Episode 343: #229 Variety and Planning

This episode is a recording of a talk I gave called ‘Variety and Planning’ as part of INDEP’s Stafford Beer’s Centennial Online Talks series, in conjunction with Metaphorum. The talk is based upon research that Donal and myself have conducted for the book on the organisation of capitalist production and its relevance for a socialist political economy. 

This episode we discuss a new blog post series of Donal about the book Supply Chain Science by Wallace J. Hopp and the implications for socialist planning.Donal's blog posts:https://theofficeforcontroloverresults.wordpress.com/2026/04/19/book-review-wallace-j-hopps-supply-chain-science-part-1/https://theofficeforcontroloverresults.wordpress.com/2026/04/19/book-review-wallace-j-hopps-supply-chain-science-part-2/https://theofficeforcontroloverresults.wordpress.com/2026/04/19/book-review-wallace-j-hopps-supply-chain-science-part-3/Book Project:https://theclasslesssocietyinmotion.com/

Yes, we are back with another book update! Donal and myself give the lowdown on our progress over the last year and bit. We go into the current state of the project and some glimpses at what to expect from the book.Book Project:  https://theclasslesssocietyinmotion.com/Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/FromAlpha2Omega

This episode I am delighted to have Chris Knight back with us on the podcast, to talk about the fall and further fall of Noam Chomsky. Chris is an anthropologist and senior research fellow in the Department of Anthropology at University College London (UCL), the activist, prolific author, and a founding member of the amazing Radical Anthropology Group.https://www.youtube.com/@radicalanthropology8305Book Project: https://theclasslesssocietyinmotion.com/Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/FromAlpha2Omega

This episode we have part two of our discussion with Ferdia O’Driscoll, the host of the ‘Bright Age Beyond’ youtube channel, about Self Determination Theory, and why it matters for socialism.Bright Age Beyond: https://www.youtube.com/@BrightAgeBeyondBook Project: https://theclasslesssocietyinmotion.com/Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/FromAlpha2Omega

This episode I’m delighted to welcome my friend and collaborator Ferdia O’Driscoll to the podcast for the first time. Ferdia is a radical socialist,  host of the ‘Bright Age Beyond’ formerly the After the Oligarchy youtube channel. Ferdia is currently writing a book about Parecon with his co-author Anders Sandström, author of the book Anarchist accounting. Ferdia was one of the co-founders of INDEP, the International Network for Democratic Economic Planning, and together we organised last years panels at Historical Materialism. This is first of a two parter where Ferdia tells us all about Self Determination Theory, and why it matters for socialism.https://www.youtube.com/@BrightAgeBeyond

This episode I’m delighted to welcome David Camfield podcast to talk about his recent book ‘Red Flags - A Reckoning With Communism For The Future Of The Left’. David is a professor in the Labour Studies Program and the Department of Sociology and Criminology, at the University of Manitoba. He is also the host of the radical left podcast Victors Children. Make sure to check it out.The Book: https://fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/red-flagsThe Podcast: https://soundcloud.com/user-737267994

Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/FromAlpha2OmegaThe Book Project:https://theclasslesssocietyinmotion.com/I answer your questions on the recent lecture I gave entitled 'Unifying Marxism and Cybernetics'

This is a re-recording of a talk I gave recently at the 'Complex Anarchism Symposium' in Brussels Belgium this May. I present some research from the book we are writing about socialist political economy and planning, where we unify the fields of Marx's value theory and cybernetics. We discuss the scientific implications for socialism, with the aim of synthesising Marxism and Anarchism thought. If you want to see the slides, head on over to patreon to watch the video: https://www.patreon.com/posts/unifying-marxism-136243120You can also watch it on the youtube channel: Enjoy!PS - If you have any questions, please leave a comment on patreon, youtube, bluesky, or email me. I will be doing a Q&A video if there is enough demand. 

https://www.patreon.com/FromAlpha2OmegaWe continue our discussion with Paul S. Adler, this time about his 2019 book “The 99% Economy: How Democratic Socialism Can Overcome the Crises of Capitalism”. In particular we talk about how capitalist firms are helping to show us how democratically planning in socialism would work. We also discuss the impact of AI on the capitalist economy.The 99% Economy: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-99-percent-economy-9780197656952?cc=gb&lang=en&