The Radio Free Hillsdale Hour

Episode: Defending the American Way of Life

Date: October 24, 2025
Host: Scott Bertram, Hillsdale College

Episode Overview

This episode of The Radio Free Hillsdale Hour explores what makes the American way of life exceptional, the current threats facing it, and the responsibilities Americans share in its defense. It features a keynote lecture from Dr. Larry Arnn, President of Hillsdale College, on the principles and history that underpin American society. The episode also includes an interview with Ryan P. Williams about his new book on political theorist Angelo Codevilla, and a detailed profile of Sir Isaac Newton with Dr. Nathan Herring from Hillsdale’s physics department. The tone is earnest and intellectual, blending historical narrative, philosophical reflection, and spirited advocacy.

Key Segments & Insights

1. Defending the American Way of Life

Speaker: Dr. Larry Arnn (President, Hillsdale College)
Timestamps: 00:24–11:27

Main Points:

• American Identity and Founding Principles

  • America is defined not simply by geography or ethnicity, but by a principle and a “story” (01:33).
  • The principle is rooted in the Declaration of Independence: “All men are created equal.”
  • Contrasted sharply with the “old world” order where rulers claim a divine birthright (“I was born to be your king, and I will be a good king. ... And you’re born to be my people, and you must be a good people.” —King George III, paraphrased, 02:35).

• Historical Uniqueness

  • The American experiment is seen as unique and unrepeatable: “Never before had civilization got a chance to move to a new world, not knowing what it was.” (05:12)
  • Early settlers sought religious conformity, but soon discovered the impossibility of this due to diverse beliefs.
  • America is “a chosen people of a different kind ... A privilege. You got to pay for it.” (03:24)

• Principle and Story in Action

  • Pioneering spirit highlighted, from Jamestown settlers to the transcontinental railroad builders: “They started building and spending money and risking everything they had getting to the mountains. And then they’d figure it out.” (08:23)
  • Immigration then vs. now: “I’m for a lot of immigration ... but you better get ready to work ... The streets are not paved with gold unless you find the gold and pave them.” (06:07)

• Modern Threats and Parallels

  • Dr. Arnn warns of contemporary dangers: “This thing that has grown up, that has consumed half our economy and ... threatens to reduce us to despotism, we’ve got to the place now where it can’t go on much more. It’s a house divided, and it must become one thing or the other.” (00:24, echoed at 07:50)
  • Encourages rediscovery of initiative and self-government: "The kind of people who are coming to the fore right now are a resurrection of the best people from the past." (08:03)

• The College as Microcosm

  • Parallels between American self-governance and Hillsdale’s culture: “Each student must be individually sworn to do the work ... and necessarily they help each other, you see? ... you have to extract the promise from them before they arrive ... Because now they’ve chosen it. You’re not treating [them] the way you would train a horse or a dog. You’re inviting them to join. The Declaration of Independence is an invitation to join.” (09:16–11:22)

Notable Quotes

• On American uniqueness:
  “Are we a chosen people? ... Our way of life is produced by principle and a story. And the story has produced institutions and a human type, and both are unique and wonderful.”
  (Dr. Larry Arnn, 01:33)

• On immigration and work ethic:
  “You better get ready to work if you come over here because you’ll starve if you don’t. The streets are not paved with gold unless you find the gold and pave them.”
  (Dr. Larry Arnn, 06:07)

• On recent dangers:
  “It’s a house divided, and it must become one thing or the other. And if it becomes the new thing that it’s trying to become, it will be a contemptible and miserable thing.”
  (Dr. Larry Arnn, 00:24 & 07:50)

2. The Life and Legacy of Angelo Codevilla

Speaker: Ryan P. Williams (Claremont Institute), interviewed by Scott Bertram
Timestamps: 13:58–27:19

Main Points:

• Who Was Angelo Codevilla?

  • Italian immigrant, Navy intelligence officer, Senate Intelligence Committee staffer, Boston University professor, and influential political writer.
  • Noted for deep engagement with American founding principles, especially as they pertain to foreign policy.

• On Learning American Foreign Policy

  • Codevilla’s advice: “Read John Quincy Adams’s diaries for a 15-year stretch.” (16:17)
  • Emphasized a return to “America-first” foreign policy and the wisdom of the Founders, as opposed to the global crusading of the progressive era.

• Critique of Bureaucratic Governance

  • "Ruling Class" thesis: America is governed in practice by a detached, credentialed elite less answerable to the people.
  • “This class, somewhat imperialistically, thought it had the right and the duty to rule the rest of the country. Messy democratic elections intervening to the contrary be damned. And he thought this was a very unhealthy thing to happen in a republic.” (20:01)

• Influence on Political Trends

  • Codevilla’s work directly inspired pollster Pat Caddell’s research that helped shape the Trump campaign message in 2016. (21:00)

• On War and Peace

  • Criticized drift from seeking victory to managing endless conflict: “We don’t win wars anymore. We manage conflicts.” (22:52)
  • Urged a return to clarity: “The point of war is easy. It’s to defeat your enemies and secure victory and peace, your peace.” (22:58)

