Episode #144 - Max Weber - Iron Cage
Max Weber
On this episode, we begin our discussion on the work of Max Weber.
See the full transcript here.
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Episode #143 - Jürgen Habermas - The Public Sphere
Episode 143 - Jürgen Habermas - The Public Sphere
This episode dives into the philosophy of Jürgen Habermas and his mission to rethink the Enlightenment in a way that still makes sense today. A lot of past thinkers criticized the Enlightenment for putting too much faith in reason, which they believed led to big problems like war and oppression. But Habermas didn’t want to throw the whole thing out. Instead, he believed the real issue wasn’t reason itself—it was how we’ve been using it. He introduced the idea of “communicative rationality,” where reason isn’t about cold logic or manipulating people, but about real, honest conversations where people listen, share, and try to understand one another. To him, this kind of communication is the heart of democracy and the way we should make decisions as a society. He also talks about how we've lost a lot of these meaningful conversations over time—replaced by media and systems more focused on control than connection. Habermas believes that the power to change things still lives in us, if we’re willing to engage with each other sincerely and rebuild those public spaces where everyone’s voice can matter.
Further Reading:
The Theory of Communicative Action, Volume 1: Reason and the Rationalization of Society by Jürgen Habermas (1984)
The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere: An Inquiry into a Category of Bourgeois Society by Jürgen Habermas (1989)
Philosophical Interventions in the Unfinished Project of Enlightenment edited by Axel Honneth, Thomas McCarthy, Claus Offe, and Albrecht Wellmer (1992)
See the full transcript here.
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Episode #142 - Richard Rorty
Richard Rorty
In this episode, the show explores the political philosophy of Richard Rorty, focusing on his rejection of universal, ahistorical foundations for ideas like human rights and liberal democracy. Rather than grounding these values in divine will or rational truths, Rorty sees them as contingent products of specific historical and cultural contexts. He argues that reason is not a tool for uncovering objective reality, but a human practice shaped by language and culture—a means of fostering solidarity rather than accessing eternal truths. Embracing the legacy of the Enlightenment as a call to question authority rather than to establish it, Rorty champions a pragmatic, pluralistic approach to politics. He encourages living as an “ironist”—someone who is critically aware of the limits of their own worldview and remains open to new vocabularies and perspectives. Ultimately, the episode highlights Rorty’s belief that legitimacy in political life comes not from philosophical absolutes, but from the shared values and decisions of people living together in particular times and places.
Further Reading:
Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity by Richard Rorty (1989)
Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature by Richard Rorty (1979)
Richard Rorty: Politics and Vision by Christopher J. Voparil (2006)
See the full transcript here
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Episode #141 - Isaiah Berlin pt. 2 - Pluralism and Culture
Isaiah Berlin pt. 2 - Pluralism and Culture
This episode continues the discussion of Isaiah Berlin’s political philosophy, focusing on his rejection of monism—the idea that all moral and political questions have one correct answer. Berlin argues that human values often conflict in ways that can’t be solved by a single system or rule, using examples like mercy versus justice or freedom versus equality to show how these tensions play out in real life. He calls this view pluralism, the belief that different, even opposing values can be equally valid and rational. Pluralism, for Berlin, is not the same as relativism; while cultures may differ, people still share basic human goals like safety, freedom, and meaning. He believes that rationality can’t solve every disagreement, but it can help us understand each other and promote tolerance. In place of rigid systems, Berlin proposes liberal pluralism—an approach that accepts moral complexity and encourages empathy across political and cultural divides.
Further Reading:
The Crooked Timber of Humanity by Isaiah Berlin (1990)
Isaiah Berlin: Liberty and Pluralism by George Crowder (2004)
Isaiah Berlin: An Interpretation of His Thought by John Gray (1996)
See the full transcript here
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Episode #140 - Isaiah Berlin pt. 1 - Pluralism
Isaiah Berlin Part 1 - Pluralism
This episode explores the political philosophy of Isaiah Berlin, highlighting his attempt to bridge the gap between Enlightenment universalism and modern relativism. Berlin critiques the Enlightenment’s belief in a single, rational moral truth—what he calls “monism”—and instead defends value pluralism, the idea that multiple, conflicting, yet reasonable values can coexist.
