leo Strauss, and Baruch Spinoza’s Critique of Religion 1:45:17

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In this episode I speak with Jeffrey Bloom and Rabbi Jeremy Kagan about the book Spinoza, Strauss, and Sinai: Orthodox Judaism and Modern Questions of Faith published by Kodesh Press . The book is a collection of essays edited by Jeffrey Bloom, Alec Goldstein, and Gil Student. Jeffrey Bloom grew up secular, Jewish family and the idea of actually pr…

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Ep. 42: Jeremy Tate: Whoever Owns the Test Owns the Curriculum: Classic Learning v. Industrial Model 1:11:56

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In this episode, I speak with Jeremy Tate, the founder of the Classic Learning Test about school testing, curriculum, and the classical versus industrial models of education. Jeremy argues that the current testing regime of the SAT and ACT have a tremendous influence on the curriculum taught in public and private schools. They promote a utilitarian…

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Podcast Episode 41: Michael Ward: A Guide to C.S. Lewis’ The Abolition of Man 1:09:44

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In this episode, I speak with Michael Ward about his book, After Humanity: A Guide to C.S. Lewis The Abolition of Man. I think The Abolition of Man is of the most important books in the twentieth century. It addresses important issues that are relevant today — from what it means to be human, reason, passion, and the emotions, to how to think about …

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Podcast Ep. 40 Mary Eberstadt: Who are You? Family, Politics, and the Hunger for Identity 1:29:52

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In the episode I speak with Mary Eberstadt about her latest book Primal Screams: How the Sexual Revolution Created Identity Politics. She argues that the revolutionary changes to family structure across the western world: fatherlessness, divorce, abortion, single parent homes, the shrinking of the family –have caused deep hurt in people and that ma…

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Ep. 39 Marcel Guarnizo: What is Justice 1:54:38

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What is Justice? What do we owe to each other? The theme of justice is core issue of all human societies and pervades myth and philosophy. Plato’s Republic and Gorgias are reflections on justice and the right ordering of the soul and society. So is Aristotle’s Politics. The Hebrew Bible, the Tao Te Ching, the Analects of Confucius, the writings of …

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Ep. 38: Dr. Margarita Mooney Nicaraguan Journey: From Technocracy to Solidarity through Small Acts of Love 1:05:36

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In the episode, I speak with Professor Margarita Mooney about her time in Nicaragua and how these experiences shaped her scholarly work and teaching at the intersection of sociology and philosophy. Margarita tells a story of her time in Nicaragua and how a weekend trip to a political rally in a small community where she almost was kidnapped challen…

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Ep. 37: James Poulos: Digital Politics & Spiritual War 55:11

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In this episode, I speak with James Poulos about his book, Human, Forever: The Digital Politics of Spiritual War. We discuss a wide variety of themes including technology, human memory, what it means to be an embodied person. James argues that instead of worrying about an impending crisis, we need to realize that it has already happened — Digital e…

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Ep. 36: Carter Snead: Law, Power, and Bioethics: What it Means to Be Human, 1:52:57

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In this episode, I speak with Professor Carter Snead about his book, What it Means to be Human: The Case for the Body in Public Bioethics. We discuss how the dominant view of the human person forgets the body and ignores our social nature, and how this plays out in law which further shapes our moral lives and cultural attitudes. Snead argues that c…

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Ep. 35: Jessica Hooten Wilson, Ph.D.: Literature and Totalitarianism 1:07:08

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In this episode, I speak with Professor Jessica Hooten Wilson about her writing and research on literature and totalitarianism. We discuss how both violence and entertainment and distraction are used a tools of state control. We discuss Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, some of the writings of Alexander Solzhenitsyn, and Julia Alvarez's novel, In the…

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Ep. 34: Heidi White: What is Classical Education? 1:31:05

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What is education for? In the episode, I speak with Heidi White about classical education and human flourishing. We discuss why classical education is important to pass down a cultural memory and why reading good literature and classic texts matters on multiple levels. We discuss the difference between a modern, contemporary education and a classic…

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Ep. 33: Elizabeth Corey, Ph.D.: Life Beyond Politics 1:44:51

