Theory Underground

By theory undergroundSociety & Culture Science Social Sciences Education Courses

Theory Underground episodes

June 06, 2022 The Cutrone Strikes Back! Schooling pleeb on political Marxism AKA Why Lenin
Chris Cutrone is back to explain the necessity of political Marxism to Theory Pleeb, who has only ever liked Marx the theorist while being generally skeptical of political Marxism.All of Pleeb’s work has been de-monetized and self-funded for over a year. If you want to give back in any way you can support #FreeMikey at www.Patreon.com/TheDangerousMaybe. Tell him Pleeb sent you.Learning a language? Follow pleeb on Duolingo and use this link so pleeb gets a week of free Plus https://invite.duolingo.com/BDHTZTB5CWWKTP747NSNMAOYEIGet Pleeb’s updates and thoughts here https://nspleeb.substack.com/Make sure to follow https://www.instagram.com/pleebmemes/ for memes related to pleeb’s work and communityPLAYLISTS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Pleeb 'n Mikey Lecture-Interviewshttps://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlcbaQ1cp2TLvXtp5bYnmCjf_otZw0M2NPleeb interviews and gets schooled by amazing peoplehttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlcbaQ1cp2TKo5_C6vyIphjsMD7c_fbMwProfessor Pleeb Lectureshttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlcbaQ1cp2TISAuNvqAdpOexm08Gc8yVhPleeb’s old video essayshttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlcbaQ1cp2TJpzDw4TRjnW3zR9Al-3_JxPleeb’s Assisted Readings https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlcbaQ1cp2TKnWyq5fxA5pMTAMtxGzuExMUSIC CREDITSRoyalty Free Planet - EVA - Rear ViewLicense:Creative Commons Attribution 3.0http://bit.ly/RFP_CClicenseMike Chino – Demigods: https://youtu.be/M6wruxDngOkLicense: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 - http://bit.ly/RFP_CClicense
2 hr 48 min
June 01, 2022 The burnout to Theory pipeline, feat. Caleb Cain of FaradaySpeaks
Caleb AKA FaradaySpeaks got his moment of fame when the New York Times used his "alt right pipeline" testimonial to talk about the dangers of misinformation and alternative media. Caleb got involved in various kinds of activism that focuses on de-radicalization, but he got completely burnt out on that when he realized none of the solutions come close to addressing the deeper issues we are faced with today. The Right keeps getting strategically better while the Left gets worse. Dissatisfied with all the laid out paths, Caleb struck out on his own... somewhere along the way he found this weird thing called Theory and then realized it has some kind of relationship with philosophy, which it turns out is not just boring historical puzzles. So why are reactionaries appropriating Theory while the would-be positive world changers lose relevancy? Is there any hope for a future that is not only increasingly worse? We talk about all this and more, including personal liberation, the PMC, ADHD-learning styles, and why base-literacy helps us find healthy outlets for death drive.All of Pleeb’s work has been de-monetized and self-funded for over a year. If you want to give back in any way you can support #FreeMikey at www.Patreon.com/TheDangerousMaybe. Tell him Pleeb sent you.Follow pleeb on Duolingo and use this link so pleeb gets a week of free Plus https://invite.duolingo.com/BDHTZTB5CWWKTP747NSNMAOYEIGet Pleeb’s updates and thoughts here https://nspleeb.substack.com/Make sure to follow https://www.instagram.com/pleebmemes/ for memes related to pleeb’s work and communityPLAYLISTS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Pleeb 'n Mikey Lecture-Interviewshttps://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlcbaQ1cp2TLvXtp5bYnmCjf_otZw0M2NPleeb interviews and gets schooled by amazing peoplehttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlcbaQ1cp2TKo5_C6vyIphjsMD7c_fbMwProfessor Pleeb Lectureshttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlcbaQ1cp2TISAuNvqAdpOexm08Gc8yVhPleeb’s old video essayshttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlcbaQ1cp2TJpzDw4TRjnW3zR9Al-3_JxPleeb’s Assisted Readings https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlcbaQ1cp2TKnWyq5fxA5pMTAMtxGzuExMUSIC CREDITSRoyalty Free Planet - EVA - Rear ViewLicense:Creative Commons Attribution 3.0http://bit.ly/RFP_CClicenseMike Chino – Demigods: https://youtu.be/M6wruxDngOkLicense: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 - http://bit.ly/RFP_CClicense
4 hr 7 min
May 29, 2022 In defense of theory (Žižek!) feat. Todd McGowan - Young Žižekians respond to Platypus/Cutrone/PAS
