maurinacademy 
The Maurin Academy’s Great Books reading group will meet Thursday, June 5 at 7 p.m. to discuss an early statement on the situation laborers in industrial capitalism: Rerum Novarum: The Rights and Duties of Capital and Labor by Pope Leo XIII (1891). We decided on this work in the wake of the election of Pope … Read more
Dr. Matthew Dal Santo joins Spencer to discuss his Communio article (https://www.communio-icr.com/articles/print/a-theological-reading-of-the-russian-regime-sergei-bulgakov-and-the-theocra) on Russia’s political regime. We discuss some of the distinctions between being “sub-theocratic”, “post-theocratic”, and anti-theocratic, as well as how these categories intersect with genuine and degraded theologies. This podcast is brought to you by Spencer Hess with the support of The Maurin … Read more
We are thrilled to welcome guest lecturer Harry Murray who will be teaching four classes over the next year, once every three months. The third session in this series will be held on Monday, May 12 at 7 p.m. US Central Time, live on Zoom. Harry will be discussing several of French Personalists including, but … Read more
Spencer and Laurie talk with Prof. Jodi Dean about themes from her new book Capital’s Grave: Neofeudalism and the New Class Struggle (Verso, 2025). The theme of neofeudalism is one we have returned to several times as it seems more and more clear that our economy has moved well past competition into monopolies and highly concentrated wealth.
We need a solid understanding of ethics now more than ever, and knowing Aristotle’s Ethics can help us with that. Starting May 19, Dr Laurie Johnson will lead a four week series on Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics, with an emphasis on its use in Christian theology and practice in the final session. The class will take place on four Mondays: May 19 & 26th, June 2 & 9. Readings will be supplied but reading is not mandatory.
Laurie Johnson was recently interviewed by Jeffrey Church of the Political Theory Review podcast about her book, The Gap in God’s Country.
Laurie interviews a very special guest, and Spencer misses out on the best interview in Dustbowl Diatribes three seasons.
Laurie Johnson just completed a four-part series on The Maurin Academy’s Political Philosophy YouTube channel on American Founder James Madison’s Federalist 10, which argues that the great extent of the American territory, and the Federal system, will work to protect the United States from the emergence of a faction of the majority and demagogues that could work against the common good.
On April 7, at 7 p.m. the Maurin Academy will host Dr Eugene McCarraher, author of The Enchantments of Mammon, live on Zoom for Patreon subscribers and guests registered on Eventbrite. Dr. McCarraher will speak on “The Enchantments of Mammon and Techne” as part of the Maurin Academy 2025 speaker series. Join this live event by becoming a patron of the Maurin Academy, or register on Eventbrite.
John Rao visits Dustbowl Diatribes for an episode tracing periods of “sleep” and revival in Catholic history.