Episodes
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I am no longer updating this podcast. I will continue with two new podcasts at my Substack account, "Douglas Giles, PhD w/o BS/" Please join me there: https://substack.com/@dgilesphd
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Hello Listeners. I'm transitioning away from this podcast to two new podcasts that will be hosted in my Substack account: https://substack.com/@dgilesphd. One podcast will cover philosophy and the other will cover political analysis. Thank you for listening, and please join me there.
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Missing episodes?
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I've moved to a new podcast: https://dgilesphd.substack.com/podcast
The real tragedy is that what Trump does is normal in the context of US history. Today, I will talk about Trump’s return to the US’s normal foreign policy doctrine for Latin America.
Text version on my Substack: https://imnotyourechochamber.substack.com/p/theres-nothing-new-in-trump-foreign
Links to more reading:
“The Banana Wars: How the US Plundered Central America.” https://www.thecollector.com/the-banana-wars-how-the-us-plundered-central-america/
“U.S. interventions in Latin America and the Caribbean haven’t always gone as planned.” https://www.npr.org/2026/01/02/nx-s1-5652133/us-venezuela-interventionism-caribbean-latin-america-history-trump
“American Irregular Warfare in Latin America.” This is an arm of the Defense Department acknowledging the history of US colonialism. https://irregularwarfarecenter.org/publications/perspectives/american-irregular-warfare-in-latin-america/
“The consequences of CIA-sponsored regime change in Latin America.” https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0176268023000964
“United States Interventions.” https://revista.drclas.harvard.edu/united-states-interventions/
“The Banana Wars: A History of United States Military Intervention in Latin America from the Spanish-American War to the Invasion of Panama.” https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3751&context=nwc-review
Elbridge Colby - https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/elbridge-colby-trump-china-iran-nuclear-russia-tucker-carlson
#Politics #project2025 #colonialism
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I've moved to a new podcast: https://dgilesphd.substack.com/podcast
For years I had kept one foot in academia; I’ve now taken that foot out and can walk freely
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Many people feel that philosophy is not relevant to their lives. That feeling is completely mistaken, but it’s understandable how someone could come to feel that way. Philosophy isn’t dead, but most philosophers are — not just those people writing papers for academic journals but also those teaching philosophy courses.
My Philosophy Textbook Showing Philosophy As Very Much Alive
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I've moved to a new podcast: https://dgilesphd.substack.com/podcast
Failing Our Students. Part 1: The two cursed cohorts have reached college and they are struggling and the system is failing them. Part 2: Corporatization is diluting higher education. Link mentioned in the episode. Rethinking the Generations
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Right-wing politicians, including Donald Trump this week at the United Nations, stoke fear and hate against immigrants. Let’s replace black and white thinking with the many colors of reality.
#Immigration #HumanRights
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And you may ask, “How could you say that Charlie Kirk is a coward? Didn’t he frequently speak in public?” Good question.
Charlie Kirk wasn’t a coward for speaking in public; Charlie Kirk was a coward because of why he was speaking in public.
Links mentioned in the episode.
Kirk didn’t agree that no one should die from gun violence.The description of a reactionary, from my book, perfectly fits Charlie Kirk.Charlie Kirk in his own words: 'prowling Blacks' and 'the great replacement strategy'The far-right commentator didn't pull his punches when discussing his reactionary views on current eventsCharlie Kirk in His Own Words17 quotes you should read from Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist and Trump ally who was shot and killed on…Gun Violence To 'China Virus': A Look At Charlie Kirk's Controversial TakesCharlie Kirk, who died on Wednesday after being shot during an appearance at Utah Valley University, was one of the…Let's Not Forget Who Charlie Kirk Really WasThe right-wing influencer did not deserve to die, and we shouldn't forget the many despicable things he said and did.Charlie Kirk’s Top 11 Most Heinous Statements & Remarks#Philosophy #Politics #Education #Prejudice #Extremism #Reactionary
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What precedes hate is fear and the psychological inability to cope with fear. Hate is a symptom of giving in to the fear of those who are different and choosing to hide behind false views of other people rather than face the reality of how others actually are. Understanding hatred in this way gives clarity to many things.
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Let’s go beyond the schadenfreude of watching MAGA having a conniption over Pam Bondi covering up the Epstein files. Instead of having a watch party hoping to see some kind of anti-Trump revolt, and breathlessly keeping score of every statement made by people about Epstein, Bondi, and Trump like its some kind of sick sports game, let’s dig a little deeper.
What Lurks Behind Conspiracy Theories
Why Trump? Book
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I spent most of May and June traveling through the United States. I grew up there, but I've lived in Europe since 2012. This trip was my longest stint returning to America. These are my thoughts and observations.
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I've moved to a new podcast: https://dgilesphd.substack.com/podcast
Bergson was once the most famous philosopher in the world; today, his still applicable insights are now unfairly neglected.
#philosophy #science #experience #time
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Good, evil, quality, exploitation, beauty, depravity — it’s all here. A philosopher looks at the dark and bright side of alcohol. Obviously, one does not need to drink alcohol to have a good time, but the connection between alcohol and social occasions is one of the strongest elements of human society.
Mentioned: The History of Beer and Brewing in Chicago.
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Our education system is still dominated by a model developed over 180 years ago. Until we break out of that model, we will not be a society that can be everything that it can be because our educational system is not everything it should be.
#HigherEducation #Pedagogy
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. . . is the reality of our existence.
Many arguments are pointless. Is the Earth round or flat? Pointless argument — the answer is clear and has been clear for millennia. Do human beings have free will or are they determined? Also a pointless argument — the answer is clear and has been clear for millennia.
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There are some people and channels who offer nothing but outrage porn, They are part of the Fake Left: people who offer not positive principles but opposition to the Right. The Fake Left and its outrage porn help the right wing in its takeover of the US. #Politics #Philosophy #Project2025 #Trump #maga
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Deconstructing a source of prejudice. Though a useful concept in its proper context, toxic masculinity is best understood as an expression of an underlying sense of identity clung to by some males. It is this juvenile, testosterone-fueled identity that is at the base of so much man-child behavior. To describe that identity, I will adopt a term that most people will have heard, but that is underutilized — “the bros.”
Living Colour - Glamour Boys
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We are now 20 minutes into the future, next Sunday AD.
MST3K article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystery_Science_Theater_3000 Why Trump" Book: https://dgilesauthor.com/why-trump/ -
I’m giving neither a prediction nor a hope, but this is an issue we do well to contemplate. Eschewing platitudes and cliches, let’s look at what would happen if Trump dies tomorrow.
Referenced: Why Trump?
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Trigger Warning! Sacred cows are toppled in this podcast!!!
Jordan Peterson, Slavoj Žižek, and Noam Chomsky--Three Pied Pipers of doom and gloom. This is a breed of philosophers who, when reading their works, I understand what they are saying, but I see no point in what they are saying. I’ve become convinced that the intention of this breed of philosophers is not to make a point, but merely to fling rhetorical mud.
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