Millerman Talks

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Michael Millerman on political theory and other topics. Videos at millermantalks.ca. Blog and essays at michaelmillerman.ca.

Millerman Talks


    • Jan 18, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • monthly NEW EPISODES
    • 41m AVG DURATION
    • 90 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Millerman Talks

    Tech Right vs MAGA Right

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 18, 2025 60:31


    Can the tech right and maga right get along?

    Three Books That Made Me Feel Alive

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 10, 2025 17:01


    Sometimes I stop reading "philosophy books" and turn to "literature" to help me connect with life in a new way. In this episode, I discuss the three books that have had the biggest impact on me lately. - BOOK A PRIVATE MASTERCLASS WITH MILLERMAN https://millermanschool.com/p/masterclass MICHAEL'S NEWSLETTER Read Michael's musings on politics, philosophy, mysticism, and other topics. Sign up: https://millermanschool.substack.com/ FREE INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY Get my Guide to Great Thinkers at https://millermanschool.com/p/free-introduction-to-philosophy-pdf RELATED COURSES The author of Zorba the Greek translated Nietzsche's Zarathustra, which you can study in course form here: https://millermanschool.com/p/nietzsche And in this video I mention Plato, whose Republic I teach here: https://millermanschool.com/p/plato-s-republic-seminar FOLLOW ONLINE Twitter/X: https://www.X.com/M_Millerman LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/michaelmillerman Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michael_millerman/ Personal Website: https://www.MichaelMillerman.com ABOUT ME I teach politics and philosophy to professionals in law, education, finance, and tech through video courses and private tutoring at https://www.MillermanSchool.com.

    Why You Should Study Right-Wing Anti-Liberalism

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 8, 2024 18:21


    "Fascism vs. Anti-Fascism" just doesn't cut it as a way of understanding the world. --------------------------------- BOOK A PRIVATE MASTERCLASS WITH MILLERMAN https://millermanschool.com/p/masterclass MICHAEL'S NEWSLETTER Read Michael's musings on politics, philosophy, mysticism, and other topics. Sign up: https://millermanschool.substack.com/ FREE INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY Get my Guide to Great Thinkers at https://millermanschool.com/p/free-introduction-to-philosophy-pdf RELATED COURSES I teach a lot of right-wing anti-liberalism in the school https://millermanschool.com/p/right FOLLOW ONLINE Twitter/X: https://www.X.com/M_Millerman LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelmillerman/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michael_millerman Personal Website: https://www.MichaelMillerman.com ABOUT ME I teach politics and philosophy to professionals in law, education, finance, and tech through video courses and private tutoring at https://www.MillermanSchool.com. Please like, share, and subscribe to support the channel. If you're really enjoying the content, I also welcome your donations. THANK YOU!

    Music, madness, and mysticism.

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 7, 2024 48:21


    Are visionary artists mentally ill? Reading and commenting on an article by Ted Gioia that discusses that issue. You can find his article here: https://substack.com/home/post/p-144759867. And here's my post on songwriting https://millermanschool.substack.com/p/on-songwriting and on music from earlier this yearhttps://millermanschool.substack.com/p/some-easy-thoughts-on-music. Enjoy!

    What is the Millerman School?

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 4, 2024 37:24


    In this episode, I discuss why I started the Millerman School, what I teach, how I teach it, why it matters, and so on. Even if you have no intention of taking any courses with me, I think you can learn something insightful from what I share. Thanks for listening.

    Is this Plato's greatest dialogue?

