Hemlock #49: Three Passions feat. Bertrand Russell WARNING CONTAINS SOUNDS OF HUMAN BODY DRINKING
A few reflections on Bertrand Arthur William Russell, Third Earl and author of some of my favorite books.
Apr 01, 2026•31 min
History of Philosophy Audio Archive
Curated lectures, interviews, and talks with philosophers, social scientists, and historians together in one place. Each week, we explore brand new research in history, economics, psychology, political science, philosophy, indigenous studies, and human rights while presenting the work of canonical scholars in a way that is accessible to newcomers while retaining interest for students and specialists. If you are an author in nonfiction or a scholar in the humanities/social sciences and are interested in being interviewed for the show please email me at williamengels@substack.com or @Bluesky.
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Episodes
Hemlock #48 Peace in Iran: Jack Kennedy from the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists talks Strait of Hormuz, Petroyuan, Albert Camus, Strategic Bombing, French and Israeli Nuke Programs, Kissinger
Nuclear Risk Editorial Fellow Jack Kennedy https://jackkennedy.ie/about/ comes back for the second time to talk Strait of Hormuz, Israel's nuclear option, NATO proliferation risks, Nixon, Kissinger, and Vietnam. "Belt of radioactive cobalt" mentioned. By the way, ships are already paying in Yuan to access the Strait, and the IRGC has confirmed control of a working route through the Strait - if you pay in Chinese money... Follow Jack on Bluesky Follow Will on Substack - by the way, if you haven't...
Mar 30, 2026•1 hr 49 min
Hemlock #47: Teaching Nagasaki feat. Franco Castro Escobar - Disaster Storytelling, Youth Antinuclear Education in Japan, Militarism and Nuclear Abolition, Iris Chang, & The Bells of Nagasaki
Hiroshima rages while Nagasaki prays. FULL EPISODE DESCRIPTION ON PATREON I'm joined for a second time by friend of the show Franco Castro Escobar , a PhD researcher at Keele University in the UK. This time we discuss life in Nagasaki before, during, and after the nuclear attack, trauma and education, the developmental origins of youth antinuclear activists, hibaku Maria and the destruction of the Urakami Cathedral, Iwo Jima and the Pacific Theater, disaster storytelling and kataribe , militaris...
Mar 25, 2026•2 hr 3 min
#185: Eleusis in the Spring (Vernal Equinox Special) feat. Joseph Campbell - The Eleusinian Mysteries, the Rites of Orpheus, Fertility and Persephone, the Descent into Hades, and the Resurrection
Happy Equinox. The Beginning, is at last: beginning . Music Credit: Beethoven / Piano Concerto No. 5 "Emperor" Gernot Schmalfuss / Music Director and Chief Conductor Gwhyneth Chen / Piano Evergreen Symphony Orchestra National Concert Hall, Taipei, Taiwan 13 Nov. 2020 (Creative Commons). Percy Bysshe Shelley Hymn to the Spirit of Nature (1820).from Prometheus Unbound (Act II, Scene V): Life of Life! Thy lips enkindle With their love the breath between them; And thy smiles before they dwindle Make...
Mar 21, 2026•1 hr 2 min
#184: Gaza, or How to Normalize Genocide: Keynote Speech by Chris Hedges at The Sanctuary for Independent Media
You can find the full talk from March 2025, officially-titled "Normalizing Genocide and the New World Order" at the link below , via The Sanctuary for Independent Media , which Chris has lectured at for years. Chris also writes on Substack "The Chris Hedges Report" and has a podcast of the same name. Hedges also wrote something like 12 books, which I've read about 9 of, personally. Each was life-changing. I would start with "Our Class: Trauma and Transformation in an American Prison" (2014) by C...
