Beyond the Text: The Intellectual Historian's Podcast

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Beyond the Text: The Intellectual Historian's Podcast

Samuel Woodall

47 episodes

1 month ago

Send us a text 💭 Can politics be an art of belonging rather than a science of control? In this final instalment of the Heritage Series, Samuel Woodall explores the enduring legacy of Benjamin Disraeli and Michael Oakeshott — two thinkers who gave conservatism its humane and imaginative character. From Disraeli’s Sybil and the vision of “One Nation” politics, to Oakeshott’s On Being Conservative and his defence of civil association, Sam traces how both figures reimagined conservatism as a phil...

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Society & Culture,

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Send us a text 💭 Can politics be an art of belonging rather than a science of control? In this final instalment of the Heritage Series, Samuel Woodall explores the enduring legacy of Benjamin Disraeli and Michael Oakeshott — two thinkers who gave conservatism its humane and imaginative character. From Disraeli’s Sybil and the vision of “One Nation” politics, to Oakeshott’s On Being Conservative and his defence of civil association, Sam traces how both figures reimagined conservatism as a phil...

Show more...

Society & Culture,

Episodes (20/47)

Beyond the Text: The Intellectual Historian's Podcast

History of Ideas Club: Disraeli and Oakeshott

Send us a text 💭 Can politics be an art of belonging rather than a science of control? In this final instalment of the Heritage Series, Samuel Woodall explores the enduring legacy of Benjamin Disraeli and Michael Oakeshott — two thinkers who gave conservatism its humane and imaginative character. From Disraeli’s Sybil and the vision of “One Nation” politics, to Oakeshott’s On Being Conservative and his defence of civil association, Sam traces how both figures reimagined conservatism as a phil...

1 month ago

1 hour 10 minutes

Beyond the Text: The Intellectual Historian's Podcast

History of Ideas Club: Roger Scruton

Send us a text 💭 Can conservatism be a culture of love rather than fear? In this episode, Jack Thomson explores the life and thought of Sir Roger Scruton (1944–2020) — philosopher, writer, musician, and one of the most articulate defenders of beauty, belonging, and the sacred in modern life. Through works such as The Meaning of Conservatism, Beauty, and England: An Elegy, Jack examines how Scruton sought to recover the moral imagination of the West — a world held together not by ideology, but...

1 month ago

1 hour 19 minutes

Beyond the Text: The Intellectual Historian's Podcast

History of Ideas Club: Edmund Burke and the Romantic Poets

Send us a text 💭 Can feeling and imagination preserve what reason alone cannot? In this episode, Jack Thomson explores how Edmund Burke’s political vision of order, tradition, and moral imagination found unexpected echoes in the Romantic movement — especially in the poetry of Wordsworth and Byron. Through Burke’s Reflections on the Revolution in France, we trace the emergence of the conservative imagination: the belief that society is a living organism shaped by inherited wisdom and sentiment...

2 months ago

1 hour 10 minutes

Beyond the Text: The Intellectual Historian's Podcast

History of Ideas Club: Joseph de Maistre

Send us a text Welcome to the third instalment of our Heritage Series, part of the History of Ideas Reading Club, hosted by Jack Thomson (MA Philosophy, University of Buckingham). In this session, we turn to the fiercely counter-revolutionary thought of Joseph de Maistre (1753–1821) — one of the most provocative and eloquent defenders of authority, monarchy, and faith in the wake of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution. Jack explores de Maistre’s Considerations on France and The St Pet...

2 months ago

1 hour 15 minutes

Beyond the Text: The Intellectual Historian's Podcast

History of Ideas Club: Augustine's City of God

Send us a text In this episode of the History of Ideas Club, Jack Thomson (MA Philosophy, University of Buckingham) leads a discussion on St Augustine’s The City of God. We explore Augustine’s response to the fall of Rome, his vision of the earthly and heavenly cities, and the influence of his thought on theology, politics, and philosophy. The History of Ideas Club meets bi-weekly in London to read and debate classic texts in philosophy and political thought. This recording brings the convers...

3 months ago

1 hour 8 minutes

Beyond the Text: The Intellectual Historian's Podcast

Plato's Republic

Send us a text In this episode of Beyond the Text, Samuel Woodall and Jack Thomson sit down for an in-depth discussion on Plato’s Republic—one of the most influential works in the history of political thought. Written against the backdrop of Athenian political upheaval and the trial of Socrates, The Republic presents Plato’s radical vision of justice, order, and philosophical rule. We explore Plato’s critique of democracy and his proposal for an ideal state ruled by philosopher-kings—those un...