The council of Young Zizekians bring on their unofficial leader Todd McGowan to respond to Chris Cutrone's dismissal of Lacan, Zizek, Deleuze, Heidegger, et al. At the end Mikey gives an epic defense of Deleuze and Heidegger, and then critiques Alexander Dugin. 19:26 defense of Lacan, Zizek, etc. 2:13:44 defense of Deleuze (his theory of becoming + critique of Kant)2:49:26 defense of Heidegger (what he means be "Being" in 3 stages)3:26:19 critique of Alexander DuginThe links as promised!- The video this is in response to https://youtu.be/ZiAQc9Lbao8- Subscribe to Andrew's BRAND NEW channel Master Signified Bodies https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBN4bRqL4um_ZrZ_pIItXZQ- Subscribe to Trey's channel Telosbound https://www.youtube.com/c/telosbound- Read The Dangerous Maybe blog https://thedangerousmaybe.medium.com/update-on-the-dangerous-maybe-blog-357d838ff84- Subscribe to Todd McGowan's channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOMku8U1zFKsBudd3BcgSAw- Listen to Why Theory by Todd and Ryan on any podcast platform!WATCH the Pleeb n Mikey talk Zizek, Lacan, Baudrillard, and Marx series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlcbaQ1cp2TLvXtp5bYnmCjf_otZw0M2NWATCH "Pleeb gets schooled by amazing people you absolutely must know" playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlcbaQ1cp2TKo5_C6vyIphjsMD7c_fbMwWATCH Professor Pleeb Lectures playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlcbaQ1cp2TISAuNvqAdpOexm08Gc8yVhAll of Pleeb’s work has been de-monetized and self-funded for over a year. If you want to give back in any way you can support #FreeMikey at www.Patreon.com/TheDangerousMaybe. Tell him Pleeb sent you.Learning a language? Follow pleeb on Duolingo and use this link so pleeb gets a week of free Plus https://invite.duolingo.com/BDHTZTB5CWWKTP747NSNMAOYEIGet Pleeb’s updates and thoughts here https://nspleeb.substack.com/Make sure to follow https://www.instagram.com/pleebmemes/ for memes related to pleeb’s work and communityPLAYLISTS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Pleeb 'n Mikey Lecture-Interviewshttps://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlcbaQ1cp2TLvXtp5bYnmCjf_otZw0M2NPleeb interviews and gets schooled by amazing peoplehttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlcbaQ1cp2TKo5_C6vyIphjsMD7c_fbMwProfessor Pleeb Lectureshttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlcbaQ1cp2TISAuNvqAdpOexm08Gc8yVhPleeb’s old video essayshttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlcbaQ1cp2TJpzDw4TRjnW3zR9Al-3_JxPleeb’s Assisted Readings https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlcbaQ1cp2TKnWyq5fxA5pMTAMtxGzuExMUSIC CREDITSRoyalty Free Planet - EVA - Rear ViewLicense:Creative Commons Attribution 3.0http://bit.ly/RFP_CClicenseMike Chino – Demigods: https://youtu.be/M6wruxDngOkLicense: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 - http://bit.ly/RFP_CClicense
3 hr 43 min
May 27, 2022 What, why, and how Lenin + Adorno? | feat. Chris Cutrone of the Platypus Affiliated Society
Chris Cutrone is back to answer the pleeb's questions in Why Lenin and Adorno? Chris Cutrone is the founder of Platypus Affiliated Society and he thinks that for there to ever be a Left again there are certain lessons we must learn from Lenin and Adorno. All of Pleeb’s work has been de-monetized and self-funded for over a year. If you want to give back in any way you can support #FreeMikey at www.Patreon.com/TheDangerousMaybe. Tell him Pleeb sent you.Follow pleeb on Duolingo and use this link so pleeb gets a week of free Plus https://invite.duolingo.com/BDHTZTB5CWWKTP747NSNMAOYEIGet Pleeb’s updates and thoughts here https://nspleeb.substack.com/Make sure to follow https://www.instagram.com/pleebmemes/ for memes related to pleeb’s work and communityPLAYLISTS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Pleeb 'n Mikey Lecture-Interviewshttps://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlcbaQ1cp2TLvXtp5bYnmCjf_otZw0M2NPleeb interviews and gets schooled by amazing peoplehttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlcbaQ1cp2TKo5_C6vyIphjsMD7c_fbMwProfessor Pleeb Lectureshttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlcbaQ1cp2TISAuNvqAdpOexm08Gc8yVhPleeb’s old video essayshttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlcbaQ1cp2TJpzDw4TRjnW3zR9Al-3_JxPleeb’s Assisted Readings https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlcbaQ1cp2TKnWyq5fxA5pMTAMtxGzuExMUSIC CREDITSRoyalty Free Planet - EVA - Rear ViewLicense:Creative Commons Attribution 3.0http://bit.ly/RFP_CClicenseMike Chino – Demigods: https://youtu.be/M6wruxDngOkLicense: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 - http://bit.ly/RFP_CClicense
