Jonathan talks to Jack Jacobs about the influence of Burke on his political thought and why he describes himself as an old whig in the mould of Burke.

Jonathan talks to Dr Luke Torrisi about living through the demographic and cultural transformation of southwestern Sydney in the 1980s, his involvement on the right of the NSW Liberal Party in the 1990s and 2000s, and finding his spiritual home in traditionalist conservatism.

The second in a series exploring the political ideas of the Right through intellectual biography. Terrain covered in this episode: Libertarianism Anarcho-capitalism Traditionalist Conservatism Conservative Liberalism Ordoliberalism

A new series profiling interesting personalities and thinkers on the Aussie Right (conservatives, libertarians, liberals and populists). Jordan Dittloff is the lead Senate candidate for the Libertarian Party in Victoria.

Intellectual historian Prof Wayne Hudson returns to the show for a discussion about his latest research project: Australian political thought. The Political Animals is hosted by Dr ⁠Jonathan Cole⁠, an academic, writer, speaker and translator specialising in political theology: the intersection of religion and politics. Jonathan was a senior terrori…

Simon Kennedy joins Jonathan for a conversation about twentieth century American conservative intellectual Peter Viereck and his critique of so-called new conservatism in America. Simon Kennedy has a PhD in history from the University of Queensland (UQ). He is currently Associate Editor of ⁠Quadrant Magazine⁠ and a Research Fellow in the Law School…

Simon Kennedy joins Jonathan for a conversation about conservative philosophy Eric Voegelin’s essay Politics, Science, and Gnosticism, and in particular his thesis that major 20th century political and intellectual movements are modern manifestations of gnosticism. Simon Kennedy has a PhD in history from the University of Queensland (UQ). He is cur…

Ian Tregenza joins Jonathan for a conversation about the history of Quadrant Magazine and its cultural impact in Australia, and particularly on the nature of conservatism in Australia. Ian is an Associate Professor at the School of Social Sciences at Macquarie University. He works in the areas of political theory, the history of political thought a…

Jonathan talks to Libertarian Party member Pietro Angeli about the anarcho-capitalist alternative to the state. Pietro Angeli is a member of the Libertarian Party State Executive in Victoria. The Political Animals is hosted by Dr ⁠⁠Jonathan Cole⁠⁠, a scholar, writer and translator specialising in political theology: the intersection of religion and…

Jonathan is joined by Tim Wilson, Executive Director of NZ think tank Maxim Institute, for a conversation about faith and politics across the ditch (detch). Tim Wilson is currently Executive Director of Maxim Institute. Prior to this role, Tim was an award-winning journalist working in print, radio and television. His work has appeared in The New Y…

This is part 2 of Jonathan's conversation with Josh Lewis of the Saving Elephants podcast on the topic of political theology. Check out the Saving Elephants podcast here: "Millennials defending and expressing conservative values." The Political Animals is hosted by Dr Jonathan Cole, a scholar, writer and translator specialising in political theolog…

This is the first of Jonathan's two-part conversation with Josh Lewis of the Saving Elephants podcast on the topic of political theology. Check out the Saving Elephants podcast here: "Millennials defending and expressing conservative values." The Political Animals is hosted by Dr Jonathan Cole, a scholar, writer and translator specialising in polit…

Constitutional scholar Nicholas Aroney joins Jonathan for an examination of the legal meaning and implications of the proposed new s129 in the Australia Constitution that establishes the Voice, and which is the subject of a referendum on 14 October. Nicholas Aroney is Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Queensland. He has published…

Jonathan is joined by Iain Benson for a conversation about values and virtues. They discuss the triumph of technique over purpose in our contemporary culture, the problems with adopting "values" as our primary moral language and the need to recover the ancient moral language of virtue. Iain Benson is Professor of Law at Notre Dame University, Sydne…

Clive Hamilton joins the show to discuss his left-wing critique of wokeness published in the Sydney Morning Herald. Clive Hamilton is Professor of Public Ethics at Charles Sturt University. He is the found of The Australia Institute and the author of many books, including Defiant Earth: The Fate of Humans in the Anthropocene, Silent Invasion: China…

In this episode, Jonathan engages in a conversation about conservatism with political philosopher and radical feminist Holly Lawford-Smith. They do so by discussing Burke's classic text, Reflections on The Revolution in France, which they both read (Holly for the first time) in preparation for the podcast. The conversation ranges across reform vers…

Free speech warrior Brendan O'Neill joins Jonathan for a discussion about free speech, cancel culture, linguistic tyranny and the Orwellian assault on reality afflicting contemporary Western societies. Brendan is a journalist who has written columns for the Australian, the Spectator and the Big Issue. He is best know for his work at Spiked, where h…

