Socrates in the City

On the eve of his 59th wedding anniversary, the tenth man to walk on the Moon, astronaut Charlie Duke is interviewed by Eric Metaxas for a special Socrates in the City event commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 16 Moon landing. The two discuss General Duke’s career leading up to his momentous trip to […]

A conversation between David Berlinski and Socrates in the City host Eric Metaxas regarding Dr. Berlinski’s recent book “Human Nature.” This event took place at the Union League Club in New York City in November 2022. Learn more about Socrates in the City at socratesinthecity.com. David Berlinski received his Ph.D. in philosophy from Princeton University […]

A conversation between Eugenia Constantinou and Socrates in the City host Eric Metaxas regarding Ms. Constantinou’s recent book: “The Crucifixion of the King of Glory.” This event took place at the Union League Club in New York City on February 28th, 2023. Learn more about Socrates in the City at socratesinthecity.com. Dr. Eugenia Constantinou is […]

Os Guinness and Socrates in the City host Eric Metaxas discuss Mr. Guinness’ recent books: “The Magna Carta of Humanity” and “Zero Dark America.” This event took place at the Union League Club in New York City on December 6th, 2022. Learn more about Socrates in the City at socratesinthecity.com. Os Guinness, author and speaker, […]

From the Battle of Brooklyn in 1776, to the California Gold Rush, to the Guano Islands Act of 1856, Socrates in the City guest Michael Medved and host Eric Metaxas discuss the idea that America’s existence and expansion has been divinely devised. Medved begins the conversation with a story about the miraculous life of his […]

North Korean defector Yeonmi Park joins Socrates in the City host Eric Metaxas to discuss her latest book WHILE TIME REMAINS. In this uniquely sobering SITC interview, Ms. Park details her early years: foraging for plants and eating bugs to stay alive in “Socialist Paradise,” her family’s involvement in the black market, escaping to China […]

A conversation between esteemed author Andrew Klavan and Socrates in the City host Eric Metaxas regarding Mr. Klavan’s recent book, The Truth and Beauty: How the Lives and Works of England’s Greatest Poets Point the Way to a Deeper Understanding of the Words of Jesus. This event took place at the Union League Club in […]

Eric Metaxas interviews Stephen C. Meyer on the scientific evidence for the existence of God as outlined in Dr. Meyer’s book THE RETURN OF THE GOD HYPOTHESIS. Their conversation explores evidence from cosmology, showing that the material universe had a beginning; evidence from physics, showing that the universe was been “finely tuned” to allow for […]

From the Socrates in the City archives: Baroness Caroline Cox sits in the British House of Lords as a crossbencher and is a frequent contributor to Lords debates on Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Nigeria, and Burma. At this 2011 event in Manhattan, Baroness Cox discusses threats to the West’s cultural and political heritage in the […]

Eric Metaxas takes the role of panelist, joining professor and journalist David Batstone in talking about the issue of slavery with guest-host Scot Sherman. Metaxas discusses his hero William Wilberforce, whose story he tells in the bestseller AMAZING GRACE: WILLIAM WILBERFORCE AND THE HEROIC CAMPAIGN TO END SLAVERY, and Batstone retells the harrowing true story […]

Famed former British Cabinet Minister and Member of Parliament Jonathan Aitken examines the concepts of “Ruin, Rehabilitation, and Redemption” in the lives of Richard Nixon and Charles Colson, with an astonishing twist — that of his own experience with ruin, rehabilitation, and redemption — at Socrates in the City in New York City in 2004.

Distinguished Fellow of The Center for Bioethics, physician, and Consulting Professor in the Department of Neurobiology at Stanford University Medical Center William Hurlbut explores how dramatic advances in molecular biology and human biology have resulted in inquiry that raises questions about the relationship between the material form and the moral meaning of developing life. After unpacking […]

Former California Poet laureate and Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts Dana Gioia diffuses the widely-held notion that poetry is a sophisticated, intellectual art for the elite. Mr. Gioia offers a personal and accessible look at how art does something for us that nothing else will do, and how poetry is a human […]

Host Eric Metaxas welcomes British theoretical physicist Sir John Polkinghorne to this 2003 Socrates in the City event in New York City. Sir Polkinghorne presents on themes from his book BELIEF IN GOD IN AN AGE OF SCIENCE, discussing the collegiality between science and theology and detailing what he refers to as some of the […]

The eminent political philosopher Jean Bethke Elshtain examines the origins and meanings of “sovereignty” as it relates to all the ways we attempt to explain our world: God, state, and self. This 2010 lecture, hosted by Eric Metaxas, ends with a lively Q&A and was originally part of Dr. Elshtain’s 2006 Gifford Lectures.

