Explore every episode of the podcast Common Ruin
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Memeification of Politics (with Chris Cutrone) | 03 Mar 2025 | 01:17:20 | |
Episode 13 (recorded 1/12/25). The first episode of season 4 is a late release due to a family tragedy I've had to contend with. Chris Cutrone returns to discuss his latest intervention into the geopolitical discourse, and we exchange views on the state of radical politics and American populism as we enter 2025. *DISCLAIMER: The views of host do not necessarily reflect those of the guest. Music by Karl Casey @WhiteBatAudio | |||
| Gen Z Confronts Reality (with Chris Cutrone, pt. 2) | 05 Jul 2024 | 00:29:56 | |
Episode 12. Chris Cutrone and Michael Acuña speculate on the manner by which Generation Z will engage with the realities they face as they enter the capitalist labor market and navigate the political landscape. *DISCLAIMER: The views of host do not necessarily reflect those of the guest. Music by Karl Casey @WhiteBatAudio | |||
| Economic Planning in Theory and Practice (with Paul Cockshott) | 04 Mar 2024 | 00:44:11 | |
Episode 11. Computer scientist, esteemed Marxist economist, and communist theoretician Paul Cockshott discusses the history and practice of economic planning with Michael Acuña, as well as themes from Paul's influential book Towards a New Socialism. *DISCLAIMER: The views of host do not necessarily reflect those of the guest. Music by Karl Casey @WhiteBatAudio | |||
| Which Way for Gen Z? (with Chris Cutrone, pt. 1) | 09 Feb 2024 | 00:56:56 | |
Episode 10. Chris Cutrone returns to discuss the potential political trajectory of Generation Z with Michael Acuña. *DISCLAIMER: The views of host do not necessarily reflect those of the guest. Music by Karl Casey @WhiteBatAudio | |||
| The Communism of Abundance (with Ted Reese) | 24 Jan 2024 | 00:53:29 | |
Episode 9. In the inaugural episode of season 3, Michael Acuña welcomes Henryk Grossman scholar and Marxist theorist Ted Reese back to Common Ruin to discuss his forthcoming draft manifesto: Abundant Material Wealth for All. Access Ted's work online @Grossmanite. *DISCLAIMER: The views of host do not necessarily reflect those of the guest. Music by Karl Casey @WhiteBatAudio | |||
| [Unlocked] Capitalism versus Communism on Property and Exploitation | 17 Dec 2023 | 01:28:03 | |
Patreon Bonus Episode 2. Anarcho-capitalist Charles Owen debates his libertarian conception of property rights with Marxist theorist Michael Acuña on The Value of Everything podcast. (Originally aired 29 January 2017) Music by Karl Casey @WhiteBatAudio | |||
| More on Marx and Leftism (with Chris Cutrone, pt. 2) | 10 Sep 2023 | 01:06:30 | |
Episode 8. In the second half of their exchange, Michael Acuña and Chris Cutrone continue to examine Marxism’s relationship to the left. Virtue ethics, liberalism, and the question of immigration are also given consideration. *DISCLAIMER: The views of host do not necessarily reflect those of the guest. Music by Karl Casey @WhiteBatAudio | |||
| Is Marxism of the Left? (with Chris Cutrone, pt. 1) | 09 Aug 2023 | 01:05:02 | |
Episode 7. After a long hiatus, Common Ruin returns. Season 2 continues with Chris Cutrone joining host Michael Acuña to analyze Marxism’s place within the broader left-wing movement historically, as well as themes from Cutrone’s latest work The Death of the Millennial Left. *DISCLAIMER: The views of host do not necessarily reflect those of the guest. Music by Karl Casey @WhiteBatAudio | |||
| To Be or Not to Be a Christian (with Chanel Bayhí) | 07 Feb 2023 | 01:03:49 | |
Episode 6. Season 2 of Common Ruin begins with Marxist activist and Platonist philosopher Chanel Bayhí reading Bertrand Russell's 1927 essay "Why I Am Not a Christian" with Michael Acuña, and both debating the existence of God. *DISCLAIMER: The views of host do not necessarily reflect those of the guest. Music by Karl Casey @WhiteBatAudio | |||
| Reconciling Idealism and Materialism (with Filip S.) | 29 Dec 2022 | 00:58:24 | |
Episode 5. In the final episode of season 1, Michael Acuña is joined by Filip S. to discuss Iris Murdoch's 1970 work The Sovereignty of Good, as well as Filip's own writings on materialist and idealist philosophy. *DISCLAIMER: The views of host do not necessarily reflect those of the guest. Music by Karl Casey @WhiteBatAudio | |||
| Virtue in Athens and Jerusalem (with Dr. Kevin Vost) | 17 Oct 2022 | 00:57:09 | |
Episode 4. Prolific author, doctor of psychology, and Thomist philosopher Kevin Vost joins Michael Acuña to discuss themes from Vost's 2016 work The Porch and the Cross: Ancient Stoic Wisdom for Modern Christian Living. *DISCLAIMER: The views of host do not necessarily reflect those of the guest. Music by Karl Casey @WhiteBatAudio | |||
| Crisis Theory, Breakdown, and the Prospects for Communism (with Ted Reese) | 06 Oct 2022 | 01:11:32 | |
Episode 3. Michael Acuña is joined by Marxist analyst and Henryk Grossman scholar Ted Reese to discuss Karl Marx's crisis theory, the empirical status of Grossman's systemic breakdown theory, and the prospects for communist reconstruction of society. Ted Reese's writings can be found on Medium, and his Twitter profile is @Grossmanite *DISCLAIMER: The views of host do not necessarily reflect those of the guest. Music by Karl Casey @WhiteBatAudio | |||
| Omnia sunt communia: Christianity and Marxism in The Philosophy of Liberation (with Filip S.) | 14 Aug 2022 | 01:13:00 | |
Episode 2. Michael Acuña and Filip S. use Enrique Dussel’s The Philosophy of Liberation as a basis for a broader discussion on Christianity's relationship to Marxism and communism, idolatry and fetishism, the postmodern crisis of meaning, virtue ethics, and revolutionary pessimism. *DISCLAIMER: The views of host do not necessarily reflect those of the guest. Music by Karl Casey @WhiteBatAudio | |||
| [Unlocked] Council Communism versus Anarcho-Syndicalism | 02 Aug 2022 | 02:06:54 | |
Patreon Bonus Episode 1. Charles Owen moderates a debate between Marxist theorist Michael Acuña and Anarchist scholar Benjamin Smith on The Value of Everything podcast. (Originally aired 9 July 2017) Music by Karl Casey @WhiteBatAudio | |||
| Nation and Working-Class (with Filip S.) | 27 Jul 2022 | 01:46:35 | |
Episode 1. Common Ruin's inaugural podcast. Filip S. joins host Michael Acuña to discuss the obscure (and underappreciated) short text “Nation and Working-Class” by controversial German council communists Fritz Wolffheim and Heinrich Laufenberg. Among the subjects covered are theories of identity and subjectivity, the National Question, and the history of communist politics during the Weimar period. *DISCLAIMER: The views of host do not necessarily reflect those of the guest. Music by Karl Casey @WhiteBatAudio | |||