In this special episode of Modern Age, Dan McCarthy shifts gears to examine the most talked-about film of the moment: the new Superman movie. But this isn't just pop culture commentary—it's a deep dive into the political and philosophical meaning behind America’s most iconic superhero.

Dan explores the film’s liberal messaging, James Gunn’s take on Superman as an immigrant, and why the movie misses the mark when it comes to portraying authentic American identity. He traces Superman’s roots in 1930s liberalism, the immigrant background of creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, and the transformation of Superman from a Moses-like outsider into a champion of “truth, justice, and the American way.”

But what happens when you remove the “American way” from the story? Dan argues that the new film replaces meaningful national character with vague sentimentality—and loses the very thing that made Superman a cultural force.

This episode isn’t just about the movies—it’s about what we expect from our heroes, and what that says about us.

In Episode 5 of Modern Age with Dan McCarthy, Dan looks beyond today’s headlines about the “big beautiful bill” and asks: what can history teach us about big, ambitious legislation?

To answer that, he turns to Tocqueville’s The Old Regime and the French Revolution, exploring how the French monarchy’s misguided policies—long before the Revolution—set the stage for collapse. Along the way, he draws a sharp contrast between Louis XIV’s centralized control and King William III’s England, where a shift toward national debt helped build a stronger, more adaptive state.

This episode is a deep dive into what makes a policy sustainable—and how political choices shape the future, for better or worse.

In Episode 4 of Modern Age with Dan McCarthy, we take a closer look at the misunderstood philosophy behind the Declaration of Independence.

Dan explains how generations of Americans have been taught a flattened version of the Declaration’s ideas—especially the notion that government exists only to serve unlimited individual rights.

This episode explores the deeper political philosophy of the Declaration—and how modern misreadings have led many to believe that human rights create government. A must-watch for anyone who wants to think seriously about liberty, authority, and the American tradition.

In Episode 3 of Modern Age with Dan McCarthy, we explore a long-running debate within the conservative movement: how involved should America be in reshaping other nations?

From Cold War fault lines to the Iraq War and now the growing tensions between Israel and Iran, conservatives have often pushed back against interventionist policies—though not always for the same reasons, and not always in agreement.

Dan McCarthy walks through the intellectual history behind this tension, offering context for understanding today's disagreements on the right.

In this episode of Modern Age, Dan McCarthy takes a historical lens to one of today’s most volatile geopolitical flashpoints: the conflict between Israel and Iran. Drawing from a range of historical moments—including post-WWII Japan and Germany—he explores patterns of war, peace, and national transformation that may offer insight into the present.

Drawing on the legacy of Modern Age and the great books tradition, Dan McCarthy introduces a framework for understanding three core kinds of intellectuals. More than an academic sketch, this episode lays the groundwork for how a principled elite can speak to—and for—the American working class.