At the heart of the episode is Berlin’s famous distinction between negative and positive liberty: freedom from outside interference versus freedom to realize one’s true self. While negative liberty protects individuals from coercion, Berlin warns that positive liberty—especially as used by thinkers like Rousseau—can justify authoritarian control under the claim of enforcing “true freedom.”
The episode also touches on Berlin’s admiration for Counter-Enlightenment thinkers, who rejected universal ideals in favor of culture, community, and historical context. Ultimately, Berlin’s pluralist approach offers a way to navigate political life without forcing all people into a single moral framework.
Further Reading:
Liberty: Incorporating Four Essays on Liberty – Isaiah Berlin (2002)
Isaiah Berlin: Liberty and Pluralism – George Crowder (2004)
Isaiah Berlin and the Politics of Freedom: 'Two Concepts of Liberty' 50 Years Later – Bruce Baum & Robert Nichols, eds. (2013)
See the full transcript here.
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Episode #139 - Friedrich Von Hayek - The Road to Serfdom
Friedrich Von Hayek
On this episode, we begin our discussion on the work of Henri Bergson.
See the full transcript here.
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Episode #138 - Robert Nozick - The Minimal State
Robert Nozick - The Minimal State
This episode explores Robert Nozick’s Anarchy, State, and Utopia, a foundational libertarian response to the political challenges of the 20th century. Positioned between anarchism and the expansive welfare liberalism of thinkers like John Rawls, Nozick argues for a “minimal state” limited to protecting individual rights and enforcing contracts—nothing more. The episode contrasts Nozick’s views with Rawls’s emphasis on fairness and redistributive justice, highlighting Nozick’s belief that justice is not about what people deserve, but about what they are entitled to through lawful acquisition. Through accessible examples and thought experiments, the episode explains Nozick’s critique of forced taxation, patterned distributions, and centralized government planning. Instead, Nozick champions a framework where individuals retain self-ownership, rights are treated as inviolable moral constraints, and society functions as a space for voluntary, diverse experiments in living.
Further Reading:
Anarchy, State, and Utopia by Robert Nozick (1974)
A Theory of Justice by John Rawls (1971)
Libertarianism: A Primer by David Boaz (1997)
See the full transcript here
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Episode #137 - John Rawls - A Theory of Justice
John Rawls - A Theory of Justice
In this episode on A Theory of Justice, the podcast explores how John Rawls challenges core assumptions about liberal democracy by asking whether societies built on Enlightenment ideals—like rational discourse and equal opportunity—can truly flourish long-term, given humanity’s historical tendency toward inequality and conflict. While ultimately optimistic about liberal democracy, Rawls contends that past failures stem from neglecting the question of distributive justice: how a society fairly allocates its “primary social goods” like income, rights, and opportunities. He argues that justice must be rooted in fairness, not total equality, and proposes the famous “original position” thought experiment—where rational individuals, behind a veil of ignorance about their future place in society, would choose rules benefiting the least advantaged. This leads to Rawls’s “difference principle,” which holds that inequalities are just only if they improve conditions for those at the bottom and are tied to positions open to all. By reframing justice around fairness and interdependence, Rawls provides a philosophical foundation for progressive reform—aiming to build societies that uplift even their most vulnerable members.
Further Reading:
A Theory of Justice by John Rawls (1971)
Justice as Fairness: A Restatement by John Rawls (2001)
Free and Equal: What Would a Fair Society Look Like? by Daniel Chandler (2023)
See the full transcript here.
