Best Dialectical Pessimism Podcasts (2025)

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Toward a Materialist Conception of Music History: With Stephan Hammel (Part II of II) 53:36

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6d ago53:36

53:36

This week, Jason and Ben continued their conversation with Stephan Hammel of The Measures Taken Podcast about his new book Toward a Materialist Conception of Music History. From the publisher: "This book argues for the relevance, appropriateness, and usefulness of historical materialism to the musicological project. It interrogates the history of e…

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PATREON PREVIEW -- Regrettable Geopolitics 11/27/2025 21:47

11d ago21:47

21:47

Trump Wants to Talk to Maduro, Israel is Still Murdering Children, Zelensky Has Lost Touch With Reality, Ukraine Is Losing and Being Forced Into an Unfavorable Peace Deal... Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show Visit the Regrettable Century Merch ShopBy Chris & Jason

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Toward a Materialist Conception of Music History: With Stephan Hammel (Part I of II) 1:07:13

14d ago1:07:13

1:07:13

This week, Jason and Ben got together with friend and comrade Stephan Hammel of The Measures Taken Podcast to talk about his new book Toward a Materialist Conception of Music History. From the publisher: "This book argues for the relevance, appropriateness, and usefulness of historical materialism to the musicological project. It interrogates the h…

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Patreon Preview: Regrettable Book Club -- Disaster Nationalism by Richard Seymour (Part II) 14:48

20d ago14:48

14:48

It's once again time for 'Disaster Nationalism' by Richard Seymour. The gang dives into chapters one and two, which means there is still time to become part of the group. If you would like to join in, go to the Discord! Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show Visit the Regrettable Century Merch Shop…

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The Conclusion of the Glorious Seven Year Plan: Year Seven in Review 1:23:30

28d ago1:23:30

1:23:30

Another year of podcasting is in the books. Listen to our post-game wrap of the year's events, the podcast, and our lives. Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show Visit the Regrettable Century Merch ShopBy Chris, Kevin, Jason, & Ben

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Patreon Preview -- Antagonizing and Provoking Russia: The US' Long Plan to Kneecap Russia and Escalate the New Cold War 15:33

1M ago15:33

15:33

This week we did a close reading of a RAND corporation policy proposal paper called Overextending and Unbalancing Russia: Assessing the Impact of Cost-Imposing Options. It has been argued that this document is the root of America's disastrous foreign policy regarding Russia, which has plunged Ukraine and the Middle East into misery and death. https…

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PATREON PREVIEW -- Regrettable Geopolitics 11/01/2025 13:38

1M ago13:38

13:38

Trump's Fake Drug War Against Venezuela, Trump's Dumbass Diplomacy Nets Big L vs China, Trump's Protection Racket Only Works on US Allies, Genocide in Darfur Has UAE and Israeli Fingerprints, Kiev Won't Last till Spring?, The Ukrainian Nazi Cult of the Christchurch Shooter, Zelensky Threatens Journalists, The Collapse Speeds Up... Send us a message…

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The Left Needs a Utopian Vision (Part I) 45:43

1M ago45:43

45:43

This week, we began (and had to cut short) a close reading of The Concept of Left by Leszek Kolakowski. Kolakowski was a dissident Polish Marxist who later turned against the project altogether. However, before he did, he wrote much that is worth reading. The Concept of the Left- Leszek Kolakowski Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here).…

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Patreon Preview: The Gang Resolves the Contradictions 18:16

2M ago18:16

18:16

This week, Jason and Ben sat down to acknowledge and resolve all the contradictions that have manifested in our discussions on this podcast. Actually, we don't resolve anything, but we do acknowledge some things. Our listeners will know that we often disagree with the broader left, each other, and our earlier selves. While we don't manage to piece …

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On Care For Our Common Home: Laudato Si and Christian Anti-Capitalism (Part III) 1:47:00

2M ago1:47:00

1:47:00

This week, the Regrettable Christian Caucus begins Chapter II of Laudato Si, by the late Pope Francis. You can follow along by grabbing the PDF from Verso or from the Vatican website. This Papal Encyclical calls for urgent action to address the global environmental crisis, critiques consumerism, blind developmentalism, inequality, and profit seekin…

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PATREON PREVIEW: Regrettable Geopolitics 10/11/2025 15:35

2M ago15:35

15:35

Samantha Powers' UN/Israel Collusion, Anduril/Palantir Intel Risks to US Military, Right Wing Imperialist Proxy Wins Nobel Prize, Cease Fire in Gaza?, Angela Merkel Shifts Blame Onto Poland and Baltics, Poland's Imperial Ambitions, Zelensky's Wunderwaffen Scams, Ukraine's Energy Industry Crippled... Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here…

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Patreon Preview -- Regrettable Book Club: Disaster Nationalism by Richard Seymour (Part I) 16:47

2M ago16:47

16:47

It's time for a new patron reading group, and we've chosen 'Disaster Nationalism' by Richard Seymour. The gang gets started with the introduction, which means there is still time to become part of the group. If so, go to the Discord to join in. From the publisher: Liberal civilisation is in crisis - now is a time of monsters. While the spotlight of…

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A Cascading Series of New Lefts (Part II of II) 52:16

2M ago52:16

52:16

This week the boys finish a close reading of an interview with Terence Renaud wherein he discusses his new book New Lefts: The Making of a Radical Tradition. We weigh in on the positive and negative legacies of the multiple revisions to "leftism." https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/qa-terence-renaud-new-left/ Listen to Part I: https://regret…

