Ideas Matter

What does it mean to be against morality? Why does Friedrich Nietzsche describe Western morality as a “slave-morality”? Episode 12 of Ideas Matter answers these questions and more, with our deep-dive into Nietzsche’s ‘On the Genealogy of Morality’. Nietzsche is one of the most popular philosophers today, especially with those who don’t normally read philosophy. His beautiful literary prose brings ideas of great insight to a wider audience than the usual humdrum style of analytic philosophy. Nietzsche knew that life involves great suffering, but he teaches how to find meaning in that suffering, by exercising our will to power. Modern life is stultifying. Our world has been stripped of glory and meaning - we no longer have higher causes to die for. In this vacuum of meaning, nihilism seems like an attractive response. Nietzsche will have none of it. Nihilism is a weak, life-denying response. We need to be active, purposive creatures. We are meant to move, create, dominate and exercise our power over the world. Reading Nietzsche can be like a shock to the system: a cold shower and a shot of coffee all at once. How many authors, let alone philosophers, can you say that about? We hope you enjoy today’s episode. Please rate and follow us on whatever podcasting platform you use, or give us a shoutout on social media.You can find us on Twitter and Instagram @ideasmatterpod. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ideasmatter.substack.com

In this episode we read two of Kant's most influential essays: “An Idea for a Universal History with a Cosmopolitan Purpose” and “What is Enlightenment?”. In "Universal History", Kant suggests that history is the progressive development of humanity’s reason. In “What is Enlightenment?”, Kant argues that being enlightened is the capacity to think for oneself. History’s purpose, therefore, is the gradual enlightenment of the human race. How might we achieve this enlightened state? Well, listening, sharing, and liking the Ideas Matter podcast is a good place to start! Follow and contact us on Instagram @ideasmatterpod Visit the show's website: ideasmatterpod.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

Can there ever be a peaceful transition from capitalism to socialism? According to Vladimir Lenin, leader of the Bolsheviks and eventual head of the Soviet Union, workers must seize the state in a violent revolution. The task does not end here. Workers must reconstruct the state into a “dictatorship of the proletariat” in order to prevent a bourgeois counter-revolution. Eventually, once the bourgeoise have been repressed and all classes have been abolished, the state will wither away. Communism will have been achieved.Lenin presents this argument as the true and original interpretation of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. In State and Revolution, written in 1917, Lenin takes aim at those who he regards as distorting Marxism. Violent revolution and a dictatorship of the proletariat are absolutely necessary to bring about socialism and eventually communism. This is a seminal work of political theory, which influenced not only the Soviet Union but also the Chinese Communist Party and other Marxist-Leninist organisations. Of course, no work is beyond reproach. In this episode of Ideas Matter, Louis and Alex turn a critical eye towards Lenin’s masterpiece. What follows will surely bother both Marxists and non-Marxists alike. Enjoy. To contact the podcast, you can email ideasmatterpod@gmail.comInstagram and Twitter: @ideasmatterpod This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ideasmatter.substack.com

No one wants to be described as Machiavellian…or do they? On today’s episode, Louis and Alex discuss common misinterpretations of everyone’s favourite, but frequently misunderstood thinker: Niccolò Machiavelli. What is Machiavelli’s main message? (5:00) Is Machiavelli immoral? (23:02)Historical versus philosophical approaches to politics (31:32)Machiavelli and international relations theory (37:20)Machiavelli’s relevance for contemporary domestic politics (46:10) Keep up to date: ideasmatter.substack.com Follow us on instagram and twitter: @ideasmatterpodYoutube: Ideas Matter Don’t forget to share and rate us on your favourite podcast listening apps, and/or youtube. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ideasmatter.substack.com

Discussion of whether a Confucian account of freedom can rival liberal theories. Exploration of how selves are constituted by relationships rather than isolated individuals. Comparison of negative, positive, and republican liberty and a Confucian alternative of freedom through practiced roles. Debate over shaping environments and institutions instead of focusing on individuals.

Today we discuss Karl Marx's famous Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts. The Manuscripts were written in 1844, but not published until 1932. This is important because many academics often make a distinction between 'early Marx' and 'late Marx'. Early Marx, the Marx present in the Manuscripts, is very much a humanist thinker, concerned with individual wellbeing and human flourishing. One could be forgiven for thinking, as Erich Fromm argued, that it represented the "full realisation of individualism".The Manuscripts were a challenge to the Leninist interpretations of Marxism dominant at the time. They also forcefully challenged the lazy argument often made that Marxism was synonymous with cruel, oppressive dictatorship, in which the collective violently subdued the individual. Their most enduring contribution however, is Marx's articulation of alienation. Alienation is the chief psychological and moral ailment of humanity under capitalism. Understanding what Marx thought about alienation is crucial to understanding the full force of his later critiques of capitalism.Find previous episodes at ideasmatterpod.comContact the show via email at ideasmatterpod@gmail.com Find us on Instagram @ideasmatterpod This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

Ideas Matter had the privilege to interview Epoch Philosophy, one of the best up and coming content creators in philosophy and political theory. Epoch Philosophy (Ian) has a great talent for breaking down complex topics into beautifully designed and well explained youtube videos. Ian also hosts a podcast, and is active on Instagram and Twitter. Anyone interested in learning more about philosophy and political theory should give his work the attention it deserves. Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/EpochPhilosophyPodcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/3DzYxPaQWsM5PIcI9N3WCkInstagram and Twitter: @epochphilosophy This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ideasmatter.substack.com

COVID cases are rising, and the Melbourne lockdown continues, becoming the longest in the world. Louis and Alex might feel their commitment to the community waning, but fortunately they've read Daniel A. Bell's writing on communitarian political theory and they're here to tell you why individual rights can and should be occasionally subordinated for the greater good. We give you episode five: what is communitarianism?   Sources used:   Communitarianism and its Critics (1993) by Daniel A. Bell, Oxford University Press Communitarianism, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/communitarianism/@ideasmatterpod (instagram and twitter)ideasmatterpod@gmail.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ideasmatter.substack.com

After a COVID-induced hiatus, Ideas Matter is back better than ever. Today we take a break from our usual format to consider a singular philosophy in greater depth, namely, Liberalism. Liberalism is so pervasive its assumptions appear to us (Westerners) as common-sensical assumptions. Individualism, a rights-based approach to justice, and rational choice theory are so ubiquitous they've become the socio-cultural air that we breathe. But where do these ideas come from? Sources used: 'Liberal Equality' in Contemporary Political Philosophy (second edition) by William Kymlicka 'Liberal Individualism and Liberal Neutrality' in Contemporary Political Theory: A Reader by William Kymlicka 'Political Liberalism' in The Great Delusion: Liberal Dreams and International Realities by John J. Mearsheimer Follow us on twitter and instagram @ideasmatterpod, or email us at ideasmatterpod@gmail.com  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ideasmatter.substack.com

If workers are exploited, then why do they keep showing up to work? Louis Althusser gives us one reason: ideology.Ideology functions to maintain the status quo. Capitalism must reproduce itself in order to survive.Join us for episode three of Ideas Matter, where we read "Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses" by French Marxist philosopher, Louis Althusser.Come for the philosophy, stay for the rant about our (broken) education system.Instagram and Twitter: @ideasmatterpodEmail: ideasmatterpod@gmail.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ideasmatter.substack.com