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Episode #136 - Hannah Arendt - The Banality of Evil
Hannah Arendt - The Banality of Evil
This episode explores the political philosophy of Hannah Arendt, focusing on her critique of modernity’s retreat from the public realm and its consequences for identity, meaning, and power. Drawing a line from Plato’s turn inward after Socrates’ death to the Enlightenment’s elevation of economics over politics, the episode traces how Arendt challenges the dominance of the “contemplative life” in Western philosophy. She contrasts this with the “active life” of Socrates and Aristotle, where true identity and meaning emerge through public action and political engagement. Dividing human life into Labor, Work, and Action, Arendt argues that modern societies have reduced people to laborers and workers, stripping them of the political voice needed to shape their world. This alienation, she suggests, creates the conditions for totalitarianism, as seen in her analysis of Adolf Eichmann and the “banality of evil.” The episode ultimately positions Arendt’s work as a call to reclaim the political realm as essential to our humanity and warns of the dangers of passive disengagement in the face of rising authoritarianism.
Further Reading:
The Human Condition – Hannah Arendt (1958)
Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil – Hannah Arendt (1963)
On Revolution – Hannah Arendt (1963)
See the full transcript here.
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Episode #135 - Leo Strauss - Ancients vs. Moderns
Leo Strauss - Ancients vs. Moderns
In this episode on Leo Strauss, the discussion centers on how early 20th-century thinkers—amid growing skepticism toward Enlightenment rationality—sought not to reject reason, but to question its dominance and limitations. Strauss, embracing rational analysis, critiques modernity for its value-neutral stance, arguing that modern rationality, though effective in science and technology, fails to provide the moral and political guidance societies need. He contrasts the modern focus on the real with the ancient Greek pursuit of the ideal, where rationality aimed at virtue and purpose rather than just utility. Strauss warns that without shared values, modern political systems inevitably drift toward relativism, nihilism, and authoritarianism. His solution is to return to ancient philosophical traditions that embedded reason within a framework of meaning and ideals. For Strauss, philosophy is not an academic discipline but a way of life—a never-ending pursuit of wisdom that resists easy solutions and embraces the complexity of existence.
Further Reading:
Liberalism Ancient and Modern by Leo Strauss (1968)
The Rebirth of Classical Political Rationalism: An Introduction to the Thought of Leo Strauss by Leo Strauss, edited by Thomas L. Pangle (1989)
Leo Strauss: An Introduction to His Thought and Intellectual Legacy by Thomas L. Pangle (2006)
See the full transcript here.
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Episode #134 - Consequences of Reason
The Consequences of Reason
In the early 20th century, a growing number of philosophers began to question the legacy of the Enlightenment—particularly its faith in reason, rationality, and science as tools for accessing objective truth. This episode traces how thinkers like Nietzsche and Kierkegaard laid the groundwork for this skepticism, arguing that Enlightenment ideals merely replaced religious dogma with a new form of certainty rooted in reason. Critics contended that rationality, while powerful, cannot fully explain the paradoxes of human existence or provide an objective foundation for values. As the scientific method became increasingly central to modern life, philosophers such as Richard Rorty challenged its cultural neutrality, likening the survival of scientific theories to natural selection shaped by historical and societal biases. This critique of reason raised concerns about its role in justifying cultural imperialism and shaping political systems centered on individualism. Rather than abandoning reason or science, these thinkers sought to demystify their authority, seeing them as cultural constructs rather than gateways to universal truth. Ultimately, the episode situates this philosophical tension—between rational certainty and cultural relativism—as a recurring debate that has echoed since ancient Greece and continues to shape our political and cultural discourse today.
Further Reading:
The Philosophy of the Enlightenment – Ernst Cassirer (1951)
Dialectic of Enlightenment – Max Horkheimer and Theodor W. Adorno (1947)
Explaining Postmodernism: Skepticism and Socialism from Rousseau to Foucault – Stephen R. C. Hicks (2004)
See the full transcript here.
