Life is “nasty, brutish, and short.” That’s why we need a social contract—an exchange of freedom for security to avoid a dog-eat-dog state of nature. At least, that’s what Thomas Hobbes posited in Leviathan. Michael Knowles and guest John Yoo, Professor of Law at UC Berkeley, discuss how Hobbes’s seminal work has shaped political philosophy for centuries.

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The Book Club with Michael Knowles

John Yoo: Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes

How do you know if you’re trapped in a false reality? Can you see the truth or are you simply looking at shadows on the wall? Solveig Gold joins Michael Knowles to discuss Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” from his renowned work, “The Republic.” This symbolic story about human perception and the pursuit of truth reminds us not to trust our senses alone. We must step outside the cave and challenge ourselves to discover the true nature of reality.

Solveig Gold: The Cave by Plato

What makes The Canterbury Tales the most popular work of English literature ever? Penned by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century, this medieval collection of stories depicts a diverse group of characters and covers topics ranging from chivalry and deceit to religious corruption. Michael Knowles sits with Catherine Illingworth to discuss what he describes as “the most vulgar, bawdy, downright often disgusting book I’ve ever read.”

Catherine Illingworth: The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

What can we learn from ancient Greek poetry? A foundational text of Western Civilization—The Iliad by Homer—is one of the oldest pieces of literature still read by modern audiences. Why? Because we recognize ourselves in its timeless themes of war, love, fate, and free will. Ivy League classicist Joshua Katz joins Michael Knowles to discuss this 2,800-year-old poem embodying the human condition.

Joshua Katz: The Iliad by Homer

Christians have been mocked, humiliated, and persecuted for their faith for hundreds of years. The Pilgrim’s Progress, written by Puritan preacher John Bunyan while he was in prison for holding religious services, is an encouraging reminder that difficulties and hardships are part and parcel with a life of faith. Allie Stuckey joins Michael Knowles to discuss how this seminal 17th-century work can embolden and strengthen Christians to endure the hardships of today.

Allie Stuckey: The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan

Civilization and Its Discontents by Sigmund Freud—the father of psychoanalysis—explores the perpetual struggle between self and society. Clinical psychiatrist and professor of psychiatry at UCLA Dr. Stephen Marmer joins Michael Knowles for a deep dive into Freud’s anti-utopian work that calls for individuals to take responsibility for themselves.

Stephen Marmer: Civilization and Its Discontents by Sigmund Freud

Could anyone have predicted the future of America 200 years ago? Alexis de Tocqueville foresaw a society fraught with materialism and “soft despotism" in his classic study of self-governance, freedom, and equality, Democracy in America. Pete Peterson, Dean of the Pepperdine School of Public Policy, and Michael Knowles discuss what we can learn from de Tocqueville’s prophetic words.

Pete Peterson: Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville

What happens if you follow your heart, pursuing love and happiness above all else, devoid of duty or virtue? Nothing good according to Leo Tolstoy, author of Anna Karenina. Inez Stepman, senior policy analyst at Independent Women’s Forum, joins Michael Knowles for a deep dive into this great literary work about fidelity, marriage, and betrayal.

Inez Stepman: Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

The American Revolution led to the birth of a new, free nation, while the French Revolution led to blood and terror. What was the difference and what can we learn from history before it’s rewritten or forgotten entirely? Political theorist and Bible scholar Yoram Hazony joins Michael Knowles for a discussion about Edmund Burke’s treatise “Reflections on the Revolution in France.”

Yoram Hazony: Reflections on the Revolution in France by Edmund Burke

Something is deeply amiss in contemporary American culture. Young people have lost touch with reality and become trapped by moral relativism. Is post-modern education to blame? Education expert Max Eden joins Michael Knowles for an eye-opening discussion of Allan Bloom’s unexpected bestseller  
This video was made possible through our partnership with Dallas Baptist University. To learn more about DBU, please visit  




Max Eden: The Closing of the American Mind

In a world without consequences, are humans naturally good or is there darkness within us all? Laruen Chen sits with Michael Knowles to discuss the classic novel 

Lauren Chen: Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Why should Biblical literacy matter today? What happens to society when people fear public opinion more than God? Joining Michael Knowles in this episode of The Book Club is the author of the best-selling Bible commentary in America, Dennis Prager. They discuss the enduring relevance of the Book of Exodus, history’s most powerful story of slave liberation—and moral direction from God. 
This video was made possible through our partnership with Dallas Baptist University. 

Dennis Prager: The Book of Exodus

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” Is history repeating itself? Set during the French Revolution, Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities offers parallels to American Society today. PragerU’s Allen Estrin joins Michael Knowles on this episode of The Book Club to explore the novel’s stark contrasts of fate vs. free will, tyranny and excess, and life and death.

Allen Estrin: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Jane Eyre  In our fast-paced world, it’s tough to make reading a priority. At 

Madeleine Kearns: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

On this episode of The Book Club, Michael Knowles and Farah Jimenez discuss Race and Culture, Thomas Sowell’s powerful analysis on why culture has a profound impact on the socioeconomic outcomes of different minority groups. Is systemic racism really to blame? In our fast-paced world, it’s tough to make reading a priority. At least it used to be. At Thinkr.org, they summarize the key ideas from new and noteworthy nonfiction, giving you access to an entire library of great books in bite-size form. Read or listen to hundreds of titles in a matter of minutes: start your free trial today at https://thinkr.org/

Farah Jimenez: Race and Culture by Thomas Sowell

What if you could listen in on a conversation between two devils? C.S. Lewis’s "The Screwtape Letters" takes you through letters between Screwtape, a high-ranking demon in the underworld, and his inexperienced nephew, Wormwood, and their plan to deceive man into sin and ultimately hell. Michael Knowles and Seth Dillon of The Babylon Bee discuss Lewis’s satirical masterpiece on this episode.  In our fast-paced world, it’s tough to make reading a priority. At least it used to be. At 

Seth Dillon: The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis

In our fast-paced world, it’s tough to make reading a priority. At least it used to be. At Thinkr.org, they summarize the key ideas from new and noteworthy nonfiction, giving you access to an entire library of great books in bite-size form. Read or listen to hundreds of titles in a matter of minutes: start your free trial today at Thinkr.org.

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