No one wants to be described as Machiavellian…or do they? On today’s episode, Louis and Alex discuss common misinterpretations of everyone’s favourite, but frequently misunderstood thinker: Niccolò Machiavelli. What is Machiavelli’s main message? (5:00)

Is Machiavelli immoral? (23:02)

Historical versus philosophical approaches to politics (31:32)

Machiavelli and international relations theory (37:20)

Machiavelli’s relevance for contemporary domestic politics (46:10)

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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 theories of freedom in Western thought, how Western and Chinese philosophies differ, and what a Confucian theory of freedom entails.
As always, you can find us on Instagram @ideasmatterpod, or email us at [email protected] 

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Today we discuss Karl Marx's famous Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts. The Manuscripts were written in 1844, but not published until 1932. This is important because many academics often make a distinction between 'early Marx' and 'late Marx'. Early Marx, the Marx present in the Manuscripts, is very much a humanist thinker, concerned with individual wellbeing and human flourishing. One could be forgiven for thinking, as Erich Fromm argued, that it represented the "full realisation of individualism".
The Manuscripts were a challenge to the Leninist interpretations of Marxism dominant at the time. They also forcefully challenged the lazy argument often made that Marxism was synonymous with cruel, oppressive dictatorship, in which the collective violently subdued the individual. Their most enduring contribution however, is Marx's articulation of alienation. Alienation is the chief psychological and moral ailment of humanity under capitalism. Understanding what Marx thought about alienation is crucial to understanding the full force of his later critiques of capitalism.
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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. Anyone interested in learning more about philosophy and political theory should give his work the attention it deserves.



Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/EpochPhilosophy

Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/3DzYxPaQWsM5PIcI9N3WCk

Instagram and Twitter: @epochphilosophy

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 communitarian political theory and they're here to tell you why individual rights can and should be occasionally subordinated for the greater good. We give you episode five: what is communitarianism?  

 Sources used:   

Communitarianism and its Critics (1993) by Daniel A. Bell, Oxford University Press 

Communitarianism, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/communitarianism/

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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 ubiquitous they've become the socio-cultural air that we breathe. But where do these ideas come from?



Sources used:

'Liberal Equality' in Contemporary Political Philosophy (second edition) by William Kymlicka

'Liberal Individualism and Liberal Neutrality' in Contemporary Political Theory: A Reader by William Kymlicka

'Political Liberalism' in The Great Delusion: Liberal Dreams and International Realities by John J. Mearsheimer



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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, Louis Althusser.



Come for the philosophy, stay for the rant about our (broken) education system.



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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 famous phrase cogito ergo sum (I think, therefore I am).



As always, comments and feedback are encouraged. 

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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".



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