Boston College Professor of Philosophy Peter Kreeft explores the ages-old question of “Why?” from a philosophical perspective, touching on themes from his book, MAKING SENSE OUT OF SUFFERING, in a lecture given in New York City in January 2003.

British theoretical physicist Sir John Polkinghorne examines how scientific discoveries of the 20th century, particularly quantum theory and chaos theory, disrupted the “clockwork universe” view of the world that prevailed for about 200 years after Newton. Polkinghorne explores how a world that does not behave in a reliable way, that is described not deterministically but […]

Eric Metaxas hosts an interview with two guests: columnist Cal Thomas and political pundit Bob Beckel are political adversaries—AND good friends. Be prepared for surprisingly poignant moments amidst lively banter in a conversation centered around Thomas’s book, WHAT WORKS: COMMON SENSE SOLUTIONS FOR A STRONGER AMERICA.

The legendary Roger Scruton explores the ideas, perspectives, and implications of the “New Atheism” at this New York City Socrates in the City event hosted by Eric Metaxas in 2008.

British Orthodox rabbi, theologian, and author Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks presents the case that multicultural British society requires a new approach to national identity, arguing that responsibility — specifically building and creating together — gives societies a strong sense of identity and belonging. This 2009 lecture and Q&A is moderated by Socrates in the City […]

Eric Metaxas interviews entrepreneur and investor Peter Thiel on his bestselling book ZERO TO ONE. Using Apollo 11 and Woodstock as reference points, Thiel and Metaxas explore the idea that we live in an age of technological stagnation, and cover a range of topics — globalization, Greta Thunberg, academia, the worst of the cardinal sins, […]

Socrates in the City’s own Eric Metaxas turns over his hosting duties to legendary TV talkshow host Dick Cavett, for an extra special Socrates event on the subject of MIRACLES: WHAT THEY ARE, WHY THEY HAPPEN, AND HOW THEY CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE.

At Socrates in the City Oxford, Eric Metaxas interviews Colin Nicholl, a Cambridge Ph.D. and New Testament scholar who spent four years studying with astronomers to explore the fascinating premise that the Star of Bethlehem was actually a comet, as told in his book, THE GREAT CHRIST COMET. Filmed at St. Aldate’s Church in Oxford, […]

N.T. Wright, one of the world’s leading New Testament scholars, discusses his book SURPRISED BY SCRIPTURE: ENGAGING CONTEMPORARY ISSUES. This lecture took place in New York City in July 2011.

Host Eric Metaxas introduces special guest Dick Cavett — adding a musical tribute on a set that nods to the decades-long Dick Cavett Show — and converses with the TV talkshow legend about experiences that went into his book, BRIEF ENCOUNTERS. This Socrates in the City event took place on New York City’s Upper West […]

Author and social critic Os Guinness examines the idea that he argues gave rise to the most distinctive features of the West, in this 2004 New York City lecture and Q&A moderated by Socrates in the City host Eric Metaxas.

Eric Metaxas and Socrates in the City present an evening with John Lennox, Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University, at the Union Club in New York City in January 2013. Dr. Lennox explores a method for reading and interpreting the first chapters of Genesis without discounting either science or Scripture. Afterward Metaxas is heard asking, […]

Eric Metaxas continues his conversation in Boston with scholar Thomas Howard about C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Howard’s journey to Catholicism, and more! Eric considers Howard’s book CHANCE OR THE DANCE? one of the greatest books of the 20th century.

Eric Metaxas goes to Boston to talk with scholar Thomas Howard about the questions explored in his book, CHANCE OR THE DANCE? Eric considers this one of the greatest books of the 20th century.

Eric Metaxas interviews Stephen C. Meyer about the ultimate mystery of the universe as drawn from recent scientific discoveries in physics, cosmology, and biology, at the Dallas Conference on Science and Faith in January 2019.

Bestselling author, journalist, and foreign policy commentator David Aikman looks to history and Scripture as he explores the question, “Does God have a foreign policy?” in this 2002 Socrates in the City lecture in New York City.

After serving in prison, Chuck Colson—known as President Nixon’s “hatchet man”—became an evangelical author and criminal justice reform advocate. At this vintage 2010 Socrates in the City event in New York City, Mr. Colson discusses his six-part video series called DOING THE RIGHT THING, exploring what he perceives as America’s crisis of ethics in every […]

Eric Metaxas interviews the perspicacious Peter Hitchens, brother of the late Christopher Hitchens, about his book THE RAGE AGAINST GOD.

Eric Metaxas interviews Canon J. John, a British apologist, author, and speaker.

