GDT Podcast / Episode 45Philanthropy Daily

In this week’s episode of Givers, Doers, & Thinkers, Jeremy speaks with Joshua Mitchell about how and why today’s neo-Puritans think our liberation depends on destroying those mediating institutions that constitute civil society.

Joshua Mitchell is a professor of political theory at Georgetown University. He was on the start team for Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service in Doha, Qatar, and has taught courses there periodically for the past 15 years. He was also the Acting Chancellor of The American University of Iraq–Sulaimani. His research interests lie in the relationship between political thought and theology in the West. Dr. Mitchell has written several books, including Not by Reason Alone, The Fragility of Freedom, Plato’s Fable, Tocqueville in Arabia: Dilemmas in the Democratic Age, and his most recent book, American Awakening: Identity Politics and Other Afflictions of Our Time. 

Jeremy and Joshua start by discussing identity politics’ impact on civil society and its transition into a religious movement. Joshua shares a bit on the idea of “scapegoating” and the rise of anti-liberal movements in America—it’s not quite what you think. This is an action-packed conversation, delving into Joshua’s insights on Trump, political competence, social justice, and rebuilding mediating institutions. 

You can find Givers, Doers, & Thinkers here at Philanthropy Daily and at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Buzzsprout, and wherever you listen to podcasts.

We’d love to hear your thoughts, ideas, questions, and recommendations for the podcast! You can shoot Katie Janus, GDT’s producer, an email anytime!