Undead Sages Podcast

we often take resistance as a right—even a duty.

And yet: the moment you claim that right, you awaken something unpredictable. Fighting injustice may restore dignity—but it can also unleash darkness:
terror, betrayal, even ecstasy.

In this series, we speak with those who resisted—and those the world tried to silence. Saints and revolutionaries, mystics and militants. Their words are sharp. Their choices: balanced on a knife’s edge.

You may not agree with them. But if you’ve ever clenched your fists in the face of injustice—then this is “your” conversation, too.

Last week, we interviewed Maximilien Robespierre, the architect of the Terror - a time of great struggle and uncertainty following the French Revolution. Under his rule, thousands were executed for not living up to his standards of virtue. His was a maximalist interpretation of when resistance was allowed to use violence. He would say: until virtue reigns supreme and humanity has been born anew.

Our first guest, Gandhi, took the other end of the spectrum. He said that violence was never okay, as it would unforgivably taint the soul of the one wielding it, which would only lead to injustice continuing to occur.

Our remaining rostrum of guests all fall somewhere on the spectrum created by these two opposites. So today, we’ll be talking to Rosa Luxemburg, a socialist resistance fighter who certainly was no fan of violence, but who didn’t completely rule it out, either.

0:00 Intro

2:51 Life description

4:24 Is violence ever justified in the pursuit of justice?

5:41 Freedom is always the freedom of the one who thinks differently

7:01 Resistance against Authoritarianism

8:01 Spontaneity

8:50 World War I

9:50 How prison shaped Rosa Luxemburg

12:54 The Spartacist Uprising

13:56 Violence may sometimes be necessary, but never virtuous

14:57 Love is central to revolution

16:02 Advice for would-be revolutionaries

Maximilien Robespierre used violence as a tool to achieve dignity, to heal the body politic of corruptions. Without virtue, the French Revolution would be a failure, and would only produce new systems of oppression.

To properly understand him, we’ll need some context.


France, 1789. A kingdom on the brink. The people are starving—bread prices skyrocket after years of failed harvests. The monarchy is bankrupt. And across Europe, kings watch nervously as revolution stirs.

In Paris, the Bastille falls. The king is dethroned, then executed. War breaks out on all borders. Civil war ignites at home. Amid the chaos, one man rises: Maximilien Robespierre. A lawyer from Arrahhs, incorruptible, driven by a vision of a virtuous Republic.

But as fear spreads and enemies multiply, Robespierre turns virtue into law—and law into terror. Thousands are executed in the name of liberty. Friends become traitors overnight. The guillotine becomes a tool of purification.

Then, in the summer of 1794, the Revolution devours its own. Robespierre is arrested, silenced, and executed—jaw shattered, words unspoken. He dies at the age of 36.

0:00 Intro

3:49 Robespierre’s life

5:34 From Defending the Poor to Becoming a Mass Murderer

7:02 How Virtue Ties it all Together

8:38 Did You Go Too Far?

9:49 Can Coercion be Reconciled with Liberty?

11:01 Was the Terror Indiscriminate?

11:43 Standing Alone and The Last Execution

12:43 Was it Worth it?

13:40 Robespierre’s Posthumous Verdict on The Terror

15:04 The Virtue Paradox

In this series, we speak with those who resisted—and those the world tried to silence.
Saints and revolutionaries, mystics and militants.
 Their words are sharp. Their choices, costly.

You may not agree with them.
 But if you’ve ever clenched your fists in the face of injustice—
then this is your conversation, too.

This is “Resist”.


For our first guest in this arc, we talk to Mahatma Gandhi, whose resistance changed an empire—not by the sword, but by the soul.

He is often remembered as a saint. But he was also a strategist, a provocateur, a tireless resister.

0:00 intro

3:07 Life overview

4:45 Resisting the British

7:00 Why embrace suffering?

7:21 Opposition from others in the independence movement

8:02 Final betrayal?

8:26 What is Satyagraha?

9:20 Why is purity important?

10:34 The spiritual dimension of satyagraha

12:05 Non-harming

15:10 Do we misunderstand resistance in modern times?

