Best Peaceful Anarchism Podcasts (2024)

1
The History of Bad Ideas: Eugenics 55:24

38m ago55:24

55:24

For the first episode in our new series about the hold of bad ideas David talks to the geneticist and science broadcaster Adam Rutherford about eugenics: from its origins in the 19th century through its heyday in the 20th century to its continuing legacy today. Is eugenics bad science, bad morality, bad politics – or all three? What are the fears t…

1
AEWCH 261: WES LARSON / TOOTH & CLAW PODCAST on WHY ARE WE SO FASCINATED BY ANIMAL ATTACKS? 1:25:37

1h ago1:25:37

1:25:37

I talk with wildlife biologist and the co-host of my favorite podcast, Tooth & Claw, about what happens when animals attack people, and why it makes for such a good story. The second episode in my series of episodes on how science and scientific concepts intersect with our lives.

1
The History of Freedom w/Lea Ypi: Liberation Movements 56:04

35m ago56:04

56:04

In our final episode David and Lea discuss liberation movements, from post-colonial liberation to women’s liberation, gay liberation and animal liberation. What, if anything, do these movements have in common? Is liberation about equality or is it about difference? And who needs liberating next – children? You can hear our bonus episodes for this s…

1
The History of Freedom w/Lea Ypi: Existentialism and Psychoanalysis 51:23

3d ago51:23

51:23

In the penultimate episode in this series David and Lea discuss two twentieth-century philosophies of freedom and the human psyche. What can existentialism teach us about the nature of free choice under conditions of despair? Is there any escape from bad faith? And what can individuals – or even entire societies – learn about their freedom from bei…

1
AEWCH 260: MARJOLIJN VAN HEEMSTRA on HOW CAN THE EXPANSIVENESS OF SPACE HELP US LIVE TODAY? 1:19:57

2d ago1:19:57

1:19:57

In the first episode in a series of episodes about how scientific concepts intersect with our lives in surprising ways, I talk with author of In Light Years There's No Hurry, Marjolijn van Heemstra about the way that conceptualizing space differently can heal and transform us in the face of the challenges that confront us today.…

1
The History of Freedom w/Lea Ypi: Anarchism and Nihilism 50:14

5d ago50:14

50:14

In our series about different ideas of freedom David and Lea have reached anarchism and nihilism. What is the positive vision of human freedom behind the anarchist rejection of the established order? What can nineteenth-century anarchists teach us about freedom in the twenty-first century? And if nihilists are against everything, what are they for?…

1
The History of Freedom w/Lea Ypi: What is the Free Market? 50:29

14d ago50:29

50:29

In the latest episode of our series about different ideas of freedom David and Lea explore what makes the free market free – and where it fails. How does buying and selling stuff advance human freedom? What does the free market free us from? And is it really possible to be free in a world dominated by credit and debt? Sign up now for PPF+ to get bo…

1
AEWCH 259: AVGI SAKETOPOULOU on WHAT ARE THE LIMITS OF CONSENT & TRAUMA? 1:31:21

9d ago1:31:21

1:31:21

On this challenging episode, I talk with author and psychoanalyst Avgi Saketopoulou about how to reframe what trauma is, and how to think beyond consent.

1
The History of Freedom w/Lea Ypi: Kant, Enlightenment and Peace 53:57

16d ago53:57

53:57

In this episode in our series about ideas of freedom David and Lea explore Immanuel Kant’s vision of rational freedom and perpetual peace. Why was Kant so sure that human reason would produce enlightened progress? Was he right? What are the obstacles likely to derail the advance of peace, then and now? How well do his arguments about free speech an…

1
The History of Freedom w/ Lea Ypi: Machiavelli and Political Liberty 49:45

15d ago49:45

49:45

History of Freedom w/ Lea Ypi: Machiavelli and Political Liberty For the third episode in our series about ideas of freedom David and Lea discuss Machiavelli, republicanism and what it means to live in a free state. What are the institutions that can protect people from domination and exploitation? How can political elites be held to account? Where…

1
AEWCH 258: SREĆKO HORVAT, UNA MULLALLY, MARK O'CONNELL on APOCALYPSE & RENEWAL 1:47:06

15d ago1:47:06

1:47:06

On Thursday, March 28, myself and journalist & organizer UNA MULLALLY, presented the event THE BEGINNING IS NEAR in Dublin, where we talked about the end of the world and what comes after that. It marked in person with frequent AEWCH guests, philosopher and activist SREĆKO HORVAT, and cultural critic and writer MARK O'CONNELL. The event marked Sreć…

