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Episode 273

The Idea & Threat of Progress w/ Samuel Miller McDonald

October 8th, 2026

56 mins 10 secs

Your Host

About this Episode

Philip welcomes Samuel Miller McDonald, author of Progress: How One Idea Built Civilization and Now Threatens to Destroy It to the show. In their conversation, they trace the idea of progress through western thought and how this dominant worldview threatens the world we live in.

The Drop – The segment of the show where Philip and his guest share tasty morsels of intellectual goodness and creative musings.

Philip’s Drop:
The Wounded Generation: Coming Home After WWII – David Nasaw

Samuel’s Drop:
Suttree – Cormac McCarthy