Jonathan is joined by Russian-Australian scholar Andreas Berg for a deep dive on contemporary Russia. They cover the anarchic chaos of the 1990s transition from communism, the rise of Vladimir Putin, the nature and operation of Putin's regime, the complex and fraught relationship between Russia and Ukraine, the current war in Ukraine, the would-be …

Jonathan is joined by Pieter Valk for a conversation about how churches that adhere to traditional Christian teaching on sexuality and sexual ethics can care for and support gay and trans Christians. Pieter Valk is the founder and director of Equip, a consulting ministry aimed at helping churches to be places where gay and LGBT Christians can thriv…

Jonathan is joined by conservative commentator Gray Connolly for an examination of the good, the bad and the ugly of contemporary conservatism. They cover the traditional conservative understanding of government, authority, society, family, duty, inheritance and culture and the many libertarian (and populist) heresies perverting this understanding …

John Milbank joins Jonathan for wide-ranging tour of political theology, contemporary secular politics, contemporary political problems, cultural decadence and the opportunities and challenges for a Christian contribution to our contemporary political malaise. John Milbank is an Emeritus Professor in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies…

Knox Peden returns to the show to discuss his interesting, and by today's standard unusual, journey from secular intellectual influenced by Spinoza and Marx to practicing Catholic. Dr Knox Peden is an intellectual historian who has taught philosophy and history at the University of Melbourne, the Australian National University and the University of…

Constantine Campbell joins Jonathan for a discussion of his provocative book Jesus v. Evangelicals: A Biblical Critique of a Wayward Movement. They discuss Penal Substitutionary Atonement, the hierarchy of evangelical sins, megachurch culture, Evangelical social and political engagement and more. Constantine Campbell is a New Testament scholar who …

Jonathan is joined by sociologist Kristina Stoeckl for a deep dive on the Russian Orthodox Church, tracing its complex journey from repression under Soviet communism to support for Vladimir Putin and source of an orthodox nationalist state ideology. Kristina Stoeckl is Professor of Sociology at LUISS Guido Carli University in Rome, as well as an ad…

Sociologist John Carroll joins Jonathan for an examination of the decline of Western culture. They discuss the failure of humanism to find meaning on the big metaphysical questions in a post-Christian world, the importance of archetypes and their transmission through a canon of great literature, the way that popular culture has replaced high cultur…

Mario Baghos joins Jonathan for a conversation about the symbolic and sacred function of ancient cities and the decline and mutation of this function in modern cities. Dr Mario Baghos is an Academic Sessional in the Department of Philosophy and Theology at the University of Notre Dame, Sydney, as well as Adjunct Lecturer in Theology in the Faculty …

Michael Bird returns to the show for a discussion about secularism. Jonathan and Michael cover the Christian origins of secularism, why it is in the interests of religious people to have a secular government, the threat to the secular compact by militant secularism and the inimical impact of the contemporary perversion of genuine secularism. Dr Mic…

Michael Jensen joins Jonathan for an exploration of the ins and outs of Sydney's unique, and influential, brand of Anglicanism. The conversation covers the historical origins of the Sydney diocese and its distinct character, controversies surrounding the chasuble, lay presidency (administration) and women in ministry, as well as Sydney Anglican pol…

Katherine Mangu-Ward joins Jonathan for a conversation about libertarianism. They explore the role of reason and free markets in the libertarian philosophy, the role and legitimate scope of government, progress towards libertarian goals over the 20th century, the tension between libertarianism's future-oriented optimism and conservatism's past-orie…

Jonathan is joined by historian Judith Brett for a conversation about the history of liberalism in Australia. They explore the impact of 19th century liberalism on Australian politics and identity, the political struggle between liberalism and the Labor movement in the 20th century, the idea of the 'moral middle class' and its support for the Liber…

Journalist Bernard Lane joins the show for a conversation about gender clinics and the way that political ideology, activism, social phenomena, medicine and mental health intersect in the treatment of children and adolescents with gender dysphoria. Bernard Lane is a journalist covering the international debate about medicalised gender change for yo…

Intellectual historian Wayne Hudson returns to the show for a discussion of his recently published book, Beyond Religion and the Secular: Creative Spiritual Movements and Their Relevance to Political, Social and Cultural Reform (Bloomsbury, 2023). Wayne and Jonathan ponder what religion has to offer humanity in advanced technological societies (a q…

Jonathan is joined by Simon Kennedy for a discussion of Yoram Hazony's celebrated 2022 book, Conservatism: A Rediscovery. They focus on the the contrast Hazony draws between conservatism and liberalism, with particular emphasis on conservative and liberal epistemologies, the role of public religion, the failure of liberalism and the the influence o…