The eminent political philosopher Jean Bethke Elshtain discusses C.S. Lewis’s 1944 essay “The Abolition of Man” and explores the idea of a rock-bottom claim on human dignity. Her brilliant talk ends with a brilliant Q&A session. Hosted by Eric Metaxas, this lecture was given in New York City in 2005.

Christian Wiman discusses his book, MY BRIGHT ABYSS: MEDITATION OF A MODERN BELIEVER, with Eric Metaxas at the Socrates in the City Gala in June 2013, at the Union League Club in New York City.

“Inimitable” is a word to be used sparingly, but it is THE word for Mark Helprin. Don’t be fooled by the staid topic — instead, prepare to be amazed by Mr. Helprin’s conversation with host Eric Metaxas, who considers him the greatest living fiction writer!

Host Eric Metaxas and Oxford professor John Lennox explore the question, “Has science buried God?” — discussing the fine-tuned universe, evolution, logic, history, and more! “It’s like we’re an old Vaudeville team” says Metaxas, who eggs the legendary Lennox into retelling his equally legendary roast chicken anecdote. The interview was hosted by the Colson Center […]

Socrates in the City host Eric Metaxas interviews Joseph Loconte, historian and professor, on his book THE SEARCHERS: A QUEST FOR FAITH IN THE VALLEY OF DOUBT in May 2012.

N.T. Wright, one of the world’s leading New Testament scholars, discusses his book SIMPLY CHRISTIAN: WHY CHRISTIANITY MAKES SENSE in New York City in 2006.

The prescience of author and social critic Os Guinness is again on display in this lecture about “Sustainable Freedom and the American Future” from September 2012.

Eric Metaxas talks with Ard Louis, professor of theoretical physics at Oxford University about “science and faith and life,” pushing past the oft-asked questions on these topics.

Eric Metaxas interviews Walter Hooper, friend and secretary of C.S. Lewis, about Lewis’s life and writings–uncovering fascinating stories about the beloved Oxford don.

Eric Metaxas interviews Walter Hooper, friend and secretary of C.S. Lewis, about Lewis’s life and writings–uncovering fascinating stories about the beloved Oxford don.

Eric Metaxas interviews Walter Hooper, friend and secretary of C.S. Lewis, about Lewis’s life and writings–uncovering fascinating stories about the beloved Oxford don.

Author and social critic Os Guinness discusses the plea he offers up in his book by the same title — a plea to end the polarization of American politics and culture, which he says threatens to reverse the very principles our founders set into motion that have long preserved liberty, diversity, and unity in the U.S. This 2008 […]

Has Science buried God? Eric Metaxas tracks down Oxford’s John Lennox in France for answers, and the brilliant professor delivers!

Has Science buried God? Eric Metaxas tracks down Oxford’s John Lennox in France for answers, and the brilliant professor delivers!

For more than twenty-five years Harvard psychiatrist Armand Nicholi taught a course comparing the philosophical arguments of Sigmund Freud and C.S. Lewis. In this 2003 lecture, Nicholi explores how the worldviews of these seminal figures shaped their understanding of the problem of pain and suffering, the nature of love and sex, and the ultimate meaning […]

Eric Metaxas interviews the legendary Dick Cavett on “What is the Price of Fame?” at Socrates in the City.

Oxford theologian, intellectual historian, and scientist Alister McGrath challenges the widely held assumption that the world is becoming more secular and makes the case for why atheism cannot provide the moral and intellectual guidance essential for coping with the complexities of modern life.

Thinker and writer Frederica Mathewes-Green poses the question: can we have direct access to God? Based on her study and personal experience with Eastern Christian Spirituality, Mathewes-Green suggests that we all have a latent capacity that links us to the divine, in relationship and also in identity. This lecture takes place in New York City […]

In this 2005 lecture, longtime New York University Professor of Psychology Paul Vitz explores phenomenal changes in the field of psychology as it ventures into new territory.

Named one of the “25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America” by TIME MAGAZINE in 2005, the late Richard John Neuhaus was a prominent cleric, writer, and unofficial advisor to George W. Bush. In this 2005 lecture, he argues that a good citizen does more than abide by laws, but must give a moral account of […]

At a special Socrates in the City event that just happened to be on Flag Day, host Eric Metaxas explores America uniqueness as a nation not bounded by ethnic identity, and other mind-boggling concepts from the Founding Fathers as told in his book IF YOU CAN KEEP IT.

Baroness Cox sits in the British House of Lords as a crossbencher and is a frequent contributor to Lords debates on Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Nigeria, and Burma. In this 2005 lecture in New York City, she asks: is ideological Islam compatible with liberal democracy? She challenges the audience to build bridges, not walls, and […]

Lauren Winner confronts cultural lies about sex with nuance and wit in this 2005 lecture given in New York City.

