Confucianism is enjoying a state-sponsored revival in China. What does this millennia-old political philosophy have to say about one of the most vexing issues in political theory, human freedom? Today on the Ideas Matter podcast, we discuss our very own Louis Devine’s recent Masters’ thesis: Defending A Confucian Theory of Freedom. Learn about the major…

Alex explains the development from feudalism to capitalism, Louis gets otters and beavers confused, and the subject-object divide in Western philosophy is finally overcome. Today on the podcast, we discuss Karl Marx’s infamous Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts. The Manuscripts were written in 1844, but not published until 1932. This is important because many academics often…

Ideas Matter had the privilege to interview Epoch Philosophy, one of the best up and coming content creators in philosophy and political theory. Epoch Philosophy (Ian) has a great talent for breaking down complex topics into beautifully designed and well explained youtube videos. Ian also hosts a podcast, and is active on Instagram and Twitter….

COVID cases are rising, and the Melbourne lockdown continues, becoming the longest in the world. Louis and Alex might feel their commitment to the community waning, but fortunately they’ve read Daniel A. Bell’s writing on communitarianism. They’re here to tell you why individual rights can and should be occasionally subordinated for the greater good. We…

After a COVID-induced hiatus, Ideas Matter is back better than ever. Today we take a break from our usual format to consider a singular philosophy in greater depth, namely, Liberalism. Liberalism is so pervasive its assumptions appear to us (Westerners) as common-sensical assumptions. Individualism, a rights-based approach to justice, and rational choice theory are so…

If workers are exploited, then why do they keep showing up to work? Louis Althusser gives us one reason: ideology. Ideology functions to maintain the status quo. Capitalism must reproduce itself in order to survive. Join us for episode three of Ideas Matter, where we read “Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses” by French Marxist philosopher,…

I think, therefore I am. Or am I? In this episode we discuss infamous French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist René Descartes’ seminal text: Meditations on the First Philosophy. We begin by providing the historical context for Descartes’ thought, outlining his argument about why mind and body are distinct, before concluding with the ramifications for his…

Today we discuss the Ethics of Authenticity by Charles Taylor. Taylor is Professor Emeritus at McGill University in Canada, and one of the world’s most highly regarded contemporary philosophers. We discuss Taylor’s political philosophy of Communitarianism, his critique of liberal individualism and what he describes as the “malaise of modernity”. For more, follow us on…