Sue Grand joins us for a conversation about hatred and totalitarianism. A psychoanalyst who has spent decades studying trauma and the ways evil reproduces across history, Grand is interested in how introspection might protect us and others from our own perpetrator fragments. She challenges the assumption that traumatized people victimize others—most do not. ... Show More
Oct 1
Episode 60: Recognition, In Real Life
Jessica Benjamin joins host John Totten for our season finale. In a wide-ranging conversation [outlined below], the renowned psychoanalyst and theorist reflects on her radical upbringing, the development of recognition theory, and the feminist lens through which she examines our ... Show More
1h 44m
Aug 2024
62: Lacan and Psychosis in the City feat. Loren Dent
<p>Abby and Patrick welcome Loren Dent, a clinical psychologist in the Lacanian tradition. The topic is psychosis, both as understood theoretically by Freud and Lacan, and also as experienced and encountered by real people in New York City, where Loren practices and where he has ... Show More
2h 7m
May 2025
The Root of Menticide and Collective Care with Dr. Evan Auguste
Menticide, or the systematic and intentional undermining of a person's conscious mind, effectively "killing" or destroying their independent thought and beliefs, is one of the most effective ways to supress revolutionary change in a society. So how do we protect our communities f ... Show More
1h 25m
Apr 2022
NEURODIVERSITY - PSYCHOPATHS: The Wisdom of Psychopaths: What Saints, Spies, and Serial Killers Can Teach Us About Success by Kevin Dutton
The Wisdom of Psychopaths: What Saints, Spies, and Serial Killers Can Teach Us About Success In this engrossing journey into the lives of psychopaths and their infamously crafty behaviors, the renowned psychologist Kevin Dutton reveals that there is a scale of "madness" along whi ... Show More
27m 29s
Nov 2021
Trotskyism Today with Ian Parker
<p>Marxist theorist, literary critic, military leader and exiled opponent of Stalin, Leon Trotsky is one of the most important figures of 20th century Marxism. But how are Trotsky's ideas being lived out today by revolutionary socialists?</p>
<p>To help us understand Trotskyism, ... Show More
1h 40m
Sep 2024
69: Truth, Lies, and Conspiracy Theories feat. Liz Franczak
<p>Abby, Patrick, and Dan welcome the incomparable Liz Franczak of TrueAnon! The topic is conspiracy theories, from real to imagined, documented to discredited, ludicrous to all-too-likely, and more. The first half of the episode is ground-clearing and working through some basic ... Show More
2h 5m
Aug 2024
66: Teens, Cops, and Spies: The Varieties of Hysterical Experience feat. Dan Taberski
<p>Abby and Patrick welcome Dan Taberski, creator of the brand-new podcast series <em>Hysterical</em>. They explore the genesis of the series and the challenges and rewards of confronting both the history and the present of “the H-word.” Tracking the trajectories of this famously ... Show More
1h 24m