Best Polemics Podcasts (2025)

1
Dionne Koller, "More Than Play: How Law, Policy, and Politics Shape American Youth Sport" (U California Press, 2025) 32:52

1d ago32:52

32:52

Tens of millions of children in the United States participate in youth sport, a pastime widely believed to be part of a good childhood. Yet most children who enter youth sport are driven to quit by the time they enter adolescence, and many more are sidelined by its high financial burdens. Until now, there has been little legal scholarly attention p…

1
Polemics Rec. | Election Special - Students and their country: Poland with Viktoria Mroz - S03E02 22:54

13h ago22:54

22:54

This new episode of the Polemics Podcast introduces the politics and foreign policy of Poland! Just as presidential elections are going on, Viktoria Mroz, a second year student @da_vienna shares her insight, and explains why Poland is so important! --- --- --- Polemics Rec. is the official podcast of Polemics Magazine. As a student-run production, …

1
The Wickedness of Paedocommunion 1:31:21

6d ago1:31:21

1:31:21

In this episode of Kingdom Polemics, Pastor Aldo Leon tackles the growing trend of paedocommunion—granting the Lord's Supper to infants and very young children simply because they are baptized members of the covenant community. Aldo lays out a comprehensive biblical, confessional, and theological critique of the practice, calling it not only unwise…

1
Din & Daf: Korbanot Without a Mikdash? Religious Zionist Polemics with Dr. Elana Stein Hain 28:17

11d ago28:17

28:17

Din & Daf: Conceptual Analysis of Halakha Through Case Study with Dr. Elana Stein Hain May We Offer Sacrifices without a Beit HaMikdash? 19th Century Religious & Zionist Polemics Shevuot 16a offers the possibility of giving sacrifices even without a standing mikdash. This served as the basis for a fascinating practical discussion among both Haredim…

1
The Line Up: The Pixie Picker Pickle Case 34:32

1d ago34:32

34:32

Release Date: June 29, 2013 Guthrie searches for a man who has been stabbing young women late at night with an icepick. Original Air Date: November 8, 1951 Support the show monthly at https://patreon.greatdetectives.net Support the show on a one-time basis at https://support.greatdetectives.net Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, …

1
Erin Pritchard, "Midgetism: The Exploitation and Discrimination of People with Dwarfism" (Routledge, 2023) 15:30

2d ago15:30

15:30

There exist problematic attitudes and beliefs about dwarfism that have rarely been challenged, but continue to construct people with dwarfism as an inferior group within society. Midgetism: The Exploitation and Discrimination of People with Dwarfism (Routledge, 2023) introduces the critical term 'midgetism', which the author has coined, to demonstr…

1
Din & Daf: Inherited Oaths- The Legacy of Har Sinai (Part 1) with Dr. Elana Stein Hain 30:24

3d ago30:24

30:24

Din & Daf: Conceptual Analysis of Halakha Through Case Study with Dr. Elana Stein Hain The Gemara mentions the concept of a person being already under oath to keep the mitzvot from Har Sinai. This leads to any oath one makes to keep or not to keep mitzvot to be considered a futile oath. But where does this concept of מושבע ועומד מהר סיני come from,…

1
Jon Shelton, "The Education Myth: How Human Capital Trumped Social Democracy" (Cornell UP, 2023) 1:11:39

3d ago1:11:39

1:11:39

The Education Myth: How Human Capital Trumped Social Democracy (Cornell UP, 2023) questions the idea that education represents the best, if not the only, way for Americans to access economic opportunity. As Jon Shelton shows, linking education to economic well-being was not politically inevitable. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, for ins…

1
Executive Power and the President Who Would Not Be King: A Conversation with Michael McConnell 52:05

4d ago52:05

52:05

In this episode of Madison’s Notes, Michael McConnell examines the gap between the Founders’ vision of a limited presidency and today’s expansive executive power. Drawing on his book The President Who Would Not Be King (Princeton University Press, 2022), we discuss how the Constitution’s safeguards against monarchical authority have eroded over the…

1
The Price of Free Speech: Politics and Power on Campus 33:34

4d ago33:34

33:34

Hosts Nina Dos Santos and Owen Bennett Jones explore the mounting political and financial pressures confronting higher education on both sides of the Atlantic. In the U.S., it unpacks the unprecedented clash between the Trump administration and Harvard, raising broader questions about academic freedom, ideological conformity, and the role of govern…

