Best Science Faction Podcasts (2024)

1
Zana Gulmohamad, "The Making of Foreign Policy in Iraq: Political Factions and the Ruling Elite" (Bloomsbury, 2022) 1:08:53

8h ago1:08:53

1:08:53

How is foreign policy made in Iraq? Based on dozens of interviews with senior officials and politicians, The Making of Foreign Policy in Iraq: Political Factions and the Ruling Elite (Bloomsbury, 2021) provides a clear analysis of the development of domestic Iraqi politics since 2003. Dr. Zana Gul explains how the federal government of Iraq and Kur…

1
Episode 513: Game Big Boy

3d ago

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This episode contains: Steven and Ben are your hosts this week, and you know what that means… WE TALK VIDEOGAMES! Well, later we talk videogames. First, are y’all handling these high temps this summer alright? In our little California burg, we hit 112 degrees Fahrenheit a couple days ago. Steven is really enjoying the benefits of his home’s heat pu…

1
SF701: What You Can Do to Fight Climate Change 1:11:49

11d ago1:11:49

1:11:49

In this special, extended episode, the guys discuss what you as an individual can do to fight climate change.By Science Faction

1
Mark L. Haas, "Frenemies: When Ideological Enemies Ally" (Cornell UP, 2022) 47:06

8h ago47:06

47:06

Alliances among ideological enemies confronting a common foe, or "frenemy" alliances, are unlike coalitions among ideologically-similar states facing comparable threats. Members of frenemy alliances are perpetually torn by two powerful opposing forces. Frenemies: When Ideological Enemies Ally (Cornell University Press, 2022) shows that shared mater…

1
Preparing for War: The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism—and What Comes Next 52:51

2d ago52:51

52:51

Watching the footage of the January 6 insurrection, Professor Bradley Onishi wondered: If I hadn't left evangelicalism, would I have been there? Today’s book is: Preparing for War: The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism—and What Comes Next (Broadleaf Books, 2023), by Dr. Bradley Onishi, which unpacks recent U.S. history to show how th…

1
Episode 513: Game Big Boy 1:21:39

3d ago1:21:39

1:21:39

This episode contains: Steven and Ben are your hosts this week, and you know what that means... WE TALK VIDEOGAMES! Well, later we talk videogames. First, are y'all handling these high temps this summer alright? In our little California burg, we hit 112 degrees Fahrenheit a couple days ago. Steven is really enjoying the benefits of his home's heat …

1
Monika Krause, "Model Cases: On Canonical Research Objects and Sites" (U Chicago Press, 2021) 34:07

3d ago34:07

34:07

In Model Cases: On Canonical Research Objects and Sites (University of Chicago Press, 2021), Dr. Monika Krause asks about the concrete material research objects behind shared conversations about classes of objects, periods, and regions in the social sciences and humanities. It is well known that biologists focus on particular organisms, such as mic…

1
Neil J. Young, "Coming Out Republican: A History of the Gay Right" (U Chicago Press, 2024) 1:01:37

5d ago1:01:37

1:01:37

Coming Out Republican: A History of the Gay Right (U Chicago Press, 2024) is a fascinating and engaging historical tour of those who were gay and active in Republican and conservative politics over the course of the last 80 years. Neil J. Young has written an accessible and deeply sources book that brings forward stories about those in the closet, …

1
Miranda Melcher, "Securing Peace in Angola and Mozambique: The Importance of Specificity in Peace Treaties" (Bloomsbury, 2024) 1:15:56

8d ago1:15:56

1:15:56

Explaining how and why there are such diverging outcomes of UN peace negotiations and treaties, this book offers a detailed examination of peace processes in order to demonstrate that how treaties are negotiated and written significantly impacts their implementation. Drawing on case studies from the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars, Miranda Melche…

1
Dmitri Alperovitch, "World on the Brink: How America Can Beat China in the Race for the 21st Century" (PublicAffairs, 2024) 48:31

9d ago48:31

48:31

In his book World on the Brink: How America Can Beat China in the Race for the 21st Century (PublicAffairs, 2024), Dmitri Alperovitch (with Garrett M. Graff) argues that the United States is in a “Cold War II” with China, and lays out a set of policy recommendations for how the US can win this new Cold War. Alperovitch is currently the Founder and …

