A Philosopher Looks at America's Founding Document - Dan Bonevac

Dan Bonevac has been a professor of philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin for a few years short of half a century. In honor of America's 250th birthday, Peter and Dan discuss the philosophical and intellectual underpinnings of the Declaration of Independence, the basic truths about human nature, and pivotal chapters of the American story. Two hundred and fifty years later, the Declaration still raises the questions worth asking — and Bonevac has spent a career thinking through the answers. Timestamps 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:01:00 - Unpacking "Self-Evident" Truths 00:04:00 - Natural Rights: Jefferson vs. Rousseau on Locke 00:06:40 - "All Men Are Created Equal" — What Does That Mean? 00:10:00 - The Creator and the Ground of Rights 00:13:00 - Were the Founders Really Believers? Deists, Christians, and the Minimal God 00:17:00 - Who Was John Locke? The Philosopher Behind the Declaration 00:28:00 - Consent of the Governed — Why It's Foundational 00:31:00 - Slavery and the Declaration's Internal Contradiction 00:43:00 - Religious Conservatives, Natural Law, and Limited Government 00:49:00 - The Shepherd Metaphor — Bureaucrats vs. Citizens 00:53:00 - Woodrow Wilson and the Administrative State 00:57:00 - What Are Students Thinking Today? 01:06:00 - The Case for a Core Curriculum 01:13:00 - Is America Broken? Optimism vs. Realism   Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Host: Peter Robinson Peter Robinson Unbridled is a podcast of the Civitas Institute of the University of Texas at Austin Executive Producers:  Mat Hames Beth Hames Researcher: John Masko Producer: Laura Utt Editor: Jacob Estrada Camera: Josh Hardwick, Mike Lloyd Music by Brandon Shufflebarger