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Death Hangs Over You; Live Now
Amidst the Covid pandemic, the future is uncertain. But death is always there – how can we find comfort in
The Cycles of Government and Civic Virtue
Plato wrote about it in Republic; Machiavelli wrote about it in The Prince and Discourses on Livy.
What they saw through the history of governments, and what they predicted in the future, was a cycle. Perhaps an endless one. Fukuyama said history ended. He may be wrong.
How Long-Dead Philosophers Influence Us Today
Today we’re joined by Emmet and Karl of OnlineGreatBooks.com to discuss why a bunch of dead thinkers are still hyper-relevant today. We talk about their impact on society and politics, as well as make a case for why they should still be read if we want to understand the world around us, and ourselves. The three philosophers that go under the microscope: Plato, Machiavelli, and Marx.
Nazis, Communists, and Free Speech
For all their differences, national socialism and communism have one essential similarity: they both justify mass murder by promising utopia. Their versions of utopia differ, but they are believed to be attainable, not theoretical. First, though, society must pass through a period of chaos, anarchy and mass violence. This transition period – the struggle – is endured since what comes after is expected to be a revolutionary better world. But the need to endure a time of extreme violence is not a small part of either philosophy – it is a core aspect of both. A better world can be had. But first there must be killing.
Do Democracies Die Without External Enemies?
Do democracies die without external enemies?
The United States has come a long way from its “consensus” period in the cold war. Many people worry that the Republic is falling apart. There are indeed similarities between the United States and the late Roman Republic, and even the late Athenian Democracy, which tore themselves apart internally. There is a growing sense that democracy, even in Europe, is starting to go off the rails.
Is this due, ironically, to peace in Europe?
Mis-Applying the Overton Window
I’ve heard a few discussions that used the Overton Window as a theoretical tool to support certain ways of behaving politically. But do people really understand the Overton Window well enough to wield it wisely?
Realism in History: Case Studies
History-Buff-Superstar Zack Twamley of “When Diplomacy Fails” joins us to put realism to the test throughout history. The exciting thing for you? He’s not a realist.
Join us as we pick a war out of a hat and chat about how–and whether–realism can explain how it came to be. Make sure to listen to the Realism Toolbox Talk first.
Toolbox Talk: The Modern Stoic
Politics gets emotional. However the emotional part of our brain was designed not for rational thought, but for knee-jerk survival mechanisms. How can we train our brain to think more clearly about politics in our daily lives?
In this episode, Erik and Xander talk Stoicism, a philosophy and thought strategy that has been used for thousands of years by everyone from salves to emperors to get a grip on the turbulent world around them. You’ll learn why Stoicism is so powerful, and you can apply it in your life and conversations today.
Discounting Crime? How Punishment Has Changed Through the Ages
“Prison is not punishment in Sweden. We get people into better shape.” The statement carries surprisingly grand philosophical significance… and opens up a whole lot of questions about what moral agency even means.
The Effectiveness of Political Violence in History
Or, “How’d punching Nazis work out last time?”
People in the United States are starting to talk about using political violence in response to perceived dangerous political extremism and violent rhetoric. We look through history to see how the use of violence had worked or not worked to suppress unwelcome political ideologies.
We look purely at the results and consequences of the violence, rather than discussing the morality or ethics of it.