A Classicist Farmer: The Life and Times of Victor Davis Hanson | Uncommon Knowledge

Recorded on May 11, 2023. Over the years, Hoover senior fellow Victor Davis Hanson has graced Uncommon Knowledge with Peter Robinson many times, often referring to his family home and farm outside of Selma, in California’s Central Valley. So for this interview, we decided to go to Selma and see where Hanson grew up and still lives and where several generations of his family—going back to the mid-19th century—have lived and worked the land. In part one of this two-part interview, we cover Hanson’s rich and fascinating family history and the sweeping changes he’s lived through in terms of both the business of farming and its social life. In part two (coming in two weeks), we’ll cover the political scene, including the upcoming presidential election. For further information: Interested in exclusive Uncommon Knowledge content? Check out Uncommon Knowledge on social media! Facebook: Twitter: Instagram: 00:00 Family history: California through the 20th century 14:11 The women in my family 16:24 Childhood and formative years 22:39 Challenges of having a degree in Classics 26:30 Warfare Agriculture: How his agrarian background informed his work on Greek warfare 32:32 Why has there been a sharp decline in people in agriculture? 38:17 The Case for Trump 43:36 Selma’s decline: Inevitable or a result of bad policies? 47:40 Mexifornia: The challenges of illegal immigration? 56:53 The Land Was Everything: The importance of autonomy in today’s world