BlomCast

"We Have Never Been Woke" is the title of Musa Al-Gharbi’s brilliantly polemic analysis of an educational and social elite that believes it has all the answers. He calls this professional class symbolic capitalists — people who make their living from manipulating the symbols of our societies, i.e. journalists, academics, creative professions, the media, NGOs, etc. The turning point here is the arrival of wokeness as the ultimate arbiter of truth, coupled with great moral rigidity and intolerance of other opinions. The reason for this, Musa suggests, may be elite overproduction, which means that too many qualified people are competing for two few jobs, and therefore have to develop not only professional, but also ideological points of distinction and advantage. Has symbolic capitalism taken over the public sphere?Support the show

Die Artenvielfalt bricht weltweit so rasend schnell zusammen, dass die Naturwissenschaft schon von einem Sechsten Artensterben sprechen. In Europa sind beispielsweise die Insekten um bis zu 80% zurückgegangen, die der Singvögel um etwa 50%. Franz Essl ist Biodiversitätsforscher an der Universität Wien. Seine Wahl zum Wissenschaftler des Jahres 2023 verdankt er auch seiner Arbeit in der Wissenschaftsvermittlung und als politischer und wissenschaftlicher Berater verschiedener NGOs. Der Einsatz für die Erhaltung der Artenvielfalt in der eigenen Landschaft war ihm schon immer so wichtig, wie ihre Erforschung. Ein Gespräch über Naturwissenschaft und eine Kindheit am Land, über Wissenschaft und Macht. Ist es möglich, eine ökologische Transformation voranzutreiben ohne die Bürger:innen dabei zu verlieren? Wie kann eine wirklich breite demokratische Diskussion über eine gemeinsame Zukunft entstehen?Support the show

In this fascinating conversation we explore the history of liberal ideas from Alexis de Tocqueville and John Stuart Mills until today. Samuel Moyn is particularly interested in liberalism during the Cold War and the changes these ideas were subjected to during the battle of the ideologies. But we also explore how important theological traditions are for liberal thinking and how the philosophical principles underlying this broad current of ideas — freedom from oppression, emancipation, and human rights — can be revived in our current world.Support the show

Warum sind so viele Menschen der Meinung, dass ihre Gesellschaften zerrissen sind, dass die Demokratie am Ende ist, dass sie überwältigt werden durch Fremdheit, durch Migration, dass sie in einer Welt leben, die sie nicht mehr verstehen? Das hat mehrere Gründe, glaube ich, aber zwei scheinen mir besonders wichtig: Demographie und Technologie. In alternden Gesellschaften ändert sich vieles, besonders, wenn sie gleichzeitig von neuen Technologien von innen heraus völlig umgekrempelt werden. Ich versuche dieses Phänomen einmal zu umreißen und mir auch Gedanken darüber zu machen, was diese Zerrissenheit verringern und vielleicht sogar beenden könnte.Support the show

It is an age-old question: can we learn from history? Yes! says distinguished political scientist Roman Krznaric in his new book, which looks at the past for inspiration for building a better future. From striking low-caste women in Kerala to Suffragettes in Great Britain, from the first explosion of capitalism in 17-century Amsterdam to the rise of AI and from Ibn Khaldun to an ancient water authority in Spain, he shows that we are often stuck in a constructed version of history and that the true diversity of different pasts and experiments in living throughout the ages and the continents hold lessons we will need for our survival. A fascinating account.Support the show

Celebrated science writer Gaia Vince takes us into a future that is strangely familiar and yet quite different. The future will be determined by managing the immense and irresistible forces of climate change and global migration, and that can only become possible by embracing radical change and making courageous choices. There is no way forward without transformation, says Gaia, but ultimately this transformation will improve the lives even of those who are too trapped in their model of success to see the possibility of hope.Support the show

Richard Whatmore reads the late eighteenth century very much as a warning to the present. Some of the greatest Enlightenment thinkers were despairing of the fact that their fight against prejudice and fanaticism, against the power or princes and priests, had led to a mercantile state living in a perpetual state of war, and a society whose fanaticism had turned into a blind worship of freedom, individuality, and rights. Richard is a fascinating sparring partner for ideas ranging from a critical moment in intellectual history featuring thinkers like David Hume, Adam Smith, or Mary Wollstonecraft to Friedrich Hayek and the very present and political resonances of these thoughts. Faced the cruelty of the French revolution and the reality of mercantilism, colonialism and a political sphere dominated by the interests of private entrepreneurs and shareholders, a generation of intellectuals had to construct new strategies in the face of disaster. Support the show

In this episode I talk about the amazing history of women artists, and of who is written into history, and who isn’t. Katy Hessel writes not only about female artists, but also about ways of seeing, of telling stories, and of telling the story of humanity. Why were women, even if they had been hugely successful artists in their own time, written out of history? And why is it still necessary to make this point? Katy Hessel is a passionate advocate — not only for women artists, but also for a better, more inclusive and richer way of approaching art, and life.Support the show

Four great forces have changed human cultures, says Olivier Roy distinguished political scientist and expert on radical Islam: a change in sexual mores since 1968, the internet, the liberalisation of global finance, and the free movement of people. the result is a flattened world, in which old hierarchies count for little and implicit culture is being replaced by explicit norms, a world without a way forward, and therefore a profoundly conservative one. Floor us in this fascinating exploration of cultures in crisis and what might replace them.Support the show

Maja Göpel, a renowned German futurist, delves into the importance of a sustainable future, tackling topics like energy transition, democracy, climate change, the role of super-rich individuals, and the necessity for collaboration and careful planning in climate initiatives. The conversation touches on fostering community support, combating movements in liberal societies, global challenges and solutions for sustainability, and the significance of public feedback and forward-thinking in society.