Worker and Parasite

In this episode Jerry and Stably discussed Addiction by Design: Machine Gambling in Las Vegas by Natasha Dow Schüll. The academic ethnography examines how slot machines—once a marginal casino afterthought—now generate most gambling revenue, driven largely by local repeat players rather than tourists. Schüll interviews designers, executives, and addicted gamblers, showing how machines are engineere...

This episode covers The Special One: The Secret World of Jose Mourinho by Diego Torres, Jerry's pick timed to Mourinho's appointment as Real Madrid manager. Jerry and Stably discuss the book's chronicle of Mourinho's tumultuous 2010-2013 Madrid tenure, focusing on his combative management style: cultivating an atmosphere of fear and favoritism, sidelining players unrepresented by super-agent Jorge...

In this episode Jerry and Stably discussed Homo Ludens: A Study of the Play-Element in Culture by Johan Huizinga. They examined the central thesis that play forms the foundation of human culture and critiqued the author for utilizing vague definitions and romanticizing historical conflict.

In this episode Jerry and Stably discussed Ride the Tiger, a survival manual for the aristocrats of the soul by Julius Evola. The discussion centered on Evola’s core thesis that the modern world is in terminal decline, having fallen from a traditional, hierarchical society where people found inherent meaning through natural aristocracy. The hosts explained that this decline has left people feeling...

In this episode Jerry and Stably discussed Leap of Faith by Michael J. Mazarr. Mazarr, a RAND Corporation scholar, draws on every available memoir, declassified document, and interviews with senior administration officials to dissect how the United States stumbled into the Iraq War. His central argument is that there was never really a decision — the invasion happened through a process of drift, a...

In this episode Jerry and Stably discussed Andrey Mir’s The Digital Reversal , which explores the concept of reversal, arguing that media, when pushed to extremes, reverse their cultural effects due to accelerating technological change. They discussed debated the book's support for technological determinism, which posits that the trajectory of AI and technology is unstoppable and will lead to an i...

In this episode Jerry and Stablydiscussed Susan Sontag’s On Photography , with both finding the book overly long, baroque, and pedantic, though both agreed that Sontag's observations were interesting when extracted from the dense, "show-offy" prose. Jerry and Stably critiqued Sontag’s positions on photography as a predatory act, its role in tourism and status, and its potential for desensitization...

In this episode, Jerry and Stably discussed Arthur Schopenhauer's On the Suffering of the World. Jerry praised the book as a great introduction to Schopenhauer's philosophy and its insights, particularly the concept of life as a balance between suffering and boredom, while Stan  found the text repetitive and at times impenetrable, disagreeing with the author’s premise. They also explored Schopenha...

In this episode, Jerry and Stably discussed Stefan Borg's book, The Return of the Common Good: The Post-Liberal Project Left and Right , with Stably finding it enjoyable but wanting more and Jerry viewing it as a concise outline confirming prior beliefs, while both criticized its dense, academic style. A major talking point was the assertion that post-liberals offer a "fantastic critique" of liber...

In this episode, Jerry and Stably discuss Philip Roth's The Human Stain , focusing on the character Coleman Silk, a disgraced college professor whose downfall began after a misconstrued comment with a big secret. They analyzed the book's themes of radical individualism, societal judgment, and the complexities of Silk's relationships.

In this episode, Jerry and Stably discuss Bryan Burrough's book, Days of Rage: America's Radical Underground, the FBI, and the Forgotten Age of Revolutionary Violence , focusing on the complexity, motivations, and incompetence of 1970s radical groups like the Weather Underground, BLA, SLA, and FALN.

In this episode, Jerry and Stably discuss Hanno Sauer's book, "The Invention of Good and Evil: A World History of Morality." The discussion highlighted the book's exploration of cooperation in early hominid evolution, the emergence of punishment, the impact of agriculture and "big gods," and the influence of the Catholic Church on Western individualism.

In this episode, Jerry and Stably discuss Andrew Preston's book, "Total Defense, the New Deal, and the Invention of National Security," which explored the evolution of "national security" from territorial defense to an ideological concept linked with the New Deal and global interventionism.