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Patreon Preview -- Much Ado About Not Very Much: "Red-Brownism" and the Anti-War "Movement" 16:26

2M ago16:26

16:26

This week, we read and discussed an article about a phenomenon that apparently some people are, or were, concerned about: the problem of fascist infiltration of the anti-war movement. We discuss the problems inherent in gatekeeping social movements and the lack of left-wing organizations of any size. We also chime in on the overblown concerns about…

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PATREON PREVIEW: Regrettable Geopolitics 09/20/2025 19:11

3M ago19:11

19:11

The US is Behind On Drone Warfare, Satano-Nazi Terror in the USA, The Global Turn Against the Genocidal Apartheid State, The AFD's Gains in Former SPD Bastion, Reform UK is Britain's Most Popular Party, The Neo-Nazi Who Knew Too Much, Zelensky Is Losing Touch With Reality, Ukraine's Slow Collapse Continues... Send us a message (sorry we can't respo…

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Years of Dread: Political Violence & The Spectacle of Tension 1:10:58

3M ago1:10:58

1:10:58

Instances of stochastic violence in the United States are at an all-time high and the political violence of our era mirrors the political topography, disaggregated and rudderless. The boys got together this week to talk about Charlie Kirk and the newer/dumber "Years of Lead." A Stark Look at the Recent History of Political Violence in America https…

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PATREON PREVIEW: Regrettable Geopolitics 09/14/2025 18:26

3M ago18:26

18:26

Newer Dumber Years of Lead, Newer Dumber Cold War Heats Up, Israel Kills Kids in Doha This Time, Europe Can't be Inconvenienced by Sanctions on India and China, Poland Shoots Down Three Slow Moving Unarmed Decoy Drones... Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show Visit the Regrettable Century Merch Shop…

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A Cascading Series of New Lefts (Part I of II) 55:51

3M ago55:51

55:51

This week the boys do a close reading of an interview with Terence Renaud wherein he discusses his new book New Lefts: The Making of a Radical Tradition. We weigh in on the positive and negative legacies of the multiple revisions to "leftism." https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/qa-terence-renaud-new-left/ Send us a message (sorry we can't re…

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Patreon Preview: Do We Need an Updated Theory of Fascism? (Part II of II) 17:16

3M ago17:16

17:16

Today we read the second half of an article titled Do We Need an Updated Theory of Fascism? Theorizing the nature and implications of the global far-right resurgence by Prof. Dr. Alex Demirović, which was published by the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung. We liked this article for a few reasons, not the least of which was that it sparked good discussion... …

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Patreon Preview: Anatomy of the Microsect (Patron Roundtable) 17:33

3M ago17:33

17:33

We sat down with our patrons to read and discuss the 1973 Hal Draper Pamphlet, Anatomy of the Microsect. https://www.marxists.org/archive/draper/1973/xx/microsect.htm Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show Visit the Regrettable Century Merch ShopBy Chris, Kevin, Jason, & Ben

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Under an Elm Tree: William Morris, Animism, and Anti-Capitalism (Featuring Dr. Mathias Nordvig and Arnold from Fight Like an Animal Podcast) 1:43:58

4M ago1:43:58

1:43:58

This week, the animist caucus of the Regrettable Century (Kevin) teamed up with Dr. Mathias Nordvig, professor of Nordic Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder and the Sacred Flame Podcast, as well as Arnold from the Fight Like an Animal Podcast to talk about the intersection of animist spirituality and radical politics. To that end, the cre…

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PATREON PREVIEW: Regrettable Geopolitics 08/23/2025 13:57

4M ago13:57

13:57

Bounty on Maduro, Israeli Pedophile Protected by Trump... Again, Palestinian Dead are 83% Civilians, Zelensky in the Whitehouse... Again, Ukraine's Failing Drone Industry, The Inexorable Russian Lava Flow Pushes On... Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show Visit the Regrettable Century Merch Shop…

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PATREON PREVIEW: Regrettable Geopolitics 08/19/2025 13:47

4M ago13:47

13:47

Trump Wusses out on China Tariffs... Again, Leaks Expose Netanyahu's Hunger Plan, Israeli Spies Have Thoroughly Infiltrated Big Tech, The Alaska Summit, Ukraine's Infantry Crisis, Ukraine's Morale Crisis, Dobrapilia Breakthrough, The Collapse Speeds Up... Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show Visit the Regrettable Cen…

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Never Coming of Age in America: Adulting and Alienation in a Decadent Society 1:12:57

4M ago1:12:57

1:12:57

This week the boys are joined by eternal co-host Jess to discuss the novelty of adults being adults. We discuss the self-infantilization of millennials and older zoomers, which is a reflection of the crisis of meaning and deep rot at the heart of liberal modernity. We believe this is the result of a purely self-oriented conception of liberty and th…

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Patreon Preview: Do We Need an Updated Theory of Fascism? (Part I of II) 10:47

4M ago10:47

10:47

Today we read an article titled Do We Need an Updated Theory of Fascism? Theorizing the nature and implications of the global far-right resurgence by Prof. Dr. Alex Demirović, which was published by the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung. This is an excellent article that we think misses the mark in a few places and provides much fodder for discussion. Do We …