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Episode #133 - Carl Schmitt on Liberalism Pt. 2
Carl Schmitt on Liberalism Pt. 2
In part two of the series on Carl Schmitt, the podcast explores his belief that liberalism’s promise of tolerance, peace, and rational governance is an illusion that masks the enduring nature of political conflict. Schmitt argues that all politics is grounded in a fundamental distinction between friends and enemies, a reality liberalism tries to deny by promoting multiculturalism and consensus over confrontation. According to Schmitt, this denial leads to apathetic societies disconnected from political identity, vulnerable to authoritarian takeover in times of crisis. He sees liberalism not as a peaceful alternative but as a system that suppresses the political by avoiding decisive action and masking sovereignty behind constitutional norms. The episode positions Schmitt’s critique as a foundation for understanding why fascism emerged as a serious political alternative in the 20th century, rooted in a rejection of liberalism’s utopian ambitions and its failure to account for the true nature of political life.
Further Reading:
The Concept of the Political by Carl Schmitt (Expanded Edition, 2007)
Carl Schmitt's Critique of Liberalism: Against Politics as Technology by John P. McCormick (1997)
Law as Politics: Carl Schmitt's Critique of Liberalism edited by David Dyzenhaus (1998)
See the full transcript here.
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Episode #132 - Carl Schmitt on Liberalism Pt. 1
Carl Schmitt on Liberalism pt. 1
In this introduction to Carl Schmitt, the podcast situates his critique of liberalism within the turbulent political shifts of the early 20th century—a period when war, revolution, and the collapse of Enlightenment ideals pushed political philosophy into crisis. Schmitt challenges liberalism not as a modern partisan stance, but as the foundational Enlightenment-era framework that sought to replace authoritarian rule with reason, debate, and individual rights. While liberalism promised peace, tolerance, and rational governance, Schmitt argues it merely masks the persistent presence of sovereign power and fails to deal with irreconcilable political conflict. He criticizes the liberal faith in rational debate and constitutional norms, suggesting that when truly existential threats arise, liberal societies abandon these ideals and reveal the sovereign power they claim to have left behind. For Schmitt, liberalism is a utopian illusion that obscures the political realities of power, conflict, and decision-making, and he positions himself as a post-liberal thinker confronting those realities directly.
Further Reading:
Carl Schmitt's Critique of Liberalism: Against Politics as Technology by John P. McCormick (1997)
Carl Schmitt and Authoritarian Liberalism: Strong State, Free Economy by Renato Cristi (1998)
Law as Politics: Carl Schmitt's Critique of Liberalism edited by David Dyzenhaus (1998)
See the full transcript here.
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Episode #131 - Antonio Gramsci on Cultural Hegemony
Antonio Gramsci on Cultural Hegemony
In this episode, the podcast explores the political philosophy of Antonio Gramsci, focusing on his theory of cultural hegemony as a response to the failures of Marx’s predicted proletarian revolution. Gramsci argued that control in modern societies is not maintained through overt violence but through cultural norms that shape people's perceptions of reality. By normalizing the values and structures of the dominant class, cultural hegemony convinces citizens to see their social conditions as natural and unchangeable. This explains why many accept economic hardship without protest. Gramsci distinguishes between "ruling intellectuals," who reinforce the status quo, and "organic intellectuals," who emerge from the working class to challenge dominant ideologies. He stresses that true social change requires a "war of position"—a long-term cultural struggle to redefine common sense—before any "war of maneuver," or revolution, can succeed. Ultimately, Gramsci calls for a critical, historically aware public that questions the legitimacy of existing power structures rather than accepting them as inevitable.
Further Reading:
Hegemony and Revolution: Antonio Gramsci's Political and Cultural Theory by Walter L. Adamson (2014)
Gramsci, Culture and Anthropology by Kate Crehan (2002)
To Live Is to Resist: The Life of Antonio Gramsci by Jean-Yves Frétigné (2021)
See the full transcript here.
