Best Huntington Politics Podcasts (2025)

1
46 - Athenian democracy and Plato w/ Graham Culbertson (Everyday Anarchism Podcast) 1:04:13

2y ago1:04:13

1:04:13

This episode is a crossover collabo with Graham Culbertson of the Everyday Anarchism podcast. Graham asked me over to talk Athenian democracy, Plato, anarchism and how modern meritocratic education sucks. We had a nice time with it and hope you do too. Support the showBy Graham Culbertson

1
45 - Humane War feat. Samuel Moyn 1:05:16

2+ y ago1:05:16

1:05:16

War tends to bring out the human propensity for atrocity. Nobody likes indiscriminate killing, torture and so on. What to do about it? One response is to avoid war altogether. According to Yale prof Samuel Moyn, that’s what most people wanted after World War II and after Vietnam. But more recently, he’s noticed a shift. Now, politicians, especially…

1
44 - Samuel Huntington "The Clash of Civilizations?" 36:46

3y ago36:46

36:46

Samuel J. Huntington’s 1993 “The Clash of Civilizations?” is the most assigned article in American political science. It predicts a worldwide culture war (but not the kind you're thinking of). The book became a massive bestseller, Huntington was all over TV and his theory is still talked about all the time. It made him a darling to the press but re…

1
43 - Tyranny at Work feat. Elizabeth Anderson 54:36

3y ago54:36

54:36

Americans hate when the state tells them what to do. They’ve got freer speech, freer access to guns and less regulation on business than any other rich country. So why do they let their work bosses walk all over them? American workers have less rights and worse conditions than workers in any other developed country. Employers can fire employees at …

1
42 - The New Aristocracy feat. Matthew Stewart 54:19

3y ago54:19

54:19

Matthew Stewart is a philosophy PhD and author. He’s also a Princeton guy and former management consultant so he knows rich people. His new book, The 9.9%, is about them. Not the super-rich, but the doctors, lawyers and managers that go to good colleges and live in nice neighbourhoods. The “nearly rich and not-famous,” as he puts it. We talk about …

1
41 - Love in the Time of Big Data feat. Alfie Bown 58:22

3y ago58:22

58:22

Big tech companies tell us they’re our servants, existing to fulfill our desires more cheaply and conveniently than ever. Alfie Bown doesn’t think so. He thinks Deliveroo, Tinder, Pornhub etc. aren’t just giving us what we want, they’re shaping what we want. He reckons our tech overlords are secretly remaking humankind on the level of desire. We ch…

1
40 - Is Liberal Democracy the Best We Can Do? feat. The Morality of Everyday Things 1:14:37

3+ y ago1:14:37

1:14:37

Is democracy the worst form of government except for all the others or is it just the worst? This is a crossover with the delightful Morality of Everyday Things podcast. Jake and Ant and I discuss what liberal democracy is, the arguments in its favour, and some big critiques. Episode includes Plato, Nazis and Lizards. Enjoy! Also, go listen to MOET…

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39 - The Glorious History and Ugly Present of Rhetoric feat. Rob Goodman 1:13:12

3+ y ago1:13:12

1:13:12

Rhetoric is supposed to inspire. Imagine Cicero exhorting the Roman people, Churchill vowing to “fight on the beaches.” Yet, when politicians speak today, it’s almost always boring or obnoxious. Why? Prof. Rob Goodman, author of Words on Fire: Eloquence and its Conditions comes by today to talk about the history of rhetoric, what Cicero knew that w…

1
38 - GiT Holiday Special with Sep 39:35

3+ y ago39:35

39:35

It’s the holidays again! And Theory Elf Sep comes on to help celebrate them. We talk about the past year of working on the pod, where I've been for the past two months, how she makes the episode art and what we have planned for the coming year. We also call Rebecca! Support the showBy Clif Mark

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37 - Thought Lab 4: The Psychology of Horror 36:35

3+ y ago36:35

36:35

Grizzly bears are scary. But what about zombie grizzly bears? What’s makes something horrifying rather than just frightening? Paul has a theory. It turns out that humans have a psychological way of organizing the world that also creates the possibility of getting really creeped-out. It helps explain the horror of the zombie grizzly why the old Drac…

1
36 - Moral Saints 2: Why Be a Saint? 33:36

3+ y ago33:36

33:36

This episode is about Wolf’s “Moral Saints,” Peter Singer’s “Famine, Affluence and Morality,” and Larissa Macfarquhar’s Strangers Drowning. Susan Wolf thinks that devoting your life to helping others would be a real drag. It’d interfere with playing tennis and reading Tolstoy. True enough but some people might have philosophical and personal reason…

