Project Cosmos: Conversations on the Future of Civilization
Project Cosmos is a new series from the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) that brings together leading thinkers for candid, in-depth conversations about politics, culture, history, and the fate of the American regime.
Hosted in an informal, living-room setting, each episode feels less like a panel discussion and more like stepping inside a private exchange among some of today’s most influential intellectuals. Together, they explore urgent questions:
- What is the common good in 21st-century America?
- Has liberalism failed, and what comes after it?
- Can the administrative state be reformed—or must it be dismantled?
- Should Americans embrace a stronger executive power?
- What lessons can we learn from Rome, the Founders, and modern history?
From executive authority and Caesarism to community, culture, and the role of elites, Project Cosmos offers unfiltered discussions at the highest level.
Project Cosmos: Conversations on the Future of Civilization
Executive Power & The Common Good | Rufo, Deneen, Caldwell, Yarvin & Burtka | Project Cosmos EP:01
In the debut episode of Project Cosmos, Christopher Rufo, Patrick Deneen, Christopher Caldwell, Curtis Yarvin, and Johnny Burtka (President of ISI) gather for a provocative roundtable on one of the most urgent questions of our time:
👉 What is the future of executive power and can it serve the common good?
This wide-ranging discussion covers:
-The meaning of the common good in a pluralistic 21st-century America
-Whether liberalism has failed, and what comes next
-The origins and growth of the administrative state
-Should bureaucracy be dismantled, reformed, or used for populist ends?
-The role of DOGE reforms, tech, and MAGA in shaping political power
-How the Civil Rights revolution reshaped executive authority
-Is America an oligarchy—and what can be done about it?
-Historical lessons from Hamilton, Jefferson, Jackson, and Lincoln
-And the bold question: Should Americans embrace Caesarism?
📌 Project Cosmos is ISI’s new flagship series—intimate, living-room-style conversations where today’s leading thinkers tackle the deepest political and cultural challenges facing America.
Guests:
Christopher Rufo – writer, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute
Patrick Deneen – political theorist, author of Why Liberalism Failed
Christopher Caldwell – journalist, author of The Age of Entitlement
Curtis Yarvin – political theorist and blogger
Johnny Burtka – President, Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI)
🔔 Subscribe for more episodes of Project Cosmos, where ideas, history, and political strategy meet.
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