Episode #130 - Dewey and Lippmann on Democracy
Dewey and Lippmann on Democracy
At the turn of the 20th century, a crucial debate emerged between Walter Lippmann and John Dewey over the viability of democracy in an increasingly complex world. Lippmann critiqued democracy’s reliance on public opinion, arguing that citizens construct simplified “pseudo-environments” shaped by media and stereotypes, rendering them ill-equipped to make informed decisions on vast global issues. He warned that modern democracies are driven more by emotionally charged reactions than by accurate understanding, and that media, language, and time constraints further distort reality. Dewey responded not by dismissing Lippmann’s concerns, but by reframing democracy as more than a political system—it was, to him, an ethical ideal and a form of social cooperation. Viewing society as an interconnected organism, Dewey believed individuals flourish only through participation and education. He saw democracy as a continuous process of mutual growth, where every person contributes uniquely, and where the antidote to authoritarianism lies in cultivating thoughtful, empowered citizens—not in retreating from democratic ideals, but in deepening them.
Further Reading:
Public Opinion – Walter Lippmann (1922)
Democracy and Education – John Dewey (1916)
The Problematic Public: Lippmann, Dewey, and Democracy in the Twenty-First Century – Eds. G. Mitchell Reyes & Nathan Crick (2023)
See the full transcript here.
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Episode #129 - Gilles Deleuze Pt. 5 - Difference
Gilles Deleuze Pt. 5 - Difference
In this episode, the podcast deepens its exploration of Gilles Deleuze by examining his interpretation of Nietzsche’s concept of eternal recurrence, using it to challenge the long-standing philosophical distinction between being and becoming. Deleuze argues that becoming—the world in motion—is more foundational than static being, and that identity arises not from some fixed essence but from the dynamic connections we form over time. Through examples like postwar urban planning and personal transformation, the episode illustrates how attempts to impose rigid identities onto fluid systems—whether cities or individuals—lead to fragmentation and dysfunction. Instead, Deleuze calls for an embrace of immanence, difference, and experimentation. Rather than asking how one should live, Deleuze encourages us to ask how one might live, affirming life through motion, openness, and the refusal to conform to prescribed templates of identity or meaning.
Further Reading:
Nietzsche and Philosophy by Gilles Deleuze (1983)
Deleuze and Guattari's A Thousand Plateaus: A Critical Introduction and Guide by Brent Adkins (2015)
Architectural and Urban Reflections after Deleuze and Guattari: Organic Machines, Aesthetics and Assemblages edited by Jonathan Hale, Christina Contandriopoulos, and Andrew Ballantyne (2018)
See the full transcript here.
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Episode #128 - Gilles Deleuze Pt. 4 - Flows
Gilles Deleuze Pt. 4 - Flows
In this episode, the podcast explores how Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari radically reimagine social theory in A Thousand Plateaus, challenging the rigid, identity-based frameworks that have shaped Western thought for centuries. Instead of analyzing society through fixed categories or grand designs, they introduce the concept of "flows"—dynamic movements of people, capital, ideas, and even waste—that interconnect across all levels of social life. These flows are shaped by "machines," which include individuals, institutions, and systems, all constantly interacting through processes of territorialization and transformation. Using metaphors like rivers and examples such as economic exchanges or immigration patterns, Deleuze and Guattari emphasize that understanding society requires focusing on motion and connection rather than static identities. They argue that identity itself is not foundational but emerges from difference and becoming. Drawing on Nietzsche’s eternal recurrence, the episode closes by reframing philosophical concepts of being and becoming, laying the groundwork for a more fluid, interconnected, and immanent way of seeing the world.
Further Reading:
Deleuze and Guattari's 'A Thousand Plateaus': A Reader's Guide by Eugene W. Holland (2008)
Deleuze and Guattari's A Thousand Plateaus: A Critical Introduction and Guide by Brent Adkins (2015)
A New Philosophy of Society: Assemblage Theory and Social Complexity by Manuel DeLanda (2006)
See the full transcript here.