1
The History of Freedom w/Lea Ypi: The Ancients - Socrates, Seneca & Jesus 53:51

19d ago53:51

53:51

In episode two of our new series David and Lea explore some ancient ideas of freedom and ask what they mean today. What can Socrates teach us about the nature of free inquiry and the pitfalls of democratic freedom? Is Stoicism a guide to emancipation from desire or an exercise in selfishness? And how did Christianity upend the notion of freedom by …

1
The History of Freedom w/Lea Ypi: Why Does It Matter? 55:51

22d ago55:51

55:51

In the first episode of our new series about the history of freedom, David and Lea discuss what the idea means to them and why it matters so much. What did freedom mean to Lea growing up in communist Albania? Is it possible to know true freedom without also having experienced oppression? And how is being free different from being lucky? Subscribe n…

1
Introducing PPF+ 1:38

23d ago1:38

1:38

Sign up now for bonus episodes and ad-free listening – and help support the podcast. www.ppfideas.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1
AEWCH 257: LISA ROMERO on CAN MY OWN DEVELOPMENT CHANGE THE WORLD? 2:04:27

23d ago2:04:27

2:04:27

On this personal, spiritual, and worldly episode, I talk with spiritual teacher and writer Lisa Romero - using events in my own life - about how turning point in our lives, and our relationships, can offer opportunities to help the world's development... if we work through them properly.

1
American Elections: 2008 57:13

26d ago57:13

57:13

For our final episode in this series, David and Gary discuss the election of 2008, which saw Barack Obama’s extraordinary ascent to the presidency. How did he outthink and outmanoeuvre Hilary Clinton? What role did the financial crisis play in his path to the White House? And was it really the vice-presidential candidates in this election who point…

1
AEWCH 256: SARAH SCHULMAN on HOW DO VISION AND ACTION FIT TOGETHER IN ORGANIZING AND ART? 1:11:04

28d ago1:11:04

1:11:04

I talk with novelist, essayist, playwright, and organizer Sarah Schulman about bringing utopianism and reform together in the political and cultural realms.

1
American Elections: 1980 48:42

29d ago48:42

48:42

Our series on the Ideas Behind American Elections has reached 1980 and the election of Ronald Reagan. David and Gary discuss whether Jimmy Carter was always doomed, what made Reaganomics different and how Reagan succeeded in being an optimist and a scaremonger at the same time. Did this election really inaugurate a new era in American politics – an…

1
American Elections: 1936 48:12

1M ago48:12

48:12

The election of 1936 saw FDR re-elected in a landslide. It was also an election in which fundamental questions about the future direction of America were at stake. David and Gary discuss what made it a turning point for American democracy and ultimately for the wider world. Could the power of the Supreme Court be tamed? What was the true nature of …

1
AEWCH 255: UNA MULLALLY on WHAT COMES AFTER COLLAPSE? 1:07:32

1M ago1:07:32

1:07:32

I talk with journalist, activist, and artist Una Mullally about what happens after collapse and how we can learn to draw strength from the destruction of who we once were.

1
American Elections: 1912 45:53

1M ago45:53

45:53

We’ve reached the twentieth century and today’s episode is about the decisive election of 1912. David and Gary discuss the year when the Republicans split, the Democrats recaptured the White House after an absence of twenty years, and American politics shifted decisively towards progressivism. Who were the real progressives? What was Theodore Roose…

1
American Elections: 1896 51:47

2M ago51:47

51:47

This episode in our series on the Ideas Behind American Elections looks at 1896, when a single speech nearly upended American politics. The speech was William Jennings Bryan’s ‘Cross of Gold’ address at the Democratic Party convention, which won him the nomination. How did a 36-year old outsider from Nebraska get so close to reaching the White Hous…

1
American Elections: 1860 58:07

1M ago58:07

58:07

In the third episode in our series on the Ideas Behind American Elections David and Gary talk about what was maybe the most significant election of all: 1860, when Lincoln became president and the country careened into civil war. How did the newly formed Republican Party break the stranglehold of the established parties? Why could the South neither…

1
AEWCH 254: SHULI BRANSON - WHAT DOES AN ANARCHISM OF PEACE LOOK LIKE? 1:13:12

1M ago1:13:12

1:13:12

After a short break, we're back - and AEWCH 228 guest SHULI BRANSON returns to discuss anarchism, spirituality, and peace. This is a special crossposted episode with Shuli's excellent new podcast, The Breakup Theory!

