Strange Exiles

Science fiction author John Barnes discusses his prophetic 1995 cyberpunk classic 'Kaleidoscope Century', a tale of espionage, meme war and technological singularity. A polymath who has co-written with Buzz Aldrin, he helps us unpack data science, systems analysis, semiotics and Cold War politics.

Critic and journalist Katie Goh is the author of the book The End: Surviving the World Through Imagined Disasters. We discuss representations of the apocalypse in fiction, film and culture at large, taking in everything from the Book of Revelations to modern revolutionary politics, The Hunger Games and Sharknado.

Season 2 begins! Explore the aesthetics of the apocalypse and take a walk through the ruins of progress as we draw near to cascading catastrophic colony collapse. Bram unpacks ideas and theories from John Gray, William Gibson, Slavoj Žižek, Adam Curtis and others. 

Host Bram explores the ideas, ideologies and identities discussed in Season 1, with contributions from award-winning author Darren McGarvey, psychedelic philosopher Dr Peter Sjöstedt-Hughes, activist Zoe Venditozzi, and cultural critic Mike Watson. Festive theme remixed by Asthmatic Astronaut.

Critic and Zer0 Books author Mike Watson discusses his new work The Memeing of Mark Fisher and the legacy of the Frankfurt School. We attempt to map the territory beyond Capitalist Realism, as the co-creator of the Acid Left project shares his thoughts on Keir Starmer, Acid Communism, memes and mental health.

Activist, writer and broadcaster Darren McGarvey is the host of the BBC's Class Wars, and winner of the Orwell Prize for his international best-seller Poverty Safari. He joins us to share some insights into inequality, the polarised discourse of the culture wars, and his much-anticipated second book.

Katie Sulatycki is the creator of a series of popular 60 Second Philosophy videos. We discuss the need for a new public forum of philosophical ideas, and Katie unpacks stoicism, existentialism, and Žižek's 'I would prefer not to' for us... all in 60 seconds!

Host Bram flies solo for an episode to discuss borderline personality disorder, the capitalist cult of wellness, and the works of Byung-Chul Han and Mark Fisher. Plus! Bonus content: Misunderstanding the 'hero's journey'... What if Jordan Peterson wrote 'The Last Jedi'?

Author, podcaster and teacher Zoe Venditozzi discusses Witches of Scotland, the campaign to get justice for every woman accused of witchcraft in Scotland from 1563 onwards. What can the historic persecution of women as 'witches' teach us about misogyny, violence, and the role of the heretic in today's culture?

Dr Peter Sjöstedt-Hughes explains why we need a new philosophy of psychedelics. The author of Noumenautics looks back on the legacy of his influential essay Neo-Nihilism: The Philosophy of Power, and his enduring passion for the ideas of Spinoza, Nietzsche and A.N. Whitehead. Theme by Asthmatic Astronaut.