DeepSummary
Speaker A welcomes Doug Lane, publisher of Zero Books and host of the Zero Squared podcast, as a guest co-host to discuss a debate between Nicholas Granum and Lawrence Grossberg from 1995 about cultural studies and its relationship with political economy and material conditions. Doug explains that while he has a background in philosophy and Marxist theory, he is not directly from the cultural studies field.
Speaker A frames the debate as being about the role of culture versus material or political economy, and whether ideas or material realities play a bigger role in shaping outcomes under capitalism. He argues that the left has become too idealist and not materialist enough, privileging mental conceptions over material forces of production and class struggle.
Doug acknowledges the philosophical debate between idealism and materialism, but notes that cultural studies scholars may object to framing it in those terms from the "white, male, oppressive tradition of philosophy." He suggests exploring what idealism and materialism mean in this context to find common ground.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- There is a long-running debate within cultural studies about whether culture/ideas or material/economic conditions are the primary drivers of societal change.
- The episode's hosts argue that the left has become too focused on idealist conceptions and neglected materialist analysis of economic and class forces.
- Cultural studies scholars are often reluctant to engage with traditional philosophical concepts like idealism and materialism, viewing them as rooted in an oppressive western tradition.
- Defining exactly what is meant by idealism and materialism in this context is crucial for finding common ground in the debate.
- The conversation explores the philosophical underpinnings of idealism versus materialism while keeping the discussion grounded in relevance to current political discourse.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “One of the critiques that comes out of my mouth, and it has come out of my mouth for the past three years now, is that I think that the left, and certainly mainstream political discourse, is far too idealist. And in way, it's just not materialist enough.“ by Speaker A
- “The point is that materialism wants to talk about the external world and the world that exists outside of our understanding, our human concepts.“ by Doug Lane
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Episode Information
Dead Pundits Society
Dead Pundits Society
6/21/19