Globalization, as defined by author and social critic Os Guinness in this 2006 talk, is the process whereby the speed, scope, and simultaneity of our communications allows us to conduct our human affairs anywhere in the world regardless of place, time, or government. Guinness explores some dysfunctions of globalization where life becomes a task, not […]

Radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt has conducted more than 10,000 interviews, and as a rule he opts not to interview comedians because “three hours later you don’t know what happened, the paper’s all gone, people are laughing, and nothing’s been done.” Here the radio host ends up on the other side of an interview […]

Eric Metaxas moderates a lively panel discussion with author Thomas Howard, director Norman Stone, actor Antone Rodgers, and author Bel Kaufman following a screening of the film, C.S. LEWIS: BEYOND NARNIA in April 2004 in New York City. Tom Howard recalls his first meeting with C.S. Lewis and the conversation ends with a fierce debate […]

As a self-described secular Jew, author, and academic, David Berlinski, in an attempt to unveil scientific rhetoric and pretensions, declares to the theory of evolution: thou art weighted in the balances and found wanting. In this lecture given in June 2012 at the Union League Club in New York City, Berlinski directs these unanswered questions […]

Eric Metaxas interviews biochemist Michael Behe on “The New Science about DNA that Challenges Evolution” as told in Behe’s book, DARWIN DEVOLVES. Filmed at the Historic Hotel Bethlehem in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in February 2019.

In this poignant and at times heart-rending conversation, Eric Metaxas talks with writer and editor Rod Dreher about his book, THE LITTLE WAY OF RUTH LEMING: A Southern Girl, a Small Town, and the Secret of a Good Life. This interview was recorded in New York City in April 2013.

Contrasting the modernist “cube” of the Great Arch of La Defense in Paris with the “cathedral” — Notre-Dame — George Weigel looks at both civilizations and argues that Europe’s shift to secular philosophy has produced a crisis of civilizational morale and a failing future. Weigel, Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, […]

Fordham Professor Emeritus of Philosophy Merold Westphal makes the case for taking a closer look at Marx, Nietzsche, and Freud and their responses to religion as a guide in “living the examined life.” This lecture was given in April 2011 at the Union Club in New York City.

Longtime New York University Professor of Psychology Paul Vitz offers a psychological basis for what has for centuries been considered wisdom by taking a fascinating look at the parent-child relationships of influential thinkers such as Feuerbach, Nietzsche, and Freud. This talk was given in New York City in March 2004.

Darwin, the scientific method, Danny DeVito, and Cher all manage to find a place in this mind-boggling and entertaining conversation between Stephen Meyer and Eric Metaxas, at the Union League Club in New York City in September 2013.

Best-selling phenomenon Malcolm Gladwell talks with host Eric Metaxas about his book, DAVID AND GOLIATH, along the way touching on why his mom’s a genius, acromegaly, getting busted at immigration, the “practical” side of “grace”, “stop and frisk”, the ill-effects of attending a prestigious college, his own changed view of the power of faith, and […]

Taken from his book BONHOEFFER: PASTOR, MARTYR, PROPHET, SPY, Eric Metaxas examines lessons from the life and death of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

N.T. Wright, one of the world’s leading New Testament scholars, discusses his book SURPRISED BY HOPE: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church.

Eric Metaxas interviews Oxford Fellow Michael Ward about his discovery of a secret code in C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia, which Ward explores in his book PLANET NARNIA.

“You’re not going to have an easy time. Because I’m going to put you on the hot seat.” So declares our first nonagenarian guest, Alice von Hildebrand, to Socrates host Eric Metaxas as they begin this conversation about her life and writings. If you think the years have dulled Dame von Hildebrand’s fire, wit, and […]

Professor Peter Kreeft discusses a philosopher’s thoughts on eternity in a lecture given in September 2003.

In a lecture given in September 2009, English literature scholar Alan Jacobs introduces us to the world of original sin, which he describes as not only a profound idea but a necessary one.

Republican politician and former Governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee discusses the role of faith in politics in a lecture give in June 2009.

Thinker and philosopher Os Guinness explores “the Framers’ Forgotten Question and How We Are Doing Today” in a lecture given in May 2010.

The three-time Emmy-Award winning theoretical physicist Michael Guillen explores the question: can a smart person believe in God? This lecture was given in April 2005.

President Nixon’s “hatchet man,” who after serving in prison became an evangelical author and prison reform advocate, Chuck Colson explores the benefits of seeking purpose, meaning, and truth in life. This lecture was given in May 2006.