Pill Pod 162 - Walter Benjamin: The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction (preview)

We look at Schopenhauer's comparison of various religions' metaphysical explanations for suffering, and why conservative celebrities are converting to the dumbest one.Listen to our public episodes ad-free, for free, at https://www.patreon.com/plasticpillsSchopenhauer on the Sufferings of the World: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/10732/10732-h/10732-h.htm#link2H_4_0002Ayaan Hirsi Ali converts: https://unherd.com/2023/11/why-i-am-now-a-christian/Russell Brand gets baptized: https://www.christianpost.com/voices/russell-brand-just-got-baptized-but-what-does-it-mean.html

Deviating from our usual strategies for the leftist future, we look to the strategists of the conservative future, as discussed in this article, where Christopher Rufo debates Mencius Moldbug aka Curtis Yarvin. It was pretty anti-climactic so we also veered into some more Moldbuggery found here.Listen to our public episodes ad-free, for free, at https://www.patreon.com/plasticpills

This week we discuss how modern liberal democracies co-opt resistance and adapt to internal opposition as a mechanism of inverted totalitarian control. Our guest is Tony from 1Dime, who made a video on what he calls "contained opposition", find it here: https://youtu.be/7uPevWDAYFI.Listen to our public episodes ad-free, for free, at https://www.patreon.com/plasticpillsFind the 1Dime podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0yQRX2YMFFsCMekReE9toW?si=798a164d02884310

Erik and Pills read Walter Benjamin's most famous essay (and perhaps the most famous essay of critical theory), The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. Get this episode and all other exclusive episodes at https://www.patreon.com/plasticpills

We're still on why everything's ending, this time with another pillar of civilization: art, and modern art in particular. Part of the discussion comes from Frederic Jameson's Postmodernism or the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism, the cover of which features a (particularly ugly) Warhol print (https://amzn.to/3PD4M6m).  The other two books referenced are The Diary of Andy Warhol and The Philosophy of Andy Warhol, written by the man himself. Check out the Plasticpills YouTube channel to see the new video about why Warhol is to blame for killing art: https://www.youtube.com/c/plasticpills  Listen to our public episodes ad-free, for free, at https://www.patreon.com/plasticpills

We read Walter Benjamin's (perhaps) undelivered address to the Anti-Fascist Club: The Author as Producer, and try to test whether or not it holds up. Get this episode and all other exclusive episodes at https://www.patreon.com/plasticpills

Most everyone agrees that the university has failed its ideal, but few agree as to the reasons for why this happened. Did it get too arcane? Too expensive? Too woke? Maybe there's a bit of everything, but these explanations forget the most material cause: the private-sector vampires sucking it dry. We read a case study that you can find hereDon't miss an episode! find the full feed ad-free at https://www.patreon.com/plasicpills

Get the full episode and all episodes ad-free at https://www.patreon.com/plasicpills

Listen to our public episodes ad-free, for free, at https://www.patreon.com/plasticpillsAlthough Conservative Christians are the most attention-seeking of the Flock, our patrons reminded us that there are progressive Christians out there. For the sake of fair and balanced reporting, we invited John Hamer from Centre Place Toronto to represent the leftist side of the Christian Flock. We asked about his view of the church in history and in politics, and read this Christofascist article together. Find more of John's work on Youtube.

Listen to our public episodes ad-free, for free, at https://www.patreon.com/plasticpillsWhat if, instead of letting history end or disappear, we hit the rewind button and let the Church have another shot? We navigate through some stars in the Christofascist constellation and read Why Liberalism Failed (https://amzn.to/3waNh6l) to see what the world might look like if the Catholic intellectuals had their way.