Subscribe to get Part 2 of this episode, or listen to a preview. Citizens can get the entire second part here. On Peter Kropotkin's The Conquest of Bread (1892), discussed by Mark, Wes, Dylan, and Seth. If we want an egalitarian society, do we need the state to accomplish this? Kropotkin says no, that in fact the state inevitably serves the interests of the few, and that if Continue Reading …
Ep. 256: Kropotkin’s Anarchist Communism (Part Two for Supporters)
Continuing on Peter Kropotkin's The Conquest of Bread (1892). Start with Part One. If Kropotkin is right that mutual aid is a natural tendency and so communism is very much feasible, why hasn't it happened already? This is the question that he starts off with in his Preface (added in 1913), and we go through this and many other specific points and passages from the text. Continue Reading …
Ep. 256: Kropotkin’s Anarchist Communism (Part One for Supporters)
On Peter Kropotkin's The Conquest of Bread (1892), discussed by Mark, Wes, Dylan, and Seth. If we want an egalitarian society, do we need the state to accomplish this? Kropotkin says no, that in fact the state inevitably serves the interests of the few, and that if we got rid of it, our natural tendencies to cooperate would allow us through voluntary organizations to keep Continue Reading …
PEL Nightcap Late September 2020 (Citizens Only)
When we recorded this, we were still awaiting our Habermas recording; we discuss what secondary sources we use. How about you listeners? Anarchism! Should we do an episode on it? We probably will, and probably before the end of 2020, but not immediately. Relatedly, should we have guests who are adherents of the philosophy we're discussing? What was the episode we've Continue Reading …
Ep. 237: Walter Benjamin Analyzes Violence (Part Two)
Continuing on Benjamin's "Critique of Violence" (1921). Mark, Wes, and Seth keep trying to figure out this difficult essay. Is Benjamin really advocating a workers' revolution to end the state, or just reflecting on a hypothetical to explore the limits of the concept of violence? According to Judith Butler's interpretation of the essay, the takeaway is the alternative to Continue Reading …
Ep. 237: Walter Benjamin Analyzes Violence (Part One)
On Benjamin's "Critique of Violence" (1921). What is violence? Walter Benjamin (pronounced "Ben-Ya-Meen") breaks down the phenomenon into four types and then shows why these are not really distinct after all. First, any state is always established, he says, through at least some violent acts, so this is law-making violence. Not only does one group subdue another, but then Continue Reading …
Ep. 237: Walter Benjamin Analyzes Violence (Citizen Edition)
On Benjamin's "Critique of Violence" (1921). What is violence? Walter Benjamin (pronounced "Ben-Ya-Meen") breaks down the phenomenon into four types and then shows why these are not really distinct after all. First, any state is always established, he says, through at least some violent acts, so this is law-making violence. Not only does one group subdue another, but then Continue Reading …