Madness in America: Part I

010 - C. Travis Webb and Steven Fullwood discuss the history of denial in America, from Thomas Jefferson to the 2016 election. Should denial be considered a form of collective madness, and has social media made our denial worse?

Context Collapse

009 - C. Travis Webb and Seph Rodney discuss "context collapse." This is the idea that "new media" has decontextualized the facts of our lives and cultures. We don't have enough information to make judgments about one another. Is this a new phenomenon, and is it necessarily bad? How might we deal with it?

Violence in a Free Society

008 - C. Travis Webb and Steven Fullwood discuss whether free, heterogeneous societies must tolerate some degree of violence. Is violence the cost we all must bear to live with difference?

Moral Responsibility and Corporate America

007 - C. Travis Webb and Seph Rodney discuss corporate responsibility. What does it mean when corporations become the guardians of democracy?

David Lynch's Mulholland Drive

006 - Steven Fullword and C. Travis Webb discuss David Lynch's Mulholland Drive. What is the relationship between storytelling and film?

Secrecy In Intimate Relationships

005 - Secrets are an inextricable part of intimate relationships--not only keeping them together, but keeping them from each other. A wide ranging discussion between C. Travis Webb, Seph Rodney, and Steven Fullwood.

Public Outrage: Part 2

004 - C. Travis Webb and Seph Rodney continue their discussion about public outrage. Does expertise bring wisdom? Is outrage at elites justified? This and much more is discussed in this second of a two part discussion.

Public Outrage: Part 1

003 - In this episode C. Travis Webb and Seph Rodney discuss the coarsening of civic culture. What are the results and causes of public outrage? Are they historical or psychological? Part I of II

Faith in the Future

002 - In this episode C. Travis Webb and Seph Rodney discuss faith in the future. Is faith in the future justifiable or naive? Contrasting Ta-Nehisi Coates with Jeffrey Goldberg (the editor of The Atlantic), Webb argues that "faith" isn't the point, and Rodney emphasizes the importance of honesty in any assessment of the American project.

Unlucky Days

001 - On the inaugural episode of The American Age podcast, C. Travis Webb and Seph Rodney discuss “unlucky days.” Taking inspiration from the Mayan tradition of the haab (i.e. the five “unnamed” days that fall between the end of the old sun calendar and the start of the new) Travis and Seph discuss the days between Christmas and New Year, and the ways in which we try to make sense of our lives.