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Theory Underground
Theory Underground episodes
- Week 8 In Review - Vaush (and others) calling Žižek transphobic + FTKNWTD course launchesŽižek got cancelled for "transphobia" when in fact he is centering real concerns that have become politically incorrect. This happened the same week that the FTKNWTD course launched! This week in review starts with a clip of the Week 1 lecture followed by a conversation with Ann, Swol, and Andrew about real transphobia vs. legitimate concerns about the medicalization of therapism and ego psychology. This is controversial, but it needed to be said.If you cannot keep up with the forums week to week, and you did not get a chance to watch or listen to whatever Theory Underground has put out recently, then these weekly streams are meant to keep you in the loop.ABOUT / CREDITS / LINKSWelcome to the Theory Underground.Theory Underground aims to make challenging philosophical and theoretical work accessible, not by summarizing, but by aiding those who seek to engage in this work as a way of life.SUPPORT this work at https://theory-underground.com/supportDo you have questions, comments, or something to share that would be better off on the community site? Join the public forum here: https://theory-underground.com/forums/forum/main/If you take a course or join a discussion, there will be a group with dedicated forums on the website. Because fuck Discord. We want to honor quality questions, not bury them. We want to honor people who actually read as opposed to staying glued to their phones all day, so we aren't going to become reliant on a "community" app that is so attention-demanding.Forums give people time to think and come back later to ask questions or add to discussions.Check out the courses, patron tiers and books, as well as events listed at these links:https://theory-underground.com/courseshttps://theory-underground.com/supporthttps://theory-underground.com//eventsAlso the Theory Underground instagram and TikTok are both where it's happening:https://www.instagram.com/theory_underground/https://tiktok.com/@theory_undergroundMUSIC CREDITSLogo sequence music by https://olliebeanz.com/musichttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/legalcode1 hr 38 min
- ŽIŽEK 101: Blue Collar Anti-PC ”Inherent transgression” Jouissance in the workplace | D&M S2:e18Blue Collar Anti-PC "Inherent transgression" Jouissance in the workplaceMikey is back to teach Dave the basics of Žižek’s theory of ideology.If you have been learning Lacan 101 and now Žižek through Mikey and Dave’s conversations, you might want to dive into the deep end.Check out the course on Žižek’s For They Know Not What They Do, which starts on February 25th: https://theory-underground.com/courses/ftknwtd/ABOUT / CREDITS / LINKSWelcome to the Theory Underground. Theory Underground aims to make challenging philosophical and theoretical work accessible, not by summarizing, but by aiding those who seek to engage in this work as a way of life. Interested in getting involved?Join the Theory Underground open forum today. Most of the forums are closed until certain readings or courses have been completed, but this is the one that is open! Welcome.https://theory-underground.com/forums/forum/MAIN Help beta trial this at https://theory-underground.com/Check out the courses, patron tiers and books, as well as events listed at these links:https://theory-underground.com/courseshttps://theory-underground.com/supporthttps://theory-underground.com//eventsAlso the Theory Underground instagram and TikTok are both where it's happening: https://www.instagram.com/theory_underground/https://tiktok.com/@theory_undergroundMUSIC CREDITS Logo sequence music by https://olliebeanz.com/music https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/legalcodeSong: Bust Down Artist: 808 DEATH CLUB License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 - http://bit.ly/RFP_CClicense34 min
- ŽIŽEK 101: The theft of enjoyment, Das Ding, and Scapegoating | D&M S2:e17Mikey is back to teach Dave the basics of Žižek’s theory of ideology.If you have been learning Lacan 101 and now Žižek through Mikey and Dave’s conversations, you might want to dive into the deep end.Check out the course on Žižek’s For They Know Not What They Do, which starts on February 25th: https://theory-underground.com/courses/ftknwtd/ABOUT / CREDITS / LINKSWelcome to the Theory Underground. Theory Underground aims to make challenging philosophical and theoretical work accessible, not by summarizing, but by aiding those who seek to engage in this work as a way of life. Interested in getting involved?Join the Theory Underground open forum today. Most of the forums are closed until certain readings or courses have been completed, but this is the one that is open! Welcome.https://theory-underground.com/forums/forum/MAIN Help beta trial this at https://theory-underground.com/Check out the courses, patron tiers and books, as well as events listed at these links:https://theory-underground.com/courseshttps://theory-underground.com/supporthttps://theory-underground.com//eventsAlso the Theory Underground instagram and TikTok are both where it's happening: https://www.instagram.com/theory_underground/https://tiktok.com/@theory_undergroundMUSIC CREDITS Logo sequence music by https://olliebeanz.com/music https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/legalcodeSong: Bust Down Artist: 808 DEATH CLUB License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 - http://bit.ly/RFP_CClicense42 min
- ŽIŽEK 101: Universality, Commodity Fetishization, Aliens and Project Blue Beam | D&M S2:e16Mikey is back to teach Dave the basics of Žižek’s theory of ideology.If you have been learning Lacan 101 and now Žižek through Mikey and Dave’s conversations, you might want to dive into the deep end.Check out the course on Žižek’s For They Know Not What They Do, which starts on February 25th: https://theory-underground.com/courses/ftknwtd/ABOUT / CREDITS / LINKSWelcome to the Theory Underground. Theory Underground aims to make challenging philosophical and theoretical work accessible, not by summarizing, but by aiding those who seek to engage in this work as a way of life. Interested in getting involved?Join the Theory Underground open forum today. Most of the forums are closed until certain readings or courses have been completed, but this is the one that is open! Welcome.https://theory-underground.com/forums/forum/MAIN Help beta trial this at https://theory-underground.com/Check out the courses, patron tiers and books, as well as events listed at these links:https://theory-underground.com/courseshttps://theory-underground.com/supporthttps://theory-underground.com//eventsAlso the Theory Underground instagram and TikTok are both where it's happening: https://www.instagram.com/theory_underground/https://tiktok.com/@theory_undergroundMUSIC CREDITS Logo sequence music by https://olliebeanz.com/music https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/legalcodeSong: Bust Down Artist: 808 DEATH CLUB License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 - http://bit.ly/RFP_CClicense35 min
- ŽIŽEK 101: Dialectical Antagonism and Contradiction vs. Opposition | D&M S2:e15Mikey is back to teach Dave the basics of Žižek’s theory of ideology.If you have been learning Lacan 101 and now Žižek through Mikey and Dave’s conversations, you might want to dive into the deep end.Check out the course on Žižek’s For They Know Not What They Do, which starts on February 25th: https://theory-underground.com/courses/ftknwtd/ABOUT / CREDITS / LINKSWelcome to the Theory Underground. Theory Underground aims to make challenging philosophical and theoretical work accessible, not by summarizing, but by aiding those who seek to engage in this work as a way of life. Interested in getting involved?Join the Theory Underground open forum today. Most of the forums are closed until certain readings or courses have been completed, but this is the one that is open! Welcome.https://theory-underground.com/forums/forum/MAIN Help beta trial this at https://theory-underground.com/Check out the courses, patron tiers and books, as well as events listed at these links:https://theory-underground.com/courseshttps://theory-underground.com/supporthttps://theory-underground.com//eventsAlso the Theory Underground instagram and TikTok are both where it's happening: https://www.instagram.com/theory_underground/https://tiktok.com/@theory_undergroundMUSIC CREDITS Logo sequence music by https://olliebeanz.com/music https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/legalcodeSong: Bust Down Artist: 808 DEATH CLUB License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 - http://bit.ly/RFP_CClicense32 min
- ŽIŽEK 101: PSA Against Lurk Culture + McGowan vs. Žižek on Universality . | D&M S2:e14Mikey is back to teach Dave the basics of Žižek’s theory of ideology.If you have been learning Lacan 101 and now Žižek through Mikey and Dave’s conversations, you might want to dive into the deep end.Check out the course on Žižek’s For They Know Not What They Do, which starts on February 25th: https://theory-underground.com/courses/ftknwtd/ABOUT / CREDITS / LINKSWelcome to the Theory Underground. Theory Underground aims to make challenging philosophical and theoretical work accessible, not by summarizing, but by aiding those who seek to engage in this work as a way of life. Interested in getting involved?Join the Theory Underground open forum today. Most of the forums are closed until certain readings or courses have been completed, but this is the one that is open! Welcome.https://theory-underground.com/forums/forum/MAIN Help beta trial this at https://theory-underground.com/Check out the courses, patron tiers and books, as well as events listed at these links:https://theory-underground.com/courseshttps://theory-underground.com/supporthttps://theory-underground.com//eventsAlso the Theory Underground instagram and TikTok are both where it's happening: https://www.instagram.com/theory_underground/https://tiktok.com/@theory_undergroundMUSIC CREDITS Logo sequence music by https://olliebeanz.com/music https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/legalcodeSong: Bust Down Artist: 808 DEATH CLUB License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 - http://bit.ly/RFP_CClicense25 min
- ŽIŽEK 101: The homology between Freud’s Dream and Marx’s Commodity | D&M S2:e13Mikey is back to teach Dave the basics of Žižek’s theory of ideology.If you have been learning Lacan 101 and now Žižek through Mikey and Dave’s conversations, you might want to dive into the deep end.Check out the course on Žižek’s For They Know Not What They Do, which starts on February 25th: https://theory-underground.com/courses/ftknwtd/ABOUT / CREDITS / LINKSWelcome to the Theory Underground. Theory Underground aims to make challenging philosophical and theoretical work accessible, not by summarizing, but by aiding those who seek to engage in this work as a way of life. Interested in getting involved?Join the Theory Underground open forum today. Most of the forums are closed until certain readings or courses have been completed, but this is the one that is open! Welcome.https://theory-underground.com/forums/forum/MAIN Help beta trial this at https://theory-underground.com/Check out the courses, patron tiers and books, as well as events listed at these links:https://theory-underground.com/courseshttps://theory-underground.com/supporthttps://theory-underground.com//eventsAlso the Theory Underground instagram and TikTok are both where it's happening: https://www.instagram.com/theory_underground/https://tiktok.com/@theory_undergroundMUSIC CREDITS Logo sequence music by https://olliebeanz.com/music https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/legalcodeSong: Bust Down Artist: 808 DEATH CLUB License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 - http://bit.ly/RFP_CClicense25 min