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 27, 2024 35:43


    The Republic, The Symposium, The Apology...there's no shortage of outstanding Platonic dialogues. But what do you know about Plato's longest work, the Laws? In this episode, I introduce you to what is arguably Plato's greatest writing and explain why you must read it. BOOK A PRIVATE MASTERCLASS WITH MILLERMAN https://millermanschool.com/p/masterclass MICHAEL'S NEWSLETTER Read Michael's musings on politics, philosophy, mysticism, and other topics. Sign up: https://millermanschool.substack.com/ FREE INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY Get my Guide to Great Thinkers at https://millermanschool.com/p/free-introduction-to-philosophy-pdf RELATED COURSES I teach 12 works by Plato at my school: https://millermanschool.com/p/plato-laws-course https://millermanschool.com/p/plato-s-republic-seminar https://millermanschool.com/p/the-roots-of-political-philosophy FOLLOW ONLINE Twitter/X: https://www.X.com/M_Millerman LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelmillerman/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michael_millerman Personal Website: https://www.MichaelMillerman.com ABOUT ME I teach politics and philosophy to professionals in law, education, finance, and tech through video courses and private tutoring at https://www.MillermanSchool.com. Please like, share, and subscribe to support the channel. If you're really enjoying the content, I also welcome your donations. THANK YOU!

    Heidegger's Dasein: The Philosophy Everyone Should Know

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 9, 2024 39:02


    Confused about Heidegger's word DASEIN? I've got you covered. This episode is designed to make the notion slightly easier to understand. You'll get the most out of it if you listen until the end but if the lightbulb goes off at any point, thank God for that! MICHAEL'S NEWSLETTER Read Michael's musings on politics, philosophy, mysticism, and other topics. Sign up: https://millermanschool.substack.com/ FREE INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY Get my Guide to Great Thinkers at https://millermanschool.com/p/free-introduction-to-philosophy-pdf RELATED COURSES You'll find several courses on Heidegger at my school: https://millermanschool.com/p/heidegger-essence-of-truth https://millermanschool.com/p/martin-heidegger-being-and-time https://millermanschool.com/p/martin-heidegger-contributions-to-philosophy-of-the-event MY BOOK ON HEIDEGGER https://heideggerbook.com FOLLOW ONLINE Twitter/X: https://www.X.com/M_Millerman LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/michaelmillerman Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michael_millerman/ Personal Website: https://www.MichaelMillerman.com ABOUT ME I teach politics and philosophy to professionals in law, education, finance, and tech through video courses and private tutoring at https://www.MillermanSchool.com.

    Can LLMs Clarify the Concept of God?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 11, 2024 19:03


    "God as law, awe and fortune... LLM analysis reveals that the concept of God is well-defined in semantic space by this three-word combination. It provides a closer match than, for example, Lord, Yahweh and Elohim." That's what Jordan Peterson posted today, referring to research by Victor Swift at https://www.collectivelabs.ai/semantic-core-clarification In this video, I walk through the claims of the paper to see whether they deliver on the promise of clarifying our concept of God. Why would we prefer the LLM to other ways of learning about God, like through the study of theology, mysticism, and philosophy? Is the LLM uniquely insightful? Enjoy! Brought to you by MillermanSchool.com

    My three pillars of sense-making

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 11, 2024 25:00


    In this episode, I explain why I use philosophy, politics, and mysticism to make sense of the world. What are they and how do they differ? Why do we need all three? What's the connection? It's the approach I use on this channel and in my online courses at MillermanSchool.com. You'll also see it reflected in my Heidegger book and, to a slightly lesser extent, my Dugin book. What do you think? Is this a good approach? What's yours? Like, share, comment, subscribe!

    Why is everything normal called fascist?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 8, 2024 14:52


    What's up with the "everyone I don't like is Hitler" phenomenon? It's strange but not incomprehensible. Post-war liberal zealotry (combined with leftist antifascism) coded a lot of things as "far-right" and made them taboo, including some important things that we need in order to understand political and human life well. That's the argument of this video. Brought to you by MillermanSchool.com.

    Whatever Works? A Musing on Film, Philosophy, and Life.

