And now what? Doing Political Theory

Forced to be free – Rousseau, the general will and democracy’s challenge

Forced to be free? How ludicrous! Or not? In this episode I tackle Rousseau and how his idea of freedom actually makes sense and how thinking about the general will clarifies why democracy feels so hard. And maybe a little bit what to do about it. Here is the blogpost, [https://and-now-what.net/uncategorized/forced-to-be-free-rousseau-the-general-will-and-democracys-challenge/] you are invited to comment and critique. Enjoy! As usual, there is an episode page [https://and-now-what.net/ep-10-forced-to-be-free-rousseau-the-general-will-and-democracys-challenge/] which gives some further links. Don't be intimidated, this doesn't require a college degree to get. The picture of Jean-Jacques Rousseau is public domain. The music is by Jack Pearce "Moments of Magic".

Just a Thought - Marx and AI

Introducing: shorts. This is a new format and those who listened to the end of the lat episode have already had a taste. 3-5 minute episodes on thoughts that don't quite make sense in an episode, but really point in interesting directions. This one is on Marx and AI. Enjoy! Let me know what you think on of the format and the episode on the blog at https://and-now-what.net , on bluesky @andnowwhat.bsky.social or through comments. Link: WITHPod 2-year-olds vs. Al: who's more creative? Cognitive scientist shares the SURPRISING answer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQWDq9FGxFI&list=PLDIVi-vBsOEzArBz5VnChpoJEf4DQCgvG&index=2

Why I read Marx - and you should, too

In this episode I give you some more Marx. And I won't be talking about the usual stuff but a more, let's say, preliminary thought of his that's convinced me that Marx understood something about capitalism, that all to often gets overlooked. And even if I am wrong about that, looking into these thoughts will make you think and hopefully inspire you to learn more. It's definitely going to be interesting! The episode page with links to the referenced texts and more is found here: https://and-now-what.net/episodes/ep-9-why-to-read-karl-marx/ [https://and-now-what.net/episodes/ep-9-why-to-read-karl-marx/] Image: Гринштейн, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Music: Moments of Magic by Jack Pearce

Tolerating Ambivalence and some Marx on Freedom

In this episode I talk about what I mean by tolerating ambivalence. It's complicated, but also really thrilling and you might fashioning a whole new life skill here. AND I can use Marx to explain it, not the heavy economic Marx texts but some earlier, more philosophical thoughts. So, it's great if you just want a little first taste. And will still be fun when you have done all the big Marx stuff before. This episode really has something for everyone. As always you can find more info on the blog [https://and-now-what.net/tolerating-ambivalence-the-case-of-marx/] and you can contact me on bluesky @andnowwhat, too.

A guide to understanding political thinking

Looking at political thought is by no means without challenges. And thinking about how to do that has a lot to teach us about how to look at anything said politically. This episode is a concise summary of what I see as the most useful insights. So listen in and get a very brief summary of the key reflections to be had. And leave with food for thought. As always, further readings and links can be found on the blog [https://and-now-what.net/episodes/ep-7-a-guide-to-understanding-political-thinking/]at https://and-now-what.net/episodes/ep-7-a-guide-to-understanding-political-thinking/ Episode Picture: Christ's College Cambrigde, by Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons