18. Church, State, and Higher Education — Vincent Phillip Muñoz

What does it mean to have a right—and who decides its limits?

In this episode of Tocqueville Talks, Brent Nelsen and Beth L’Arrivée sit down with Vincent Phillip Muñoz, Tocqueville Chair in Political Science at the University of Notre Dame, for a wide-ranging conversation on religious liberty, natural rights, and the American constitutional tradition.

Drawing on the principles of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and the political thought of the American founding, Muñoz challenges modern assumptions about rights as absolute “trumps.” Instead, he explores an earlier understanding in which rights are grounded in moral reasoning, shaped by communities, and limited by questions of justice.

The conversation traces Muñoz’s intellectual journey—from Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas to the American founding—and examines how debates about virtue, freedom, and authority continue to shape contemporary disputes over speech, religion, and education.

Key themes include:

The meaning and limits of natural rights
Competing interpretations of religious liberty in American law
The shift from local to judicial authority in church–state questions
Whether the United States can be meaningfully called a “Christian nation”
The relationship between morality, law, and political authority
The crisis of higher education and the politicization of the classroom

Throughout, the discussion returns to a central question: If rights are the language of justice, how should we understand their proper use—and their limits—in a free society?

Recorded during a Tocqueville Center event at Furman University, this episode brings philosophical depth to some of the most contested questions in American public life.

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(32)

32. The NSA Director on Special Forces, Cyber, AI & the Threats Ahead

What does a career in Special Forces teach you about the threats America faces today?General Joshua Rudd has spent his career at the intersection of military service, national security, and a rapidly ...

1 Loka 36min

31. Finland's President Alexander Stubb on Political Philosophy, Power & a World in Transition

What can political philosophy teach a president about leadership, power, and a changing international order?In this episode of Tocqueville Talks, Alexander Stubb, President of the Republic of Finland,...

24 Syys 31min

30. Why College Should Challenge What You Believe | Tocqueville Fellows on Learning to Disagree

What if the purpose of college isn't to confirm what you believe—but to teach you how to question it?In this episode of Tocqueville Talks, Furman University students Laura Grace McSwain and Liza Sherb...

21 Syys 22min

29. The Big Questions Facing American Democracy | Tocqueville Talks 2026–27 Preview

What are the biggest questions facing American democracy—and how can universities create spaces where they are seriously debated?In this season-opening episode of Tocqueville Talks, Tocqueville Center...

10 Syys 30min

28. Why Americans Are So Patriotic | Tocqueville's Surprising Answer

Why does patriotism seem so powerful in America—and what happens when it begins to disappear?As Americans celebrate the nation's 250th anniversary, Alexis de Tocqueville's reflections on patriotism ma...

10 Heinä 23min

27. Why the Old Political Order Is Cracking | Populism, MAGA, and the Future of Democracy

For generations, politics in Europe and America was dominated by large, stable political parties. Today, those old political alignments are breaking down.Why are voters abandoning established parties?...

3 Heinä 35min

26. What Swimming Can Teach Us About Democracy | Tocqueville's Forgotten Insight

What can a neighborhood swim league teach us about democracy?More than you might think.When Alexis de Tocqueville visited America in 1831, he was astonished by what he called associations—ordinary cit...

25 Kesä 41min

25. Is the Postwar Order Ending? Europe, Trump, Ukraine, and the Future of the West — Eleanor Beardsley

For eighty years, Europe and the United States built a common political, economic, and military order.Today, many Europeans wonder whether that world is ending.In this episode of Tocqueville Talks, Br...

18 Kesä 27min