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 7, 2024 21:32


    In this spontaneous musing, I dive into the surprising connections between two films: Whatever Works and Another Round. Both movies explore the complexities of love, life, and personal growth, showing that there's no one-size-fits-all approach to finding happiness and meaning. Drawing on insights from philosophy, I discuss how these films reflect the idea that life's advice isn't universal; what works for one person may not work for another. This theme is echoed in the characters' experiences with love and drinking in the movies, highlighting the unpredictable nature of life. But I also discuss how Whatever Works doesn't mean that Anything Goes! There is still room for good life advice, and you'll hardly find a better of that than Socrates, especially the down-to-earth version we get in Xenophon's Memorabilia. If you enjoyed this discussion, don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more musings on philosophy, politics, and life.

    Was Plato a Communist or Fascist?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 24, 2024 9:48


    He's been called a proto-communist and a proto-fascist. Why? And can both be true? Let's take a closer look...By the way, my comments are deliberately introductory. There are other factors I didn't mention, like the issue of free speech vs. censorship, since the Republic includes a defence of censorship! But the goal of this short presentation is to whet the appetite of newcomers, not to provide a comprehensive overview. That's something I do in my Plato course (PlatoCourse.com).Thanks for listening!

    Did Derrida's Postmodernism Ruin the West?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 7, 2024 13:49


    This article by Quillette got me thinking that it's important to defend Derrida against his liberal detractors. https://quillette.com/2024/05/07/how-french-intellectuals-ruined-the-west-foucault-lyotard-derrida/ What do you think?

    Tucker Carlson interviewed Alexander Dugin

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 30, 2024 61:01


    Listen to my Tucker-Dugin afterparty, where I go deeper into "Putin's Brain." For more Millerman School materials on Dugin, visit DuginBook.com and MillermanSchool.com. Follow youtube.com/@millerman and millermanschool.substack.com for free. Enjoy!

    How to Re-Enchant Your World

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2024 5:03


    Discussing two ways to re-enchant the world, and why I prefer one over the other. Brought to you by MillermanSchool.com

    Ratzinger's Political Philosophy

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2024 117:21


    What was Ratzinger's political philosophy? What role does Christianity play on the modern left? What about on the Radical Right? Those are the topics discussed in episode, drawn from my Tuesday morning article reading livestream. Enjoy, and make sure to visit MillermanSchool.com for great courses on political philosophy.

    Julius Evola Against the Modern World

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2024 31:59


    In this episode, we take a look at Orientations: 11 Points by Julius Evola, written in 1950. Brought to you by MillermanSchool.com

    Nvidia Open AI, and the Purpose of Life

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 29, 2024 61:39


    What was the philosophy behind the success of NVIDIA and the original Open AI, back when Elon Musk was still involved? We explore this question by pursuing a clue from a recent photo of Jensen delivering the first NVIDIA AI system to Open AI. This is a livestream reading and commentary. Subscribe for more great content on political philosophy.

    The Machine Apocalypse? Iain McGilchrist on AI

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 27, 2024 65:13


    Livestream article reading about the risk of AI, written by Iain McGilchrist, author of The Master and his Emissary, and The Matter With Things.

    Palantir CEO Alex Karp On Political Philosophy

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 24, 2024 58:04


    Reading and commenting on Alex Karp's recent time article about Silicon Valley and political philosophy. https://millermanschool.substack.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@millerman https://www.MillermanSchool.com

    Giorgio Agamben on Derrida and Paradise

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 4, 2024 76:29


    Reading and commenting on Agamben's Pardes essay from Potentialities, which discusses the story of the four rabbis in Paradise, Derrida's trace, the passive intellect in Aristotle, and more. Challenge yourself with this difficult, illuminating text.

    Peter Thiel on The Straussian Moment

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 6, 2023 113:54


    Reading and commenting on Peter Thiel's essay "The Straussian Moment," available here: https://gwern.net/doc/politics/2007-thiel.pdf

    Will AI Save The World?

