PlasticPills - Philosophy & Critical Theory Podcast

We turn our attention to the ur myth of civilizational collapse... and accidentally find political philosophy. Ah well. Get the other half of our episodes and support our continued efforts at https://www.patreon.com/plasticpills

Diego Ruzzarin, expert on Communism in Latin America, discusses soccer economics, psychoanalysis, leftist ideologies, and challenges faced by left-leaning leaders. They explore the concept of property in leftist ideology and the contrast between utopia for the wealthy and dystopia for the 99%. The podcast also delves into human nature, communism, and the importance of property ownership. Finally, the episode touches on passing laws in Mexico and previews an upcoming live event on Ibero-fonia.

Former young conservative, Matthew Sitman, joins the podcast to discuss the intellectual right's fascination with Straussian philosophy and its connection to American right's current political projects. They explore Leo Strauss' influence on American conservatism, the seductiveness of Straussianism, and the challenges faced by intellectuals in getting funding for their work. They also delve into the extent to which the right wing will push their agenda, the frustrations with purity politics on the left, and the erosion of public goods and the common good.

We have another heated discussion on the sense and meaning of the word "communism," this time from a Heideggerian communist. Get all the goods at https://www.patreon.com/plasticpills

This week we read the article by Susan Buck-Morss "The Second Time as Farce... Historical Pragmatics and the Untimely Present" from, again, The Idea of Communism https://amzn.to/3xZJjMw  All of our episodes and extra content are available for an inconsequential contribution to our group project at https://www.patreon.com/plasticpills

This is our first in the reading series on the Idea of Communism conferences, covering Alain Badiou.   Our readings will come from The Idea of Communism I https://amzn.to/3xZJjMw, The Idea of Communism II https://amzn.to/3OkDYVd, and The Idea of Communism III https://amzn.to/3b8e3lb   Join up with us on Patreon to get all of the upcoming episodes at https://www.patreon.com/plasticpills

Pills is graced by the presence of the eminent Deleuze scholar, editor, and translator, Daniel W. Smith. Dan explains how he came to Deleuzian philosophy, why it's important, and previews the exciting Deleuze Seminars project, which is almost finished translating 20 years of Deleuze's lectures into English.    The Deleuze Seminars project can be explored here: https://deleuze.cla.purdue.edu/   Si vous pouvez comprendre le français, il y en a plus a la Bibliotheque Nationale de France   https://gallica.bnf.fr/html///und/enregistrements-sonores/gilles-deleuze-cours-donnes-luniversite-paris-8-vincennes-saint-denis-1979-0?mode=desktop This interview was too good to keep to ourselves, but if you want to see more, including more exclusive Deleuze videos, you can support us at https://www.patreon.com/plasticpills

Reboots and renewals, bodies and images, city and pasture. The Pill Pod takes a crack at analyzing the desire structure of 80s nostalgia in popular media. New episodes and videos not found here are up at https://www.patreon.com/plasticpills so check that out for more content.

Pills, Erik and Victor tackle the boogeyman: Lyotard's Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge, with reference to Wittgenstein's language-game methodology. Is postmodernism when there are too many gay characters on TV? Or is it the legitimacy crisis of state knowledge precipitated by finance capital, the computerisation of information, and the subsumption of politics by public relations?   Get the full episode and a ton more audio and video at https://www.patreon.com/plasticpills

The team reassembles to talk Wittgenstein, champion of "ideas-don't-matter" philosophy, and about why he matters—even if ideas don't. The primary sources referenced throughout this ep are the Tractatus (https://amzn.to/3t0wD56) for Mr. Early Wittgenstein, and Philosophical Investigations (https://amzn.to/3wVfUkC) for Mr. Late Wittgenstein.