2 hr 56 min
May 25, 2022 What everyone failed to understand about Capital | feat. Ted Reese on Grossman’s Law of Accumulation
Whether we're talking about reformist or revolutionary Marxist tendencies of The Second International or those outside the tradition who attempted to debunk Marx's critique of political economy, nobody took him seriously on the most important aspect of the project until Grossman came along. If you don't know about Grossman, it's because all these other Frankfurt School thinkers took the spotlight. Did they deserve it? Come find out. Ted Reese is going to tell us why and you'll learn about the thing everyone keeps getting wrong, from Kautsky and Hilferding to Rosa and Lenin; von Böhm-Bawerk through Schumpeter to Keynes; much less the MMT econ nerds of today. Whether you think Marx's critique or proposed solutions are important or not, you need to at least know what everyone else kept getting wrong.All of Pleeb’s work has been de-monetized and self-funded for over a year. If you want to give back in any way you can support #FreeMikey at www.Patreon.com/TheDangerousMaybe. Tell him Pleeb sent you.Follow pleeb on Duolingo and use this link so pleeb gets a week of free Plus https://invite.duolingo.com/BDHTZTB5CWWKTP747NSNMAOYEIGet Pleeb’s updates and thoughts here https://nspleeb.substack.com/Make sure to follow https://www.instagram.com/pleebmemes/ for memes related to pleeb’s work and communityReferenced materials:Ted's book on Grossman: https://www.amazon.com/End-Capitalism-Thought-Henryk-Grossman/dp/1789047730Grossman's book The Law of Accumulation and Breakdown of the Capitalist System: https://www.amazon.com/Law-Accumulation-Breakdown-Capitalist-System/dp/0745304583How to enjoy the end of the world: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WPB2u8EzL8Davos 2020: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLuQF6nyckY&t=65sRe-Think X: https://www.youtube.com/c/RethinkXPLAYLISTS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Pleeb 'n Mikey Lecture-Interviewshttps://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlcbaQ1cp2TLvXtp5bYnmCjf_otZw0M2NPleeb interviews and gets schooled by amazing peoplehttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlcbaQ1cp2TKo5_C6vyIphjsMD7c_fbMwProfessor Pleeb Lectureshttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlcbaQ1cp2TISAuNvqAdpOexm08Gc8yVhPleeb’s old video essayshttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlcbaQ1cp2TJpzDw4TRjnW3zR9Al-3_JxPleeb’s Assisted Readings https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlcbaQ1cp2TKnWyq5fxA5pMTAMtxGzuExMUSIC CREDITSRoyalty Free Planet - EVA - Rear ViewLicense:Creative Commons Attribution 3.0http://bit.ly/RFP_CClicenseMike Chino – Demigods: https://youtu.be/M6wruxDngOkLicense: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 - http://bit.ly/RFP_CClicense
2 hr 40 min
May 22, 2022 Exhaustion and Timenergy with a very tired professor pleeb
Pleeb tired streaming about exhaustion and timenergy. If you'd prefer to just read the book here's where you can get it: https://www.amazon.com/WAYPOINT-Timenergy-critical-theory-culture/dp/B09M8QG8B9All of Pleeb’s work has been de-monetized and self-funded for over a year. If you want to give back in any way you can support #FreeMikey at www.Patreon.com/TheDangerousMaybe. Tell him Pleeb sent you.Follow pleeb on Duolingo and use this link so pleeb gets a week of free Plus https://invite.duolingo.com/BDHTZTB5CWWKTP747NSNMAOYEIGet Pleeb’s updates and thoughts here https://nspleeb.substack.com/Make sure to follow https://www.instagram.com/pleebmemes/ for memes related to pleeb’s work and communityPLAYLISTS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Pleeb 'n Mikey Lecture-Interviewshttps://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlcbaQ1cp2TLvXtp5bYnmCjf_otZw0M2NPleeb interviews and gets schooled by amazing peoplehttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlcbaQ1cp2TKo5_C6vyIphjsMD7c_fbMwProfessor Pleeb Lectureshttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlcbaQ1cp2TISAuNvqAdpOexm08Gc8yVhPleeb’s old video essayshttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlcbaQ1cp2TJpzDw4TRjnW3zR9Al-3_JxPleeb’s Assisted Readings https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlcbaQ1cp2TKnWyq5fxA5pMTAMtxGzuExMUSIC CREDITSRoyalty Free Planet - EVA - Rear ViewLicense:Creative Commons Attribution 3.0http://bit.ly/RFP_CClicenseMike Chino – Demigods: https://youtu.be/M6wruxDngOkLicense: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 - http://bit.ly/RFP_CClicense
