The Surprising Pessimism of America's Founding Fathers

The Surprising Pessimism of America's Founding Fathers

When Americans think about their country's Founding Fathers, they tend to think of them as cool and competent figures, who were supremely confident in the superiority and longevity of the republican government they had created.

But my guest says that nearly all the founders experienced great internal and external conflict in conjunction with the new government, and came to be greatly pessimistic about the future of the democratic experiment they had helped birth. His name is Dennis C. Rasmussen and he's a professor of political theory and the author of Fears of a Setting Sun: The Disillusionment of America's Founders. Today on the show, Dennis unpacks how four of the founders — George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson — ultimately came to worry that the American republic wouldn't last past their own generation, based on concerns that ranged from the rise of partisanship to a lack of virtue amongst the American citizenry. Dennis also discusses why it was that one founder, James Madison, remained optimistic about the future of the country. We end our conversation with why the disillusionment of the founders actually carries a message of hope for us.

Get the show notes at aom.is/settingsun.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jaksot(1159)

The (Non-Cliche) Life Lessons of Fly Fishing

The (Non-Cliche) Life Lessons of Fly Fishing

Fishing has long lent itself to imparting philosophical parallels and metaphorical life lessons. But these homespun platitudes can, to be honest, tend to get a little timeworn and cliche. My guest to...

5 Touko 202147min

The Best Tools for Personal Change

The Best Tools for Personal Change

There's no shortage of information out there on how to change — how to lose weight, exercise more, curb your anger, quit smoking, and every other kind of habit someone might want to pick up or drop. B...

3 Touko 202146min

How to Keep Your Edge as You Get Older

How to Keep Your Edge as You Get Older

It's a common life trajectory for men: graduate college, get married, get a 9 to 5 job, have some kids, settle down in the suburbs. And somewhere along that way, they start to get a little soft and st...

28 Huhti 202143min

The Hidden Qualities of Genius

The Hidden Qualities of Genius

We tend to throw the word "genius" around pretty casually, saying so-and-so has a genius for a particular skill, or sarcastically pointing out someone's failure by saying, "Nice work, genius!" But wha...

26 Huhti 202140min

One Man's Impossible Quest — To Make Friends in Adulthood

One Man's Impossible Quest — To Make Friends in Adulthood

Several years ago, there was a tweet that went viral which said that of Jesus' many miracles, perhaps his greatest, was having 12 close friends in his 30s. As people say, it's funny, because it's true...

21 Huhti 202137min

Why Are We Restless?

Why Are We Restless?

Most everyone has experienced restlessness from time to time. A feeling of wanting more, but being unsure of how to find it; of struggling with distraction, but being unsure of what to focus on; of st...

19 Huhti 202148min

The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini

The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini

Quick, think of a famous magician. Dimes to donuts, you just thought of Harry Houdini. Though it's been almost a century since his death, Houdini still occupies a prime place in the cultural imaginati...

14 Huhti 202153min

The No-Nonsense Guide to Simplifying Every Aspect of Your Life

The No-Nonsense Guide to Simplifying Every Aspect of Your Life

Before Gary Collins left a bureaucratic government job to pursue a more independent existence off the grid, he had to work on downsizing and decluttering his life. The lessons he learned in ultimately...

12 Huhti 202150min

Suosittua kategoriassa Koulutus

rss-murhan-anatomia
voi-hyvin-meditaatiot-2
psykopodiaa-podcast
rss-narsisti
rss-liian-kuuma-peruna
adhd-podi
rss-rahamania
rss-niinku-asia-on
kesken
psykologia
rss-tietoinen-yhteys-podcast-2
rss-valo-minussa-2
leikitaanko-laakaria
puhutaan-koiraa
rss-duodecim-lehti
rahapuhetta
rss-psykalab
rss-hereilla
rss-kohti-tasapainoista-ja-lempeaa-elamaa
rss-rahataito-podcast