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In this episode, I speak with Elizabeth Corey about life beyond politics, friendship, learning, and the work of Michael Oakeshott. We discuss a wide range of issues, including rationalism and politics, the value of the reading of classic texts, and Oakeshott's idea of different modes of engaging with the world: the practical, scientific, historical…

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Ep. 32: James Madden, Ph.D.: The Recovery of the Self: Embodied and Embedded Persons 1:39:18

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In this episode, I speak with James Madden about his book, "Mind, Matter, and Nature", about philosophy of mind, and what it means to be an embodied and an embedded person. We discuss how the loss of a sense of ourselves as embodied and embedded leads to a loss of contact with the world and ultimately to nihilism. We discuss competing visions of th…

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Ep. 31: Titus Techera and Flagg Taylor: Communism and Film: Deceit, Privacy, Art, and the Effects of Tyranny on the Soul 2:14:57

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In this episode, I speak with Titus Techera and Flagg Taylor about several films that address communism and the effects of tyranny and deceit on the human soul. We discuss themes of courage, freedom, privacy, shame, the purpose and role of art, and how we can become comprised over time by assenting to falsehood. We discuss how these films portray t…

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Ep. 30: Jay Richards: Fasting, Prayer, and Ketosis: How Modern Science and Ancient Christian Tradition Support a Fasting Lifestyle & Help Us Put Food in its Proper Place 1:30:36

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In this episode, I speak with Jay Richards about his book "Eat, Fast, Feast: Heal Your Body While Feeding your Soul". We discuss how modern science and ancient Christian tradition support a fasting lifestyle for healthy living and help us put food in its proper place. We discuss a number of issues including fasting, prayer, the ketogenic diet, and …

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Ep. 29: Noelle Mering: Awake Not Woke: A Personalist Alternative to Thinking About Social Justice 1:51:38

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In this episode, I speak with Noelle Mering about her new book, Awake Not Woke: A Christian Response to the Cult of Progressive Ideology. Noelle analyzes the concept of "woke" and identifies four characteristics of the contemporary social justice movement and how they influence the way we think about justice and society: 1. Group over Person 2. Wil…

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Ep. 28: George Gilder: Crypto vs Google: Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, Decentralized Computing, and Life After Google and Big Data 1:20:16

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In this episode, I talk with George Gilder about "Life After Google: The Fall of Big Data & The Rise of the Blockchain Economy" and his newest book on Gaming AI. We discuss blockchain technologies, cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, and decentralized computing. We also discuss artificial intelligence, information theory, neuroscience, and the problems of mat…

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Ep. 27: Decentralization, Localism, and Mutual Aid: The Thought of Robert Nisbet 1:01:20

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This episode features a lecture of mine from 2011 on the thought of Robert Nisbet. Nisbet is an important figure and his thought is very relevant to our time. I discuss the main themes of his work on community, authority, social change, and more. Visit https://www.themoralimagination.com/episodes/michael-matheson-miller-2-nisbet for show notes and …

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Ep. 26: David Deavel Ph.D: What Happiness are We Pursuing? Solzhenitsyn and American Culture 1:32:32

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A British journalist asked Alexander Solzhenitsyn: can free people desire to be slaves? He answered Yes. The West is "full of such people". In this episode, I speak with David Deavel about the book he co-edited with Jessica Hooten Wilson, "Solzhensityn and American Culture: The Russian soul in the West". We discuss how some of the key themes of Sol…

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Ep. 25: David Clayton: Beauty and the Cosmos 1:43:55

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What is beauty? Does it have an objective character, or is it merely subjective and in the eye of the beholder? How do we experience beauty, and how do we communicate it to others. In this episode, I discuss the nature of beauty with David Clayton, a painter, iconographer, and author. We discuss the role of consensus and tradition, classical art, c…

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Ep. 24: Andreas Widmer: Principled Entrepreneurship: Why Business is Always Personal 1:20:36