Mar 21, 2026•1 hr 39 min
Hemlock #46 Congress: feat. Dr. Maya Kornberg - Citizens United, Steve Bannon, Jan 6, Gerrymandering, Watergate Babies & Her New Book: STUCK: How Money, Media, and Violence Prevent Change in Congress
Full episode description on Patreon I am joined (just in time for the all-important Vernal Equinox on March 21st) - with the brilliant and timely Dr. Maya Kornberg https://www.mayakornberg.com/. Her new book STUCK: How Money, Media, and Violence Prevent Change in Congress was released March 10th and can be purchased now. (Non-affiliate link). Personal Disclaimer: I was given a hardcover of this book to review by Page One Media. I have never paid anyone, nor has anyone ever paid me, nor will anyo...
Mar 18, 2026•1 hr 32 min
#183: Tribute to Jürgen Habermas (1929-2026) feat. Rick Roderick and Michael Sugrue
RIP Habermas. Rick Roderick and Michael Sugrue (both also gone, Sugrue earlier this year) remember the life and theory of Jürgen Habermas and the Frankfurt School. "Don't think that this is some fancy-Dan academic exercise. A lot of people have died because they read a book the wrong way. " -Rick Roderick on Habermas and the importance of the humanities.
Mar 15, 2026•1 hr 37 min
#182a - The Radiance of Perfection and the Mystic Ascent: Plotinus on the Good and the One, Plato's Symposium, The Myth of Psyche and Eros (Aphrodite), Socrates' Teacher Diotima, feat. Pierre Grimes
If you enjoy this work, please support the show on Patreon! Will (the host) writes a Substack page about various and sundry topics. Plotinus (204-270 CE) was a mystical philosopher who transformed Plato's metaphysical ideas about the Forms and the divine intellect or nous into a spiritual path. In this lecture, Pierre Grimes (1924-2024 CE) introduces Plotinus and his work as recorded by his student Porphyry in The Enneads - a six-part treatise on the mystical ascent of the soul. "That which give...
Mar 15, 2026•1 hr 21 min
The Phoenix Program: PART ONE - ORIGINS
ADVISORY - Contains explicit description of warfare, killing, torture, and mutilation. FULL EPISODE DESCRIPTION ON PATREON Music by Anapse.
Mar 11, 2026•57 min
Hemlock #45: Hannah Arendt and Natality feat. Guillermo Zapata
FULL EPISODE DESCRIPTION ON PATREON I, William Engels, write articles on Substack. Books Mentioned: Arendt: Origins of Totalitarianism Arendt: The Human Condition Arendt: Between Past and Future Progressive Stages of Meditation on Emptiness by Ven. Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche "Natality" as a concept The Heart Sutra 2666 by Roberto Bolaño (review so far, on page 250 of 1000 - no exaggeration - depressing and smart, but still a bit boring. The VALIS Trilogy by Philip K. Dick...
Mar 04, 2026•1 hr 35 min
Hemlock #44: Epictetus and the Stoics with Greg Sadler
I read Epictetus Discourses and Enchiridion with Professor Gregory Sadler https://gregorybsadler.substack.com/ - although we both started off by dunking a bit on Bertrand Russell. Full show notes with books/links for free on Patreon
Mar 01, 2026•2 hr 2 min
#181 Facing Gaia: Lectures on the Political Theology of Nature by Bruno Latour, Gifford Lecture Series 2013
RIP Bruno Latour (1947-2022) Follow Will’s writing on his Substack page, Hemlock: https://williamengels.substack.com Support the entire show on Patreon and get early access: https://patreon.com/c/hemlockpatreon In 2013, philosopher Bruno Latour delivered his lecture series “Facing Gaia: Six Lectures on the Political Theology of Nature” at the St. Cecilia Hall inside the University of Edinburgh. These are the six lectures: Lecture 1: Once Out of Nature Lecture 2: The New Climatic Regime Lecture 3...
Feb 26, 2026•5 hr 6 min
Hemlock #43 - Enframing the Future with Emma Stamm, Nuclear Weapons, AI, Martin Heidegger's Question Concerning Technology, Walter Benjamin, Fascism, Fantasy, and Simple Folk Tales
"Fascism is the desire for a simple folk tale" - Thomas Mann, I think. Substack's and LEPHT HAND's own Emma Stamm https://substack.com/@elftheory rejoins Will for a follow-up conversation on nuclear weapons technology, Martin Heidegger's Question Concerning Technology (1954), artificial intelligence, psychedelics research, and why becoming idiots might save us in the end. Follow William Engels' writing on Substack: williamengels.substack.com Follow Will's entire creative output on Patreon.com: p...
Feb 23, 2026•1 hr 59 min
#180: Michael Parenti Tribute: The Darker Truths of Empire (November 2005)
RIP Michael Parenti (1933-2026) . A brave, undimmed (sometimes controversial, of course) critic of that great juggernaut of death: the American Empire. HoPAA #180 Watch the full video here from the College of DuPage here: https://youtu.be/OOF56wYTl1w READ TRANSCRIPT AND POST MEMES ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/posts/151201440...
Feb 20, 2026•1 hr 12 min
#179 Martin Heidegger's "The Question Concerning Technology" (1954) Presented by Gregory Sadler, Enframing, Standing-Reserve, Aletheia, Aristotle's Four Causes, and the Destining of Revealing
Reading Martin Heidegger is tough. Here to introduce us to some core concepts in The Question Concerning Technology (1954) is Greg Sadler, whose YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@GregoryBSadler "That Philosophy Guy" has just racked up over 170K subscribers and whose podcast Sadler's Lectures (Spotify Link) is updated almost every day, including an ongoing discussion of Jeremy Bentham. This 2-part lecture, which you can watch on YouTube here covers Heidegger's discussion of Aristotelian ca...
Feb 07, 2026•2 hr 25 min
Acid Communism: Philosopher Emma Stamm on Mark Fisher's Unfinished Manuscript, Capitalist Realism, the Slow Cancellation of the Future, Joe Rogan, Critical Theory, AI, and Life in Para-Academia
Hemlock #42 - Support the History of Philosophy Audio Archive on Patreon , and follow William Engels's writing on Substack . I am joined on this episode by independent writer and philosopher Emma Stamm to discuss the late, great, Mark Fisher. Emma is a member of the theory collective LEPHT HAND , and she has a new online course enrolling soon/now on Mark Fisher's "Acid Communism." You can also follow Emma's writing (Elf Theory) on Substack. SHOW NOTES: Books and Articles Referenced: Books by Mar...
Jan 05, 2026•1 hr 50 min
Capitalism's Invisible Army (CIA) - Bill Yarborough on MKUltra, Operation CHAOS, Nixon & the Plumbers, the 40 Committee, Operation Gladio, Paperclip Nazis, Stranger Things, and Healing from Torture
For Hemlock #41 on the History of Philosophy Audio Archive I am joined by MKUltra survivor Bill Yarborough to discuss government secrecy, Cold War hijinks, the refinement of torture techniques over the years, and the history of domestic covert operations in the United States. This episode contains descriptions of torture and child abuse, so please be forewarned. Bill has recently published a book (a work of fiction inspired by real experiences) about MKUltra. We dug in deep on the Cold War, the ...
Jan 05, 2026•1 hr 38 min
Carved In Stone: Matthew Davis on Mount Rushmore, Wounded Knee & Medals of Honor, Deadwood, the Lakota, Stone Mountain and the Klan, American Aesthetics, Custer, Whitman, Jackson, and the Black Hills
Support the Archive on Patreon! Follow William Engels's writing on Substack . Who do the Black Hills really belong to? Was George Armstrong Custer a hero, an idiot, or a fanatic? Who carved Mount Rushmore, and what was it supposed to represent (the "apotheosis of Western Civilization?") What happened at Wounded Knee (in 1890, and 1973) - and why does Secretary of War (sic) Pete Hegseth (sick) want to make sure that those Medals of Honor are preserved? My guest on Hemlock #40 was Matthew Davis, a...
Jan 04, 2026•1 hr 16 min
#178a David Foster Wallace: The Complete Audio Archive of Interviews, Speeches, and Public Appearances (Winter Solstice Special - Part 1 of 2)
Support this work on Patreon Read the full write-up on this archive on William Engels's Substack, Hemlock. Part 1 of 2: We all have our little solipsistic delusions, ghastly intuitions of utter singularity: that we are the only one in the house who ever fills the ice-cube tray, who unloads the clean dishwasher, who occasionally pees in the shower, whose eyelid twitches on first dates; that only we take casualness terribly seriously; that only we fashion supplication into courtesy; that only we h...
Dec 22, 2025•6 hr 34 min
#178b David Foster Wallace: The Complete Audio Archive of Interviews, Speeches, and Public Appearances (Winter Solstice Special - Part 2 of 2)
Support this work on Patreon Read the full write-up on this archive on William Engels's Substack, Hemlock. Part 2 of 2: We all have our little solipsistic delusions, ghastly intuitions of utter singularity: that we are the only one in the house who ever fills the ice-cube tray, who unloads the clean dishwasher, who occasionally pees in the shower, whose eyelid twitches on first dates; that only we take casualness terribly seriously; that only we fashion supplication into courtesy; that only ...
Dec 22, 2025•6 hr 56 min
SAURON, INCORPORATED: A Corporate History of Palantir - Part 2: CEO Alex Karp, or Evil Genius Adult-Baby Demands New Cold War
SOCIALS Will’s Patreon - patreon.com/c/hemlockpatreon Will’s Substack (Hemlock) - williamengels.substack.com Bad Role Models on YouTube: youtube.com/@hemlock-yt The Big BRM Playlist on YouTube Bad Role Models is a co-production of Richard Sinex, Thomas Vanek, and William Engels. ERRATA: I said "Nicholas Drake" when I meant "Thomas A. Drake" the pre-Snowden NSA whistleblower who condemned Stellar Winds (I said "Solar Winds") and the Trailblazer Project as unconstitutional. REFERENCES The Technolo...
Dec 16, 2025•1 hr 45 min
SAURON INCORPORATED: A Corporate History of Palantir (feat. the Bad Role Models) Part 1: Peter Thiel Crawls Out of an Apartheid-Era Uranium Mine and into the White House
SOUND CREDIT: The Chamber Stage (YouTube) Support the boys (Thomas Vanek & Richard Sinex) and I on Patreon and YouTube: https://patreon.com/c/hemlockpatreon https://www.youtube.com/@hemlock-yt Because someone will ask: the Nixon tape is from Feb 1st 1972 and features the Reverend Billy Graham giving his fascinating interpretation of the Jewish Question in the Oval Office. Nixon concludes (its' a little garbled on the tape) by saying "I believe it. I can't say it but I believe it." https://ww...
Dec 12, 2025•1 hr 51 min
Escape from the TechnoSphere feat. Jacob Ward: Sam Altman, AI Girlfriends, Karp and Thiel, the Dubious Hobbits of Palantir, Jevon's Paradox, and The Unstoppable Onslaught of Clanker-Made Slop
Looks like we're stuck with the Bad Elves, Frodo. You can find Jake’s work on his website , (The Rip Current) and you can find his podcast (same name) on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube. His 2022 book The Loop: How Technology is Creating a World Without Choices and How to Fight Back is available on Amazon . He also writes under The Rip Current on Substack: https://theripcurrent.substack.com/ Support my work and keep this channel alive on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/HemlockPatreon...
Dec 09, 2025•46 min
Nuclear Cascade with Jack Kennedy - Nukes in South Korea, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, New Cold War with China, Russia/Ukraine, Deterrence, Iran's/Iraq's WMDs, NeoCons, and Missile Defense
Hemlock #39 Nuclear war, and nuclear risk, are still just as real and just as close as they have been during the tensest eras of the Cold War. I had questions about where suspected nuclear flashpoints were forming - in South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Japan, and Iran - and wanted to review Trump's record of militarizing outer space, resuming nuclear testing, pre-emptively attacking Iran's nuclear reactor sites, and spending billions in a never-ending American quest for "Star Wars" or missile d...
Nov 24, 2025•1 hr 28 min
Strange Attractor: The Hallucinatory Life of Terence McKenna - Graham St John on McKenna's Life and Work, Psilocybin and DMT, Psychedelic History, Alchemy, the Experiment at La Chorrera, +the Eschaton
Buy Graham's book on Terence on Amazon! Graham's website: https://www.edgecentral.net/ Reputable information about psilocybin and harm reduction: https://www.erowid.org/plants/mushrooms/mushrooms.shtml James Fadiman's book/manual: https://www.psychedelicexplorersguide.com/ "We are the inheritors of one million years of striving for the unspeakable" -Terence McKenna More on Patreon: https://patreon.com/c/hemlockpatreon...
Nov 23, 2025•1 hr 13 min
To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf (Part 1)
A Creative Commons Zero "No Rights Reserved" free, open-source audiobook, narrated by William Engels. This is from Part 1, titled "The Window," Chapters 1-5. One of the most beautifully written and mind-expanding works of modernist literature, Virginia Woolf's To The Lighthouse (1927) has recently entered the public domain. I wanted to celebrate by performing my way though the many "head-hops", metaphysical digressions, synesthetic collages, and iridescently shimmering prose passages that make u...
Nov 20, 2025•44 min
Goethe's Faust - Michael Sugrue on the Worldly Gospel, German Romanticism, Intellect and Theology, Mephistopheles and the Spirit of Negation, Gretchen's Eternal Feminine, and Last Minute Salvation
History of Philosophy Audio Archive, Episode #177 I have always loved Michael Sugrue , and I will never stop posting his talks. RIP to a legend (1957-2024). Always been curious about Goethe’s Faust (Parts I and II) and thought this was serve a good introduction. If looking for a physical copy, I have heard that the scholarly, complete, Princeton edition is really good. Hear all the updates on where the channel is going on my (free!) Patreon (Link to Hemlock Patreon)....
Nov 19, 2025•42 min
The Lessons of History feat. Dr. Roy Casagranda - Henry Kissinger, the Iraq War, Esoteric Platonism and the Neocons, Cycles in Political Power, Education Reform, Hiroshima, Anarchism, and State Power
Follow Dr. Roy on Social Media: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube References Stephen Skowronek // "The Politics Presidents Make" (1993) Rational Choice Theory (1955) "A Behavioral Model of Rational Choice" by Herbert A. Simon The Nixon movie I couldn't remember was "Secret Honor" (Robert Altman, 1984) Abramowitz et. al study of Southern Republicans https://journals.shareok.org/arp/article/view/366 Goldsboro Nuclear Disaster (1961) Palomares Nuclear Incident (1966) Notable Esoteric Platonists: L...
Nov 09, 2025•1 hr 59 min
What is Existentialism? - Bert Dreyfus on Sartre, Heidegger, Pascal, Camus, Kierkegaard, Philosophy's Struggle with Christianity, Dostoevsky, and the Road to Authenticity (HoPAA #176)
Support this work and unlock more of it (for free!) on Patreon https://patreon.com/c/hemlockpatreon This is from Hubert Dreyfus' 2008 Berkeley undergraduate course Philosophy 7 "Existentialism in Literature and Film" https://archive.org/details/ucberkeley_webcast_itunesu_461120622\ Course Description: The course will be organized around various attempts to reinterpret the Judeo/Christian God, and to determine in what sense, if at all, such a God is still a living God. We will study Dostoyevsky's...
Nov 09, 2025•1 hr 3 min
The "Ceasefire" in Gaza feat. Sabrina Jennings
Support Sabrina's work and educate yourself on Israel, Palestine, and the US while connecting with likeminded people: Not only will you learn about the history, Zionism, US involvement and more, but it's a great way to connect with others who care about what's happening and learn ways that you can take action. The next class session starts January 10. Reserve your spot by December 12th and get a class journal (digital download) with space for notes, reflection questions, resource lists, an FAQ g...
Nov 09, 2025•1 hr 14 min
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