- ŽIŽEK 101: Transposing inherent systemic deadlocks onto a supposed outside object or other | D&M S2:e12Mikey is back to teach Dave the basics of Žižek’s theory of ideology.If you have been learning Lacan 101 and now Žižek through Mikey and Dave’s conversations, you might want to dive into the deep end.Check out the course on Žižek’s For They Know Not What They Do, which starts on February 25th: https://theory-underground.com/courses/ftknwtd/ABOUT / CREDITS / LINKSWelcome to the Theory Underground. Theory Underground aims to make challenging philosophical and theoretical work accessible, not by summarizing, but by aiding those who seek to engage in this work as a way of life. Interested in getting involved?Join the Theory Underground open forum today. Most of the forums are closed until certain readings or courses have been completed, but this is the one that is open! Welcome.https://theory-underground.com/forums/forum/MAIN Help beta trial this at https://theory-underground.com/Check out the courses, patron tiers and books, as well as events listed at these links:https://theory-underground.com/courseshttps://theory-underground.com/supporthttps://theory-underground.com//eventsAlso the Theory Underground instagram and TikTok are both where it's happening: https://www.instagram.com/theory_underground/https://tiktok.com/@theory_undergroundMUSIC CREDITS Logo sequence music by https://olliebeanz.com/music https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/legalcodeSong: Bust Down Artist: 808 DEATH CLUB License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 - http://bit.ly/RFP_CClicense27 min
- ŽIŽEK 101: How to satisfy the other? Ideology has the easy solution... | D&M S2:e11Mikey is back to teach Dave the basics of Žižek’s theory of ideology.If you have been learning Lacan 101 and now Žižek through Mikey and Dave’s conversations, you might want to dive into the deep end.Check out the course on Žižek’s For They Know Not What They Do, which starts on February 25th: https://theory-underground.com/courses/ftknwtd/ABOUT / CREDITS / LINKSWelcome to the Theory Underground. Theory Underground aims to make challenging philosophical and theoretical work accessible, not by summarizing, but by aiding those who seek to engage in this work as a way of life. Interested in getting involved?Join the Theory Underground open forum today. Most of the forums are closed until certain readings or courses have been completed, but this is the one that is open! Welcome.https://theory-underground.com/forums/forum/MAIN Help beta trial this at https://theory-underground.com/Check out the courses, patron tiers and books, as well as events listed at these links:https://theory-underground.com/courseshttps://theory-underground.com/supporthttps://theory-underground.com//eventsAlso the Theory Underground instagram and TikTok are both where it's happening: https://www.instagram.com/theory_underground/https://tiktok.com/@theory_undergroundMUSIC CREDITS Logo sequence music by https://olliebeanz.com/music https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/legalcodeSong: Bust Down Artist: 808 DEATH CLUB License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 - http://bit.ly/RFP_CClicense21 min
- ŽIŽEK 101: How Slavoj forever changed Ideology Critique | D&M S2:e10Mikey is back to teach Dave the basics of Žižek’s theory of ideology.If you have been learning Lacan 101 and now Žižek through Mikey and Dave’s conversations, you might want to dive into the deep end.Check out the course on Žižek’s For They Know Not What They Do, which starts on February 25th: https://theory-underground.com/courses/ftknwtd/ABOUT / CREDITS / LINKSWelcome to the Theory Underground. Theory Underground aims to make challenging philosophical and theoretical work accessible, not by summarizing, but by aiding those who seek to engage in this work as a way of life. Interested in getting involved?Join the Theory Underground open forum today. Most of the forums are closed until certain readings or courses have been completed, but this is the one that is open! Welcome.https://theory-underground.com/forums/forum/MAIN Help beta trial this at https://theory-underground.com/Check out the courses, patron tiers and books, as well as events listed at these links:https://theory-underground.com/courseshttps://theory-underground.com/supporthttps://theory-underground.com//eventsAlso the Theory Underground instagram and TikTok are both where it's happening: https://www.instagram.com/theory_underground/https://tiktok.com/@theory_undergroundMUSIC CREDITS Logo sequence music by https://olliebeanz.com/music https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/legalcodeSong: Bust Down Artist: 808 DEATH CLUB License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 - http://bit.ly/RFP_CClicense23 min
About Theory Underground
From the publisher's feed
Thanks for listening! Please review us on your favorite podcast app so that the haters don't win.