1
35 - Susan Wolf, “Moral Saints” 26:00

3+ y ago26:00

26:00

This episode is about Susan Wolf’s 1982 article “Moral Saints.” You’re probably a moral enough person. But have you ever had that nagging feeling that you should be even better? That if you were really good, you would devote your life to the cause, whatever cause that might be? That you should become some kind of moral saint? People who devote thei…

1
34 - The Esoteric Plato feat. Earl Fontainelle 1:28:10

3+ y ago1:28:10

1:28:10

Today I speak with Earl Fontainelle of the Secret History of Western Esotericism podcast (SHWEP). I don’t understand Plato. Partly this is because he never writes in his own voice and partly it’s because I can’t even always tell when Socrates is joking or even what he’s talking about. The divided line? The Myth of Er? The tyrant being exactly 729 t…

1
33 - The End of the End of History feat. Philip Cunliffe and George Hoare 1:05:12

3+ y ago1:05:12

1:05:12

I talk to Phillip Cunliffe and George Hoare about their new book The End of the End of History. In 1989, Francis Fukuyama predicted a boring eternity of liberal capitalism and for nearly 30 years, it looked like he might be right. We had Clinton and Blair. Globalization and apathy. Kurt Cobain. According to my guests, the end of History wasn’t just…

1
32 - Fukuyama’s “The End of History?” 27:22

4y ago27:22

27:22

In 1989, Francis Fukuyama was a foreign policy expert with an interest in Hegel. He published a little essay called “The End of History?” in which he argued that the Cold War was more than a rivalry between two superpowers or an experiment to find the most efficient way to organize an economy. Fukuyama thought it was the final chapter in a millenni…

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31 - Thought Lab 3: Utilitarianism & the Great Spreadsheet 47:24

4y ago47:24

47:24

Today, Paul Sagar and I get into utilitarianism. We talk about thought experiments that involve: drowning kids, ruined loafers, death squads and bioweapons. The drowning children are from Peter Singer. He's a utilitarian that thinks that we rich first-world types should be giving away all our money to save the global poor from starving and malaria.…

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30 - Plato's Republic 13: Choose Yourself 33:23

4y ago33:23

33:23

This episode covers the last bit of book 10 of Plato’s Republic. Imagine you get to choose your reincarnation. You can come back as a tyrant, a sports star, a swan, whatever you want. What do you pick? And what do you have to know to make a good choice? Socrates has some advice. In this final episode of Republic, tell the story of a man who travell…

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29 - Plato's Republic 12: Poetic Sweet Tooth 45:23

4y ago45:23

45:23

Socrates thinks that poetry is like candy: delicious but bad for us. If we consume too much, it’ll rot our souls. That’s because the poets just pander to our passions with no concern with or knowledge of the truth. But pandering poets aren’t the problem. It’s us. Socrates thinks that humans have a poetic sweet tooth that makes certain kinds of stor…

1
28 - Plato's Republic 11: A Tyrant's Life 36:35

4y ago36:35

36:35

This episode covers book 9 of Plato's Republic. In this episode, Socrates is going to finally answer the question that started it all. Back in book 2, Glaucon and Adeimantus challenged Socrates to prove to them that it’s worthwhile to be just. To them, the life of injustice looks pretty good, if you can get away with it. Money, sex, power, what’s n…

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27 - Plato's Republic 10: Degenerate Cities, Degenerate Souls 49:44

4y ago49:44

49:44

How does politics affect personality? In the ideal city, the perfect laws and education create philosopher kings. But what about everywhere else? In this chapter, Socrates gets down to some real-world political science and analyzes the four kinds of regime that actually exist in the Greek world. And because the city matches the soul, each of the re…

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26 - Plato's Republic 9: Horny for the Good 55:36

4y ago55:36

55:36

This episode covers book 7 of Plato's Republic. Socrates is what I call a “philosopher of desire.” He cares more about the questions than the answers, the journey than the destination, the boner than the nut. And he brings that energy to his teaching. In this episode, Socrates tells the boys that the “form of the good” is the one thing that anyone …

1
25 - Thought Lab 2: Tainted Art and Moral Luck 54:19

4y ago54:19

54:19

Is it ok to laugh at The Cosby Show? To rock to “Rock With You”? To eat with the knife that was used to murder your family? Does bad luck make you a bad person? It may seem reasonable to separate the art from the artist and the instrument from the act, but Paul says that’s not how our brains work. He thinks human morality is driven by inconsistent …

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24 - Plato's Republic 8: The Philosopher Kings 43:20

4y ago43:20

43:20

This book covers parts of books 5-6 of Plato’s Republic. Who should rule the city in speech? Philosophers of course! In this episode, Socrates explains his most famous political proposal: philosopher kings. He wants the leaders to be smart and capable and virtuous. And charming and good-looking. Is that too much to ask? In a democracy, it is. Socra…

