Patreon: https://bit.ly/3v8OhY7
Richard Wolff is Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a visiting professor at The New School, where he works on economics in the Marxist tradition. This is Richardβs fourth appearance on Robinsonβs Podcast. In episode #127, he and Robinson discussed some of the most profound criticisms of capitalism; in #154, they focused on the myths surrounding Marxism and Marx himself; and in #190 they covered the Israel-Palestine conflict from a Marxist perspective. In this wide-ranging episode, Richard and Robinson talk about the end of the American empire. More particularly they discuss the wars in Russia, Ukraine, Israel, and Palestine, the rivalry between China and the United States, the global interplay between capitalism and socialism, the distinction between socialism and communism, the conflict between the BRICS and G7 nations, and more. Richardβs latest book is Understanding Capitalism (Democracy at Work, 2024).
Understanding Capitalism (Book): https://www.democracyatwork.info/understanding_capitalism
Class Theory and History (Book): https://a.co/d/ht4trZN
Understanding the 2024 Elections (Article): https://asiatimes.com/2024/08/capitalism-mass-anger-and-2024-elections/
Richardβs Website: https://www.rdwolff.com
Economic Update: https://www.democracyatwork.info/economicupdate
OUTLINE
03:10 On the Trauma of His Family Background
10:50 Academiaβs War on MarxismΒ
22:45 Economics as the Secret Undercurrent of History
28:01 Will Ukraine Defeat Russia?
31:52 Is China the Empire of the New World?
39:04 The Best American Strategy Against China
45:24 How Trump Won and Lost America
56:22 Is Israel a Colonialist State?
01:03:23 On the Expulsion of the Palestinians from Israel
01:10:49 Israel as Americaβs Economic Baby
01:18:08 Global Capitalism as the Enemy of the Islamic World
01:23:00 Why You Should Distrust Wartime Propaganda
01:33:03 Zelensky and the Ukrainian Chess Match
01:42:53 The Economic Conspiracy Behind the American Pick-Up Truck
01:49:31 Israel, Ukraine, and the New Cold War
01:54:20 The Many Taboos of Socialism and Communism
01:58:54 The War Between Socialism and Capitalism
02:07:51 Is Socialism More Efficient than Capitalism?
02:16:58 World War I and the Rise of Socialism
02:22:58 The Failed American Attempt to Destroy Russian Communism
02:27:26 Why Did Russia Choose Communism over Socialism?
02:38:06 Communism, Socialism, and the War for the Workplace
02:43:00 Is China Secretly Capitalist?
02:53:18 Americaβs Choice Between Equality or Subservience to China
02:58:45 Europeβs Hidden Economic Apocalypse
Robinsonβs Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com
Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University. Join him in conversations with philosophers, scientists, historians, economists, and everyone in-between.Β
