logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2021
56m 53s

Capitalism: What Is It?

NPR
About this episode
What do we mean when we talk about capitalism? Our economic system might seem inevitable, but it's a construction project hundreds of years in the making and no part of it is natural or left to chance. This week, we kick off our series on the past, present and future of capitalism with Kristen Ghodsee, Vivek Chibber, and Bryan Caplan, who debate how an economic system became an all-encompassing force that rules our lives and our minds.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Oct 29
Shadows, war, and finding Moomin joy
The Moomins have been a beloved children’s series around the world for decades. And now these bright, whimsical, and colorful Finnish characters are starting to gain steam in America. Today on Throughline, the story of their creator and the tragic circumstances that gave them lif ... Show More
51m 46s
Oct 22
The dramatic race to discover Insulin
Looksmaxxing, weight loss, and muscle building have fueled a massive craze for injectable peptides. Some natural and some synthetic. These injectables have unleashed a multi-billion-dollar gray-market industry online and a high-stakes frontier for the pharmaceutical industry. Tod ... Show More
37m 8s
Oct 20
Can the polygraph test really spot a lie?
From dating shows to police interrogation rooms, the polygraph test has long been marketed as a way to detect deception. But can it really? And who decided we needed a truth machine in the first place? In this episode, a Throughline listener sends us on a quest to uncover the sto ... Show More
19m 34s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2025
Confronting Capitalism: The Origins of Capitalism
It’s well understood that capitalist economies are a recent development in human history. But there is persistent disagreement on the Left over exactly how and where the transition to capitalism occurred, as well as what role colonial plunder played in enriching the West. On this ... Show More
53m 55s
Jul 2023
Capitalism, The State, and How We Got Here with Christian Parenti
<p class="MsoNormal">Elements of capitalism have existed throughout history — in institutions like markets, class relations, ownership laws, credit systems, etc. But they were never dominant until they came together, escaping the isolated, laboratory conditions in which they once ... Show More
1h 9m
Feb 2024
Is Capitalism Inevitable?
Capitalism is the system that has helped the world become infinitely more wealthy than it has ever been in human history, but there are problems. A disregard for the drawbacks of production like waste, pollution and inequality are often cited by people who want capitalism to be r ... Show More
16m 20s
May 2023
The Aftermath: America's Late-Stage Capitalism
New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with historian and Professor of History at SUNY Purchase, Dr. Jessica Levy about all things Capitalism. Host of the Podcast WHO MAKES CENTS: A History of Capitalism, Professor Levy does a meticulous job of walking us thro ... Show More
52m 4s
Dec 2019
An honest look at price, innovation and who powers the economy | Mariana Mazzucato
Where does wealth come from, who creates it and what destroys it? In this deep dive into global economics, Mariana Mazzucato explains how we lost sight of what value means and why we need to rethink our current financial systems -- so capitalism can be steered toward a bold, inno ... Show More
18m 41s
Jul 2023
Why we can't just blame capitalism for everything
We’re sharing an episode of The Gray Area from our friends at Vox.  The Gray Area is a philosophical take on culture, politics, and your daily life. In the episode we’re sharing with you today, host Sean Illing speaks with New York Magazine writer Eric Levitz about the viability ... Show More
50m 19s
Jan 2022
A People's Guide to Capitalism with Hadas Thier
<p>Why do so many of us often feel like shit when we leave work? Where does that ambient feeling of alienation come from? That nagging sense that we've somehow been taken advantage of? That subtle anger — or sometimes even outright hatred — many of us feel towards our supervisors ... Show More
57m 58s
Apr 2025
The Transcendental Logic of Capitalism: Henry Somers-Hall on Deleuze, Guattari, and Kant
<p>Follow Vintagia now: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/acidhorizon/vintagia-i-ching-oracle-for-psychogeographers-and-creatives<br/><br/>What if capitalism isn’t just an economic system—but a transcendental structure that configures our very experience? In this episode, phil ... Show More
1h 17m
Sep 2023
Capitalism, Explained
Capitalism is having a moment in our current political discourse. And believe it or not, we haven't always been so quick to openly bash – or defend – it. Noel King, co-host of Vox Media's Today, Explained podcast, and her team have been exploring the forces behind American capita ... Show More
19m 57s