Political Theory 101
የቻናል ዝርዝሮች
Political Theory 101
A podcast about political theory. Freely available to all, but we'd love your support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/politicaltheory101 Also available on iTunes, Spotify, and Google Play
የቅርብ ጊዜ ክፍሎች
93 ክፍሎች
Friedrich List and the National System
We discuss Friedrich List's many careers, his struggle for a German customs union, his belief that nationalism would lead to the "uniting of all natio...
Vico and the Concept of the Natural
We discuss Vico's theory of nature, his unorthodox mix of stereotypically ancient and modern approaches, and how his "new science" seems to be going s...
Hobbes' Behemoth
A whole episode of Political Theory 101 devoted to Thomas Hobbes' Behemoth. We discuss Hobbes' historical narrative and his theory of education, both...
Nick Land & the Politics of Acceleration (w/Michael Downs)
Michael Downs joins Benjamin to discuss the political thought of Nick Land, its relationship to the work of Deleuze and Guattari, and the degree to wh...
The Politics of Plato's Parmenides
We discuss how Plato used dialectical thinking to deal with objections to the theory of the forms. Then we discuss how this kind of thinking enriches...
John Morley & the Politics of Compromise
We discuss the work of John Morley, a British viscount heavily involved in the government of Ireland and India during the late 19th and early 20th cen...
The Politics of Plato's Philebus
Daniel joins Benjamin to discuss Plato's Philebus. We traverse the dialectic of limit and unlimit and discuss the difference between memory and recoll...
Clausewitz (w/Elizabeth Dearden-Williams)
Elizabeth Dearden-Williams, a former student of mine from Cambridge who is currently pursuing a masters, comes on to discuss the work of the Prussian...
Cutrone and the Party (w/Chris Cutrone)
Chris Cutrone joins Benjamin for a discussion of political parties, focusing on the role pluralism plays in Chris' thinking about party structure.
John Milton as a Political Theorist (w/Raeffe Gibson)
John Milton isn't just the author of Paradise Lost! Raeffe Gibson makes a guest appearance to discuss his role in the English Civil War.
Michael Pettis as a Political Theorist
Alex and Benjamin discuss the work of Michael Pettis, putting him in conversation with older theorists of imperialism like J.A. Hobson and Vladimir Le...
Samuel Huntington
Alex and Benjamin discuss Huntington's early emphasis on centralization and institutions, his turn toward civilizational thinking, and the position of...
Frédéric Bastiat
Alex and Benjamin explore the history of political thought from the point of view of Bastiat - who threw many ancient and enlightenment thinkers toget...
Terry Eagleton
Alex and Benjamin discuss Terry Eagleton's work, focusing on interactions between religion and Marxism in the context of the "end of history" - the 19...
Tertullian
Alex and Benjamin discuss the Roman persecution of the Christians - why the Romans did it, how the Christians responded to it, and the ways the experi...
Pocock & History in Political Theory
We explore the methodological contributions of the late historian of political thought, John Pocock. We talk about the role of language and context in...
Murakami and Political Despair
Alex and Benjamin explore post-political themes in Haruki Murakami's rat tetralogy.
Habermas
Alex and Benjamin delve into Habermas' notions of the public sphere, legitimacy, and communication. They also discuss postmetaphysical thinking.
Christian Wolff
Alex and Benjamin talk about 18th century German philosopher Christian Wolff. Wolff suggested that there are reasons behind our motivations. Even a so...
Monks in the City
Alex and Benjamin talk about the explosion of monasteries in late antiquity. As it turns out, withdrawing from politics can be yet another way of tryi...
G.K. Chesterton & G.B. Shaw as Political Theorists
Alex and Benjamin explore a debate G.K. Chesterton and George Bernard Shaw had a century ago concerning political economy, then we dive into their pol...
Laclau
Alex and Benjamin discuss Laclau's socialist strategy, populism, empty signifiers, and the relationship between Laclau's socialism and Marxism.
Lyotard
Alex and Benjamin discuss Jean-François Lyotard's critique of Marxism, his "evil book," intersections between politics, art, and science, and how Lyot...
Deleuze & Guattari
Alex and Benjamin explore the agonistic political thought of Deleuze and Guattari, focusing especially on their ideas about territory, change, and flo...
Althusser & Foucault, Ideology & Power
Alex and Benjamin kick off a series on French political thought in the second half of the 20th century with an episode on ideology and power.
Free Speech with Doug Lain
Alex and Benjamin bring on Doug Lain to talk about free speech in the 21st century. Doug offers his take on why free speech matters, and we discuss th...
Nicole Oresme
Alex and Benjamin discuss Nicole Oresme, a 14th century French bishop who took an interest in political economy. An advocate for limited monarchy, Ore...
The Roman Economy
Drawing on the work of G.E.M. de Ste. Croix, Peter Temin, and Walter Scheidel, Alex and Benjamin dig into the economy of the Roman Empire. They explor...
Mou Zongsan
We discuss Mou Zongsan's effort to combine Confucianism with other traditions, his response to Kant, the line he draws between morality and politics,...
Wang Yangming
Alex and Benjamin discuss the state of Confucianism during the Ming Dynasty. Should "li" be understood as "principle" or "pattern"? What is the relati...
Shang Yang
Alex and Benjamin discuss one is on Lord Shang, a Chinese political theorist and minister associated with the development of legalism. Unlike most anc...
Voter Ethics
Alex and Benjamin discuss The Ethics of Voting (Princeton UP, 2011) by Jason Brennan, a contemporary political philosopher with a right-libertarian be...
Manuel II Palaiologos and Late Byzantine Thought
Alex and Benjamin dive into the thought of Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos. Ruler of a rump state that increasingly lacked the capacity to def...
Aeschines, Demosthenes, and Athenian Rhetoric
Alex and Benjamin explore the twilight of Athenian democracy, in which Aeschines and Demosthenes struggle viciously against one another as the Macedon...
Gandhi
Benjamin and Alex discuss Gandhi, the relationship between satyagraha and swaraj, his conceptualization of truth, anarchism, and so much more.
John Duns Scotus
Expelled from France in 1303 after he sided with Pope Boniface VIII in a dispute with King Philip IV, John Duns Scotus advanced a theory of natural la...
Chrysippus and Early Stoicism
Alex and Benjamin discuss the ideas of Chrysippus, a Stoic philosopher from the 3rd century BC. They explore Chrysippus' account of free will, his dis...
Frynas, Petrol States, and Oil Companies
Alex and Benjamin delve into the work of Jedrzej George Frynas, discussing interactions between states and corporations, especially in countries like...
Bartolus and Roman Law in the Middle Ages
Alex and Benjamin discuss Bartolus, a 14th century Italian jurist who used 6th century Roman law to legitimate the Italian city-states. Along the way,...
The Arthashastra
Alex and Benjamin look at an ancient Indian political treatise, focusing especially on the interdependent relationship between householders and asceti...