Raj and Ayana discuss cheapness in relation to the prison industrial complex, the invisibility of domestic labor and care work, the fallacies of fair trade, and the enclosure of the commons. As the commodification and devaluation of life plunges us deeper into ecological crisis, may we awaken to the truth that cheapness can’t last forever.Support the show
Mar 2025
Pure Excess: Capitalism, Commodity Fetishism, and the Promise of More
<p>Todd McGowan joins the show once again, this time to discuss his newest book <a href= "https://cup.columbia.edu/book/pure-excess/9780231217590">"Pure Excess: Capitalism and the Commodity".</a> Together, he and Breht discuss commodity fetishism, the tensions between Marxism and ... Show More
1h 28m
Feb 2025
Ep. 360: Karl Marx on Economic Value (Part One)
<p>On <em>Capital</em> (1867), Ch. 1, "The Commodity."</p> <p>What makes something we buy or sell valuable? Marx says it's ultimately the labor that goes into it, though there are some wrinkles in formulating this accurately, and the commodities and surrounding marketplace activi ... Show More
48m 22s
Jun 2025
Dialectics of Nature: Engels on Dialectical Materialism as a Worldview
<p>In this episode, Alyson and Breht explore Friedrich Engels' <em>Dialectics of Nature</em>, a bold and underappreciated attempt to apply dialectical materialism to the natural sciences. Often dismissed or misunderstood, this unfinished work offers a sweeping view of reality - f ... Show More
2h 35m
Feb 2021
Episode 91, 'How to Save the World from Financialisation' with Grace Blakeley (Part II - A Green Future, Further Analysis and Discussion)
<p class="">'History has ended, and capitalism is the last man standing. The innovations and freedoms enjoyed by the Global North have shown that the free market is the only viable economic system; it is almost impossible to imagine a coherent alternative.'</p> <p class="">This w ... Show More
26m 59s
Oct 2024
How We've Been Tricked: The Death of Economic Freedom | Grace Blakeley Exposes the Truth
Grace Blakeley is a leading economist, author, and political commentator, known for her sharp critiques of capitalism and neoliberalism. In the fourth episode in the series 'It's Not What They Told You', she joins Mo Gawdat to discuss the decline of economic freedom, how governme ... Show More
54m 38s
Feb 2025
VULTURE CAPITALISM UNVEILED: Grace Blakeley on the Oligarchs' Grip on Our Economy
In this episode, Max and Nafkote interview Grace Blakeley, an economist and author, about the rise of oligarchy and the relationship between billionaires, corporations, and the state.Grace discusses the close relationship between the American political establishment and the billi ... Show More
24m 5s
Nov 2024
Ep. 355: Marx on Alienation (Part One)
On three of Karl Marx's Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844, "Estranged Labor," "Private Property and Communism," and "The Power of Money on Bourgeois Society." Featuring guest Lawrence Dallman. What is the plight of the working poor? It's that they are in an unnatural s ... Show More
39m 9s
Jun 2024
Episode #202 ... Why we can't think beyond capitalism. - Neoliberalism (Mark Fisher, Capitalist Realism)
Today we begin our discussion on the work of Mark Fisher surrounding his concept of Capitalism Realism. We talk about the origins of Neoliberalism, it's core strategies, some critiques of Neoliberalism, and the hyperfocus on individualism and competition that has come to define a ... Show More
35m 16s