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Episode #127 - Gilles Deleuze Pt. 3 - Anti-Oedipus
Gilles Deleuze Pt. 3 - Anti-Oedipus
In this episode, the third in a series on Gilles Deleuze, the discussion centers on Capitalism and Schizophrenia, a two-volume collaboration between Deleuze and Félix Guattari. Departing from traditional reinterpretations of Freud and Marx, Deleuze critiques rigid frameworks of modernity and calls for a radically new way of conceptualizing politics, desire, and subjectivity. Instead of grounding political analysis in individuals or fixed categories like the state or society, Deleuze and Guattari propose “machines”—fluid, interconnected entities driven by “desire production,” a concept they position as a fundamental, generative force in both life and politics. Drawing on Bergson’s distinction between the virtual and the actual, and culminating in the metaphor of the rhizome—a nonlinear, networked structure that opposes hierarchical “tree-like” models—the episode explores how this vision redefines how ideas, movements, and systems evolve. By shifting focus to multiplicity, flexibility, and interconnection, Deleuze invites a transformative rethinking of both political reality and philosophical method.
Further Reading:
Anti-Oedipus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia by Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari (1972)
A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia by Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari (1980)
A User's Guide to Capitalism and Schizophrenia: Deviations from Deleuze and Guattari by Brian Massumi (1992)
See the full transcript here.
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Episode #126 - Gilles Deleuze Pt. 2 - Immanence
Gilles Deleuze Pt. 2 - Immanence
In this second episode on Gilles Deleuze, the podcast deepens its exploration of his reimagining of philosophy—not as a quest to discover truth, but as a creative act rooted in immanence rather than transcendence. Building on the previous episode’s premise that philosophy is the art of concept creation, the discussion contrasts traditional ontologies grounded in identity and dualism with Deleuze’s radical move toward an ontology of difference. Drawing on Baruch Spinoza and Henri Bergson, Deleuze challenges the long-standing philosophical reliance on stable concepts tied to transcendent structures, arguing instead for a model where substance expresses itself through time rather than space, actualizing the virtual in endlessly diverse ways. He critiques how past systems installed hierarchies that privileged unity, non-physicality, and the ideal, ultimately constraining how life could be imagined. In contrast, Deleuze’s ontology of immanence proposes that all of being is univocal—one substance without hierarchy—allowing for a more open, dynamic view of existence. Rather than reducing reality to what is knowable, Deleuze encourages us to “palpate the unknowable,” feeling our way through chaos with creative, concept-driven thought that widens the horizon of what life can be.
Further Reading:
Gilles Deleuze: An Introduction – Todd May (2005)
Difference and Givenness: Deleuze's Transcendental Empiricism and the Ontology of Immanence – Levi R. Bryant (2008)
Philosophy After Deleuze – Joe Hughes (2012)
See the full transcript here.
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Episode #125 - Gilles Deleuze Pt. 1 - What is Philosophy?
Gilles Deleuze Pt. 1 - What is Philosophy?
In this opening episode on Gilles Deleuze, the podcast traces the evolution of Western philosophy through the lens of postmodern critique, especially in how philosophy has historically aimed to define "truth" or "being" through increasingly refined systems. While structuralists and post-structuralists like Foucault and Derrida revealed the cultural and linguistic contingencies behind such efforts, Deleuze offers an alternative path—rather than deconstructing philosophy as a failed quest for objective truth, he reimagines it as a creative practice. For Deleuze, philosophy is not about discovering reality but inventing concepts to make sense of its chaos. Alongside Félix Guattari, he proposes that philosophy, like art and science, is one of the three central creative acts of human thought. In What is Philosophy?, they describe the process of philosophical creation as involving concepts, a “plane of immanence” (the groundwork that allows these concepts to emerge), and the “conceptual personae” who embody and express them. Rejecting transcendent ideals, Deleuze roots meaning in immanence and offers a model for thinking that is flexible, generative, and deeply tied to the question: How might one live?
Further Reading:
What Is Philosophy? by Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari (1994)
Gilles Deleuze: An Introduction by Todd May (2005)
Gilles Deleuze: Key Concepts edited by Charles J. Stivale (2005)
See the full transcript here.
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