
PlasticPills - Philosophy & Critical Theory Podcast
The Pill Pod is hosted by a group of PhDs offering their irreverent (and unsolicited) takes on critical theory, philosophy, culture, and politics.
Latest episodes

Mar 9, 2022 • 1h 13min
Hyperreal War *UNLOCKED* Pill Pod 57
We recorded this months ago but feels relevant enough for a public post. Regularly scheduled content will continue as usual! The video referenced is this one: https://youtu.be/JgJhmvzcb28 If you've missed anything you can more at https://www.patreon.com/plasticpills

Mar 4, 2022 • 1h 42min
Prison Abolition & Criminal Justice ft. Blake Wilson
Victor (@victorbruzzone) interviews Professor Blake Wilson from California State University about the Rittenhouse trial, the legitimacy of law, and prison abolition. Blake is a defense-attorney-turned-philosopher who writes and teaches on criminal justice and the philosophy of law. Visit his website here: https://www.mblakewilson.com All exclusive episodes can be found at https://www.patreon.com/plasticpills

Feb 26, 2022 • 4min
Pill Pod 71 - Plato was an Idiot (preview)
Plato has had it too easy. We take an hour and a bit to divide the philosophers from the sophists. This is what we do every week at https://www.patreon.com/plasticpills

Feb 18, 2022 • 9min
Pill Pod 70 - Fanon (Preview)
This was one of the top topics from the previous patron vote--Fanon's postcolonialism. Get all our exclusive eps on https://www.patreon.com/plasticpills

Feb 11, 2022 • 1h 40min
Pill Pod 69 - The Jordan Peterson is Over Party
Joe Rogan hosted JBP to discuss fracking, Abraham, and Nietzsche, and we are here for those hot and not-so-hot takes on our first in-person, video podcast episode. Before we bid adieu to the University of Toronto's melodramatic guru, we cover the hits of his latest interview. Our co-authored, deep read of JBP: https://amzn.to/34yIQF1 Follows: @plasticpills @mattpolprof @victorbruzzone @HoratioVictor All content, including how to read Nietzsche properly: https://www.patreon.com/plasticpills

Feb 4, 2022 • 1h 21min
Pill Pod 41 - Fight Night 1: Baudrillard vs. Foucault *UNLOCKED*
This week's episode is going to be late, because we are planning something a little different. This episode is an unlock from a This episode features an exciting 1977 bout between the young iconoclast, Jean Baudrillard and the king of the French academy, Michel Foucault, as found in the provocatively titled: Forget Foucault. Can a well-timed tag team with Deleuze save Foucault? Or will Baudrillard be forever condemned to circle in the Disneyland teacups alone? If you missed this the first time around and want the other 5 Fight Night episodes, everything we do that isn't here is at https://www.patreon.com/plasticpills

Feb 1, 2022 • 58min
Futilitarianism: Neoliberalism and the Production of Uselessness (Bonus Interview)
Neil Vallelly (@NeilVallelly) joins Matt (@mattpolprof) for a cheery discussion of neoliberalism and futility, the central themes of Neil's new book, which can be found at https://amzn.to/32LjkLO or https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/futilitarianism. Matt's full review is here: https://www.jacobinmag.com/2021/12/neoliberalism-powerless-review-neil-vallelly-futilitarianism Some perhaps unfamiliar namedropping occurs in this episode, and a non-exhaustive list includes the utilitarians Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill, and Henry Sidgwick, along with critics such as Herbert Marcuse, Wendy Brown, Mark Fisher, Byung Chul Han, Jessica Whyte, and Jodi Dean. Join us at https://www.patreon.com/plasticpills if you want content+.

Jan 29, 2022 • 1h 17min
Pill Pod 68 - Lacan & Poe’s Purloined Letter
It's another literature corner episode, featuring The Purloined Letter and the interpretive stylings of the illustrious Lit Vic (find more of his utterances on Twitter @HoratioVictor). We discuss the short story as well as Lacan's psychoanalytic interpretation of it found in the seminar from Écrits. Join us at https://www.patreon.com/plasticpills if you like content.

Jan 21, 2022 • 12min
Pill Pod 67 - The Question Concerning Technology (preview)
This episode topic was chosen by our patrons. Get the episode and have your say on the next one over at https://www.patreon.com/plasticpills

Jan 15, 2022 • 1h 24min
Pill Pod 66 - Neologism in Technofeudalism
Is capitalism over? Whether or not it is, Friday is a good day to coin some new academic terms. We discuss making up words to advance your career and then a new term drop: techno-feudalism. Find the full interview with Zizek and Varoufakis here: https://youtu.be/XIgFnfHhcRc There are many vids and pods for you to consume at https://www.patreon.com/plasticpills Tell us what you think @podpill, @plasticpills, @victorbruzzone, @mattpolprof