1 hr 13 min
May 14, 2022 Stop telling us who not to read: Nick Land, Agamben, Heidegger, etc. (+ multiverse movies and Netflix fails)
Pleeb n Mikey's thank you stream for the #FreeMikey laptop fundraiser.Is Lacan bad for the workers?Is it elitist to say most popular intellectuals are not "real philosophers"?What does it mean to /do/ philosophy? "Problematic philosophers" and the PMC socie discourse vs. Thinkingi.e. gatekeeping Zizek, Agamben, Nick Land, and the infinite regress of the "oh they're problematic" pseudo philosophy industry.Along the way we will talk about what philosophy is to us, how to NOT do philosophy, and why Hollywood keeps dropping the ball, even with some some awesome new movies and shows such as Everything Everywhere All At Once, Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness, Ozark Season 4, Russian Doll Season 2, and a bonus review of Adieu Lacan. All of Pleeb’s work has been de-monetized and self-funded for over a year. If you want to give back in any way you can support #FreeMikey at www.Patreon.com/TheDangerousMaybe. Tell him Pleeb sent you.Learning a language? Follow pleeb on Duolingo and use this link so pleeb gets a week of free Plus https://invite.duolingo.com/BDHTZTB5CWWKTP747NSNMAOYEIGet Pleeb’s updates and thoughts here https://nspleeb.substack.com/Make sure to follow https://www.instagram.com/pleebmemes/ for memes related to pleeb’s work and communityPLAYLISTS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Pleeb 'n Mikey Lecture-Interviewshttps://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlcbaQ1cp2TLvXtp5bYnmCjf_otZw0M2NPleeb interviews and gets schooled by amazing peoplehttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlcbaQ1cp2TKo5_C6vyIphjsMD7c_fbMwProfessor Pleeb Lectureshttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlcbaQ1cp2TISAuNvqAdpOexm08Gc8yVhPleeb’s old video essayshttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlcbaQ1cp2TJpzDw4TRjnW3zR9Al-3_JxPleeb’s Assisted Readings https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlcbaQ1cp2TKnWyq5fxA5pMTAMtxGzuExMUSIC CREDITSRoyalty Free Planet - EVA - Rear ViewLicense:Creative Commons Attribution 3.0http://bit.ly/RFP_CClicenseMike Chino – Demigods: https://youtu.be/M6wruxDngOkLicense: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 - http://bit.ly/RFP_CClicense
3 hr 16 min
May 05, 2022 The Left is Dead vs. The Left must be Killed! Chris Cutrone responds to Benedict Cryptofash in lieu of a debate
Two Marxists walk into a bar... one thinks the left is dead and needs to be brought back, the other thinks it is inseparable from the Democrats and must therefore be killed. Happy birthday, Karl Marx! This is a livestream response from Cutrone to Cryptofash in lieu of a debate. It took play May 5th, 2022.Pleeb will play interviewer and occasional devil's advocate so that we can hopefully learn something. Read pleeb's substack post that provides some context for this here: https://nspleeb.substack.com/p/a-response-to-benedict-cryptofash?s=rSong credit:Singularity by Neon.Deflectorhttps://neondeflector.bandcamp.comPromoted by @RoyaltyFreePlanet - https://royaltyfreeplanet.comCreative Commons Attribution 3.0http://bit.ly/RFP_CClicense
2 hr 21 min
April 26, 2022 Both Sides Get Racism Wrong | feat. Christine Louis Dit-Sully
Pleeb interviewed Dr. Louis Dit-Sully, author of Transcending Racial Divisions: Will You Stand By Me?Buy her book here https://www.amazon.com/Transcending-Racial-Divisions-Will-Stand/dp/1789041317Pleeb is doing everything for free. If you're grateful and want to help out go sub to www.patreon.com/TheDangerousMaybe
3 hr 13 min
April 20, 2022 Pleeb n’ Mikey Talk LACAN: Ch2 - Fundamental Fantasy + Slavoj Zizek on Veils of Fantasy
A conversation between Pleeb and Mikey on Lacanian "Fundamental Fantasy." Recorded live in 2020, but meant to be timeless in content.Follow Michael at The Dangerous Maybe blog on medium: https://medium.com/@mdowns1611To #FreeMikey go to patreon.com/TheDangerousMaybeSONGS USED: 🔴 LIVE Synthwave/Vaporwave/Chillwave Radio 🎶 24/7 - Non-Stop SYNTH! All songs on this channel are no copyright and royalty free. Make sure to sub! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6-wx-04aMXk6a3m_fSXLEwMike Chino – Demigods: https://youtu.be/M6wruxDngOkBackground music by ChillCow Live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qap5aO4i9A
3 hr 15 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]