Thinking in Dark Times – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Anne Applebaum is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist, historian, and political analyst. A few weeks ago, she was awarded the Peace Prize of German Publishers at the Frankfurt Book Forum.

Her new book, "Autocracy, Inc.", explores the fragility of today’s democracies, and an ever-stronger network of autocracies that threaten them.

In this podcast, she discusses some of the book’s key ideas and Ukraine’s role in this global setting.

Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher, chief editor of UkraineWorld and president of PEN Ukraine

UkraineWorld (ukraineworld.org) is brought to you by Internews Ukraine, one of Ukraine’s largest media NGOs.

Support "Thinking in Dark Times" podcast here:www.patreon.com/thinkinggg

You can also support our volunteer trips to the front lines at PayPal: ukraine.resisting@gmail.com.

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Link to Anne Applebaum's book:
www.penguin.co.uk/books/455382/aut…ne/9780241627891

Link to Anne Applebaum's Frankfurt speech:
ukraineworld.org/en/articles/opin…nkfurt-book-fair

My name is Volodymyr Yermolenko, I am a Ukrainian philosopher who lives in Ukraine. I am launching this new podcast because I believe that Ukraine is a key place for thinking today. Despite the war and suffering, Ukraine is a place where important thinking is being born.

In this podcast, you will find my conversations with prominent intellectuals from Ukraine and abroad, as well as my reflections on key topics of today's world, as well as existential philosophical ideas and metaphors.

Support my work:

https://www.patreon.com/thinkinggg

Many anticipated that the 21st century would perpetuate the trend of the previous century, moving steadily away from imperialistic and colonial practices.

Yet, what if the coming decades herald a reversal, ushering in not fewer, but more empires?

Imagine a future where liberal democracies are overshadowed, forced to defend their existence and fight for their survival, much like Ukraine's current struggle. This possibility warrants serious consideration.

I am Volodymyr Yermolenko, a Ukrainian philosopher, the chief editor of UkraineWorld, and the president of PEN Ukraine.

Welcome to my podcast, "Thinking in Dark Times."

To support this endeavor, please visit https://www.patreon.com/c/thinkinggg

In this episode, I reflect on the commonalities and differences between sea imperialism and land imperialism. I also explore different forms of power and domination within these imperialisms: domination by difference and domination by sameness. Additionally, I analyze the specifics of Russian imperialism and why it remains misunderstood worldwide.

My name is Volodymyr Yermolenko, and I am a Ukrainian philosopher living in Ukraine. I am launching this new podcast because I believe Ukraine is a key place for critical thinking today. Despite the war and suffering, Ukraine is a place where important ideas are being born.

Support my work:

https://www.patreon.com/thinkinggg

Timothy Snyder came to Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, to present his book "On Freedom".

We have had several conversations about the ideas of this book before (in Kyiv and Kharkiv), and you can find links to the podcast episodes featuring these discussions in the description.

However, this was the first time we talked about this book after its publication.

We recorded this conversation on February 9, 2025, at the Sense bookstore on Khreshchatyk Street, in the heart of the Ukrainian capital, very close to Maidan.

Several hundred people attended, with many staying despite the lack of available seats. Most of them were young.

This demonstrates how important reading and critical thinking are for Ukrainians today.

Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko – Ukrainian philosopher, the chief editor of UkraineWorld, and the president of PEN Ukraine.

The Ukrainian translation of this book was done by Choven Publishing House (translator: Halyna Herasym)

Support "Thinking in Dark Times" on Patreon:www.patreon.com/thinkinggg 

Other conversations with Timothy Snyder:

Kyiv, September 2022 ⁠www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHksNrj7elQ&t=10s⁠

Kyiv, September 2023 ⁠www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LkXsW14qJQ&t=724s⁠

Kharkiv, September 2024 ⁠www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR0bqQy5gzA&t=9s⁠

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Contents:

01:54 - «I feel in Ukraine better than in most other places»

02:44 - being a historian who wrote a philosophy book

07:17 - What can the Ukrainian experience tell other nations about freedom?