1
Episode 512: Light from the Death of Starz

10d ago

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https://traffic.libsyn.com/sciencefactionpodcast/SFP_EP512.mp3 This episode contains: We three hosts are here! Ben’s wife is having another birthday, but don’t worry it’s not 40 gifts over 40 days all over again. She wants to have a “Fat Girl Sunday” (not a Sundae) where she eats and drinks with friends, super chill. Ben’s happy to be a cabana boy …

1
Episode 512: Light from the Death of Starz 1:12:55

10d ago1:12:55

1:12:55

This episode contains: We three hosts are here! Ben’s wife is having another birthday, but don’t worry it’s not 40 gifts over 40 days all over again. She wants to have a “Fat Girl Sunday” (not a Sundae) where she eats and drinks with friends, super chill. Ben’s happy to be a cabana boy for it. Devon starts talking about food and now we’re hungry...…

1
Leviathan Presents | Curious Matter Anthology: The Exile by Jonathan Pezza 54:09

14d ago54:09

54:09

Welcome to LEVIATHAN PRESENTS! - A monthly segment where we highlight one audio fiction creator, have a conversation, and then play a full episode of their show right here in our feed. This month were welcoming back Jonathan Pezza to the show to discuss the new season of his series Curious Matter Anthology. Curious Matter Anthology is not your ever…

1
Jason Hannan, "Trolling Ourselves to Death: Democracy in the Age of Social Media" (Oxford UP, 2023) 47:09

11d ago47:09

47:09

We commonly think of trolls as anonymous online pranksters who hide behind clever avatars and screen names. In Trolling Ourselves to Death: Democracy in the Age of Social Media (Oxford UP, 2024), Jason Hannan reveals how the trolls have emerged from the cave and now walk in the clear light of day. Once limited to the darker corners of the internet,…

1
Alexandre Lefebvre, "Liberalism as a Way of Life" (Princeton UP, 2024) 1:09:12

12d ago1:09:12

1:09:12

In political philosophy, “liberalism” is not the name of a particular social platform. Rather, it refers to a framework for thinking about politics. It is the way of thinking according to which the state, its laws, and its institutions all stand in need of justification, and that the justification of the state must be addressed to those who live wi…

1
Postscript: Does the June POTUS Debate Matter? 1:04:56

12d ago1:04:56

1:04:56

On Thursday, June 27th, President Joe Biden and Trump debated for 90 minutes without a live audience or the usually provided by the Commission on Presidential Debates. Instead, two CNN journalists – Dana Bash and Jake Tapper – asked the questions. Not only was the format a departure but the timing was unusually early for a presidential debate. Toda…

1
Erin Lin, "When the Bombs Stopped: The Legacy of War in Rural Cambodia" (Princeton UP, 2024) 53:49

18d ago53:49

53:49

Over the course of the Vietnam War, the United States dropped 500,000 tons of bombs over Cambodia—more than the combined weight of every man, woman, and child in the country. Fifty years after the last sortie, residents of rural Cambodia are still coping with the unexploded ordnance that covers their land. In When the Bombs Stopped: The Legacy of W…

1
Nicolas Véron, "Europe's Banking Union at Ten: Unfinished Yet Transformative" (Bruegel, 2024) 43:21

18d ago43:21

43:21

In 2012, to stave off the collapse of their currency union, Europe’s leaders sought to end the so-called “doom loop” between the solvency of their governments and their banking systems. Two years later, a banking union was born. Created as a crisis response, like the postwar coal and steel community, this ten-year-old union is another step in Europ…

1
Mizeyesis for Danger Chamber Digital Takeover on The Underground Lair - June 22 2024 1:55:37

16d ago1:55:37

1:55:37

Tracklist: 01. World View - Nazca Lines02. Outrage VS Nomine - Infinite Self03. Fada - Controlled Freedom (Polska Remix)04. Outrage vs Nomine - Trespass05. Pod x Tamen - Ino06. Type - Sprinter 07. Park Shadow - Microsleep08. Holsten - Stallion09. Forest Drive West - Neptune10. Section X Surface - Derelict11. Loxy & Resound - Vibranium12. Deadly Sil…

