Episode 94: Engineering Engineers ft. Mark Nelson

Emmet and John begin their series on Fukuyama's seminal The End of History and the Last Man. They talk through its context, Fukuyama's background, trouble some of his assumptions, and kick the tires of his liberal triumphalism in the opening 50 pages. Closing Song: https://godshate.bandcamp.com/album/gods-hate

Matt Kelly rejoins the boys to talk about Fukuyama's weird liberalism, econ theory, the triumphalism of the 90s, Fukuyama as an OG anti-Islamic type, and more! Check out Matt's Stuff: Substack: https://trapzoid.substack.com https://sociolegalfictions.wordpress.com Twitter: @DJDeepThought1 Closing Song: RiFF RAFF - Double Cup 2 Cups (KEIFER GR33N Remix) https://www.keifergr33n.com/

John returns and they finish out the show by finishing Fukuyama's book and reflecting on the experience of working on the show. Thanks to all of our listeners! It was a great run and we were overjoyed to have you with us.

Phil Cunliffe joins Emmet to talk about his opposition to the UK's sanctions against Russia, the politics of self-interest, what happened to the nation-state, and more. Phil's piece on the sanctions: https://unherd.com/thepost/its-time-to-end-gas-sanctions-on-russia/ Phil's piece on ChatGPT: https://unherd.com/thepost/chatgpt-a-morbid-symptom-of-our-declining-universities/ Phil's Twitter: https://twitter.com/thephilippics Bungacast: https://www.patreon.com/bungacast Closing song: https://chatpile.bandcamp.com/album/gods-country

Mark Nelson returns to the pod to talk with Emmet about becoming an engineer. They talk about the history of the profession in America, how engineers think, what they study, and how they look at the world. Check out Mark Nelson (@energybants): https://twitter.com/energybants Closing Song: https://willkraus.bandcamp.com/album/eye-escapes

Alex Priou from the New Thinkery podcast sits down with Emmet to talk about Leo Strauss and his posthumously published lecture "The Three Waves of Modernity. They talk about the split between the ancients and the moderns, what Strauss was really after, the tasks modernity presents us with today, whether or not we can recover lessons from the ancients, and more! Check out the New Thinkery: https://thenewthinkery.com/listen/ The essay: https://archive.org/details/LeoStrauss3WavesOfModernityocr Subscribe to our Patreon to hear the rest!

Brett and Thomas from PsyOp cinema join Emmet to talk about the school shooter movie The Dirties (2013). They talk about Columbine, the role media plays in "traumatizing" its audiences, social engineering, media saturation as grand social atomizer, the figure of the "outsider," and more! Check out PsyOp cinema here! Closing Song: Do Not Reply by Stuck

Geographer and author Jacob Shell joined me to talk about his obituary of the late Bruno Latour who rose to prominence critiquing science and then turned his back on his most influential works of critical theory in 2004. We discuss the postmodern turn, science as ideology, the problem of critical theory, epistemic authority, "trusting the science," and more! To hear the rest of the episode and get 2 exlusive episodes plus bonus content every month, subscribe to our Patreon! How Critical Theory Learned to Trust the Science by Jacob Shell, Compact Why Has Critique Run out of Steam? From Matters of Fact to Matters of Concern by Bruno Latour Check out Jacob's books: Transportation and Revolt: Pigeons, Mules, Canals, and the Vanishing Geographies of Subversive Mobility Giants of the Monsoon Forest: Living and Working with Elephants

Author Michael Lind joins Emmet to talk about his research speech on democratic pluralism in the 21st century. They discuss regime type, managerialism and technocracy, sector bargaining, the beauty of big, dumb, and simple, his forthcoming book on labor called Hell to Pay, and more. To hear the rest, subscribe to our Patreon to get 2 exclusive episodes and bonus content every month! You can read Michael Lind's speech here: https://compactmag.com/article/democratic-pluralism-for-the-21st-century You can pre-order Hell to Pay here: https://www.amazon.com/Hell-Pay-Conspiracy-Destroying-America/dp/0593421256/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2UXB8BXFRBDMY&keywords=michael+lind&qid=1666400635&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIzLjU4IiwicXNhIjoiMy4wNCIsInFzcCI6IjMuMDUifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=michael%2520lind%2Caps%2C103&sr=8-4

Journalist Leighton Woodhouse joins Emmet to talk about the New Left of the 1960s and the values of the managerial class. They talk about progressive libertarianism, the difference between the old managerial order of the immediate postwar era and the post-70s era, cultural path dependency, the Port Huron statement, and more. "The Cult of the Individual: The Origins of the Nihilistic Left," by Leighton Woodhouse. Subscribe to our Patreon to get two exclusive episodes plus bonus content every month! Closing Song: Rollin & Tubmlin by RL Burnside.