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Abandon all hope ye who subscribe here. Varn Vlog is the pod of C. Derick Varn. We combine the conversation on philosophy, political economy, art, history, culture, anthropology, and geopolitics from a left-wing and culturally informed perspective. We approach the world from a historical lens with an eye for hard truths and structural analysis.
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What happens when grief becomes inheritance? When poet Miller Oberman became a father himself, he suddenly understood something that had shaped his entire life: he had been parented by someone traumatized by the loss of a child. This revelation sparked an extraordinary poetic journey, driving him toward his father's unfinished memoir about the drowning death of his two-year-old son Joshua in 1972. "Impossible Things," Oberman's second collection, emerges from this intersection of personal an...
From theoretical battles to publishing controversies, this episode dives deep into the fault lines dividing today's left through the lens of "Flowers for Marx," a new collection exploring Marxist humanism and scientism. Contributors Daniel Tutt and Matt McManus share the book's tumultuous journey—rejected by its original publisher because contributors appeared on Joe Rogan's podcast and wrote for Compact Magazine, revealing how cancel culture operates even within leftist publishing. At the h...
What makes a book of Marxist theory so controversial that publishers back out after initially accepting it? The answer takes us deep into the heart of leftist intellectual debates that have shaped revolutionary movements for generations. "Flowers for Marx" brings together contrasting perspectives on fundamental questions that have divided Marxists since the 19th century. The conversation opens by exploring how platform appearances on shows like Joe Rogan became grounds for publisher rejectio...
What if our personal stories are more valuable than we realize? In this thought-provoking conversation, William Welser, founder of LOTIC and innovative technologist, explores how our narratives shape not just our understanding of ourselves but also the artificial intelligence systems we create. Welser challenges conventional thinking about data, arguing that our stories provide the richest, most authentic information about who we are. "Storytelling is maybe the purest source of data about on...
What happens when artistic rebellion becomes just another commodity? In this thought-provoking conversation, Adam Turl unpacks his book "Gothic Capitalism: Art Evicted from Heaven and Earth," taking us on a journey through the ruins of revolutionary movements and avant-garde dreams. The discussion begins with an unexpected Soviet connection—Alexandra Kollontai's gothic novella that serves as a metaphor for revolutionary ideals crumbling under bureaucratization. This sets the stage for explor...
Money isn't just about personal comfort—it's the foundation of sustainable social change. In this compelling conversation, attorney and business coach Courtney Teasley challenges conventional thinking about the relationship between financial power and justice work. Teasley introduces her concept of the "DAM community" (Disproportionately Affected Marginalized Minority), explaining how these communities face three critical knowledge gaps: criminal justice literacy, civics, and financial liter...
Journey into the often-overlooked intersection of Buddhism and critical theory with Tom Pepper, author of "The Faithful Buddhist" and "Indispensable Goods." Tom challenges conventional Western Buddhist practices by exposing how deeply they're entangled with romantic ideology and capitalist structures. Pepper argues that Western Buddhism has largely become a way for the alienated modern subject to find emotional compensation without confronting systemic issues. The romantic elements we've imp...
What happens when you read Lenin completely, chronologically, and in context? You discover a thinker far more complex and pragmatic than most portrayals suggest. In this illuminating conversation, Professor Alex Herbert shares insights from his ambitious "Lenin in 45 Volumes" project, where he's systematically reading Lenin's complete works in their original Russian. Herbert reveals how Lenin's ideas evolved significantly over time in response to specific historical conditions—a reality ofte...
What makes human thought distinctive, and can machines ever truly think like us? In this profound conversation with Nicholas Villarreal, author of "A Soul of a New Type: Writings on Artificial Intelligence and Materialist Semiotics," we journey into the heart of what makes intelligence possible—through the often overlooked lens of semiotics. The discussion begins with a critical examination of how we conceptualize both human and artificial intelligence. Villarreal challenges the dominant fra...
What if our bitter political divisions aren't just about policy differences but reflect ancient biological drives hardwired into our DNA? Dr. Melvyn Lurie, Harvard-trained psychiatrist with expertise in genetics, presents a groundbreaking framework for understanding America's current crisis through evolutionary biology. Drawing from his observation of nesting species and historical civilizations, Dr. Lurie identifies two fundamental drives shaping human societies: survival drives (focused on...
