The Far Middle episode 133 is a fascinating series of connections on the nobility of enterprise and work, capitalism and individual choice, and the associated threats these face in today's global economy.
The discussion begins in Iowa for this episode’s sports dedication, which goes to a great American who was a veteran, the 1939 Heisman Trophy winner, and the namesake of the University of Iowa’s football stadium. That individual? Nile Kinnick. Reflecting on Kinnick’s remarkable life, albeit cut too short at age 24, Nick comments that “he made the most of every opportunity and moment in his life, something to celebrate for sure.”
Shifting from sports, Nick begins this week’s connections with a quote from Machiavelli’s The Prince: “As my intention is to write something useful for discerning minds, I find it more fitting to seek the truth of the matter, rather than the imaginary conceptions. Many have imagined republics and principalities that have never been seen or heard of.”
Nick notes this line from The Prince is a theme and approach that he aims to mimic in his efforts such as The Far Middle and his book Precipice: “to sort of peel back the optics and veneer of image, that so many policies and movements fixate upon, and instead to focus on exposing the realities, and the truth, as in clinical, rational, scientific or mathematical truth, not some squishy definition or version of the truth.”
Alongside Machiavelli, a host of thought leaders join the conversation, including Pope John Paul II, Ayn Rand, and Notre Dame Professor Carter Snead. A few of this installment’s key takeaways from Nick:
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