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Letters & Politics seeks to explore the history behind today’s major global and national news stories. Hosted by Mitch Jeserich.
As the conclusion of our Fund Drive, we have a special conversation with Violet Moller on the ancient world. Today, together we take a look at the Caliphates of the eighth, ninth, and tenth centuries in Baghdad and Cordoba. Guest: Violet Moller is a historian and writer who specializes in intellectual history. She is the … Continued
Fascist politics are running rampant in America today and spreading around the world. As part of our Fund Drive, we address this in a conversation with Yale professor Jason Stanley. He explains the ten pillars of fascist politics, and the history of how it rises. Guest: Jason Stanley is an American philosopher, currently Jacob Urowsky … Continued
Socrates was a scholar, teacher, and philosopher born in ancient Greece. His Socratic method laid the groundwork for Western systems of logic and philosophy. When the political climate of Greece turned against him, Socrates was sentenced to death by hemlock poisoning in 399 B.C. He accepted this judgment rather than fleeing into exile. His life … Continued
Today we bring you the second part of our conversation on women throughout history with Max Dashu. She focuses on the appearances of women and their depictions throughout different mythology, focusing on the nordic legends. These women are often demonized, but their characters have power and can control the fate of man, giving women power. Dashu … Continued
Approximately 1.5 million years ago, women were revered as priestesses and honored for their ability to bear children. Archaeological evidence, such as ancient Venus statues, seems to support this. But by the late reign of the Roman Empire, there were movements to push women out and lessen their influence. When the Christian church rose to … Continued
The original Luddites were British weavers and textile workers who objected to the mechanical advancements of the Industrial Revolution. When the economic pressures of the Napoleonic Wars made the cheap competition of early textile factories particularly threatening to the artisans, a few desperate weavers began breaking into factories and smashing textile machines. They called themselves … Continued
As part of an ongoing oral history project Letters & Politics is undertaking, today we bring you the second part of our conversation with Richard Wolff. He explains Marx’s comments on the promises of capitalism. We talk about Marx’s criticisms, praise, and thoughts on the analyses of early economists, as well as the downturns of … Continued
As part of an ongoing oral history project Letters & Politics is undertaking, today we bring you the first part of a conversation with Richard Wolff. He explains how he became interested and learned about Marxism. We talk about the history of his family and how it formed him and how central this theory came … Continued
After saying he didn’t like the chant of “send her back” at his event in North Carolina last week, President Trump doubled down on the four congresswomen, also known as the Squad. In a tweet he said “I don’t believe the four congresswomen are capable of loving our country. They should apologize to America and … Continued
Eugenics is the science of improving the human species by selectively mating people with specific desirable hereditary traits. It aims to reduce human suffering by “breeding out” disease, disabilities and so-called undesirable characteristics from the human population. Early supporters of eugenics believed people inherited mental illness, criminal tendencies and even poverty, and that these conditions … Continued
