Site • RSS • Apple PodcastsDescription (podcaster-provided):
Good in Theory is a podcast about political philosophy and how it can help us understand the world today. Want to know what's in Plato's Republic or Hobbes's Leviathan but don't want to read them? This is your pod. I explain my favourite books in political theory in enough detail that you’ll feel like you read them yourself. Deep but not heavy. No experience needed.Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):
➤ political philosophy explained through classic texts • Plato’s Republic and Apology, Athenian democracy and Sparta • liberal democracy critiques, end-of-history and clash-of-civilizations debates • ethics thought experiments, utilitarianism, free speech • work, inequality, tech and war politicsThis podcast uses political philosophy and the history of ideas to interpret contemporary social and political problems. It often works by walking listeners through influential texts—especially from the Greek tradition—so that core arguments, characters, and key concepts are understandable without having read the originals. Ancient political life and thought recur throughout, including themes like democratic participation, civic education, the relationship between politics and personal character, and the tensions between liberty and domination in classical city-states.
Alongside close readings of canonical works, the show regularly connects theory to present-day institutions and controversies. Discussions examine liberal democracy and major post–Cold War narratives about world order, as well as arguments about nationalism, cultural conflict, and the legacy of “end of history” optimism and pessimism. Another strand focuses on moral and political dilemmas: debates over utilitarianism and effective altruism, the ideal of extreme moral goodness, and how emotions, “moral luck,” and taboo scenarios shape ordinary moral judgment.
The podcast also explores how power operates outside formal government, including workplace authority, class stratification among professional elites, and the ways markets and commerce have been justified or criticized across intellectual history. Technology and culture appear as political forces too, with attention to how platforms and data-driven services may influence desire and social life, and how rhetoric and storytelling—from classical oratory to fairy tales—structure public persuasion and moral imagination. Interviews and crossovers with academics and other podcasters are used to deepen or challenge these themes.
| Episodes: |
46 - Athenian democracy and Plato w/ Graham Culbertson (Everyday Anarchism Podcast)2023-May-11 64 minutes |
45 - Humane War feat. Samuel Moyn2022-Sep-05 65 minutes |
44 - Samuel Huntington "The Clash of Civilizations?"2022-Aug-17 36 minutes |
43 - Tyranny at Work feat. Elizabeth Anderson2022-Jun-06 54 minutes |
42 - The New Aristocracy feat. Matthew Stewart2022-May-02 54 minutes |
41 - Love in the Time of Big Data feat. Alfie Bown2022-Apr-18 58 minutes |
40 - Is Liberal Democracy the Best We Can Do? feat. The Morality of Everyday Things2022-Feb-08 74 minutes |
39 - The Glorious History and Ugly Present of Rhetoric feat. Rob Goodman2022-Jan-24 73 minutes |
38 - GiT Holiday Special with Sep2021-Dec-26 39 minutes |
37 - Thought Lab 4: The Psychology of Horror2021-Oct-28 36 minutes |
36 - Moral Saints 2: Why Be a Saint?2021-Oct-12 33 minutes |
35 - Susan Wolf, “Moral Saints”2021-Sep-28 26 minutes |
34 - The Esoteric Plato feat. Earl Fontainelle2021-Sep-13 88 minutes |
33 - The End of the End of History feat. Philip Cunliffe and George Hoare2021-Aug-30 65 minutes |
32 - Fukuyama’s “The End of History?”2021-Aug-17 27 minutes |
31 - Thought Lab 3: Utilitarianism & the Great Spreadsheet2021-Aug-02 47 minutes |
30 - Plato's Republic 13: Choose Yourself2021-Jul-19 33 minutes |
29 - Plato's Republic 12: Poetic Sweet Tooth2021-Jul-05 45 minutes |
28 - Plato's Republic 11: A Tyrant's Life2021-Jun-19 36 minutes |
27 - Plato's Republic 10: Degenerate Cities, Degenerate Souls2021-Jun-07 49 minutes |
26 - Plato's Republic 9: Horny for the Good2021-May-14 55 minutes |
25 - Thought Lab 2: Tainted Art and Moral Luck2021-Apr-19 54 minutes |
24 - Plato's Republic 8: The Philosopher Kings2021-Mar-29 43 minutes |
23 - Plato’s Republic 7: Socratic Family Values2021-Mar-16 33 minutes |
22 - Thought Lab 1: The Dead Chicken Experiment2021-Mar-01 44 minutes |
21 - GiT Valentine's Day Special: Rousseau and Romance Past2021-Feb-15 62 minutes |
20 - Do Free Markets Make Free Humans? Interview with Jeffrey Bercuson2021-Jan-18 76 minutes |
19 - Granny Gore to Girl Power: Naomi Hamer on the History of Fairy Tales2021-Jan-04 61 minutes |
18 - GiT Xmas movie special with Sep2020-Dec-21 49 minutes |
17 - Plato's Republic 6: How to be a Good Person2020-Dec-07 45 minutes |
16 - Plato's Republic 5: Lies, Noble Lies and Gymnastics2020-Nov-16 43 minutes |
15 - Interview: politics v. philosophy with Agnes Callard2020-Nov-02 42 minutes |
14 - Plato's Republic 4: Myths 4 KidZ2020-Oct-19 37 minutes |
13 - Plato’s Republic 3: City of Pigs, Army of Dogs2020-Oct-05 41 minutes |
12 - Interview: Paul Sagar, what's your problem with Plato?2020-Sep-21 19 minutes |
11 - Plato's Republic 2: Good to be Bad2020-Sep-21 34 minutes |
10 - Plato's Republic 1: Justice for Beginners2020-Sep-07 34 minutes |
9 - Athens: Ahoy Polloi!2020-Aug-11 53 minutes |
8 - Sparta: Killer Beehive2020-Jul-21 45 minutes |
7 - Interview: Rebecca Goldstein2020-Jul-13 62 minutes |
6 - The Polis: Freedom Farms, Phalanxes and Class War2020-Jul-06 32 minutes |
5 - Plato’s Apology 5: The Apology of Athens2020-Jun-22 37 minutes |
4 - Plato's Apology 4: Your Brain On Politics2020-Jun-08 51 minutes |
3 - Plato's Apology 3: Not-So-Dangerous Minds2020-May-25 33 minutes |
2 - Plato’s Apology 2: Free Speech Hero?2020-May-11 39 minutes |
1 - Plato's Apology 1: The Divine Troll2020-May-11 41 minutes |
Trailer2020-May-04 1 minute |