October 18th, 2020

In this episode of Pop the Left Derick Varn and Douglas Lain consider whether a new Marxist party would need to include a clear plan for transforming the means of production along with a plan to obtain state power.

Recommended reading on Marx and Utopia:
Marx's Critique of the Utopian Socialists by ROGER PADEN https://www.jstor.org/stable/20718467?seq=1

The Development of Utopian Socialism by Frederick Engels https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1880/soc-utop/ch01.htm

William Briggs, author of "Removing the Stalin Stain" returns to the channel to discuss Marx's vision of socialism, what Trotsky contributed to the socialist struggle, and the condition of socialist movements today.

To get access to the Zero Books Parrot room support us on Patreon:
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Douglas Lain and Derick Varn discuss the US presidential election, the degraded state of US politics, and what both mean for a left that may be as degraded as the rest of society. In this episode of Pop the Left we'll go beyond the question of whether US socialists should support Biden in this election and try to understand what this moment means and where we're headed.

Ben Burgis and Douglas Lain start out descussing his upcoming book "Cancelling Comedians While the World Burns" but the conversation turns to memories of their respective writing careers, the cancel culture of the science fiction genre world during the zero years, and the question of the overproduction of elites.

If you enjoy this conversation support us on Patreon and get access to the Zero Books "parrot room" wherein Zero Books authors and other regulars debate, discuss and talk shit.

Derick Varn and Douglas Lain continue a discussion on the topic of Marx's feelings about utopianism and blueprints in this episode of Pop the Left. Can we develop a working-class project for socialism without having a good idea of what socialism will work and what will replace capitalist production? Did Marx think we could?

This conversation between Vandana Shiva and Fabian Scheidler is hosted by Nermeen Shaikh a weekly co-host at Democracy Now!
As per Wikipedia, Vandana Shiva is an Indian scholar, environmental activist, food sovereignty advocate, and anti-globalization author.
Fabian Scheidler co-founded the independent newscast Kontext TV and is the author of "The End of the Megamachine" which is coming out in English from Zero Books in September of 2020.

Mike Watson is an art theorist, critic and curator, who holds a PhD in Philosophy from Goldsmiths College. Watson curated at the 55th and 56th Venice Biennale, as well as at Manifesta12 in Palermo. He has written regularly for Art Review, Artforum, Frieze, and Radical Philosophy. In this special edition of the Zero Books podcast he discuss the state left politics with Danny Scott aka Badman Massive.

This week's podcast features an interview with Fabian Scheidler on the ideas in his upcoming book "The End of the Megamachine." The entirety of this interview is available as an audio "Zero Squared" podcast.

The book provides a uniquely comprehensive picture of the roots of the destructive forces that are threatening the future of humankind today. Spanning 5000 years of history, the book shows how the three tyrannies of militarized states, capital accumulation and ideological power have been steering both ecosystems and societies to the brink of collapse. With the growing instability of the Megamachine in the 21st century, new dangers open up as well as new possibilities for systemic change, to which everyone can contribute.

Prof. Klees draws on 45 years of work around the world as an economist and international educator to paint a detailed picture of conservative, liberal, and progressive views on a wide range of current social issues. He takes an in-depth look at his specializations: education, economics, poverty and inequality, international development, and capitalism. He examines major social problems like health care, the climate crisis, and war. Throughout the book, Prof. Klees tries to give a fair and careful depiction of how conservatives and liberals see these issues, whilst focusing on critiques by progressives, and on the alternatives they offer.

Ralph Leonard is a British-Nigerian writer on international politics, religion, culture and humanism. He is a returning guest to the podcast and will be turning in a book for Zero Books in October.

If you enjoy the Zero Books podcasts including Zero Squared and Pop the Left support us on Patreon. Patreon supporters get access to all of our podcasts and livestreams, and this week our patrons will get access to a video version of this podcast. It is our Patreon support that funds our digital content.

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