1
The Democratic Regression: The Political Causes of Authoritarian Populism 34:41

18d ago34:41

34:41

Why are so many democracies experiencing the rise of authoritarian populism? And what can we do to address this? Join Nic Cheeseman as he talks to Armin Schäfer and Michael Zürn about their new book The Democratic Regression: The Political Causes of Authoritarian Populism (Polity Press, 2023). Armin and Michael explain what authoritarian populism i…

1
Amy Schiller, "The Price of Humanity: How Philanthropy Went Wrong—And How to Fix It" (Melville House, 2023) 48:33

18d ago48:33

48:33

Amy Schiller, who spent a number of years working in both political and major gift fundraising, has a new book detailing some of the fundamental problems currently afflicting American philanthropy and how to correct some of these problems. Schiller, a political theorist currently at Dartmouth College’s Society of Fellows, brings two important persp…

1
Episode 511: Dark Matters of Philosophy

18d ago

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This episode contains: Steven, Ben and Devon are all here and accounted for. Steven is trying to not be a bump on a log and is attempting to use his Fitness+ plan to get fit. We get sidetracked by talking about the “runner’s high” but don’t get too far into it. Ben had a birthday! Happy Birthday Ben! He watched Inside Out 2 and we all give our opin…

1
Episode 511: Dark Matters of Philosophy 1:17:12

17d ago1:17:12

1:17:12

This episode contains: Steven, Ben and Devon are all here and accounted for. Steven is trying to not be a bump on a log and is attempting to use his Fitness+ plan to get fit. We get sidetracked by talking about the "runner's high" but don't get too far into it. Ben had a birthday! Happy Birthday Ben! He watched Inside Out 2 and we all give our opin…

1
Shuchi Kapila, "Postmemory and the Partition of India: Learning to Remember" (Palgrave MacMillan, 2024) 57:18

22d ago57:18

57:18

Shuchi Kapila, Postmemory and the Partition of India: Learning to Remember (Palgrave MacMillan, 2024) Dr. Shuchi Kapila, Professor of English at Grinnell College, has a new book that explores the India/Pakistan Partition in 1947 through the lens of memory, generational conversation and inheritance. Postmemory and the Partition of India: Learning to…

1
Emily Zackin and Chloe N. Thurston, "The Political Development of American Debt Relief" (U Chicago Press, 2024) 58:27

21d ago58:27

58:27

A political history of the rise and fall of American debt relief. Americans have a long history with debt. They also have a long history of mobilizing for debt relief. Throughout the nineteenth century, indebted citizens demanded government protection from their financial burdens, challenging readings of the Constitution that exalted property right…

1
Donald Stoker, "Purpose and Power: US Grand Strategy from the Revolutionary Era to the Present" (Cambridge UP, 2024) 46:54

22d ago46:54

46:54

In our interview, I spoke with Donald Stoker about the changes in American grand strategy over the past 250 years and the major themes from his new book: Purpose and Power: US Grand Strategy from the Revolutionary Era to the Present (Cambridge UP, 2024). Across the full span of the nation’s history, Stoker challenges our understanding of the purpos…

1
Postscript: Unpacking the 2024 U.S. Presidential Debate, Conventions, and Polling 45:03

23d ago45:03

45:03

The first presidential debate will be held on June 27th, 2024 and the Republicans are heading to Milwaukee (a city Donald Trump recently called “horrible” and crime-ridden). Lilly Goren and Susan Liebell had a wide ranging discussion including analysis of the upcoming debate, summer conventions, party platforms, and polling with three experts. Dr. …

1
Hank Willenbrink, "Performing for the Don: Theatres of Faith in the Age of Trump" (Routledge, 2024) 1:30:26

24d ago1:30:26

1:30:26

From his overwhelming embrace by evangelicals and other people of faith to his championing of policies and conservative judicial candidates long sought by right-wing Christians, Donald Trump’s candidacy, campaign, and presidency were empowered by believers of many stripes who employed different methods of rationalizing or Christianizing Trump and h…

1
Andreas Fulda, "Germany and China: How Entanglement Undermines Freedom, Prosperity and Security" (Bloombury, 2024) 59:55

24d ago59:55

59:55

Germany and China: How Entanglement Undermines Freedom, Prosperity and Security (Bloomsbury, 2024) is a groundbreaking book, of which the findings have significant implications both for German-China relations and also in understanding the rising influence of autocratic China on liberal democracies globally. In today's interview, Associate Professor…

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