Ambivalent Marx

Posted on By Ulrike Höppner
Photo Credit: Jan Höppner

That was a bit of a surprise, although maybe it shouldn’t have been – this turned out to be the longest episode yet. But, then again, I tried my best on Marx and that wasn’t going to come easy. And, I tried to make some important point on tolerating ambivalence, which is really helpful when reading political theory and outright essential when living on planet Earth, which, I guess, most of my listeners do. As always, there is a page for the episode here and I welcome your comments very much, they really help to make the podcast better. For cheaters, Marx starts about 12 Minutes in – but you really should not miss those first twelve minutes ;-).

What does it all mean? – Going wrong four ways

Posted on By Ulrike Höppner

There is a whole lot of things going around my head, that I would like to put out there. Still, it is important to just briefly go into some more general questions on what political theory texts can and cannot do for us. Because I do take liberties and I believe in my right to do so and that it is actually helpful. But I do not dismiss the concerns that many people have had with people doing this in a sort of cavalier way. A lot can go wrong if you do that.

Christchurch College, Oxford. Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

So, the newest episode looks at some ways we might want to look at political theory texts – historically, but I believe even beyond that. How to understand the meaning of things, really. And it gives some very handy perspectives for you to take along into your life. So this is not some boring episode on methods, more of a reprieve from immediate problems to make sure our posture is right, before we proceed. So enjoy my look at Quentin Skinner’s four mythologies – and makeup your own mind. As always I provided a page on the episode for you with some resources you might find useful.

Truth Revisited

Posted on By Ulrike Höppner

There is always more to say and sort through and this is my attempt to supplement the trilogy on truth with some ideas that might have remained shady, partly because I am not sure how much they are Arendt’s, Foucault’s or Havel’s. They might just be what I make of them. And seeing that this is 2026, which might turn out to be the craziest year I have lived through in a long time (at least 34 years), this episode might end up being all over the place. It is, however, very much thought-provoking. And that is what this is all about, after all.

As always, I have created a page with some resources, that might take your thoughts even further. Enjoy! And get back to me with comments, ideas and questions, please, I would love to make this even better.

Finally – Foucault!

Posted on By Ulrike Höppner

This took longer than I hoped, but I think it is worth the wait. Because Foucault offers yet another important piece of thought on truth that – I believe – might change your perspective. As usual, the episode is available “wherever you listen to podcasts” and I hope you enjoy it. If you’d like to start your own deep dive, I have created a page on Foucault that might serve as a starting point.

Michel Foucault. Drawing by Nemomain, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Vaclav Havel and living in truth

Posted on By Ulrike Höppner

Out is the second episode focusing on truth and it takes a rather different route than the last one on Hannah Arendt. Vaclav Havel, also, isn’t a typical theorist but certainly a very political thinker. I enjoyed making this episode and although I am still working on how to make this podcast equally informative and enjoyable, I thinks some things really went great already.

Havel’s take on truth really approaches the question of how to live under circumstances that just seem wrong and how to maybe find the cracks that will eventually open new possibilities. This seems more timely by the day, I am afraid. On the bright side, Havel speaks from experience, positive experience that is. So I hope you enjoy this episode, too. let me know what you think. As usual, I include some references for the nerds on the episode page.

What to learn about truth from Hannah Arendt

Posted on By Ulrike Höppner

It is finally here – the third episode. The first dive into Hannah Arendt’s thought. Truth might seeem like an usual corner to approach Arendt from. But I realized it really touches on many of her main arguments. Also, it has a lot to say to us today. Hope you enjoy the epidode!

Photo: American Memory, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

How to look at life with Machiavelli

Posted on By Ulrike Höppner

The second episode! It’s here and maybe it is just what you need, who knows. There is an episode page as well, which gives a couple of links and has the audio file on it, so you don’t actually have to subscribe to any service. Also, it should be easier to find the podcast on apple, amazon and spotify if you so choose. If you like the episode, I am happy and maybe there is someone you would like to share it with. Drop me a line if you have comments or questions, either here or on bluesky @andnowwhat.bsky.social

Bildnachweis: Lorenzo Bartolini, CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Niccolo_Machiavelli_uffizi.jpg

First episode is out!

Posted on By Ulrike Höppner

Hello! Unceremoniously I dumped the first episode of my podcast. Gotta start somewhere, right?

This first episode of the podcast is about the concept of hope. I chose to start here because – to my suprise – it became the main theme of the course on crisis thinking I taught a while ago. It resonated deeply with the students and maybe these are times where thinking hope is just right. This episode was recorded in early October 2024. You can find it on Spotify and Apple Podcast.

And, I created an episode page, with more links and the complete audiofile. As all episodes will be, this is published under a CC-BY-ND License. The picture is copyrighted by Jan Höppner.