Added 4.25.19. In this 1986 episode, Milt and Rabbi Harold Kushner explore questions for The Ages stemming from Kushner’s then just-published book, “When All You’ve Ever Wanted Isn’t Enough: Living A Life That Matters.” It became a bestseller, and followed Kushner’s breakout 1981 bestseller, “When Bad Things Happen To Good People,” inspired partly by the death of Kushner’s son at 14 in 1977 from a progressive aging disease. Milt and Kushner probe how we can elevate virtue over despair, sidestep pursuit of false purposes, and be able approach the end of life with equanimity.

Added 2.5.19. In this vintage 1993 episode Milt and two classicists examine how the Ancient Greeks endured a not-entirely hostile takeover by the nascent Roman Empire, and what happened after that. How, within several centuries, did a bunch of Roman provincials dwelling on seven hills and embroiled in feuds with other narrowly-focused rivals, gain control of southern Europe and develop a polity encompassing something like universal citizens’ rights and reasonably bright expectations for the future? And how was it – other than their well-known foibles and indulgences – that the Romans could not maintain their primacy? Driving this lively discussion along with the host were Daniel H. Garrison and Edwin P. Menes. Garrison was a classics professor at Northwestern University and Menes a classics scholar at Loyola University, Chicago.

Added 1.30.19. Dim that PC, pause the iPod, put down the iPhone. Quick, now: if the point of life were to perfect the soul and the intellect, how would you go about it? Surely not by sharing another “viral” cat video. Such are the challenges posed by the discipline of philosophy, Platonic branch. Diving deep but as always, keeping it accessible and lively, Milt in this 2010 episode is joined by learned guest Kenneth Seeskin, a professor of Jewish Civilization at Northwestern University. They chart what’s inside and outside the circles of the Venn Diagram connecting the Bible, and the essential Greek, Jewish, Catholic and Muslim philosophers. Philo Judaeus, Maimonides, Spinozza, St. Thomas Acquinas and the Koran all get their due. Seeskin’s books include “The Cambridge Companion To Maimonides,” “Maimonides On The Origin Of The World,” and “Jewish Philosophy In A Secular Age.”

Added 12.5.18. Guest Richard Epstein – a legal and political scholar – lays out the tenets of classical liberalism versus modern day progressivism. The differences are fairly vast, and instructive. He was, at the time of this interview, the author most recently of “Why Progressive Institutions Are Unsustainable.” Epstein is a professor of law and director of the Classical Liberal Institute at New York University, and a senior lecturer at The University of Chicago. His book, “Takings: Private Property And The Power Of Eminent Domain,” proved controversial for its arguments about limits on the government’s power, but has been cited in several Supreme Court rulings. He is also the author of “Simple Rules For A Complex World,” in which he argues for more limited and clear government rule-making.

Added 9.18.18. Milt in this vintage 1980 broadcast talks with noted philosopher, educator and author Mortimer Adler about his then-new book, “How To Think About God: A Guide For The 20th Century Pagan.” His central contention is that “there are rational grounds for believing that God exists.” Milt, a self-admitted “20th Century Pagan,” spars in a friendly but probing manner with Adler about how non-believers should approach the idea of God, if at all. Adler was a prolific writer and influential popular intellectual of the 20th Century. Early in his career he was appointed a professor of the philosophy of law at the University of Chicago Law School. Among many other pursuits, he later co-founded the Great Books Of The Western World program, and served as an editorial director for Encyclopedia Britannica. Among his dozens of other books were, “How To Read A Book,” “The Capitalist Manifesto,” “The Idea Of Freedom,” “Reforming Education,” and “How To Think About The Great Ideas.”