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Concepts with Shawn Whatley

Uncovering the concepts behind current events. Challenging accepted thinking. Offering solutions. shawnwhatley.substack.com

society & culture philosophy

All Episodes

73:47

#91 Matthew Rowley: Bill 21, the Notwithstanding...

Concepts with Shawn Whatley ·

2026/04/07

I asked Dr. Matthew Rowley for help with questions on political theology. It turns out he's another big supporter of independence for Alberta. The current Supreme Court hearings last week are pouring fuel on the Alberta separatist movement. The Mark Carney Liberals are intervenors on the SCC hearing about Quebec's Bill 21 and use of the notwithstanding clause (s.33). Carney is asking the Supreme Court to do an end-run around the constitution bypassing the amending formula. Regardless of how the

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53:18

#90 Grant Havers: AI in Education, The Digital Cave,...

Concepts with Shawn Whatley ·

2026/04/02

Can AI replace teachers? Would students benefit?Should classical schools -- great books curricula -- use AI? I tried very hard to get Dr. Grant Havers into trouble in this episode. But he was too smart to say anything that would offend school administrators. Instead of picking a side in the pro- vs anti-AI debate, Dr. Havers worked to bring out issues and objectives. If we trust AI to think for us, what does that say about our own ability to think? This debate will continue to invade every

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63:57

#89 Paul Gottfried: Why “Liberal Democracy” Isn’t...

Concepts with Shawn Whatley ·

2026/03/31

Dr. Paul Gottfried packages his writing in dynamite and grit. He uses an academic style which is now almost extinct on the political right. No one tries to provoke in order to make a point anymore. The Left still uses it all the time, but not the Right. You cannot listen to Gottfried with modern antennae tuned to gasp at every offence. If you do, you will miss the impact of his next three punches. I lack the courage to match Gottfried's approach. I'd like to think it's because he's old enough to not

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67:02

#88 Sam Duncan: Building a Conservative...

Concepts with Shawn Whatley ·

2026/03/24

Sam Duncan has worked in government for Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Ontario Premier Doug Ford. He is current VP at Wellington Advocacy.We discuss a powerful article Sam wrote titled: Toward a conservative counter-elite. Sam's article almost has enough content to outline a whole book. He diagnosed Canada's problems, uncovers the causes, and offers a detailed list of almost a dozen solutions. I was able to press Sam on managerialism and the tendency for Conservatives to act like Liberal

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53:31

#87 Barry Cooper: Technology, Canadian Myths, and Why...

Concepts with Shawn Whatley ·

2026/03/17

Professor Barry Cooper is an Albertan. This fact transcends location. It speaks to a prairie self-understanding, a prairie myth, that stands apart and distinct from the Laurentian myth. For example, Cooper says bilingual Canada is a "huge myth outside Laurentian Canada."Professor Cooper argues that George Grant did not understand the prairie mindset. He was a Laurentian, and as such, Grant was clueless about Alberta. He reflects the Garrison mindset of the Laurentians: Alberta is a place you go to

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77:53

#86 Ron Dart: Why Philosophy Matters Now. George...

Concepts with Shawn Whatley ·

2026/03/10

Ron Dart seems to embody generosity. It's hard to find a hard edge in him. Even when he states an opinion strongly, he always works to understand your side of the issue. Ron and I approach things from different angles, but we both try to embody the same method. Of course, his is far more honed and nuanced, educated and articulate. But I think our conversations reflect a genuine desire to understand -- attentive listening as Professor Dart calls it. This episode gets into questions we all need to

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73:51

#85 Mia Hughes: Gender Medicine, WPATH Files, Ethics,...

Concepts with Shawn Whatley ·

2026/03/05

Mia Hughes has no qualms about saying the Emperor has no clothes. She says what the rest of us cannot say, because we must stay within the boundaries of what our licences require. Transgender medicine strikes at the core of what medicine is; at what it means to care for patients. Should doctors do whatever patients want, or should doctors do whatever saves life and limb? There could not be a greater debate. Should technology determine what we can and should do or should technology submit to

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63:05

#84 John von Heyking: America is great! Civics,...

Concepts with Shawn Whatley ·

2026/03/03

Professor von Heyking just left Lethbridge Alberta and moved to Arizona to help lead the Civics program at ASU. Our discussion pivoted around differences between USA and Canada, civics education, and how constitutions differ on each side of the border. This episode ran more like a visit between friends. We jumped between topics too much, laughed too much, and were probably too open about our opinions. In my opinion, this is precisely when magic happens. Check out the ASU homepage. And here's a

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61:59

#83 Dan Pitt: Do Ideas Still Matter in Politics?...

Concepts with Shawn Whatley ·

2026/02/24

Do ideas determine elections? Or should we forget about ideas and focus on issues?Dan Pitt has experience with both theory and practice. He teaches and writes books about political theory. And he's been involved with several election campaigns, including serving as a candidate in a recent by-election. Power rests with ideas. Unless we shape ideas, forming government can mean you are simply in office but out of power. Check out Dan's book he co-edited with Ferenc Hörcher: Intellectual Conservatism

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76:00

#82 Ferenc Hörcher: Are conservatives afraid of...

Concepts with Shawn Whatley ·

2026/02/17

We return to a persistent challenge for conservatives. What do we do with intellectuals? Can politicians trust them? What role, if any, do intellectuals play in conservative politics?Dr. Ferenc Hörcher argues that intellectuals have a different job than politicians, but each can benefit from the other. In the ideal case, intellectuals avoid telling politicians what do, and politicians foster an appetite for intellectual discourse. We return to a discussion about Intellectual Conservatism: From

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56:17

#81 Franco Terrazzano: Canadian taxes. Money well...