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In the episode, I speak with Andreas Widmer about his work on principled entrepreneurship. Andreas argues that many of the challenges we are seeing in business and commerce today can be addressed by seeing business and entrepreneurship as a moral enterprise focused on the human person. We discuss Widmer's five principles for how businesses should b…

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Ep. 23: Flagg Taylor Ph.D: Living in Truth: Vaclav Havel on Existential Dissent & the Re-discovery of Conscience 1:50:35

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In this episode, I speak with Flagg Taylor about the writing and life of Vaclav Havel. We discuss his essays, plays, and other works. We also discuss Havel's idea of dissent as living in the truth. Dissent for Havel is not primarily political, but existential dissent from ideology, politicization of life, and consumerism. Visit https://www.themoral…

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Ep. 22: Luke Sheahan: Suppressing Dissent: Why Freedom of Association and Decentralization Matter for Liberty, Community, Innovation, and Human Flourishing 1:24:28

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Alexis de Tocqueville wrote that the tyrant doesn't care if you love him, as long as you don't love one another. In this episode, I speak with Luke Sheahan about his book, "Why Associations Matter: The case for First Amendment Pluralism". Free associations are essential for political liberty, human flourishing, and for genuine community; but Sheaha…

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Ep. 21: Luke Burgis: The Economy of Desire: Rene Girard on Commerce and our Everyday Life 1:12:50

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In this episode, I speak with Luke Burgis about Rene Girard, the mimetic cycle, imitation, desire, and scapegoating, and how these things play out in business, commerce and everyday life. We discuss his forthcoming book, Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life. Themes include how are desires our shaped by others, the leveling of desir…

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Ep. 20: What is the Moral Imagination? + 15 Ways to Build it and Recover Our Humanity 1:02:38

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What is the moral imagination? Why is it important? In this episode, I discuss the concept of the moral imagination and 15 ways to develop it. I discuss the origin of the term in Edmund Burke's critique of the French Revolution and his worry that the reductionist Enlightenment view of reason would lead to what C.S. Lewis called "the abolition of ma…

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Ep. 19: Carrie Gress, Ph.D: Theology of Home: Family, Motherhood and the Alternative to Dominant Feminism 56:40

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In this episode, I speak with the Carrie Gress about her book "Theology of Home". We discuss themes of the value of homemaking, the hearth, family, motherhood, and some of her critiques of dominant feminism. Carrie is a philosopher, an entrepreneur, a prolific writer, and the mother of five children that she homeschools. She is the online editor of…

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Ep. 18: Chris Arnade: Dignity, Poverty, Faith, & Seeking Respect in Back Row America 1:40:38

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In this episode, I speak with Chris Arnade about his book "Dignity: Seeking Respect in Back Row America". We discuss themes from his book including poverty, addiction, racism, and the value of home and place, the role of faith, and the role of McDonalds as a respite and community center. Visit https://www.themoralimagination.com/episodes/chris-arna…

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Ep. 17: Obianuju Ekeocha: Ideological Colonialism and Resisting the Cultural Annexation of Africa 49:14

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In this episode, I speak with Obianuju Ekeocha about the problem of ideological colonialism in Africa in the 21st Century. We discuss how Western governments, international aid agencies, and NGOs impose western, secularist ideas about life, family, and marriage on Africa. Obianuju argues that what we are seeing is a type of cultural annexation of A…

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Ep. 16: Dr. Michael Egnor: Does Neuroscience Refute Free Will? 1:22:06

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Does neuroscience prove there is no free will? Is consciousness reducible to a neural network? Are we determined by our brains? In this episode, I speak again with neurosurgeon, Dr. Michael Egnor. We discuss Sam Harris arguments against free will, and examine not only the philosophical problems with Harris' argument, but Dr. Egnor also argues that …

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Ep. 15: Gary Saul Morson Ph.D: Thinking Like Lenin 1:04:40

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In this episode, I speak with Professor Gary Saul Morson about the thought of Vladamir Lenin and how Lenin's ideas and way of seeing the world influences us today. We discuss his New Criterion essay, "Leninthink" and some of the key aspects of Lenin's thought, including Who-Whom: adherence to all politics and life as a win-lose, zero-sum game, the …