Become a member of Theory Underground here: https://theoryunderground.com/subscribe
Tier 1 and higher get access to the courses and seminars going monthly throughout 2026:
Intro to Theory, The Philosophy of Stewardship, and The Philosophy of Religion with David McKerracher.
Tier 2 and higher get access to a monthly writers or speaking workshop.
Tier 3 includes the book or thesis writer's cohort. All members get access to the monthly Post Duopoly (de)Radicalization Starter Pack reading group, which is a collaboration between TU and 1Dime. https://theoryunderground.com/subscribe
David McKerracher is an organizer, theorist, husband and father (not in that order), and the founder of Theory Underground. McKerracher is the author of Timenergy: Why You Have No Time or Energy (Foreword by Slavoj Žižek), as well as the chief editor of Underground Theory (Volumes one and two are available now, with volume three in the works).
Office hours: The first Monday of every month at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, or if you wait around after lectures/seminars.
Theory Underground (TU) is dedicated to making challenging philosophical and theoretical work accessible for a non-college audience. TU emphasizes audio-based learning for real-world application of big ideas, operating both online and through an international tour that has hosted events in over 20 U.S. cities, 9 countries throughout Europe, as well as cities in Canada and Mexico.
Mission: To provide accessible, rigorous, and wide-ranging educational material for three types of people:
- dropout workers with earbuds getting into big ideas during daily routines
- burnt-out postgrads seeking to supplement their journey
- parents who take a deliberate role in their children's education through keeping alive their sense of wonder.
Vision: A world that is timenergy-rich, meaning that parents and teachers have large, energy-infused, and reliably repeatable blocks of time throughout their day, week, and month. Such a world would construct and cultivate a culture of active leisure for the sake of discovering and stewarding one’s own talent and the talents of future generations.
Lectures: Ongoing and archived sessions on key thinkers and topics, including:
📚Intro courses: Intro to Theory (monthly throughout 2026), Intro to Marx, Intro to Heidegger, Political Theory, Intro to The Idea of the University, Intro to Žižek, Intro to Lacan, Intro to Land, Intro to Illich, The Philosophy of Nature, Intro to the PMC, Intro to Critical Social Theory, and The Philosophy of Religion (2026).
📚Advanced courses: Martin Heidegger's Being and Time, Emmanuel Levinas' Totality and Infinity, and Slavoj Žižek's For They Know Not What They Do, The Autistic Subject and the Clinical Structures of Psychoanalysis.
📚Seminars: Critical Media Theory (2 years), Critical Doxology & Timenergy (1 year), The Philosophy of Stewardship and Home Economics (monthly throughout 2026).
Publishing: Underground Theory Volumes 1 and 2, Timenergy: Why You Have No Time or Energy, as well as serial releases of chapters, original thoughts, and upcoming books.
Community: Conferences, retreats, and international tour. TU’s hybrid and experimental grassroots (self-funded) tour events have occurred in prestigious private universities as well as people's garages and backyards, on campus quads or downtown in busy urban areas, as well as deep in the wilderness. TU is virtually everywhere and always on tour, but physically it is based on a small regenerative farm in North Idaho.
Renowned professors at Theory Underground have included Slavoj Žižek, Benjamin Studebaker, Nina Power, John D. Caputo, Peter Rollins, Chris Cutrone, Iain Thomson, Alenka Zupančič, Leon Brenner; Todd McGowan, as well as lesser-known but nonetheless amazing lecturers such as Tony Chamas, Bryan Weeks, Michael Downs, and Elton L.K. of the Working Class Intelligentsia and the Democratic Socialists of America education podcast called CLASS.
Music Logo Sequence Music is always either by https://olliebeanz.com/music https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/legalcode or “What's Left” Adam Leher. Thanks! If you are an artist who has something that might be good for TU's unique vibe, you can always send it to us a [email protected]
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