1
23 - Plato’s Republic 7: Socratic Family Values 33:11

4y ago33:11

33:11

This episode covers book 5 of Plato’s Republic. What do you do when the private family causes too much corruption? Nationalize it! Create a giant family monopoly that includes every citizen in one giant clan. In this episode, Socrates explains his most normal proposal—that women should have jobs—and his most shocking, which involves a state eugenic…

1
22 - Thought Lab 1: The Dead Chicken Experiment 44:23

4y ago44:23

44:23

This is the first in our Thought Lab series, in which political theorist Paul Sagar comes by to chat about thought experiments and the themes they raise. This week, we ask: are harmless acts ever morally wrong? Official liberal morality says “no” but most actual liberals will “yes,” if you find the right example. What about sex with dead chickens? …

1
21 - GiT Valentine's Day Special: Rousseau and Romance Past 1:02:13

4+ y ago1:02:13

1:02:13

I talk about a crush I had in Paris as a boy. Then Sep and I dig into Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Marcel Proust to explain what on earth was going on in my heart. Rousseau advises how to get from boner to bonheur. Proust explains why it’s easier to fall for someone you pass in a car than someone you actually have to talk to. We find out that the huma…

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20 - Do Free Markets Make Free Humans? Interview with Jeffrey Bercuson 1:16:25

4+ y ago1:16:25

1:16:25

Jeffrey Bercuson is author of A History of Political Thought: Property, Labor, and Commerce from Plato to Piketty. This book does a whirlwind tour through the history of political thought explaining how different thinkers have approached the commercial or money-making part of human life. We talk about how attitudes have shifted from ancient sceptic…

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19 - Granny Gore to Girl Power: Naomi Hamer on the History of Fairy Tales 1:01:31

4+ y ago1:01:31

1:01:31

Naomi Hamer of Ryerson University tells us an unfamiliar version of a classic fairy tale then chats about how children’s stories have changed and the different moral and political and economic factors that changed them. According to Hamer the seduction and cannibalism isn’t gone, it’s just less explicit. Also, “what big hands you have grandma!” is …

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18 - GiT Xmas movie special with Sep 49:57

4+ y ago49:57

49:57

Sep of Sep’s Weird Movie Blog comes on to talk about Christmas movie and capitalist fairy tale, Trading Places. Sep is Good in Theory’s episode artist, editor, and BFF of the pod. Links: Sep's Twitter Trading Places trailer Zardoz trailer Roadhouse trailer My CBC Xmas article we mention Support the show…

1
17 - Plato's Republic 6: How to be a Good Person 45:38

4+ y ago45:38

45:38

This episode covers book 4 of Plato’s Republic. What does it mean to be a good person? What is justice? To answer these questions, Socrates and the boys have built imaginary cities, raised educated and nobly lied to armies, and sent them all to live in a camp. Today’s the day Socrates brings it all home and explains his definition of justice both i…

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16 - Plato's Republic 5: Lies, Noble Lies and Gymnastics 43:35

4+ y ago43:35

43:35

This episode covers the second half of book 3 of Plato’s Republic. Glaucon and Socrates develop a completely immersive education program for the guardians that controls every aspect of their social and physical environment. Then, they tell them it never happened because actually they were sleeping underground being built by the god to defend the ci…

1
15 - Interview: politics v. philosophy with Agnes Callard 42:18

4+ y ago42:18

42:18

Agnes Callard is a philosophy prof, Plato expert and public philosopher. We talk about the relationship between politics and philosophy (it’s complicated), why nobody should trust philosophers (they don’t know anything), and why human beings can’t even think something without someone else telling them they’re wrong. We mention Callard’s op-eds: “Sh…

1
14 - Plato's Republic 4: Myths 4 KidZ 37:40

4+ y ago37:40

37:40

This episode covers parts of books 2 and 3 of Plato’s Republic. Adeimantus and Socrates start planning an education for the guardians. As it stands, young Athenians are fed an unhealthy banquet of lies written by the likes of Homer and Hesiod. Socrates wants new lies that set a good example for the kids. Lies with less fighting and sex and crying. …

1
13 - Plato’s Republic 3: City of Pigs, Army of Dogs 41:47

4+ y ago41:47

41:47

This episode covers the first part of book 2 of Republic. Glaucon and Adeimantus take over the conversation with Socrates and challenge him to prove that it’s good to be good. Glaucon gets wild with a ring of invisibility. The gang builds a utopian city of pigs and meets an army of good-natured dogs. Pod Art: Marijke Bouchier Theme music: David Zik…

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12 - Interview: Paul Sagar, what's your problem with Plato? 19:10

4+ y ago19:10

19:10

Paul Sagar is a lecturer in political theory at King's College London and the guy who played Thrasymachus in book 1. He actually doesn't like reading Plato very much. I ask him why. Support the showBy Clif Mark

