Pluralist Points with Ben Klutsey

In this episode of the Pluralist Points podcast, Ben Klutsey, the executive director of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, speaks with Corey Brettschneider, a professor of political science at Brown University, about his new book, “The Presidents and the People: Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought To Defend It.” They discuss the early presidential models of Washington and Adams, what categorizes a “recovery” president after a period of crisis, Frederick Douglass as a founder of American democracy, how we haven’t yet recovered from Nixon and much more. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video. Recorded August 28th, 2024 Other ways to connect Follow Discourse Magazine on X Follow Ben on X Follow Ben on LinkedIn Follow Corey on X Read more by Discourse Magazine. Learn more about the Mercatus Center. Music Copyright Code: QSHX8CE2OGOJIZGV

In this episode of the Pluralist Points podcast, Ben Klutsey, the executive director of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, speaks with Corey Brettschneider, a professor of political science at Brown University, about his new book, “The Presidents and the People: Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought To Defend It.” They discuss the early presidential models of Washington and Adams, what categorizes a “recovery” president after a period of crisis, Frederick Douglass as a founder of American democracy, how we haven’t yet recovered from Nixon and much more. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video. Recorded August 28th, 2024 Other ways to connect Follow Discourse Magazine on X Follow Ben on X Follow Ben on LinkedIn Follow GUEST on X Read more by Discourse Magazine. Learn more about the Mercatus Center.   Music Copyright Code: QSHX8CE2OGOJIZGV

In this episode of the Pluralist Points podcast, Ben Klutsey, the executive director of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, speaks with Musa al-Gharbi, an assistant professor of journalism, communication and sociology at Stony Brook University, about his forthcoming book, “We Have Never Been Woke: The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite.” They discuss the evolution of terms like “woke” and “politically correct,” how social justice beliefs can be both sincere and self-interested, why elites don’t always realize they’re elite and much more. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video. Recorded September 12th, 2024 Other ways to connect Follow Discourse Magazine on X Follow Ben on X Follow Ben on LinkedIn Follow Musa on X Read more by Discourse Magazine. Learn more about the Mercatus Center. Music Copyright Code: QSHX8CE2OGOJIZGV

In this episode of the Pluralist Points podcast, Ben Klutsey, the executive director of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, speaks with Ilana Redstone, a professor of sociology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, about her new book, “The Certainty Trap: Why We Need To Question Ourselves More—and How We Can Judge Others Less.” They discuss why we ascribe ill intent to others, shortcomings of the term “critical thinking,” the role of education in escaping the certainty trap and much more. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video. Recorded August 23rd, 2024 Other ways to connect Follow Discourse Magazine on X Follow Ben on X Follow Ben on LinkedIn Follow Ilana Redstone on X Read more by Discourse Magazine. Learn more about the Mercatus Center.   Music Copyright Code: QSHX8CE2OGOJIZGV

In this re-release of an installment of a series on liberalism, Benjamin Klutsey, the executive director of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, talks with Joshua Cherniss, an associate professor of government at Georgetown University, about challenges to liberalism in the mid-20th century, the current liberal predicament, the thinkers who exemplify a spirit of tempered liberalism, the balancing act of activism vs. detachment and much more. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links. Originally published January 27th, 2023 Other ways to connect: Follow Discourse Magazine on X Follow Ben on X Follow Ben on LinkedIn Read more by Discourse Magazine. Learn more about the Mercatus Center. Music Copyright Code: QSHX8CE2OGOJIZGV  

In this episode of the Pluralist Points podcast, Ben Klutsey, the executive director of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, speaks with Yuval Levin, editor-in-chief of National Affairs magazine and a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, about the Constitution as a unity document, the relationship between liberalism and republicanism, the benefits of congressional inefficiency, the problems with primaries and much more. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video. Recorded July 10th, 2024 Other ways to connect Follow Discourse Magazine on X Follow Ben on X Follow Ben on LinkedIn Read more by Discourse Magazine. Learn more about the Mercatus Center. Music Copyright Code: QSHX8CE2OGOJIZGV

In this re-release of an installment of a series on liberalism, Benjamin Klutsey, the executive director of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, talks with Amanda Ripley, an investigative journalist and author, about the benefits of not watching the news, the conflict industrial complex, whether divisions in the U.S. are getting worse, the importance of positive interactions and much more.  Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links.  Originally published February 24th, 2023 Other ways to connect Follow Discourse Magazine on X Follow Ben on X Follow Ben on LinkedIn Follow Amanda Ripley on X Read more by Discourse Magazine. Learn more about the Mercatus Center.

In this re-release of the first installment of an interview series on liberalism, Ben Klutsey, the executive director of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, speaks with Alan Charles Kors about the history of liberalism, the proper purpose of education, and the core liberal value of mutual forbearance. Kors is the Henry Charles Lea Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Pennsylvania, specializing in European intellectual history of the 17th and 18th centuries. He has published several books and many articles on early-modern French intellectual history and was editor-in-chief of the Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links. Originally published August 4th, 2020 Other ways to connect Follow Discourse Magazine on X Follow Ben on X Follow Ben on LinkedIn Read more by Discourse Magazine. Learn more about the Mercatus Center.

In this episode of the Pluralist Points podcast, Ben Klutsey, the executive director of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, speaks with Josiah Ober, a professor of political science and classics at Stanford University, about democracy as a bargain among citizens, the necessity of civic education, the challenges of scaling democracy as populations become larger and more diverse, and much more. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video. Recorded June 6th, 2024 Other ways to connect Follow Discourse Magazine on X Follow Ben on X Follow Ben on LinkedIn Read more by Discourse Magazine. Learn more about the Mercatus Center.

America has always had factions; they are a feature—not a flaw—of representative democracy. However, when civil discourse breaks down,  these factions can become so entrenched that we face the dangers of toxic polarization. This is where learning and adopting pluralism becomes crucial. Welcome to Pluralist Points, where we unpack the challenges and opportunities of liberalism and pluralism in the 21st century. In a world increasingly divided by tribalism and polarization, Pluralist Points aims to foster understanding, civil exchange, and the open-minded exploration of ideas.  Each episode features an in-depth conversation that challenges assumptions, illuminates new perspectives, and seeks common ground. Join the host of Pluralist Points, Ben Klutsey, as we navigate the intellectual landscape of liberalism and pluralism, and discover how these principles can help us build a more inclusive, tolerant, and vibrant society.  You can follow the show on your favorite podcast app or watch full videos on YouTube. Let's embark on this journey together, one conversation at a time.  We hope this podcast will inspire you to go out and have conversations like these yourself.