Rethinking Politics

57: US Foreign Policy & The Propaganda of War

"Why, of course, the people don't want war," - Hermann Göring.

Since the fallout from our disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan and the ongoing cleanup, we have heard a lot from various pundits about “the will” to win wars and the failure of politicians to explain American interests in the Middle East. The result, or so the reasoning goes, is that we clearly should have stayed but our presence there was wildly unpopular with voters. Some pundits have gone so far as to say that we ought to embrace the reality of our empire so we can start doing a decent job of it.

But foreign engagements have always been more appealing for those at the top than those at the bottom. In this episode, we discuss the process through which people at the top persuade ordinary Americans to support some of the biggest wars in American History. In particular, we explore the propaganda that served as official reasons for entering the war presented to the public and the reality on the ground. 

Music: Beauty Flow by Kevin Macleod
Photo: Joel Rivera-Camacho on Unsplash

56: History, Politics, & The American Founding

History has always had a significant role in politics. Since the rise of the 1619 project, and the subsequent controversy, the role of American history is increasingly a mainstream concern. What we believe about history is at least as important as what actually happened. In this episode, we discuss historical narratives and their profound effect on shaping our worldview. To illustrate this connection, we do some myth busting of common conservative and liberal interpretations of the founding.

Music: Beauty Flow by Kevin Macleod
Photo: Painting by Howard Chandler Christy on Wikimedia

 

55: Covid & The Ethics of Infectious Diseases

As the FDA approves the Pfizer vaccine, people are reconsidering Vaccine Mandates. Even though such mandates are unlikely in the United States, it's a good time to revisit a major question that we have only touched on: What are our social obligations to protect others from infectious disease? 

Music: Beauty Flow by Kevin Macleod
Photo: Steven Saphore AP News

54: Afghanistan

After 20 years of direct U.S. military involvement, it only took days for the Taliban to take over Afghanistan. And as both Americans and Afghans struggle to flee Kabul, many in the American Media have condemned Biden for causing this whole mess. But like most things the answer is not so simple. Brad and Dan attempt to make sense of what happened and see if we can start to glean any lessons from this tragedy.

Music: Beauty Flow by Kevin Macleod
Photo: Jim Huylebroek for The New York Times

53: The Great Resignation

After the initial surge of businesses and employees returning back to work, the economy has stalled. In this episode we take a look at some of the causes of this phenomenon and why it’s been called “The Great Resignation”. We consider the role of bargaining power, unemployment incentives, and more.

Music: Beauty Flow by Kevin Macleod
Photo: Benjamin Child on Unsplash

52: The Delta Variant & The Changing Narrative

Once again the narrative on Covid has shifted, this time from "Get the vaccine and this will all be over," to "Even if you have the vaccine we might have to re-implement last year's restrictions in order to stop the spread of variants." Combine this with the fact that they simultaneously suggest that vaccination is more important than ever, and also that the vaccine is not as effective against the variants that are the very reason for their increased need, and you might start to scratch your head in confusion. In this episode we take a look at and try to make sense of the strange and sloppy attempts by the media as well as the white house to sell their Covid agenda as well as what is actually going on. 

 

Photo: Usman Yousaf on Unsplash

 

Music: Beauty Flow by Kevin Macleod

51: Jordan Peterson & The World Outside of Politics

Of all of the people discussing politics, Jordan Peterson is among the most unique. We discuss some of our thoughts on Jordan Peterson and how his ideas are primarily apolitical in a world where most people see politics as the primary instrument of change. We also discuss the severe limitations of viewing the problems of the world through an exclusively political lens. 

Music: Beauty Flow by Kevin Macleod
Photo: Ravi Roshan

50: The Dark Horse Podcast & The Search for Truth

As the stakes of politics increase, the number of people willing to act immorally to obtain power increases. The result is that, as time goes on, it becomes more and more difficult to find sources  that discuss politics worth listening to. The Dark Horse Podcast is one of those sources. With a background in Evolutionary Biology, Bret Weinstein and Heather Heying discuss science and politics using evolutionary principles to understand the world. Their recent conversations regarding Covid-19 have put them at the tip of the spear on the conflict between science and politics as well as the debate regarding censorship and social media.

 

Two episodes we strongly recommend (also available on podcast services): 

1. Covid, Ivermectin, and the Crime of the Century

https://odysee.com/@BretWeinstein:f/COVID-Ivermectin-and-the-Crime-of-the-Century-DarkHorse-Podcast-with-Pierre-Kory-Bret-Weinstein:f

2. How to Save the World in Three Easy Steps

https://odysee.com/@BretWeinstein:f/how-to-save-the-world,-in-three-easy:0

Music: Beauty Flow by Kevin Macleod
Photo: Linus Sandvide on Unsplash

49: Healthcare: Costs, Incentives, & Solutions

Everyone agrees that there are serious problems with Healthcare but it’s difficult to see what exactly causes those problems. The healthcare system in the US does not operate like any other industry, but who is making the rules and why is it so confusing? In this episode we delve into incentives within the healthcare system and try to reach the fundamental problems. Thankfully, there are some good examples out there of innovators who are bypassing the system and which provide some insight forward.

Music: Beauty Flow by Kevin Macleod
Photo: Bill Oxford on Unsplash

 

48: China, Uyghurs, & Human Rights vs Utilitarianism

For several years the government of China has had internment camps in which they have incarcerated over one million of the Uyghur people without those people committing any crime. This has resulted in an international debate about the nature of Human Rights and what governments are justified in doing for the greater good. So we take this chance to look at what happens when Human Rights and Utilitarianism goes head to head.

Music: Beauty Flow by Kevin Macleod
Photo: Wikimedia