1
American Elections: 1828 51:26

2M ago51:26

51:26

For the second episode in our new series on the Ideas Behind American Elections, David and Gary discuss 1828: the first great populist election, which saw the arrival of Andrew Jackson and a new style of politics in the White House. What made Jackson different from his predecessors? How did this election reinvent the American party system? And why …

1
American Elections: 1800 55:07

2M ago55:07

55:07

In the first episode of our new series on the Ideas Behind American Elections, David and historian Gary Gerstle explore the presidential contest of 1800: scurrilous, complicated, game changing. How did it help create the American party system? Was it really democratic? What would have happened if Aaron Burr had won? Plus, just how accurate is the d…

1
Q & A: Shakespeare, Gulliver and Trump 43:17

2M ago43:17

43:17

In an extra episode this week David answers your questions about the most recent series of the History of Ideas - in particular about the political lessons of Gulliver’s Travels, for its own time and for our own. Plus, how is Trump like - and not like - Coriolanus, and where are the female authors for this series? (A: they’re coming!) Starting in o…

1
History of Ideas: Fathers and Sons 53:54

2M ago53:54

53:54

This week’s Great Political Fiction is Ivan Turgenev’s Fathers and Sons (1862), the definitive novel about the politics – and emotions – of intergenerational conflict. How did Turgenev manage to write a wistful novel about nihilism? What made Russian politics in the early 1860s so chock-full of frustration? Why did Turgenev’s book infuriate his con…

1
History of Ideas: Mary Stuart 54:46

2M ago54:46

54:46

This week’s Great Political Fiction is Friedrich Schiller’s monumental play Mary Stuart (1800), which lays bare the impossible choices faced by two queens – Elizabeth I of England and Mary Queen of Scots – in a world of men. Schiller imagines a meeting between them that never took place and unpicks its fearsome consequences. Why does it do such dam…

1
AEWCH 253: DAN SINYKIN - WHO DECIDES WHAT GETS PUBLISHED? 1:29:42

2M ago1:29:42

1:29:42

I talk with author of BIG FICTION: HOW CONGLOMERATION CHANGED THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY AND AMERICAN LITERATURE, Dan Sinykin, about how the aesthetics of what we read is shaped by big business decisions.

1
History of Ideas: Gulliver’s Travels 55:12

2M ago55:12

55:12

This week’s episode on the great political fictions is about Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels (1726) – part adventure story, part satire of early-eighteenth-century party politics, but above all a coruscating reflection on the failures of human perspective and self-knowledge. Why do we find it so hard to see ourselves for who we really are? What…

1
AEWCH 252: SARAH MARIA GRIFFIN - WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE A WORKING WRITER? 1:43:03

3M ago1:43:03

1:43:03

I talk with fantasy and horror novelist Sarah Maria Griffin about what it takes - and what it takes from you - to be a working writer.

1
History of Ideas: Coriolanus 57:31

3M ago57:31

57:31

In the first episode of our new series on the great political fictions, David talks about Shakespeare’s Coriolanus (1608-9), the last of his tragedies and perhaps his most politically contentious play. Why has Coriolanus been subject to so many wildly different political interpretations? Is pride really the tragic flaw of the military monster at it…

1
AEWCH 251: JONAH EVANS - WHAT IS SPIRITUAL WORK? 1:42:14

3M ago1:42:14

1:42:14

I talk with Rev. Jonah Evans about what "spiritual work" is, how it differs from other kinds of work, how it differs from spiritual practice, and why we probably can't just call everything spiritual work.

1
The End of Enlightenment 57:48

3M ago57:48

57:48

This week David talks to Richard Whatmore and Lea Ypi about what caused the loss of faith in the idea of Enlightenment at the end of the eighteenth century and the parallels with our loss of faith today. Why did hopes for a better, more rational world start to seem like wishful thinking? How was Britain implicated in the demise of Enlightenment ide…

1
AEWCH 250: CAITLIN DOUGHTY - WILL YOUR DREAM JOB RUIN YOUR LIFE? 1:43:17

3M ago1:43:17

1:43:17

Friends, Leftists and progressives more broadly are becoming increasingly aware of the lie of "loving what you do." And we're also becoming more aware of the ways corporations try to ameliorate real reflection and demands for higher wages via "perks" like organic cereal dispensers and "funny hat day" and other forms of glitzy dross. But conversatio…

1
Rory Stewart: What Does it Mean to be a 21st-Century Tory? 47:45

3M ago47:45

47:45

This week David talks to Rory Stewart about his life in politics and the history of the ideas behind his political philosophy. What does it mean to be a Tory in the twenty-first century? When and how did the Conservative party get taken over by Whigs? Where – if anywhere – can independents find a home in contemporary British democracy? A conversati…

1
AEWCH 249: WHY WOULD ANYONE START A PODCAST? 56:12

3M ago56:12

56:12

Why would anyone start a podcast? Doesn't everyone have a podcast? Is podcast work actually work? Is there a spiritual aspect to podcasting? (And also, why do we all have to work, even with all this crazy stuff going on in the world?)

