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💭 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 philosophy rooted in continuity, affection, and the poetry of ordinary life.

🎧 In this episode:

• Disraeli’s “Two Nations” and the birth of One Nation Conservatism
• Oakeshott’s critique of rationalism and the politics of tradition
• The conversation between romantic idealism and philosophical restraint
• How their ideas illuminate the moral centre of the conservative tradition

This episode brings our Heritage Series to a close — a journey through the great lineage of conservative and traditionalist thought, from Plato and Augustine, through Burke, de Maistre, and Scruton, to the statesmanship of Disraeli and the quiet wisdom of Oakeshott.

📚 Hosted by Samuel Woodall (PhD Candidate in Intellectual History, University of Buckingham)
🎙️ Produced by Beyond the Text: The Intellectual Historian’s Podcast
🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & all major platforms

#BeyondTheText #HeritageSeries #BenjaminDisraeli #MichaelOakeshott #Conservatism #PoliticalPhilosophy #IntellectualHistory #OneNation #PhilosophyPodcast #HistoryOfIdeas #BritishPolitics

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💭 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 by affection, duty, and shared meaning.

🎧 In this episode:

• Scruton’s defence of tradition and “the good in the familiar”
• His vision of beauty as a moral reality
• The intertwining of home, nation, and sacred order
• How Scruton’s conservatism redefined love, loyalty, and loss in a secular age

This is the fifth instalment in our Heritage Series, tracing the evolution of conservative and traditionalist thought — from Plato and Augustine to de Maistre, Burke, and Scruton — exploring how ideas of order, imagination, and belonging continue to shape civilisation.

📚 Hosted by the History of Ideas Reading Club (University of Buckingham)
🎙️ Produced by Beyond the Text: The Intellectual Historian’s Podcast
🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & all major platforms

#BeyondTheText #HeritageSeries #RogerScruton #PoliticalPhilosophy #Aesthetics #Beauty #Conservatism #IntellectualHistory #PhilosophyPodcast #HistoryOfIdeas

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💭 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. From there, Jack turns to the Romantics — to Wordsworth’s reverence for nature and continuity, and to Byron’s passionate rebellion against rationalist constraint — showing how the age’s poets both deepened and disrupted Burke’s legacy.

🎧 In this episode:

• Burke’s Reflections and the politics of moral imagination
• Wordsworth’s transformation of Burkean feeling into poetic vision
• Byron’s ambivalent embrace of liberty, passion, and tradition
• How Romanticism redefined the language of political and emotional order

This is the fourth instalment of our Heritage Series, tracing the evolution of conservative and traditionalist thought — from Plato and Augustine to de Maistre, Burke, and beyond — exploring how art, faith, and politics intertwine in the making of Western civilisation.

📚 Hosted by the History of Ideas Reading Club (University of Buckingham)
🎙️ Produced by Beyond the Text: The Intellectual Historian’s Podcast
🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & all major platforms

#BeyondTheText #HeritageSeries #EdmundBurke #Wordsworth #Byron #Romanticism #PoliticalPhilosophy #IntellectualHistory #Conservatism #PhilosophyPodcast #HistoryOfIdeas

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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 Petersburg Dialogues, unpacking his vision of providence, order, and political legitimacy in a post-revolutionary world. Through de Maistre, we trace the intellectual foundations of traditionalism and reaction — ideas that would deeply influence later conservative and Catholic political thought.

👉 Watch to learn:

• How de Maistre responded to the chaos of the Revolution
• Why he saw bloodshed as divine justice
• His influence on thinkers like Donoso Cortés, Bonald, and even modern conservatism

🗣️ This episode continues our journey through Heritage: from Plato and Augustine to the philosophical roots of Burkean conservatism, exploring how ideas of order, virtue, and tradition have shaped Western political thought.

📚 Hosted by the History of Ideas Reading Club (University of Buckingham)
🎙️ In association with Beyond the Text: The Intellectual Historian’s Podcast

#HistoryOfIdeas #HeritageSeries #JosephDeMaistre #PoliticalPhilosophy #Conservatism #IntellectualHistory #BeyondTheText #PhilosophyDiscussion

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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 conversation to a wider audience.

#Augustine #CityOfGod #PhilosophyPodcast #HistoryOfIdeas

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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 uniquely capable of grasping the Forms, especially the Form of the Good. Through the voice of Socrates, Plato introduces a tripartite vision of the soul and society, linking justice to inner harmony and political structure. His famous Theory of Forms and the Allegory of the Cave challenge us to rethink what we know—and how we come to know it.

From education and censorship to metaphysics and the nature of truth, we unpack how The Republic continues to shape debates in politics, philosophy, and beyond. Is Plato offering a utopian blueprint or a cautionary tale? And what, if anything, can his ideal polis teach us today?

📚 Recommended Reading:

• Plato, The Republic (esp. Books I–VII)
• Julia Annas, An Introduction to Plato’s Republic
• Karl Popper, The Open Society and Its Enemies

🎙 Hosted by: Samuel Woodall & Jack Thomson
🎧 Podcast: Beyond the Text

Subscribe and tune in for more searching conversations on the foundational texts of political and philosophical thought.

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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 politics through the voice of Socrates. In The Republic, he outlines a tripartite society led by philosopher-kings—those uniquely equipped to grasp the eternal truths of justice and the good. He advances his famous Theory of Forms, arguing that the physical world is only a shadow of a higher, unchanging realm of perfect ideas.

From the allegory of the cave to the vision of a hierarchical yet harmonious state, Plato’s work raises timeless questions about truth, power, education, and the soul. Admired by some as a blueprint for rational governance and condemned by others as authoritarian, The Republic continues to provoke debate across philosophy, politics, and literature.

📚 Recommended Reading:

• Plato, The Republic (especially Books I–VII)
• Julia Annas, An Introduction to Plato’s Republic
• Karl Popper, The Open Society and Its Enemies

🎙 Hosted by: The History of Ideas Club
📍 Recorded live in London

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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 the "original position" and the "veil of ignorance." Rawls offers a bold moral argument for a redistributive welfare state, aiming to reconcile freedom with social cooperation.

We then explore the key critiques of Rawls. Robert Nozick’s Anarchy, State, and Utopia (1974) challenges Rawls from the right, defending a minimal state based on property rights and voluntary exchange. On the other side, Michael Sandel offers a communitarian response, questioning Rawls' abstract model of the individual and pushing back against the idea that justice can be detached from cultural and moral context.

Together, we trace the philosophical rifts between egalitarianism, libertarianism, and communitarianism—and reflect on how these debates remain vital for understanding justice, power, and the limits of liberalism today.

📚 Recommended Reading:

• John Rawls, A Theory of Justice
• Robert Nozick, Anarchy, State, and Utopia
• Michael Sandel, Liberalism and the Limits of Justice

🎙 Hosted by: Samuel Woodall & Jack Thomson
🎧 Podcast: Beyond the Text

Subscribe and follow for more in-depth conversations on the thinkers and theories that have shaped the world of ideas.