15:40 Love as strength

17:28 Final words

Julius Evola was an Italian philosopher, esotericist, and critic of modernity known for his radical traditionalism and metaphysical worldview. Active in the 20th century, he drew from Eastern and Western spiritual traditions, rejecting liberalism, materialism, and egalitarianism in favor of inner discipline, hierarchy, and transcendent order. Controversial and often misunderstood, Evola called for a spiritual elite to rise above the ruins of the modern world.

Concept, editing and production by Merijn de Haen

@ 2025 Undead Sages Podcast

Welcome to the Undead Sages Podcast, where we travel back in time to talk to long-dead wise men and women. Today is the second in a series of discussions about masculinity, in which we discuss what it means to be a man. In this interview, we’ll be talking to the provocative 20th-century French philosopher, Georges Bataille. His work explored transgression, eroticism, and the sacred, often blurring the line between mysticism and madness. He’s deeply relevant for his radical reimagining of male subjectivity—not as control or virtue, but as vulnerability, ecstasy, and inner rupture.

Interview facilitated by ChatGPT

Voicing constructed with ⁠Elevenlabs⁠

Concept, editing and production by Merijn de Haen

@ 2025 Undead Sages Podcast

Ivan Illich was a radical social thinker, priest, and philosopher who challenged the foundations of modern institutions—schooling, medicine, transportation, and more. His work exposed how systems designed to serve often end up diminishing human agency. In a conversation on masculinity, Illich is essential: he helps us see how modern life has uprooted men from embodied presence, meaningful work, and deep community—and what it might take to return.

Interview facilitated by ChatGPT

Voicing constructed with ⁠Elevenlabs⁠⁠⁠⁠

Concept, editing and production by Merijn de Haen

@ 2025 Undead Sages Podcast

Our guest today is a literary icon whose name is etched into the bones of 20th-century writing. A war correspondent, Nobel Prize winner, adventurer, and deeply human voice — Ernest Hemingway gave the world stories of courage, loss, and grace under pressure. Today, we sit with the man behind the myth, and hear from him not just as a writer, but as a soul who lived it all.

Interview facilitated by ChatGPT

Voicing constructed with ⁠Elevenlabs⁠

Concept, editing and production by Merijn de Haen

@ 2025 Undead Sages Podcast

D.H. Lawrence was a novelist, poet, and fierce explorer of the human soul. Known for works like "Sons and Lovers" and "Lady Chatterley’s Lover", Lawrence challenged the mechanical grip of modernity with a vision rooted in instinct, sensuality, and spiritual wildness. He believed the body holds truths the mind forgets—and that to live fully, we must feel fiercely.

This conversation is the first in a series on masculinity in the modern age. Future guests will include Leo Tolstoy, Carl Jung, and others.

Interview facilitated by ChatGPT

Voicing constructed with ⁠Elevenlabs⁠⁠⁠⁠

Concept, editing and production by Merijn de Haen

@ 2025 Undead Sages Podcast

Bob Marley, born in Jamaica, was a musical visionary who brought reggae to the global stage. With his soulful voice and powerful lyrics, he became a symbol of peace, love, and resistance. Infusing his music with messages of unity and social justice, Marley’s legacy transcends generations, making him one of the most influential artists in history.

Interview facilitated by ChatGPT

Voicing constructed with ⁠Elevenlabs⁠

Soundscape by ⁠⁠⁠⁠renatofarabeuf on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Freesound⁠⁠⁠

Concept, editing and production by Merijn de Haen

@ 2025 Undead Sages Podcast

Simone Weil was a French philosopher, mystic, and political activist who lived—and thought—with fierce integrity. Born in 1909 and gone by 1943, her brief life burned with radical compassion, intellectual clarity, and spiritual longing. She worked in factories, refused comfort, and sought truth wherever it hurt.

Interview facilitated by ChatGPT

Voicing constructed with ⁠Elevenlabs⁠⁠⁠

Concept, editing and production by Merijn de Haen

@ 2025 Undead Sages Podcast