IDEAS IN MOTION

This AI-generated conversation introduces  Karl Marx's sociological theory using Ritzer and Stepnisky's Chapter on Marx , focusing on his dialectical approach and materialist conception of history. It outlines Marx's critique of capitalism, highlighting concepts such as  alienation, exploitation, and class conflict.  The text explains how Marx viewed capitalism as a system inherently driven by con...

An AI-generated conversation shaped around the "Read Me First" document, focusing on helping students overcome their fear of social theory and become more engaged.

How can we use social theory—through learning, developing, and applying it—to guard ourselves against the lure of conspiracy theories? This AI-generated podcast episode was created specifically for this course to explore that very question. It aims to spark thoughtful discussions and highlight the critical importance of social theory in navigating today’s complex information landscape.

An AI-generated chat that presents an overview of sociological theory, its creation, and its key characteristics. It explores the contrast between everyday theorizing and sociological theory, the importance of broad social issues, and the influence of political factors on the sociological canon... It also touches upon the inclusion of previously marginalized perspectives and the structure of socio...

In this episode, we dive into Dr. S. A. Hamed Hosseini’s thought-provoking paper,  "Labour Redefined: Toward a Communist Value Theory of Labour Under and Beyond Capital."  We explore how capitalism has warped our understanding of labor and its intrinsic value, reducing it to mere market price and profit while ignoring deeper human and social dimensions. Hosseini introduces the concept of...

In Part 2, the focus of the conversation is more on Sections 4 and 5 of the paper, The Well-living Paradigm by S A Hamed Hosseini

This podcast episode generated by AI presents a lively conversation that aims to introduce the long article, The Well-living Paradigm , written by S A Hamed Hosseini in 2023.

With Trump’s return to office, the U.S. enters a new phase of authoritarian neoliberalism, a system that merges privatization, deregulation, and market dominance with concentrated political control. This is not an anomaly but the natural progression of capitalism’s trajectory, where corporate and political power consolidate under the guise of restoring greatness. Drawing on the enduring legacies o...

Plotinus, the founder of Neoplatonism, was born around 205 CE in Lyco or Lycopolis, Egypt. At the age of 28, he moved to Alexandria, which was under Roman rule, to study philosophy under Ammonius Saccas. There is some debate about whether he was of Egyptian, Greek, or mixed descent, but scholars agree that he had a Greek education and was proficient in Greek. During his time, the famous Library of...

Ernest Mandel's Introduction to Capital Volume 3

In a recent and startling development, encapsulated by the headline “BREAKING NEWS: MASS RESIGNATION OF THEORY & SOCIETY’S EDITORIAL BOARD,” the entire editorial board of the journal ‘Theory & Society’ (originally established by Alvin Gouldner1) has collectively resigned. This unprecedented move brings to the fore the deep-seated issues plaguing the academic publishing industry. The resignation…

Listen to the second part of the sixth chapter of the book in this episode Chapter 6 Recharting the debates on labor theory of value in light of smart machines, affect, and climate change Abstract This chapter delves into the ongoing debates surrounding the relevance of the Marxian Labor Theory of Value (LTV) in the context of emerging challenges posed by smart machines, the crisis of care and soc...

Listen to the first part of the sixth chapter of the book in this episode

Listen to the second part of the fifth chapter of the book in this episode Chapter 5 Toward a commonist (labor) theory of value Abstract This chapter reconstructs the Marxian labor theory of value (LTV) using the commonist approach to value developed in the previous chapters. It redefines labor as a decommonized form of (more than) human creative power under capital. It explores the decommonizatio...

Listen to the first part of the fifth chapter of the book in this episode Chapter 5 Toward a commonist (labor) theory of value  Abstract This chapter reconstructs the Marxian labor theory of value (LTV) using the commonist approach to value developed in the previous chapters. It redefines labor as a decommonized form of (more than) human creative power under capital. It explores the decommonizatio...

Listen to the second part of the fifth chapter of the book in this episode

Listen to the first part of the fifth chapter of the book in this episode

Listen to the fourth chapter of the book in this episode Chapter 4 The modular architecture of capital Abstract This chapter introduces a modular framework that draws on the intersections between the Marxian theory of capital, critical realism, and the Aristotelian fourfold causation theory. The framework provides an inclusive approach that incorporates elements from these three theories, allowing...

Listen to the third chapter of the book in this episode Chapter 3 Toward a modular conception of capital: A metatheoretical discussion This chapter establishes the metatheoretical foundations for the development of a novel model called the ‘ commonist modular approach ’ to theorizing capital. It emphasizes that capital is not only characterized by ongoing processes but also operates through modula...

Listen to the second part of the second chapter of the book in this episode

Listen to the first part of the second chapter of the book in this episode

Listen to the second part of the first chapter of the book in this episode

Listen to the first part of the first chapter of the book in this episode

Listen to the second part of the long article, The Well-living Paradigm by S A Hamed Hosseini

Listen to the first part of the long article, The well-living paradigm: reimagining quality of life in our turbulent world By S A Haamed Hosseini This article introduces the concept of ‘well-living’ as a transformative framework for reimagining quality of life in the face of current global socio-ecological challenges. Through a reflexive theoretical meta-analysis, it critically examines mainstream...