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 27, 2023 64:41


    Reading and commenting on the article by Marc Andreessen that argues in favour of AI's world-saving capabilities. Apologies if the audio is slightly rougher than usual! I had an issue and tried to resolve it in post-processing. Original article is here: https://a16z.com/ai-will-save-the-world/ Brought to you by MillermanSchool.com

    Selective Breeding and the Birth of Philosophy

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 30, 2023 30:51


    The most scandalous philosophy book of 2023? Let's see! In this episode, I walk you through Costin Alamariu's Selective Breeding and the Birth of Philosophy. You can read my written summary here: https://im1776.com/2023/10/27/selective-breeding-review/ Make sure to visit MillermanSchool.com for great courses on political philosophy. And if you're a complete newcomer to the topic, PhilosophyIntro.com is the place for you.

    Brazilian Jiu Jitsu: Bodily Noesis

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2023 21:09


    Reading an essay originally published athttps://im1776.com/2023/01/20/bodily-noesis/ on my brief experience training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

    Jean-Paul Sartre: "Existentialism is a Humanism"

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 11, 2023 59:17


    What did Sartre think of existentialism? How did he object to the criticisms of communists and Christians that existentialists are moody, godless nihilists? Why did Sartre understand his project as optimistic? These are some of the questions covered in this walkthrough of Sartre's 1946 lecture called "Existentialism is a Humanism." This exposition is a prelude to a future talk on Heidegger's "Letter on Humanism." If you enjoy the talk, please like, share, and subscribe. And visit MillermanSchool.com for my paid courses. Thanks for listening!

    The Lex Fridman Book Scandal

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 4, 2023 44:24


    He said he'd do what???

    Martin Heidegger: Basic Concepts (Third Division)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2022 64:03


    Martin Heidegger: Basic Concepts (Second Division)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2022 83:56


    Martin Heidegger: Basic Concepts (First Division)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2022 90:41


    A presentation of Heidegger's book: Basic Concepts.

    "Why China Loves Conservatives"

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2022 31:05


    Reading a nice article by Eric Hendriks-Kim on Chinese interest in Western conservatives.

    Heidegger's Introduction to Philosophy

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2022 82:23


    Reading and commenting on the first part of Heidegger's book/lecture called: Introduction to Philosophy (Thinking and Poetizing).

    Fukuyama's Straussianism

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2022 54:10


    Reading the article in Foreign Policy by Blake Smith about Fukuyama, Strauss, and liberal democracy.

    Who is "Pro-Russia"?

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 20, 2022 4:27


    Can you be "pro-Russia" without being anti-Ukraine?

    Alexander Dugin vs. The Great Reset

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 6, 2022 22:34


    Alexander Dugin wrote a book against the Great Reset. Here's my review of it. Originally published at europeanconservative.com/reviews/the-great-awakening-vs-the-great-reset/ For online courses on some the thinkers mentioned in this video (Plato, Aristotle, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Strauss, Dugin), visit MillermanSchool.com. Like, subscribe, share, etc.

    Tarot of Political Philosophy

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 8, 2022 24:19


    “In our tarot deck of political philosophy we cannot rest content with any one card, whether fool, magician, or emperor. Only the entire deck permuted will do.” -Beginning with Heidegger

    German Thought in America

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 2, 2022 29:15


    German Thought in America by Millerman Talks

    Nietzsche's Zarathustra on Eternal Return

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2022 5:34


    This is about "On the Riddle and the Vision" from Part III of Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Get my whole course on Nietzsche's great book at https://millerman.teachable.com/p/subscribe

    Nietzsche's Zarathustra on the Secret of Life

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2022 5:14


    Letting you in on a secret. NietzscheCourse.com

    Millerman School - Thus Spoke Zarathustra (1.2)

    Play Episode Listen Later May 5, 2022 10:38


    from NietzscheCourse.com @ MillermanSchool.com

    Millerman School - Thus Spoke Zarathustra (1.1)

    Play Episode Listen Later May 5, 2022 7:21


    From NietzscheCourse.com @ MillermanSchool.com

    The Virtues of Right-Wing Anti-Liberalism

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2022 24:55


    An essay on the Right. im1776.com/2020/09/16/the-virtues-of-right-wing-anti-liberalism/

    Do Mystics Know Whether Moral Objects Exist?