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11 - Plato's Republic 2: Good to be Bad 34:34

4+ y ago34:34

34:34

(covers the second half of book 1 of Plato's Republic) In this episode, Socrates goes up against his most formidable opponent yet: the sophist Thrasymachus. Thrasymachus leaps at Socrates “like a wild beast” and yells at him for playing dirty. Then, he tells the boys that morality is a lie and that they should do as much injustice as they can get a…

1
10 - Plato's Republic 1: Justice for Beginners 34:01

4+ y ago34:01

34:01

Plato’s Republic is full of bad arguments and worse political proposals and it may still be the most influential work of political theory ever. Book 1 sets the stage for an all-night conversation between Socrates and some friends that covers: ethics; politics; education; epistemology; psychology; and a whole lot more. It all gets started with the q…

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9 - Athens: Ahoy Polloi! 53:24

5y ago53:24

53:24

9 - Athens: Ahoy Polloi! The Athenians ran their government like an open mic night, pulled off one of the greatest golden ages in human history and show why true democrats hate elections. The secret sauce of Athenian greatness? Seamen. Lots of seamen. Old Oligarch: Alan Mark at Tankards n Tales Art: Marijke Bouchier Music: David Zikotivz, Clayton T…

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8 - Sparta: Killer Beehive 45:37

5y ago45:37

45:37

The Spartans are legendary fighters and legendary patriots. They believed in equality, meritocracy, and freedom. They also ran the most brutal slave state in the ancient world. Their secret? Institutions! Art: Marijke Bouchier Music: David Zikotivz, Clayton Tapp, and The Green Hornet Theme. Editing, episode art and social: Sepideh References: -Plut…

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7 - Interview: Rebecca Goldstein 1:02:29

5y ago1:02:29

1:02:29

Rebecca Goldstein wrote a book of Platonic dialogues, in which Plato is on a 21st-century book tour in America. It’s called Plato at the Googleplex. We talk about Plato and whether you can do philosophy and politics at the same time, and the Harper’s letter in favour of “open debate” that Goldstein signed and Twitter got mad about. We discuss when,…

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6 - The Polis: Freedom Farms, Phalanxes and Class War 32:40

5y ago32:40

32:40

The Greeks invented political liberty and everyone loves them for it. Were they freedom-loving geniuses? Maybe. Were they farm boys who could handle a spear? Yes. Were they deep in debt and looking for a way out? Absolutely. Art: Marijke Bouchier Music: David Zikovitz and Clayton Tapp Editing, episode art and social: Sepideh Support the show…

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5 - Plato’s Apology 5: The Apology of Athens 37:47

5y ago37:47

37:47

Executing an innocent 70-year-old philosophy might look bad but you had to be there. Topics include: Why a reasonable, well-intentioned Athenian may have voted to kill Socrates. Why politics might get interested in you, even if you’re not interested in politics. The difference between morality tales and philosophy tales. Art: Marijke Bouchier Music…

1
4 - Plato's Apology 4: Your Brain On Politics 51:41

5y ago51:41

51:41

A lot of Athenians suspect Socrates of plotting to overthrow democracy. On the other hand, Socrates says that when Athenians start thinking politics, they turn into a paranoid mob. This episode covers both sides and it honestly sounds like Socrates is complaining about Twitter. Topics: -Why people who are into politics are so annoying. -How the “po…

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3 - Plato's Apology 3: Not-So-Dangerous Minds 33:35

5y ago33:35

33:35

Some people think that philosophy is an outrage to religion and a danger to morality. Was this why the Athenians killed Socrates? Are these ever good reasons to kill a philosopher? Do people say philosophy is dangerous just to make it sound sexier? Pod art: Marijke Bouchier Music: David Zikotivz and Clayton Tapp Editing, episode art, social: Sepide…

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2 - Plato’s Apology 2: Free Speech Hero? 39:51

5y ago39:51

39:51

Socrates insults his jury, dares them to sentence him to death, then makes fun of them when they do. Unswerving commitment to truth? Troll’s defence? Suicide by jury? All of the above? Part 2 of a 4-part series on Plato’s Apology. Bill and Ted trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3fx6TugN7g Support the show…

1
1 - Plato's Apology 1: The Divine Troll 41:13

5y ago41:13

41:13

Socrates, daddy of Greek philosophy, is on trial for impiety and corrupting the youth. According to him, his only crime was trolling the city of Athens. The Apology is an account of Socrates’s court defence, told by his student Plato. This is part 1 of a 4-part series on this book. Text of Plato’s Apology: http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/apology.html…

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Trailer 1:16

5y ago1:16

1:16

Good in Theory is a podcast about political philosophy and the history of ideas. Clif Mark explains his favourite books in enough detail that you'll feel like you read them yourself. Support the showBy Clifton