Concepts with Shawn Whatley ·

2026/02/10

Franco Terrazzano knows taxes. As Director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, he's the one in front of media calling on government for accountability on tax spending.But behind the pizzaz lies a deep thinker. Franco loves the nerdy arguments buried in books few people read. They inform his tirades on social media. So don't be fooled, he's not just a talking head. I kept trying to pull our discussion into the ideas behind the nonsense. However, Franco's outrageous examples of waste make ideas

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65:05

#80 Barry Bussey: Freedom and Its Limits, Is the...

Concepts with Shawn Whatley ·

2026/02/03

Barry Bussey has spent decades thinking about freedom and working around the legal edges of it. Most people don't think about freedom until it's compromised. Barry thinks about it all the time.Canada has led the world as a test case on the limits of freedom with our MAiD (euthanasia) legislation, approach to COVID, and the Emergency Measure's Act. These are complex legal issues. I always learn something when I talk with Barry. Let me know what you think of this episode! Thanks again for

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71:23

#79 Barbara Kay: Understanding Neoconservatism from...

Concepts with Shawn Whatley ·

2026/01/27

Barbara Kay has written professionally about issues on the non left since the 1960s. We might want to say she had a 'front-row seat', but that would be wrong. Her writing went beyond simple observation. She helped shape conservative opinion in Canada for half a century.Barb wrote a piece on Norman Podhoretz, when he passed in December. She mentions reading everything he had ever written: books and articles; editorials in his role as senior editor of Commentary Magazine, everything. Podhoretz was

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12:59

#78 Debunking Mark Carney: A Critical Review of His...

Concepts with Shawn Whatley ·

2026/01/22

Prime Minister Mark Carney's Davos speech made liberals swoon and conservatives nod in admiration. Are the accolades warranted? Or are we being fooled by eloquence? I couldn't resist recording something about The Speech. In this episode I offer three big points: 1. Carney appears to use a sycophantic foreign policy strategy. Is it rational? Will it work? 2. Carney appropriates brilliance to serve his own ends. Is that fair or justified? 3. The speech itself is confused. Do the speech writers

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52:42

#77 Cole Hogan: Canada's New Right, Pierre Elliot...

Concepts with Shawn Whatley ·

2026/01/20

Cole Hogan is a political strategist who played key roles in the elections of Premier Doug Ford and Premier Jason Kenney. He's a student of Canadian politics past and present and frequent pundit on major media outlets in Canada. Cole explains how Pierre Elliott Trudeau focussed on reshaping Canada. Economic issues seemed to bore him. PE Trudeau reshaped the Canadian constitution in his own image in the 1980s. Conservatives have been off balance ever since. Having lost ceded the platform to Trudeau's

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66:18

#76 JJ McCullough: Is the monarchy relevant in...

Concepts with Shawn Whatley ·

2026/01/13

JJ McCullough offers a window into Canada. JJ keeps his 1 million followers front of mind. He speaks so they will understand. He focusses on what matters to them.In that sense, JJ is a better politician than many politicians: he never forgets his constituency. Don't be fooled by JJ's high-energy, youthful style. He puts a ton of research into his videos. The non left needs to pay attention when JJ speaks. You don't have to agree with him! In fact, JJ makes of point of raising things that will

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67:33

#75 Liberty without liberalism. Balancing...

Concepts with Shawn Whatley ·

2026/01/08

This episode was a breakthrough for me. Conservatism is the mediation between the universal and the particular.I know this sounds nerdy, but I think this is an essential challenge that thinkers on the non-left must work through. We believe that some truths are true everywhere, all the time, but that does not that mean, as liberalism asserts, that truth is true everywhere all the time in all places. Are there truths that are only true in a particular place and time? Does it make us relativist

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57:09

#74 David Leis: Canada at a Crossroads an Urgent Call...

Concepts with Shawn Whatley ·

2026/01/06

What's wrong with Canada, and what can we expect to happen next? David Leis has spent decades in Canadian politics, and he's worried. Canada is in decline. We need leadership to change course, not simply a change in government. He packages his concern in terms of data, comparisons with other countries, and political argument. As President and CEO of the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, he has a ton of evidence to draw upon. But his concern springs from a deep love for Canada. It generates an

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73:00

#73 Alex MacDonald : Balancing Economic Liberty and...

Concepts with Shawn Whatley ·

2025/12/30

Does it makes sense to maximize liberty in the economy and yet limit it at a personal level? Is it even possible?Alex MacDonald says it doesn't make sense. We never make economics the ultimate priority for family decisions, why do we think it's ok to prioritize economy at a national level? This discussion gets to the heart of debate within the conservative movement. Of course, we need a strong economy. But should economic concerns always trump all other issues? Is money our ultimate social

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15:35

#72 Merry Christmas! Embracing Intentional Ignorance...

Concepts with Shawn Whatley ·

2025/12/23

Christmas greetings plus one big idea.Why read? Better yet, why buy books you will never be able to read? Don't overestimate what you know. Building a personal library of more books that you can ever read will remind you of how much you do not know. It creates a presence in your home of intentional ignorance. I got the idea from this article: Umberto Eco's Anti-Library Thank you so much to my audience and guests! It has been far more fun and informative than I expected. Wishing you all the best

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91 results

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