We live in an age of populism. A populism with many faces. Understanding this moment means understanding the history of something we too often take for granted – democracy itself. Because in many ways – as we’ll see – populism is democracy – and, as one scholar puts it, a shadow of democracy too. I…
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Monopoly World: Oligarchy & Authoritarianism
We live in a world of monopolies, duopolies, oligopolies, wollopolies, xylopolies – ok, I made that two up – but the increasing concentration and consolidation of corporate power. I say secret because no one really wants it to be made plain. It’s bad for business. But you find them everywhere you look – quite literally.…
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How Capitalism Conquered the World
Capitalism is the water we swim in. It defines, in some way, almost every part of our lives. Swimming in it has become so second nature, so pervasive, so ubiquitous that we forget that it has a history and that anything that has a history is made by us as humans. Capitalism is an object.…
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Marx: A Complete Guide to Capitalism
Karl Marx. One of – maybe the – most influential thinker in all of history. Has any other philosopher influenced not just ideas, but movements, actions, revolutions, the courses of entire governments, countries, and continents? Understanding Marx is key to understanding the political and economic waters that have gotten us to where we are today,…
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The Fall of the Mainstream Media: The New Elites
How many of these faces do you know? In a boundless internet with infinite possibilities, why do these ones stand out? Are they new media? New elites? Has the mainstream fallen? This is a story about stories. Who gets to tell them? What shapes them? Do they help or hinder us? This is the most…
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How AI Was Stolen
This is a story about stolen intelligence. It’s a long but necessary history, about the deceptive illusions of AI, about Big Tech goliaths against everyday Davids. It’s about vast treasure troves and mythical libraries of stolen data, and the internet sleuths trying to solve one of the biggest heists in history. It’s about what it…