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 21, 2022 17:52


    I will try to show that there exists an initiatory theological-philosophical tradition, the acknowledgement of which entails a set of considerations that I believe can shed light on the debate, as framed by JL Mackie in The Subjectivity of Values, about the ontological status of moral entities and relations and the intuitive faculty by means of which they are known. https://www.academia.edu/36291083/In_Defence_of_Moral_Realism Millerman.teachable.com

    Introvertive Mysticism and the Emergence of the Soulful Self

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 21, 2022 15:19


    A short introduction to the idea of the soulful self. The soul can return to psychology as a significant concept if the facts of mysticism are noted (Hood, 2002). After reflecting upon the construct of the soulful self, psychology can affect a return to positivity that is no longer transcendentally naïve (Davidson; Cosgrove, 2002). If psychology as a science wishes to be genuine – that is, if it demands insight in all matters - it must turn to transcendental subjectivity as a matter of primary concern, “for it is the [soulful self],” writes Smith, “that harbors the ultimate sources of meaning” (Smith, 2003). William Earle, too, agrees with this conclusion when he reminds us forcefully that “only […] the most naïve and incoherent empiricism would imagine that it can begin with ‘psychological facts' of common life, hoping to end with a clearer notion or even refutation of the very soulful self which is their origin and active source (Earle, 1981). In James' notes for Varieties, he states, “Remember that the whole [idea] lies in really believing that through a certain point or in part you coalesce and are identical with the Eternal.” As Ralph Hood suggests in his conclusion, "psychologists need not have that belief as a statement of faith, but it is not bad as an empirical hypothesis." (Hood, 2002) https://www.academia.edu/36293738/Int... MillermanSchool.com

    Alexander Dugin and the Problem of Political Philosophy

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 20, 2022 24:52


    Alexander Dugin and the Problem of Political Philosophy by Michael Millerman. Read it here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vTN5G4WcJGCyD69TSG5ZorapSdrcuAL1fSpUMfyyheYyFSQdfuCX6ryNieALksIFA/pub

    Jordan Peterson vs. the Anons

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 26, 2021 36:16


    Anonymity is a catastrophe!?

    Martin Heidegger on Oswald Spengler

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 3, 2021 24:43


    Felt like reading some passages to you where Martin Heidegger talks about Oswald Spengler. Hopefully you find it interesting. Visit MillermanSchool.com for courses. Cheers!

    Why Students are Terrified to Speak Their Minds

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 2, 2021 6:40


    How does a society fundamentally dedicated to the dignity of the mind banish certain inquiries to the realm of the inadmissible when those inquiries are themselves but expressions of the dignity of the mind? These remarks first appeared here: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/rabble-rouser/201811/why-students-are-terrified-speak-their-minds

    Technology And Philosophy

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 30, 2021 46:22


    A talk on technology and philosophy.

    Interview with Michael Michailidis of Ancient Greece Revisited

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2021 110:35


    My conversation with Michael Michailidis, host of Ancient Greece Revisited and the On Tyranny podcast. We discuss his hero's journey from Greece, to the wasteland of London, then to Spain, and finally back to Greece. You'll hear him talk about Joseph Campbell, Greek myths, Castoriadis, the radical imaginary, Heidegger, Plato, the coronavirus, death, nihilism, mysticism, Leo Strauss, and much more. Enjoy.

    Interview With Kenji Hayakawa, Author Of Echo And Groa

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 1, 2021 85:41


    Amazing conversation with Kenji Hayakawa, author of Echo and Groa. We discuss Heidegger, Hegel, Aristotle, Socrates, James Joyce, John Cage, Bjork, Andrew Yang, cybernetics, nocturnal thinking, dreams, conversations with animals, automation, translation, and more. A fascinating talk with a great mind.

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