Academic Edgelords

What if democracy isn’t broken, but its very foundation—elections—is the problem? In this episode, we unpack Alexander Guerrero’s provocative case for lottocracy: a system that replaces elected officials with randomly selected citizens. Guerrero argues that elections breed inequality, corruption, and short-term thinking, while lottocracy promises fairness and more authentic representation.

But can we really trust random citizens to govern? In this episode, Ethan and Victor debate whether lottocracy can deliver better results than electoral democracy.

The post EP22: Should We Abolish Elections? (On Guerrero’s Lottocracy) appeared first on Academic Edgelords.

In this episode, we welcome Mike Watson, political theorist, artist, and author, to explore the intersections of digital culture, socialism, and existential thought. We read Mike’s new book, Hungry Ghosts in the Machine, where he explores how online culture shapes community, addiction, and identity.

On this episode we ask, is our malaise in the digital age caused by capitalism or is it intrinsic to the human condition? We also explore how the left might help us escape these patterns of media consumption.

Follow Mike on Twitter: https://x.com/_leftaesthetics

The post EP21: Is There Space for Revolutionary Thought Online? (Interview with Mike Watson) appeared first on Academic Edgelords.

In this episode, we ask, how irrational are human beings really? To answer this, we read Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein’s classic essay on “libertarian paternalism” which argues that because human beings are easily manipulated by their surrounding “choice architecture”, governments should use this mechanism to manipulate encourage citizens to make better choices.

We are also joined by our co-founder and former co-host Gordon Katic. We discuss Gordon’s excellent new Cited podcast series on the “Rationality Wars” that explores the way libertarian paternalism has benefitted big corporations and might be based on questionable evidence. Our discussion led to a broad debate about the nature of human agency and freedom.

For a write-up on the role behavioural economics played to benefit big corporations, see Gordon’s recent article and Jacobin. For criticisms of libertarian paternalism we also read Gerd Gigerenzer’s “On the Supposed Evidence for Libertarian Paternalism“.

Production note: Gordon was traveling when we recorded this and did not have his mic. Therefore, his audio quality was not always the best. Apologies for this!

The post EP20: Are Humans Actually Irrational? (On Thaler and Sunstein’s Libertarian Paternalism) Feat. Gordon Katic appeared first on Academic Edgelords.

In this episode, we examine Harry Chalmers’ provocative take: monogamy is morally suspect. Why should we treat restricting romantic partners any differently than restricting friendships? Since restricting our partner’s friends would seem pathological, so too, restricting sexual and romantic partners.

Chalmers sets himself a high bar: not only does he need to show that non-monogamy is morally preferable, but that monogamy is in principle morally problematic. We discuss Chalmers’ main responses to defences of monogamy, including specialness, sexual health, raising kids, practicality, and jealousy. We also read and briefly touch on a response to Chalmers’ piece by Kyle York.

The post EP19: Is Monogamy Morally Permissible (On Harry Chalmers’ Argument Against Monogamy) appeared first on Academic Edgelords.

On this episode, we dive deep into Brian Leiter’s “The Case Against Free Speech.” Leiter questions the sanctity of free speech, suggesting that not all speech deserves equal protection if it causes societal harm.

Is it really a blanket right, or are we just covering up society’s harms? Tune in as we tear into the freedoms you thought you had and discuss whether Leiter’s ideas are a blueprint for a just society or just an excuse to gag annoying blowhards. See this Vox article for more

Production Note: Victor’s mic broke right before recording, so his audio sounds worse than usual.

The post EP18: Is Free Speech Actually Bad? (On Brian Leiter’s Case Against Free Speech) appeared first on Academic Edgelords.

In this episode, we delve into Saul Smilansky’s provocative paper, “Should We Sacrifice the Utilitarians First?” which introduces the concept of “Designer Ethics” (DE). Smilansky argues that individuals’ moral views should influence how they are treated in moral dilemmas, suggesting that utilitarians, who support sacrificing one for the greater good, could be prioritized as potential victims.

This week we are joined by Ben Burgis. He is a philosophy instructor and host of the YouTube show Give Them An Argument. Burgis is also the author of Canceling Comedians While the World Burns and Give Them an Argument: Logic for the Left.

The post EP17: Should We Sacrifice the Utilitarians First? (Smilansky’s Designer Ethics) Ft. Ben Burgis appeared first on Academic Edgelords.

On this episode, we read Bass van der Vossen’s “In defense of the ivory tower: Why philosophers should stay out of politics“. In it, van der Vossen argues that academic philosophers have a duty to avoid engaging in politics. On this view, philosophers should stay in their lane. That lane being, the pursuit of Truth! Partisanship is opposed to truth and is a danger to academic integrity.

We do not find many of these arguments convincing. Listen to find out why! A note, this is our final episode recorded before our hiatus (over 6 months ago) in case we make any outdated references.

The post EP16: Should Philosophers Stay Out Of Politics? (On van der Vossen’s Defence of The Ivory Tower) appeared first on Academic Edgelords.

Hide your cats, hide your dogs, we’re talking about Zoophilia. In 2023, the very edgy Journal of Controversial Ideas published “Zoophilia Is Morally Permissible“. In it, Fira Bensto (pseudonym) attacks one of our most deeply entrenched social taboos: animal-human sex.

We recorded this episode more than six months ago and we’re excited (and nervous) for people to finally hear it. This one got contentious! We debate whether there are good reasons to think zoophilia is immoral. We also argue about whether it is even worth asking the question of the article. Consider this a trigger warning!

The post EP15: Is Zoophilia Morally Permissible? (On Bensto’s Defence of Zoophilia) appeared first on Academic Edgelords.

We’re back! For our relaunch episode, we chose an article that helps us reflect on this podcast’s mission: “Moral Philosophy’s Moral Risk” by Jason Brennan and Christopher Freiman.

The paper argues that there is a difficult dilemma at the root of moral philosophical inquiry: either philosophers should avoid risky topics that could violate moral norms (such as expressive duties not to offend), or they must be granted some level of exemption from these duties in their professional work.

In this episode, we debate whether this dilemma is plausible, and whether our podcast risks violating certain moral duties if we decide to tackle especially edgy topics.

The post EP 14: What if Moral Philosophy is Immoral? (On Brennan and Freiman’s Moral Philosophy’s Moral Risk) appeared first on Academic Edgelords.