Ave Maria in the Afternoon – October 9, 2025 – Hour 1

Author: Bryant Schoenle Published on: October 9, 2025 Published in: Ave Maria in the Afternoon

Marcus examines the cultural roots of conspiracy and we celebrate St John Henry Newman with Dan Guernsey.

Marcus’ Monologue: The Cultural Roots of Conspiracy

Podcasters like Candace Owens claim to have “secret knowledge” that exposes the real truth behind what’s happening in the world. Marcus discusses how they fall short.

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Conspiracist Thinking Is Cultural Marxism

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Behold the Demon: Nietzsche as Destroyer

In his mockingly titled autobiography and final published work, Ecce Homo, Friedrich Nietzsche presented himself as the prophet of modernity. No one should underestimate Nietzsche’s own vision of himself with the title. Intellectually brutalized, bloodied, and tortured, the nineteenth-century philosopher presented himself—in his final and last words to a world he wanted to overthrow. We talk more about it with Brad Birzer.

brad birzer — Bradley J. Birzer is the co-founder of, and Senior Contributor at, The Imaginative Conservative. He is the Russell Amos Kirk Chair in History at Hillsdale College and Fellow of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Dr. Birzer is author of In Defense of Andrew Jackson, Russell Kirk: American Conservative, American Cicero: The Life of Charles Carroll, Sanctifying the World: The Augustinian Life and Mind of Christopher Dawson, J.R.R. Tolkien’s Sanctifying Myth: Understanding Middle-Earth, co-editor of The American Democrat and Other Political Writings by James Fenimore Cooper, and co-author of The American West.

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Newman’s Idea of a Catholic Professor

Amid St John Henry Newman’s vision for Catholic higher education, we also find his vision for the role of the Catholic educator. We’ll talk about it with Dan Guernsey.