• Missile Defense Advocacy

  • Codevilla championed a national missile defense as a moral imperative and a tribute to Reagan-era priorities.
  • “Mutually assured destruction was morally, a morally crazy way to conduct nuclear policy.” (25:35)

Notable Quotes

• On bureaucratic rule:
  “You might have your Harvard guys ... but they came from all over the country ... This ruling class became more insular and more incurious about the world and about worldviews that might challenge its presumptions ... And he thought this was a very unhealthy thing to happen in a republic.”
  (Ryan P. Williams, 20:01)

• On war and peace:
  “Angela always liked to emphasize. ... The point of war is easy. It’s to defeat your enemies and secure victory and peace, your peace. ... We don’t win wars anymore. We manage conflicts.”
  (Ryan P. Williams, 22:52)

3. Profile: Sir Isaac Newton

Speaker: Dr. Nathan Herring (Hillsdale Physics), interviewed by Scott Bertram
Timestamps: 29:09–50:14

Main Points:

• Monumental Achievements

  • Co-inventor of calculus
  • First quantitative system of mechanics (laws of motion)
  • Universal law of gravitation
  • Discovery: White light is a combination of many colors (first in optics)
  • Designed first reflecting telescope; originated a particle theory of light (leading to centuries-long debate)

• Principia Mathematica

  • Unified terrestrial and celestial physics using geometry, not calculus, for broader acceptance.
  • “It is the first time where we unify the physics of the heavens ... and the physics of ordinary stuff happening here on Earth.” (33:07)

• Newton’s Three Laws of Motion (35:00)

  • First law (Inertia): An object at rest or in motion stays that way unless acted on by an external force.
  • Second law: Force equals mass times acceleration (F=ma).
  • Third law: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

• Universal Gravitation

  • Shattered the ancient notion that “heavens” followed special rules; instead, the same force explains everything from falling apples to planetary orbits.
  • Introduced the “clockwork universe” concept: “We can think of the cosmos as analogous to a vast, finely calibrated clockwork machine governed by simple, universal and mathematical laws.” (39:30)

• Newton, the Man

  • “Brilliant but reclusive”—perfectionist, “notoriously private, reserved, and often defensive.” (42:11)
  • Delayed publication due to paranoia and rivalry, especially after turbulent relationship with Robert Hooke.
  • Known for obsessive work habits, few friends, and occasionally eccentric behavior (e.g., experimenting on his own eyes).
  • “He would often deprive himself of food or sleep ... retreating to places of solitude ... then reemerging back into the world after he had produced something.” (44:35)
  • Myths: Despite the stereotype of scientists as lone geniuses, Newton’s isolation was unusual even among physicists. However, he spent much of his later life at the Royal Mint and regarded that career as a personal highlight.

• His Enduring Influence

  • Set the pattern for mathematical physics and unification efforts (Coulomb, Maxwell, Einstein).
  • "Einstein always had ... Newton ... in his office. ... He was very aware that he was building on Newton’s work." (48:36)

Notable Quotes

• On Newton’s achievement:
  “It’s really hard to overstate how impressive of a leap physics makes in the hands of Newton.”
  (Dr. Nathan Herring, 29:49)

• On Newton’s personality:
  “He became extremely paranoid that people were going to steal his ideas. ... He just compiles private notebooks of important results, and it’s only on the urging of some of his friends that he actually releases them to the broader public.”
  (Dr. Nathan Herring, 42:11)

Memorable Moments/Timestamps

• (00:24, 07:50): Dr. Arnn’s repeated warnings: “It’s a house divided, and it must become one thing or the other.”
• (06:07): Dr. Arnn on the American work ethic and immigration.
• (16:17): Codevilla’s advice: “Read John Quincy Adams’s diaries…”
• (20:01): Discussion of the “ruling class”.
• (22:52): Codevilla theory on the meaning and purpose of war.
• (25:35): Missile defense and critique of mutually assured destruction.
• (29:49): Newton’s legacy as described by Dr. Herring.
• (42:11): Newton's personality and secretiveness.
• (48:36): The direct line from Newton to Einstein.

Summary Table

| Segment | Speaker(s) | Main Theme | Notable Quote/Insight | |-----------------------------------------|----------------------|-----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------| | Defending American Way of Life | Dr. Larry Arnn | American principles, uniqueness, threats | “A house divided … must become one thing or the other.” (00:24, 07:50) | | The Legacy of Angelo Codevilla | Ryan P. Williams | Codevilla’s influence on US politics, war, bureaucracy | “This class ... thought it had the right ... to rule the rest of the country.” (20:01) | | Profile: Sir Isaac Newton | Dr. Nathan Herring | Newton’s scientific revolutions & personality | “He was obsessed with the possibility of being wrong.” (42:11) |

Overall Tone

The episode is historical, reflective, and earnest, with an undercurrent of advocacy for America’s founding values and a challenge to current complacency. The discussions are sophisticated yet accessible, maintaining an academic yet conversational style.

For Further Exploration

• Watch Dr. Arnn’s full lecture: freedomlibrary.hillsdale.edu
• Book: Fighting Enemies Foreign and Domestic: The Legacy of Angelo M. Codevilla (Ed. Ryan P. Williams)
• Learn more about physics and other great thinkers at Hillsdale College (Podcast Network)