1
The End of the UK? 58:35

3M ago58:35

58:35

This week David talks to the political scientist Mike Kenny about the possible fate of the United Kingdom. What makes the UK such an unusual political arrangement? How has it managed to hold together through war, economic decline, Brexit, Covid? What still threatens to break it apart? Mike Kenny’s new book is Fractured Union: Politics, Sovereignty …

1
History of Ideas 12: Ta-Nehisi Coates 51:51

4M ago51:51

51:51

Episode 12 in our series on the great essays is about Ta-Nehisi Coates’s ‘The Case for Reparations’, published in the Atlantic in 2014. Black American life has been marked by injustice from the beginning: this essay explores what can – and what can’t – be done to remedy it, from slavery to the housing market, from Mississippi to Chicago. Plus, what…

1
History of Ideas 11: Umberto Eco 47:05

4M ago47:05

47:05

Episode 11 in our series on the great essays explores Umberto Eco’s ‘Thoughts on Wikileaks’ (2010). Eco writes about what makes a true scandal, what are real secrets, and what it would mean to expose the hidden workings of power. It is an essay that connects digital technology, medieval mystery and Dan Brown. Plus David talks about the hidden meani…

1
AEWCH 248: HOW CAN I FIND PEACE IN A TIME OF WAR? 44:10

4M ago44:10

44:10

Is peace possible? If so, is it possible or even okay to find it in a time of extreme conflict and violence? Is it ethical to work towards your personal goals in a time of crisis? I look at this from a spiritual perspective on the first episode of the year.

1
History of Ideas 10: David Foster Wallace 52:15

4M ago52:15

52:15

Episode 10 in our series on the great essays is about David Foster Wallace’s ‘Up, Simba!’, which describes his experiences following the doomed campaign of John McCain for the Republican presidential nomination in 2000. Wallace believed that McCain’s distinctive political style revealed some hard truths about American democracy. Was he right? What …

1
History of Ideas 9: Joan Didion 50:16

4M ago50:16

50:16

Episode 9 in our series on the great essays is about Joan Didion's 'The White Album' (1979), her haunting, impressionistic account of the fracturing of America in the late 1960s. From Jim Morrison to the Manson murders, Didion offers a series of snapshots of a society coming apart in ways no one seemed to understand. But what was true, what was ima…

1
History of Ideas 8: Susan Sontag 53:07

4M ago53:07

53:07

Episode 8 in our history of the great essays is about Susan Sontag’s ‘Against Interpretation’ (1963). What was interpretation and why was Sontag so against it? David explores how an argument about art, criticism and the avant-garde can be applied to contemporary politics and can even explain the monstrous appeal of Donald Trump. Sontag in the LRB: …

1
History of Ideas 7: James Baldwin 48:49

4M ago48:49

48:49

Episode 7 in our series on the great essays is about James Baldwin’s ‘Notes of a Native Son’ (1955), an essay that combines autobiography with a searing indictment of America’s racial politics. At its heart it tells the story of Baldwin’s relationship with his father, but it is also about fear, cruelty, violence and the terrible compromises of a co…

1
History of Ideas 6: Simone Weil 50:51

4M ago50:51

50:51

Episode 6 in our series on the great essays is about Simone Weil’s ‘Human Personality’ (1943). Written shortly before her death aged just 34, it is an uncompromising repudiation of the building blocks of modern life: democracy, rights, personal identity, scientific progress – all these are rejected. What does Weil have to put in their place? The an…

1
History of Ideas 5: George Orwell 50:37

4M ago50:37

50:37

Episode 5 in our series on the great essays is about George Orwell. His wartime essay ‘The Lion and the Unicorn’ (1941) is about what it does – and doesn’t – mean to be English. How did the English manage to resist fascism? How are the English going to defeat fascism? These were two different questions with two very different answers: hypocrisy and…

1
History of Ideas 4: Virginia Woolf 49:34

4M ago49:34

49:34

Episode 4 in our series on the great essays is about Virginia Woolf’s masterpiece ‘A Room of One’s Own’ (1929). David discusses how an essay on the conditions for women writing fiction ends up being about so much else besides: anger, power, sex, modernity, independence and transcendence. And how, despite all that, it still manages to be as fresh an…

1
History of Ideas 3: Thoreau 54:08

4M ago54:08

54:08

Episode three in our series about the great political essays is about Thoreau’s ‘Civil Disobedience’ (1849), a ringing call to resistance against democratic idiocy. Thoreau wanted to resist slavery and unjust wars. How can one citizen turn the tide against majority opinion? Was Thoreau a visionary or a hypocrite? And what do his arguments say about…

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