7 months ago

1 hour 22 minutes

Beyond the Text: The Intellectual Historian's Podcast

Rawls and Sandel

Send us a text In this episode of Beyond the Text, Samuel Woodall and Jack Thomson take a deep dive into the thought of John Rawls, exploring his major contribution to liberal political philosophy and the critiques it provoked from both libertarian and communitarian perspectives. We begin with A Theory of Justice (1971), where Rawls develops his influential idea of "justice as fairness"—a theory grounded in the principles of liberty and equality, structured around the thought experiments of t...

7 months ago

1 hour 17 minutes

Beyond the Text: The Intellectual Historian's Podcast

History of Ideas Club: Plato's Republic

Send us a text In this History of Ideas Club session, we turn to one of the foundational texts of Western political thought: Plato’s Republic. Written in the aftermath of Athens’ political turmoil and the execution of Socrates, The Republic reflects Plato’s deep skepticism toward democracy and his radical vision for a just society governed by wisdom rather than popular opinion. Plato (c. 427–347 BCE), student of Socrates and teacher of Aristotle, presents a powerful critique of Athenian polit...

7 months ago

1 hour 7 minutes

Beyond the Text: The Intellectual Historian's Podcast

History of Ideas Club: Rawls and Sandel

Send us a text In this session of the History of Ideas Club, we dive into the thought of John Rawls, one of the towering figures of 20th-century political philosophy, and explore the debate he sparked with thinkers like Robert Nozick and Michael Sandel. Rawls’ seminal work, A Theory of Justice (1971), redefined liberal political thought with his concept of "justice as fairness"—a vision rooted in equality, individual liberty, and the famous thought experiments of the "original position" and t...

7 months ago

1 hour 21 minutes

Beyond the Text: The Intellectual Historian's Podcast

F. A. Hayek: Law, Legislation, and Liberty

Send us a text In this episode of Beyond the Text, we dive into Friedrich Hayek’s Law, Legislation, and Liberty, a profound exploration of legal philosophy, governance, and the limits of state power. Hayek draws a crucial distinction between law and legislation, arguing for the primacy of spontaneous order over centralized control. How do his insights shape our understanding of freedom, democracy, and the rule of law? And what relevance do they hold in today’s political climate? Join us as we...

9 months ago

1 hour 31 minutes

Beyond the Text: The Intellectual Historian's Podcast

The History Of Ideas And Political Thought Reading Club Presents: Liberty Series, Hayek.

Send us a text In this session of the History of Ideas Reading Club, we explore Friedrich Hayek's influential ideas on knowledge, society, and governance. We discuss his distinction between scientific knowledge and knowledge about the operations of society, questioning how our ignorance of the complex systems of social interaction impacts freedom. 🤔🌍 Hayek's view that social institutions cannot be rationally constructed from scratch leads us to examine the concept of society as a ‘spontaneous...

9 months ago

1 hour 24 minutes

Beyond the Text: The Intellectual Historian's Podcast

The French Existentialists: Sartre, De Beauvoir, Camus

Send us a text In this episode, we dive into the key ideas of Sartre, De Beauvoir, and Camus, exploring how French existentialism reshaped our understanding of freedom, responsibility, and justice. 🔹 Jean-Paul Sartre – Being and Nothingness What does it mean to exist in a world without inherent meaning? We examine Sartre’s distinction between being-in-itself and being-for-itself, his concept of bad faith, and the ethical consequences of "existence precedes essence." 🔹 Simone de Beauvoir – Th...

9 months ago

1 hour 17 minutes

Beyond the Text: The Intellectual Historian's Podcast

John Stuart Mill, Linchpin Between Classical and Modern Liberalism

Send us a text John Stuart Mill (1806–1873) wasn’t just a brilliant thinker—he was the product of an intense intellectual environment, shaped from childhood by his father, James Mill, and the utilitarian circle of Jeremy Bentham. Trained rigorously in logic, philosophy, and economics, Mill was expected to carry forward the utilitarian mission of maximizing happiness through reason and reform. But this pressure came at a cost. By his early twenties, Mill suffered a crisis that led him to quest...

