Past Present Future

Luke Kemp, author and researcher of societal collapse, explores how humans organised before governments and why hierarchies arose. He traces the shift from egalitarian bands to settled states, the role of agriculture and warfare, and how inequality and environmental shocks have toppled societies. Short, thought-provoking conversations about authority, exit options, and what makes systems fragile.

S. M. Amadae, a political theorist focused on nuclear strategy, offers a sharp look at the future of nuclear weapons. Conversations cover arms control versus abolition, how Ukraine and rising Asian arsenals change risk calculations, and dangers from automation and AI. The discussion also explores existential risk, political drivers of escalation, and where hope for disarmament might still come from.

In today’s episode David talks to S. M. Amadae about what happened when the nuclear age turned into an all-consuming arms race. What is the supposed logic and the terrifying illogic behind the idea of Mutually Assured Destruction? What is the difference between M.A.D. and N.U.T.S.? Do we really believe that our leaders would press the button? And how have we managed to survive to this point – rationality, luck or merely a stay of execution? Tickets are on sale now for our new film season at the Regent Street Cinema in London – starting on 19th March with James Marriott talking to David about Whit Stillman’s Metropolitan. All the details are here https://www.ppfideas.com/events Next Time: How Will the Nuclear Age End? You can find out everything you need to know about this podcast – who we are, what we do, plus merch, events and full lists of our episodes and PPF+ bonus episodes on our website https://www.ppfideas.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

S. M. Amadae, director of the Centre for Existential Risk and scholar of nuclear weapons and political theory, reflects on how 1945 changed human self-understanding. Short conversations probe scale, sudden loss of control, coercive presence, hair-trigger risks, contested narratives, and how science, elites and game theory reshaped danger and public awareness.

Paul Sagar, political theorist and writer who studies thinkers like Bernard Williams and Judith Shklar. He probes whether politics should prioritize legitimacy, order and preventing the worst over ideal justice. He explores how persuasion, propaganda and context shape legitimate rule. He also outlines Shklar’s case that minimizing cruelty is central to liberalism.

Paul Sagar, political theorist known for his work on Max Weber, joins to unpack Weber's take on leadership, judgment and the moral costs of political action. Short, sharp conversations probe violence as a political tool, the limits of rules, the dangers of bureaucracy and the need for charismatic, responsible leaders. Historical context and modern examples bring Weber's dilemmas to life.

Paul Sagar, a political theorist who studies the history of political thought, explores Adam Smith as moral philosopher and historian. He discusses Smith’s tension between sympathy and market behavior. They probe what a commercial society really means, the moral costs of markets, how institutions curb elite capture, and why history and psychology matter for political change.

Paul Sagar, political theorist specializing in Aristotle and critiques of modern political thought, joins to argue justice may be the wrong starting point. He contrasts realism and idealism, revisits Aristotle’s view that disputes over justice fuel conflict, and explores institutional fixes—from middle classes to democratic design—to temper factionalism and the new challenges posed by social media.

Helen Thompson, political economist specializing in geopolitics and international political economy, breaks down why American power feels strange today. She discusses US-China competition, Greenland and Arctic strategic tensions, territorial politics and Trump’s place in long-term trends. Energy transitions, shale, and resource contests reshaping global alignments also feature prominently.

Helen Thompson, political economist and writer on geopolitics and energy, explores why US power feels so strange. She traces the geographic oddity of a Western-hemisphere hegemon. She discusses continental expansion, resource drivers like oil and guano, migration and slavery, federalism’s foreign policy effects, and the role of violence and contingency in America’s rise.