What's Left of Philosophy

What does “hyperpolitics” reveal about a time of nonstop political activity but little lasting change? The discussion explores institutional collapse, economic stagnation, internet atomization, climate crisis, and the erosion of social solidarity. It also asks how mass politics might be rebuilt, balancing emergency action with patient organizing, and why hope, humility, and collective deliberation matter.

A lively exploration of Alain Badiou’s vision of politics as a site where truths and transformative events emerge. The discussion moves through radical equality, insurrection against state hierarchies, Nazism and totalitarianism, Saint Paul’s revolutionary faith, and the role of love, mathematics, infinity, and Platonism in shaping political subjects.

A deep dive into how modernity and colonialism are tangled together. They trace Eurocentric claims, exclusions, and stages of modernity. The conversation explores alterity, conquest as a modern subjectivity, and whether Latin America is constitutive of modernity. They end by weighing modernity’s emancipatory promise against its instrumental and mythic uses.

A teaser on Marshall Berman’s take on modernity and its lived contradictions. Short scenes on creative destruction, urban life, and the tension between freedom and stability. Sketches of pessimistic and hopeful responses to modern change. A quick invite to continue the conversation on the full show.

A lively debate about Marx’s 'Fragment on Machines' and what automated systems reveal about labor and value. They link generative AI and data centers to promises of freed time versus intensified exploitation. The conversation weighs political choices, investment priorities, transparency of black-box systems, and how automation reshapes work, teaching, and everyday skills.

In this episode we talk about the political philosophy of early modern jurist Johannes Althusius. For us, he represents a road not taken in political theory, since Hobbes definitively constructed political philosophy around the idea of the self-interested atomized subject and he couldn’t disagree more. Althusius is an axis between medieval and modern thinking about political life, and his federalist vision forces us all to ask odd questions about what we want. History teaches!leftofphilosophy.com | @leftofphil | @leftofphilosophy.bsky.social References:Johannes Althusius, Politica, translated by Frederick S. Carney (Boston: Beacon Press, 1964).Music:“Vintage Memories” by Schematist | schematist.bandcamp.com“My Space” by Overu | https://get.slip.stream/KqmvAN

In this episode, we talk about the relational paradigm in political philosophy. Made famous by Iris Marion Young, developed later by Elizabeth Anderson, this view of what equality is all about presents a puzzle for the class conscious. It says that the point of equality is to live in a society of equals. Its proponents skewered famous analytical Marxists for having a reductive and economistic view of justice. Was this fair? Join us to find out. This is just a short teaser of the full episode. To hear the rest, please subscribe to us on Patreon:patreon.com/leftofphilosophyReferences:Elizabeth Anderson, “What’s the Point of Equality?” Ethics 109 (1999): 287-337.Samuel Scheffler, “What is Egalitarianism?” Philosophy and Public Affairs 31(2003): 5-39.Iris Marion Young, Justice and the Politics of Difference. Princeton University Press, 1990. Music:“Vintage Memories” by Schematist | schematist.bandcamp.com“My Space” by Overu |https://get.slip.stream/KqmvAN

Lucien Ferguson, assistant professor of law at Chicago-Kent, offers sharp analysis of Reconstruction-era constitutional interpretation. He explores Slaughter-House and the 14th Amendment, contrasts liberal and republican notions of freedom and labor, and considers how constitutional language can be used strategically in modern politics. Short, clear, and provocative conversation about citizenship, property, and the legacy of Reconstruction.

Just a quick word about upcoming events you should join us for!SPEP Webinar: Philosophy and Environmental Injustices, with Matthias Fritsch, Romy Opperman, and Michael Peterson, May 25, 5pm Eastern Standard Timehttps://us.list-manage.com/1tRnwaVjgii?e=e22f097f7b&c2id=b595b31be157b5b356d9b3d96de5843fAs noted in the audio, a previous version of this announcement wrongly identified the date of the webinar as May 21. It's May 25. Sorry for the confusion!BISR Chicago Course: Anti-Oedipus with Gil Morejónhttps://thebrooklyninstitute.com/items/courses/new-york/deleuze-and-guattari-anti-oedipus-chicago/Hope to see you soon!

A lively tease about Kathi Weeks’ critique of work as capitalism’s organizing ethic. They contrast socially necessary reproductive labor with vast unnecessary tasks. Discussion turns to redirecting work toward social needs and questions of redistribution. The conversation flirts with utopian idleness and admits how jobs shape purpose, discipline, and identity.