Capitalism is driving us to disaster. Our planet is heading for a terrifying environmental cataclysm – and our economic system is responsible. The defining characteristic of capitalism is perpetual economic growth. And while it has brought us wonderful benefits, including improved health, wealth and opportunities to travel and experience the world, ever-incr ... Show More
Yesterday
Can Trump Deliver Peace in Ukraine? With Mark Galeotti
On today's episode we're joined by Mark Galeotti, security expert and author, to discuss Trump's recent efforts to reach a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. Galeotti speaks to Conor Boyle, Head of Programming at Intelligence Squared, about how Trump's strategy is different t ... Show More
27m 1s
Aug 22
Fabergé’s Rediscovered Imperial Flower, with Helen Culver-Smith
This is an episode of The Specialist, produced by Intelligence Squared in partnership with Sotheby's. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work through the eyes of those that know it best. On today’s episode, the beauty of nature suspended f ... Show More
13m 20s
Aug 21
Who are the Hidden Women who Shaped our Economic History? With Victoria Bateman
How many female entrepreneurs, merchants and industrialists can you name? We all know the names Rockefeller, Medici and Ford, but what about Priscilla Wakefield, who founded the first bank for women and children? Or the businesswoman Julia Felix, who built a property empire in An ... Show More
44m 7s
Mar 2025
Pure Excess: Capitalism, Commodity Fetishism, and the Promise of More
Todd McGowan joins the show once again, this time to discuss his newest book "Pure Excess: Capitalism and the Commodity". Together, he and Breht discuss commodity fetishism, the tensions between Marxism and psychoanalysis, what a critique of the subjective aspects of capitalism o ... Show More
1h 28m
Sep 2024
[TEASER] Oil, Monopoly Capitalism, and Imperialism w/ Adam Hanieh
This is a free preview of the episode "Oil, Monopoly Capitalism, and Imperialism w/ Adam Hanieh." You can listen to the full episode by subscribing to our Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/upstreampodcast As a Patreon subscriber you will get access to at least one bonus episo ... Show More
19m 10s
Feb 2021
Episode 91, ‘How to Save the World from Financialisation’ with Grace Blakeley (Part II - A Green Future, Further Analysis and Discussion)
‘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.’ This was certainly the view of Mar ... Show More
26m 59s
Oct 2024
For Land: The Capitalist Mode of Production and the Sixth Mass Extinction Event
James from Prolekult joins Breht to discuss Prolekult's expansive new documentary, which you can find for free on YouTube, called "For Land: Capitalism as Extinction". Together, they discuss the documentary, political education, how the internal logic of capitalism produces envir ... Show More
1h 15m
May 2024
Going green: Can the global south develop without fossil fuel?
Climate anxieties—and global temperatures—are on the rise. According to the United Nations, if the planet warms by 1.5 degrees Celsius, we’ll be facing irreversible climate damage. To stop that increase, we need to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Reaching such an ambitious goal ... Show More
38m 29s