Political Theory
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EP22: Should We Abolish Elections? (On Guerrero’s Lottocracy)
Listen nowWhat if democracy isn’t broken, but its very foundation—elections—is the problem? In this episode, we unpack Alexander Guerrero’s provocative case for lottocracy: a system that replaces elected officials with randomly selected citizens. Guerrero argues that elections breed inequality, corruption, and short-term thinking, while lottocracy promises fairness and more authentic representation.
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EP18: Is Free Speech Actually Bad? (On Brian Leiter’s Case Against Free Speech)
Listen nowOn this episode, we dive deep into Brian Leiter’s “The Case Against Free Speech.” Leiter questions the sanctity of free speech, suggesting that not all speech deserves equal protection if it causes societal harm.
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EP16: Should Philosophers Stay Out Of Politics? (On van der Vossen’s Defence of The Ivory Tower)
Listen nowOn this episode, we read Bass van der Vossen’s “In defense of the ivory tower”. On this view, philosophers should stay in their lane. That lane being, the pursuit of Truth! Partisanship is opposed to truth and is a danger to academic integrity.
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EP12: Is Making Friends with the Far-Right a Good Way to Research Them? (ft. Benjamin Teitelbaum)
Listen nowWe interview Benjamin Teitelbaum about his controversial ethnographic methods and the unsavoury people he studies. “They go by many names: outsiders describe them as right-wing extremists, organized racists, or neofascists, and they tend to call themselves nationalists. I call them friends,” writes Teitelbaum.
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EP10: Is Equality of Opportunity Not Valuable? (On Stephan Kershnar’s Attack on Equality of Opportunity)
Listen nowThis week we have one of our first encounters with the Academic Edgelord final boss, Stephan Kershnar. We start with his argument against equality of opportunity. We’ll examine the case, and also ask what exactly Kershnar is in general: a useful gadfly, a dishonest ideologue, or just a petulant troll?
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EP8: Should the Knowledgable Rule? (On Jason Brennan’s “Against Democracy”)
Listen nowOn this week’s episode, we read Jason Brennan’s 2016 book, “Against Democracy”. In it, Brennan offers a controversial argument for replacing democracy with an “epistocracy” – rule by the knowledgeable.