We explore how American politics has increasingly embraced Bonapartist and Caudillo elements, transforming the executive branch from its original constitutional role into an imperial presidency with vast unchecked powers. • Caesarism and Bonapartism as models for understanding the imperial presidency that has evolved since FDR and Eisenhower • Congress's gradual abdication of its constitutional powers to the executive branch and administrative agencies • The Southern cultural influence on Am...
What happens when the world's reserve currency faces a crisis of confidence, yet alternatives remain elusive? Emmanuel Daniel, author of "The Great Transition: The Personalization of Finance," offers a fascinating perspective on this paradox that defines our current global economic moment. The dollar's remarkable resilience stems from an unexpected source – American indifference. "The US doesn't care. And that's how the dollar became global," Daniel explains. With approximately 70% of dollar...
What does a truly democratic American future require? The Marxist Unity Group believes nothing short of revolution will deliver it. In this compelling conversation, MUG members Cliff Connolly, Amy Wilhelm, Jean Allen, and Aliyah Van Pelt outline their vision for transforming both the Democratic Socialists of America and American politics through programmatic unity and revolutionary change. At the core of MUG's approach is their draft program - a minimum-maximum framework that clearly articul...
Professor Matthew McManus joins us to explore liberal socialism, the right's evolution, and the shifting global political landscape. • Carlo Rossellini's work articulates a socialism that confronts both Marxist determinism and fascism • Rossellini criticized Italian leftists for failing to understand fascism's emotional appeal • Liberal socialism aims to make the promise of freedom true for everyone, especially the working poor • Mouffe and Laclau's influential work acknowledges the importan...
1Capitalism's crisis theories reveal more about leftist political failures than economic reality, as deterministic approaches miss the cultural dimensions of decay while simultaneously failing to deliver the promised revolutionary outcomes. • Examining Aufheben's' "Decadence, the Theory of Decline or Decline of Theory" as a framework for understanding how leftists conceptualize capitalism's decay • Crisis theories traditionally mark WWI as capitalism's turning point toward decline, though int...
Flamenco's haunting rhythms carry centuries of suppressed memories—the echoes of Spain's Jewish and Muslim communities, expelled and erased through centuries of ethnic cleansing. Yet somehow, these cultural memories persist through sound and verse, creating what poet Ben Meyerson calls "diasporic memory." In this conversation that spans continents and centuries, Meyerson takes us deep into the inspiration behind his collection "Seguirías," named after a flamenco form known for its mournful d...
The foundations of modern liberal democracy weren't forged in the ideals of freedom and equality alone, but in the disciplined halls of Prussian military academies. In this wide-ranging conversation, Nicolas Villarreal reveals how the professional military education system that emerged in 19th century Germany created the bureaucratic apparatus that would spread across the world and enable liberal democratic capitalism to function. What emerges is a fascinating dialectic that shapes our curre...
America's hidden Marxist history reveals a country where radical ideas took root in ways we've deliberately forgotten. Dr. Andrew Hartman takes us on a journey through this erased past, uncovering how deeply Marx's ideas penetrated American society from the Civil War through today. Marx himself was surprisingly connected to America, writing hundreds of articles for the New York Tribune—the world's most-read newspaper in the 1850s—and developing key theories about labor and freedom through hi...
What happens when we trace the unexpected influences between seemingly unrelated poetic traditions? In this exploration of German poetry's impact on American counterculture, we discover the fascinating connections between renowned German-language poets Rainer Maria Rilke and Paul Salon with Cleveland's underground literary icon DA Levy. Levy, a Cleveland poet and publisher active in the 1960s who faced obscenity trials and ultimately committed suicide, created work that resonates with Rilke'...
What if I told you one of the most influential philosophers of the 20th century wasn't just a Nazi sympathizer, but that fascism was fundamental to his entire philosophical project? In this profound conversation with Colin Bodayle, doctoral student in philosophy at Villanova University, we peel back the sanitized layers of Martin Heidegger's legacy to reveal the uncomfortable truth behind his continued influence. The mystification around Heidegger's Nazism represents one of academia's most p...
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