Episode 43 - Founder's Fire

Welcome to a Very Special Episode 43 of the Rational Policy Podcast! In this installment, host Mike Coté interviews Dr. Arthur Herman, a Pulitzer Prize finalist and New York Times bestselling historian, about his new book Founder’s Fire: From 1776 to the Age of Trump. We discuss the idea of the founder’s fire – the risk-seeking, action-oriented, visionary strain in American life – and how it characterizes our nation’s past and could come to do the same in the future. From Tocqueville’s early America and the politics of Abraham Lincoln to the Gilded Age industrial magnates and Martin Luther King Jr.’s civil rights movement, American history is rife with this particular impulse, often tied directly to our original founding 250 years ago. We touch on how government can supercharge or hamper this spirit, how capitalism and individual liberty intersect, and how American culture has fully embraced the founding mindset. We also detail some of the threats to this exceptional attitude, notably the rising tide of socialism, and how we can ensure that the founder’s fire is kept alight for future generations. On top of all that, we hit on how the proliferation of social media will impact future historiography, the immense complexities and opportunities of the Iran War, and what our nation’s 250th birthday signifies.Tune in for a wide-ranging discussion of American history, modern politics, and more. Thanks so much to Dr. Herman for joining us for this Very Special Episode. Be sure to follow him on Twitter/X and pick up a copy of the excellent Founder’s Fire, either on Amazon or anywhere great books are sold. We’ll be back with another Very Special Episode later this week. Thanks for listening! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.rationalpolicy.com