1
Eric Heinze, "Coming Clean: The Rise of Critical Theory and the Future of the Left" (MIT Press, 2025) 1:14:54

5d ago1:14:54

1:14:54

What has gone wrong with the left—and what leftists must do if they want to change politics, ethics, and minds. Leftists have long taught that people in the West must take responsibility for centuries of classism, racism, colonialism, patriarchy, and other gross injustices. Of course, right-wingers constantly ridicule this claim for its “wokeness.”…

1
A Daf Of Their Own - Swearing in Vain: The Torah’s Take on Oaths 7:52

6d ago7:52

7:52

What’s the difference between shvuat shav (a vain oath) and shvuat sheker (a false oath)? What’s the source of the prohibition? “I swear the sky is blue!” — What’s wrong with that statement, and what does the Rambam have to say? Rabbanit Shira Marili Mirvis and Rabbanit Hamutal Shoval explore the world of oaths in halakha, diving deep into the Talm…

1
Lucia Soriano, "Embodying Normalcy: Women's Work in Neoliberal Times" (Lexington Books, 2024) 55:21

6d ago55:21

55:21

Embodying Normalcy: Women’s Work in Neoliberal Times (Lexington Books, 2024) calls attention to how women in the United States do a type of unpaid work to embody the latest trends for the purpose of achieving success in neoliberal culture. Using TLC reality shows, lifestyle and beauty influencers, Brazilian butt lift TikToks, and celebrities like K…

1
False Dawn: A Conversation with George Selgin on Recovering from the Great Depression 1:00:16

7d ago1:00:16

1:00:16

Join us on Madison's Notes as we sit down with George Selgin, senior fellow and director emeritus of the Cato Institute’s Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives and professor emeritus of economics at the University of Georgia. In this insightful conversation, Selgin unpacks the myths and realities of FDR’s New Deal through the lens of his b…

1
Jeanne Sheehan, "American Democracy in Crisis: The Case for Rethinking Madisonian Government Post January 6" (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024) 35:13

8d ago35:13

35:13

American Democracy in Crisis: The Case for Rethinking Madisonian Government Post January 6 (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024) analyzes the roots of widespread disenchantment with American government. While blame often falls on the individuals in office, they are not operating in isolation. Rather they are working within a system designed by the Framers wit…

1
The Line Up: The Nicely Nixed Nixon Case 33:33

8d ago33:33

33:33

Release Date: June 22, 2013 Guthrie investigates a series of loan company robberies that has left one clerk dead. Original Air Date: October 18, 1951 Support the show monthly at https://patreon.greatdetectives.net Support the show on a one-time basis at https://support.greatdetectives.net Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho …

1
Constitutional Crisis or a Stalemate? 46:31

9d ago46:31

46:31

At the 100 day mark of Donald Trump’s second term as president, the political scientists at Bright Line Watch released their 25th report on the state of American democracy entitled “Threats to democracy and academic freedom after Trump’s second first 100 days.” Based on polling both experts (760 political scientists) and the public (representative …

1
Lara Montesinos Coleman, "Struggles for the Human: Violent Legality and the Politics of Rights" (Duke UP, 2023) 1:13:10

10d ago1:13:10

1:13:10

In Struggles for the Human: Violent Legality and the Politics of Rights (Duke University Press 2024), Lara Montesinos Coleman blends ethnography, political philosophy, and critical theory to reorient debates on human rights through attention to understandings of legality, ethics, and humanity in anticapitalist and decolonial struggle. Drawing on he…

1
Jake Monaghan, "Just Policing" (Oxford UP, 2023) 1:04:21

11d ago1:04:21

1:04:21

Policing is a source of perennial conflict and philosophical disagreement. Current political developments in the United States have only increased the urgency of this topic. Today we welcome philosopher Jake Monaghan to discuss his book, Just Policing (Oxford UP, 2023), which applies interdisciplinary insights to examine the morality of policing. T…

1
Ministers Alone Lead Worship 53:14

12d ago53:14

53:14

In this episode of Kingdom Polemics, Pastor Aldo Leon makes a strong biblical, confessional, and historical case for why only ministers—specifically teaching elders—are called and qualified to lead public worship. Drawing from both Scripture and the Westminster standards, Aldo contends that all elements of public worship, from the call to worship t…

1
Mark Fallon, "Unjustifiable Means: The Inside Story of How the CIA, Pentagon, and US Government Conspired to Torture" (Regan Arts, 2017) 52:07

