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)

#479: Becoming a Digital Minimalist [RE-BROADCAST]

#479: Becoming a Digital Minimalist [RE-BROADCAST]

This is a re-broadcast. The episode originally ran in February 2019. Practicing minimalism with your possessions has been a trend for the past decade, and it can be a worthy practice, as long as you ...

1 Heinä 20201h 4min

#623: How to Make Better Decisions by Thinking Like a Rocket Scientist

#623: How to Make Better Decisions by Thinking Like a Rocket Scientist

When someone is struggling with a seemingly easy problem, someone else might say, "Come on, it's not rocket science!" The inference being that rocket science represents the pinnacle of complexity. But...

29 Kesä 202050min

#622: How to Simplify Your Life and Get Off the Grid

#622: How to Simplify Your Life and Get Off the Grid

Many dream of leaving the city and all its tethers and obligations and creating a simpler, more independent life farther from the mainstream population and entirely off the grid. But how do you go fro...

24 Kesä 202054min

#621: The Causes and Cures of Childhood Anxiety

#621: The Causes and Cures of Childhood Anxiety

Everyone feels under greater psychic pressure these days, but we adults hope that children, who have always been seen as naturally resilient, have been spared the stress. Unfortunately, kids are incre...

22 Kesä 202044min

#620: How to Deal With Life's Regrets

#620: How to Deal With Life's Regrets

We've all asked "what if" questions about our life: What if I had majored in art instead of business? What if I had let my best friend know I liked her as more than a friend? What if I had taken the j...

17 Kesä 202049min

#619: What Driving Tells Us About Agency, Skill, and Freedom

#619: What Driving Tells Us About Agency, Skill, and Freedom

According to Silicon Valley, self-driving cars are the future of transportation. Instead of owning and driving a car, you can just summon an AI-operated vehicle with your smartphone and have this supe...

15 Kesä 202057min

#618: Finding Connection in a Lonely World

#618: Finding Connection in a Lonely World

We've all been there: you're sitting at home some evening and you don't have plans, you haven't heard from family or friends for awhile, and you've got things on your mind, but don't feel like there's...

10 Kesä 202046min

#617: What It's Like to Go to Army Ranger School

#617: What It's Like to Go to Army Ranger School

Which branch of the military has the toughest training course for its officers and special operators is a matter of animated debate, but there's no question that the Army's Ranger School is a viable c...

8 Kesä 202039min

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
puhutaan-koiraa
kesken
psykologia
rss-valo-minussa-2
rss-tietoinen-yhteys-podcast-2
rss-duodecim-lehti
rss-psykalab
leikitaanko-laakaria
rss-lasnaolon-hetkia-mindfulness-tutuksi
rss-vapaudu-voimaasi
rss-hereilla
rss-rentotapaus