
The Hope Axis by Anna Gát
What is there in the world to hope and work for? Let's discuss!
Latest episodes

Mar 31, 2025 • 1h 9min
Max Meyer: Hope for America
Max Meyer, founder and editor of Arena Magazine, dives into intriguing discussions about American culture and innovation. He highlights the contrasts between rural and urban values, and how migration shapes identity. Topics like the rise of Dogecoin as a governance model reveal the quest for agility in leadership. Meyer emphasizes the importance of transparency in media, especially in today's TikTok era. He also foreshadows an exploration of warfare and technology in an upcoming magazine issue, all while infusing messages of hope and resilience.

Mar 22, 2025 • 1h 19min
Richard Hanania: A Golden Age of Satire
#satire #newsletters #DOGE #elonmusk #politics #liberalism #trolls #feminismThis was our 21st episode, and I celebrated its coming of drinking age by inviting my scandal hero mutual Richard Hanania. We talked about the art of satire (and a little trolling). Writing independently and without filter. Why Neoliberalism was, according to Richard, right. Why Liberals must make a comeback. Why women’s intuition should be taken seriously. Why romance is a pillar of social order. Why men and women - and generations, political sides - need to talk to each other. The social value of Classical Liberalism. Why Conservatism, according to Richard, is turning into a movement of the dunces. Why normie journalists are actually indispensable for a healthy democracy. Why Richard thinks I’m a too high level thinker. Why Tyler Cowen is the intellectual that gives him the most hope. And much more!Links: https://www.richardhanania.com/https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/book-review-the-origins-of-woke

Mar 18, 2025 • 48min
Kyla Scanlon: Hope for GenZ
Join Kyla Scanlon, an economics creator and author known for her sharp analysis of Gen Z, as she dives into the challenges and aspirations of her generation. She discusses the three types of Gen Z and their responses to economic instability. The conversation covers topics like digital isolation, the influence of sentiment on economic perceptions, and the impact of technology on communication. Kyla also reflects on the importance of genuine connection and hope amidst societal fragmentation and how these themes shape our future.

Mar 4, 2025 • 1h 37min
Henry Oliver: How to Build a Literary Canon?
Writer, literary critic, and the man behind the great The Common Reader (https://www.commonreader.co.uk) blog, Henry Oliver joined me to gossip about literature and then dive in and build our own Western Canon. Enjoy!We talked about good literature and bad literature, Tolstoy and Shakespeare, Woolf, Bloom… Romanticism, quests, Goethe, Tolkien... And most importantly we built a from-scratch Western Canon for visiting aliens...Henry's Canon:1) The King James Bible2) The Odyssey3) The Aeneid4) Dante's Inferno5) Petrarch's Canzoniere6) Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur7) The Canterbury Tales8) Tartuffe9) A Winter's Tale10) The Pilgrim's Progress11) Montaigne's Essays 12) The Gargantua-Pantagruel series13) Gulliver's Travels 14) The Sorrows of Young Werther15) Emma16) Fathers and Sons17) The Death of Ivan Ilyich18) Chekhov: The Seagull19) The Lord of the Rings20) The Last Samurai

Feb 22, 2025 • 1h 43min
Jim O'Shaughnessy: Life on Wall Street and Beyond
Investor and writer Jim O'Shaughnessy came on The Hope Axis and shared his Theory of Life. We talked about…probably everything? The 80s on Wall Street, reputation and norms, patterns and emotions, financial markets and family, Shakespeare sonnets and journaling, Cold War and conformism, Girard and Jung, reality and instincts, 911 and altruism, the Internet and belief systems, books and obsessions, innovation and investment, culture and hope. And so much more…https://x.com/jposhaughnessyhttps://www.osv.llc/https://www.infiniteloopspodcast.com/https://www.infinitebooks.com/

Feb 14, 2025 • 1h 14min
Zena Hitz: The Purpose of an Intellectual Life
The one and only Zena Hitz — Tutor at St. John's College and author of one of my favourite books 'Lost in Thought — joined me to talk about Plato and Christ, contemplation and service, wisdom and being lost, morality and dignity, end goals and anxieties — Agnes Callard and Irina Dumitrescu — Aquinas and Hildegard of Bingen, and happiness!Links:https://www.zenahitz.net/https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691178714/lost-in-thought

Feb 6, 2025 • 1h 2min
Irina Dumitrescu: Can We Understand the People of the Past?
Medieval scholar Irina Dumitrescu and I talk about the medieval mindset, faith, doubt, sex, and suicide. And also Margery Kempe and fame, heretics and wives, Strauss and Glück, Girard and Hamlet, pilgrims, saints, madness, vegetarianism, secrets, the Inquisition, and much more.
Oh and Monty Python, of course!
Irina:
https://www.the-tls.co.uk/authors/irina-dumitrescu
https://x.com/irinibus
https://irinadumitrescu.com/about-me/

Jan 4, 2025 • 1h 13min
Sarah Haider: Neo-Religion, New Atheists, Ex-Muslims, and Spiritual Quests
Writer, podcaster, and activist Sarah Haider joined me to discuss New Atheism, neo-religion, spiritual journeys, Cultural Islam. We reminisced about the Four Horsemen era and explored vibe shifts, trads, fanatics, immigration, woke taboos, the lack of constructive dialogue.
Can democracy function without religion? What do people do with their big feelings like love, hate, or fear in the age of secularism? Why do so many people return to faith these days — are their motivations valid?
Follow Sarah: https://newsletter.sarahhaider.com/
Follow Anna: https://x.com/TheAnnaGat
Follow The Hope Axis: https://x.com/thehopeaxis

Dec 4, 2024 • 1h 29min
Paul Millerd: Self-Liberation, Self-Publishing, Self-Knowledge
Writer and community builder Paul Millerd joined me to discuss his two excellent self-published books The Pathless Path and Good Work, as well as: Scenes and tribes. The Intellectual Renaissance were living through. John Stuart Mill, Sartre, Havel. The end of the corporate default. Language, community, virtue. SF vs Austin, GenZ vs Millennials. Cold emailing and rejection. The implosions of the social and the parasocial. Starting a publishing house. And much more...
https://pmillerd.com/

Nov 20, 2024 • 1h 18min
Reggie James: Spiritual Technology
Reggie James, Co-founder and CEO of Eternal, dives into the intriguing intersection of technology and spirituality. He discusses the potential of 'spiritual technology' and its role in enhancing well-being. Reggie critiques how AI might misguide spiritual journeys and explores how traditional practices need innovation. The conversation examines the dark side of gambling apps and their impact on individual spirituality, while also addressing how tech can function as a modern religion, emphasizing the need for community in a digital age.
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