This is the final episode in our series on Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. Some summary thoughts on what we should do about personal implications of this book. We take a look at the Newspeak epilogue, language constricted for the promotion of ideology.

This is Part 4 of Chapter 6 in The Gulag Archipelago by Alexandr Solzhenitsyn. In this part of the chapter, the prisoners learn their fates. There are rumors of an amnesty, but is that really what’s going to happen? There are various dreams about what kind of sentence they might get. A few meditations on … Continue reading Chapter 6: That Spring — Part 4 No Amnesty

This is Part 3 of Chapter 6 in The Gulag Archipelago by Alexandr Solzhenitsyn. In this episode, we look at the children of White Russian emigres who returned to Russia, only to be thrown into the gulag. How is it when a nation is bifurcated and a vital part of its heritage carries on outside, … Continue reading Chapter 6: That Spring — Part 3 Emigre Returnees

In this episode in our continuing series on Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, we look at what it means when you are broken by the Thought Police. You can break someone down, but when they come back from brokenness, they reassert their former preferences. To really break someone, you have to get them to betray: … Continue reading E87: 1984, Part 3, Chapters 4-5 Betrayal

We look at where we’ve gone with the Food for Thought Police podcast, where we are, and where we might go. Some thoughts about an unreleased episode on The Handmaid’s Tale.

This is our third episode of three on Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein. We explore the question of the extent to which Starship Troopers reflects a dystopian future. As earthily idealistic as the military government is, the real test will be whether the military government in this novel can sustain itself in rule of law.

This is our second episode of three on Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein. In this episode we examine the society of the world presented in Starship Troopers. Civilians are free, but you are not yet a citizen until you have served at least a two year term in Federal Service. Political power and responsibility are … Continue reading E84: Starship Troopers, 2 of 3, Society

This is Part 2 of Chapter 6 in The Gulag Archipelago by Alexandr Solzhenitsyn. More on the treatment of returning POWs, but especially the treatment of collaborators who had joined the Vlasov units. Something to keep in mind: The Gulag Archipelago is a Russian story, the documentation of a Russian historical happening, so it will … Continue reading Chapter 6: That Spring — Part 2

This is a special appeal to listeners. Please write in, let us know what you think! Really, we would love some feedback on the show. If we ever get TIRED of hearing back from listeners, boy will we ever let you know about it! At present, we get nothing, so we can offer you nothing. … Continue reading Special Appeal to Listeners

This is our first episode of three on Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein. In this episode, we examine the role of technology in this military science fiction classic, and compare the role of technology in other science fiction and dystopian works. In Starship Troopers, technology multiplies human potential, but the core of the novel is … Continue reading E83: Starship Troopers, 1 of 3, Technology