10 months ago

1 hour 20 minutes

Beyond the Text: The Intellectual Historian's Podcast

John Locke, Edmund Burke and Thomas Paine - The Quest for Liberty

Send us a text In this episode, Samuel Woodall and Jack Thomson explore the ideas of John Locke and Thomas Paine, building on and going beyond the discussion at the History of Ideas Club. Locke’s Two Treatises of Government argued that governments derive legitimacy from the consent of the governed, laying the groundwork for modern liberal democracy. Paine took this further, calling for radical action in Common Sense and The Rights of Man, rejecting monarchy and gradual reform in favor of imme...

11 months ago

1 hour 19 minutes

Beyond the Text: The Intellectual Historian's Podcast

The History Of Ideas & Political Thought Reading Club Presents: Liberty Series French Existentialism

Send us a text History of Ideas Club (Live) | The French Existentialists In this session of the Liberty series, hosted by Samuel Woodall and Jack Thomson from the Buckingham Political Thought Reading Club, we delve into the world of French existentialism. Join us as we explore the key ideas of Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and Albert Camus—examining concepts like radical freedom, bad faith, authenticity, and the absurd. The discussion also covers existentialism's intersections with f...

11 months ago

1 hour 21 minutes

Beyond the Text: The Intellectual Historian's Podcast

The History Of Ideas And Political Thought Reading Club Presents: Liberty Series: John Stuart Mill

Send us a textJoin us as we delve into the life and legacy of John Stuart Mill (1806–1873), one of the most influential thinkers of the 19th century. This seminar explores how Mill's intellectual development was shaped by the close-knit network of families, mentors, and philosophical allies surrounding him. Raised under the rigorous tutelage of his father, James Mill—a key figure in the utilitarian movement—Mill was groomed to advance the utilitarian ideals of reason, reform, and social progr...

11 months ago

1 hour 15 minutes

Beyond the Text: The Intellectual Historian's Podcast

The History Of Ideas And Political Thought Reading Club Presents: Liberty Series, Locke & Paine.

Send us a textJohn Locke (1632–1704), a key figure of the Enlightenment, is known for his contributions to philosophy, politics, and epistemology. His Essay Concerning Human Understanding introduces the concept of the tabula rasa, arguing that the mind begins as a blank slate, acquiring knowledge solely through experience. This empiricist view challenged traditional notions of innate ideas, such as Plato’s Forms or the Christian doctrine of original sin.A Letter Concerning Toleration fur...

1 year ago

1 hour 11 minutes

Beyond the Text: The Intellectual Historian's Podcast

Rousseau's Social Contract and the Civic Religion

Send us a text In this new episode of Beyond the Text, we're introducing an exciting format going forward! Join Samuel Woodall (PhD Candidate in Intellectual History) and Jack Thomson (MA in Philosophy), both from the University of Buckingham, as they team up to explore Jean-Jacques Rousseau's The Social Contract. Together, they delve into the revolutionary ideas of the General Will, the principles of civic religion, and Rousseau's vision of a political community. This engaging discussion bl...

1 year ago

57 minutes

Beyond the Text: The Intellectual Historian's Podcast

The History Of Ideas And Political Thought Reading Club Presents: Liberty Series, Rousseau.

Send us a textThis week's discussion will focus on Book 4 of Jean-Jacques Rousseau's The Social Contract. In this section, Rousseau delves into the complexities of the general will, the role of the sovereign, and the delicate balance between individual freedom and collective authority within the state. We'll explore Rousseau's arguments on the necessity of civil religion, the challenges posed by factions, and his provocative assertion that individuals may need to be "forced to be free." Our d...

1 year ago

1 hour 20 minutes

Beyond the Text: The Intellectual Historian's Podcast

Explorations - The Plinian Society and the Birth of Evolutionary Science in 19th-Century Edinburgh

Send us a textWhat if the intellectual debates of 19th-century Edinburgh held the secrets to modern evolutionary science? Join us on Beyond the Text as we uncover the fascinating world of the Plinian Society, where influential minds like Robert Jameson and Robert Edmund Grant engaged in fiery discussions about Lamarckian theory amidst a thriving scientific and literary culture. Discover how the Enlightenment ideals of the time fueled groundbreaking ideas, with contributions from Abraham Gottl...

1 year ago

12 minutes