12d ago52:07

52:07

From busting drug lords to leading the Pentagon task force charged with bringing the 9/11 terrorists to justice, Mark Fallon has spent his career on the front lines of U.S. national security. My first guest is one of the most fascinating people I've interviewed. Former NCIS Special Agent in Charge Mark Fallon is a national security consultant, scho…

1
Din & Daf: What’s so Bad About Tum’ah? 27:20

13d ago27:20

27:20

Din & Daf: Conceptual Analysis of Halakha Through Case Study with Dr. Elana Stein Hain The Gemara discusses how significant the problem of טומאת מקדש וקדשיו (the impurity of the Temple and its sacraments) is. But why is it such a problem? Shevuot 7b Dr. Elana Stein Hain – [email protected] For more Din and Daf: https://hadran.org.il/channel/d…

1
Democracy for Sale: Death by Dark Money 1:11:04

13d ago1:11:04

1:11:04

On this edition of Ctrl Alt Deceit: Democracy in Danger, we are live at the Royal United Services Institute. Nina Dos Santos and Owen Bennett Jones are joined by a world-class panel to discuss the dangers posed by the waves of dark money threatening to overwhelm our democratic institutions. Panelists: --Tom Keatinge, Director, Centre for Finance an…

1
A Daf Of Their Own - Halachic Repurposing: When Donations Shift Direction 10:06

14d ago10:06

10:06

What is the “heart of the Beit Din”? And can synagogue furniture be used for a Bat Mitzvah? Rabbanit Shira Marili Mirvis and Rabbanit Hamutal Shoval discuss a halachic concept about changing the designated use of a donation — in the Gemara, a living animal dedicated as a sacrifice; in our times, donations for sacred use. They explore the ability (o…

1
Threats to Universities and What We Can Do: A Conversation with Brandice Canes Wrone 1:00:09

14d ago1:00:09

1:00:09

Universities are under attack, but what exactly are the threats? How does free speech in the last 10 years compare to today? What do we stand to lose if higher education collapses? In this episode, Brandice Canes-Wrone dives into the major threats facing universities—from defunding to restrictions on free expression—and what we can do to solve them…

1
Eunji Kim, "The American Mirage: How Reality TV Upholds the Myth of Meritocracy" (Princeton UP, 2025) 39:03

15d ago39:03

39:03

In an age of growing wealth disparities, politicians on both sides of the aisle are sounding the alarm about the fading American Dream. Yet despite all evidence to the contrary, many still view the United States as the land of opportunity. The American Mirage: How Reality TV Upholds the Myth of Meritocracy (Princeton University Press, 2025) address…

1
The Line Up: The Wild Wild Woman Case 34:18

15d ago34:18

34:18

Release Date: June 08, 2013 Guthrie tries to catch a couple behind a nationwide series of jewel robberies. Original Air Date: October 11, 1951 Support the show monthly at https://patreon.greatdetectives.net Support the show on a one-time basis at https://support.greatdetectives.net Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715 G…

1
Liz Pelly, "Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist" (Atria, 2025) 1:29:18

16d ago1:29:18

1:29:18

Liz Pelly has been closely following the evolution of Spotify and other music streaming services and the effect they have had on the music sector and musicians themselves for several years. Her book, Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist (Atria, 2025), paints a depressing picture of how the company has exploited th…

1
"I have not Finished...": Rokahya Diallo on being Black, Muslim, and frequently interrupted (Emilie Diouf, JP) 48:39

17d ago48:39

48:39

Emilie Diouf of Brandeis English, whose monograph on genocide and trauma is forthcoming, joins John to speak with the celebrated French journalist and activist Rokahya Diallo. Diouf places Diallo within a transnational black intellectual tradition, founded in the interwar period in the Negritude movement; it was then that Paulette, Jeanne, and Anne…

1
Katherine Stewart, "Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy" (Bloomsbury, 2025) 57:52

18d ago57:52

57:52

Today, and for the past several years, many people both here and abroad have been trying to make sense of the radical right and its financial and ideological grip on the Republican party. Why is it that so many Americans have turned against democracy? What explains the authoritarian reaction of so many American citizens, even when that reaction wor…

1
The Solution to Islamization in Texas & America (Interview: Tony Gurule) 27:59

18d ago27:59

27:59

Tony Gurule of Radical Truth is today’s guest as he and David discuss the Islamization of Texas, the expansion of mosques in Texas, as well as the ultimate solution to what's happening. Visit us at RadicalTruth.net ** ALL Donations are Tax-Deductible **By Radical Truth

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