12:45 - positive freedom (freedom-to) vs negative freedom (freedom-from). «Freedom isn’t just the absence of evil, but the presence of good»

15:44 - thinking about positive and negative freedom in America and Ukraine

20:30 - freedom and values

24:55 - freedom and sovereignty

32:47 - freedom and unpredictability

41:13 - the metaphor of the bell

45:07 - freedom during military occupation and de-occupation

50:30 - is history repeating itself?

1:00:00 - on social networks

1:11:50 - which values can unite Ukrainians during the war?

1:14:50 - rethinking Ukrainian history from the global perspective

What misconceptions do we have about the 20th century? Our inaccurate understanding of the past often leads to mistakes or inaction in the present. In this episode, I delve into what I believe are misconceptions about the 20th century. I will focus on two main points: 1) why a certain interpretation of the end of World War II is incorrect; 2) why the belief that we are living in a "post-history" era is misleading; and 3) why equating economic prosperity with political and social strength is misguided. These misconceptions have left the world unprepared for the return of dark times. 

Author: Volodymyr Yermolenko, a Ukrainian philosopher, the chief editor of UkraineWorld, president of PEN Ukraine, and associate professor at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.

Support my work at https://www.patreon.com/thinkinggg

In this episode, I argue that a healthy polity is an equilibrium between the values of agora (conversation, dialogue, exchange) and the values of agon (warrior ethos, capacity to fight when needed).

The absolutization of one of these values weakens the state and society.

I also refer to classics of political philosophy and history, particularly the Greek historian Polybius and his account of the Roman Republic.

My name is Volodymyr Yermolenko, I am a Ukrainian philosopher and book writer, president of PEN Ukraine, and chief editor of UkraineWorld. Despite the ongoing war, I live in Ukraine and often visit frontline areas to help soldiers and civilians.

Support my work at https://www.patreon.com/c/thinkinggg

Which 20th-century ideas should we carry with us into the 21st century? And which of them have become obsolete?

We discuss these topics during a live event with David Rieff, a prominent American writer and journalist. The discussion was held on March 1st at PEN Ukraine space in Kyiv, and was organized by UkraineWorld, PEN Ukraine and Thinking in Dark Times podcast.

Hosts: Volodymyr Yermolenko, a Ukrainian philosopher and the chief editor of UkraineWorld, the president of PEN Ukraine, and Tetyana Ogarkova, a Ukrainian literary scholar, and author of the French-language podcast L’Ukraine face a la guerre by the Ukraine Crisis Media Centre. Both are lecturers at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, the oldest Ukrainian university.

Support: https://www.patreon.com/c/thinkinggg

In this episode, I offer a critical perspective on communism. I will argue three main points:

First, while the idea of communism is built on certain commendable foundations, its Marxist and later Leninist iterations lead it down a misguided and immoral path.

Second, unlike Nazism, totalitarian communism has never been fully condemned, resulting in a legacy of unpunished crimes—crimes that, without accountability, continue to be repeated.

Third, Soviet Marxism was, in fact, a distorted or reversed version of Marxism. Instead of empowering those who control the means of production, it placed power in the hands of those who control the means of destruction.

This is Thinking in Dark Times, a podcast where I reflect on ideas in the midst of global crisis.

Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko; I am a Ukrainian philosopher. Despite the war, I continue to live and work in Ukraine.

You can support my work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/thinkinggg

Margaret Atwood is perhaps one of the greatest living writers today. Her novel "The Handmaid’s Tale" and its continuation, "The Testaments," are seen by many as prophetic.

This is a conversation about dangers and hopes, about human nature, the classics, and the challenges of dark times.

Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, a Ukrainian philosopher, the chief editor of UkraineWorld, and the president of PEN Ukraine.

"Thinking in Dark Times" is a podcast by UkraineWorld, an English-language media outlet about Ukraine based in Kyiv.

You can support our work at 

https://www.patreon.com/c/thinkinggg

This podcast relies increasingly on crowdfunding.

You can also support our volunteer trips to the front-line areas of the Russian war against Ukraine via PayPal at ukraine.resisting@gmail.com. We are trying to help both soldiers and civilians.