Jonathan is joined by fellow conservative podcaster Josh Lewis for a discussion about the evolving realignments on the American Right in the wake of the political earthquake that was (still is) Donald Trump. They explore conservative philosophy, fusionism, the rise of nationalist populism, the state of American culture, the place and role of Americ…

Host Jonathan is joined by Dan Paterson, a pastor, apologist and evangelist, for an exploration of the challenges and opportunities to introduce young people to the Christian good news in a culture now characterised by widespread ignorance of Christianity and growing hostility towards the faith, yet crying out for meaning. Dan Patterson is the foun…

Martyn Iles joins Jonathan for a wide-ranging conversation about the wisdom of Donald Trump making another presidential bid, the moral equivocation among sections of the Right over Putin's invasion of Ukraine, the need to move on from the trauma of Covid, but also to learn lessons from mistakes in the response, and why Christians need to adjust to …

Author and political commentator Gerard Henderson joins Jonathan for a conversation about B.A. Santamaria and the seminal political moments in Australia history that he was involved in. Drawing on his personal recollections of knowing and working with Santamaria, as well as the three books he has written on this "most unusual man," Gerard tells the…

Jonathan is joined by Gary Chartier for a critical dialogue about his forthcoming book, Christianity and the Nation-State: A Study in Political Theology. The book provocatively contends that states are fundamentally illegitimate and dangerous, notwithstanding many Christian attempts at justifying their existence, and that they can be replaced with …

Jonathan is joined by Anna White-Atkins for a deep-dive on the Uniting Church from the perspective of its Evangelical pastors and congregations. They explore the good, the bad and the ugly of the Uniting Church and the commitment of its Evangelical members to work for its renewal. Anna White-Atkins is a project officer at Propel Network, a new nati…

With the passing of Queen Elizabeth II and the accession to the throne of King Charles III, Jonathan engages in a friendly debate with legal philosopher Joshua Neoh about Australia's constitutional monarchy and its republican alternatives. Joshua outlines his case for monarchy per se, and the British monarchy specifically, followed by Jonathan outl…

Jonathan is joined by economist Dr Gordon Menzies for a deep dive on neoliberalism. They discuss the concept of free markets and the logic of extending free market thinking to aspects of human life that are not obviously economic. They examine and evaluate the neoliberal economic reforms of the 1980s, including floating the dollar, trade liberalisa…

John Steenhof, Principal Lawyer at the Human Rights Law Alliance, joined Jonathan for another conversation about the kinds of cases he works in the religious freedom/discrimination space. The conversation was scheduled prior to, but coinciding with, the the eruption of the Andrew Thorburn case—the CEO of the Essendon Football club forced to resign …

Holly Lawford-Smith returns to the show for a discussion about her new book, Gender-Critical Feminism (OUP). Following a quick tour of significant developments in the transgender space since Holly and Jonathan last spoke (December, 2021), the pair delve into gender norms, including their connection to sex, distinction from identity, cultural and po…

In this episode, Jonathan is joined by Prof Greg Melleuish for a conversation about conservatism in Australia. They explore the dominant liberal tradition in Australian history and the place of conservatism in that tradition, the reasons why the language of conservatism emerges late in Australian political history, the general conservative nature o…

How did "Almighty God" come to be mentioned in the preamble to the Australian Constitution? Why and how did a whole provision (s116) find its way into the constitution setting out the Commonwealth's legislative powers in relation to religion? And what are the states' powers to establish religion and pass other laws relating to religion? Jonathan di…

Sociologist Ruth Powell joins Jonathan for a conversation about religion and spirituality in contemporary Australia. They discuss the recent historic census which saw those identifying as religious drop below 50%, demographic trends within different Christian denominations, the growth of non-Christian minority religions, the surprising and growing …

In a first for the show, Jonathan hosts two guests. The topic? Woke theology. The trio explores the definition of woke theology before embarking on a critical engagement of three articles characterisable as woke theology: one on queering Jesus, one in feminist Christology and one on whiteness and Jesus. The three conclude with a discussion of how b…

Dani Treweek joins Jonathan for a conversation about the place and role of sex and sexuality in contemporary Western cutlure. They examine Carl Trueman's work on the rise and triumph of the modern self, including expressive individualism, the psychologised self and the politicisation of sex. They then pivot to the place of marriage and singleness i…

Jonathan is joined by economist and theologian Paul Oslington for a wide-ranging discussion on the intersection of economics and theology. The conversation begins with Adam Smith, the great father of economics, with a particular focus on his idea of the invisible hand and its allusions to providence. The conversation covers the reception, misrecept…

Indigenous commentator Anthony Dillon returns to The Political Animals for a conversation about the mooted Indigenous voice to parliament and other aspects of the evolving culture around the place of Aboriginal people in contemporary Australia, including welcome to and acknowledgement of country, the idea of cultural safety, reconciliation, cancel …