In this episode, Jerry and Stably discuss two books by Mark Schatzker, "The Dorito Effect" and "The End of Craving," exploring how artificial flavors and government mandates have altered food, affecting satiety and nutritional wisdom. They also talked about the challenges of engineering natural flavors, the critiques of lab-grown meats, and the accessibility and cost of quality food.

In this episode, Jerry and Stably discuss Why Nothing Works: Who Killed Progress and How to Bring It Back by Mark J. Dunkelman. The conversation centers on Dunkelman’s core thesis that modern progressivism has become paralyzed by internal contradictions between its Jeffersonian impulse to decentralize power and its Hamiltonian desire to empower experts and centralized institutions. This unresolved...

In this episode, Jerry and Stably discuss The Cynic Philosophers: From Diogenes to Julian , edited by Robert Dobbin. The conversation centers on the core tenets of Cynicism, such as radical self-sufficiency, rejection of societal norms, and public acts meant to provoke reflection. The hosts explore how cynics challenged conventions through deliberately outrageous behavior, like Diogenes’ public de...

Jerry and Stably discuss The Unaccountability Machine by Dan Davies, a book exploring why large systems often produce irrational outcomes. While the subtitle promises insight into how “the world lost its mind,” the hosts note the book leans heavily into cybernetics and systems theory, which was unexpected. They reflect on a shared cultural sense that “something has gone wrong,” but critique the bo...

In this episode, Jerry and Stably discuss The Art of Happiness by Epicurus, specifically the Penguin Classics edition that compiles Epicurean texts alongside interpretations by editors like Dan Klein and George K. Strodach. They clarify that Epicurus never authored a book by that title; rather, it is a curated volume of letters, aphorisms, and summaries of his philosophy. The hosts highlight how t...

The episode continues Jerry and Stably’s deep dive into Huey Long by T. Harry Williams, covering the second half of the biography of the controversial Louisiana politician. Picking up after Long’s first gubernatorial win, the discussion traces his aggressive consolidation of power, his near-impeachment, and the establishment of a political machine that blurred the line between populist governance...

The episode features hosts Jerry and Stably engaging in a discussion about Huey Long: A Biography by T. Harry Williams. The conversation begins with Jerry expressing his frustration with the book’s length and dense formatting, noting that it was difficult to obtain digitally. Stably acknowledges the challenge but defends the book’s depth and significance. They proceed to explore the life and polit...

In this episode we discuss A Generation of Sociopaths: How the Baby Boomers Betrayed America by Bruce Cannon Gibney. Jerry selected the book as a deep dive into the behaviors and societal impact of the baby boomer generation, a topic that both hosts had discussed in passing. The conversation explores Gibney’s central thesis that baby boomers, as a generational cohort, have demonstrated extreme sel...

In this episode, Jerry and Stably dive into Kaiser: The Greatest Footballer Never to Play Football by Rob Smyth, a fascinating exploration of the life and myth of Carlos Kaiser. Known for his extraordinary ability to avoid playing professional football while maintaining a high-profile “career,” Kaiser’s story blends deception, charisma, and ingenuity. The hosts discuss how Kaiser leveraged charm,...

The podcast episode explores Fat Leonard: The Con Man Who Corrupted the US Navy by Craig Whitlock, focusing on the astonishing true story of Leonard Glenn Francis and his large-scale corruption scandal involving the U.S. Navy. Hosts Jerry and Stably delve into the book’s narrative, beginning with Francis’s origins as a Malaysian entrepreneur and his rise as a defense contractor, where he exploited...

The episode opens with Jerry and Stably greeting each other warmly after a holiday break, reflecting on the New Year and its opportunities for renewal. They segue into the central discussion, focusing on “ Heart of a Dog ” by Mikhail Bulgakov, a novella set in 1920s Moscow. Stably introduces the story, describing it as a satirical exploration of Soviet society through the transformation of Sharik,...

In this episode, Jerry and Stably discuss The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America by Daniel J. Boorstin, a book that explores the construction of unreality in American media and culture. Jerry introduces the book as his pick and notes its thematic resonance with previous discussions, particularly those around Neil Postman’s Amusing Ourselves to Death . The hosts agree that Boorstin’s work p...