Literally Everything

Max Staley and Ethan Pack

5.0 (12)
EDUCATION
UPDATED BIMONTHLY

Literally Everything

Politics and Culture — History and Literature — With Max and Ethan

06/17/2021

Episode 14: Idol Talk pt. 2

We complete our discussion of iconoclasm, monuments, and statues. How do symbolic and material inequalities interact in the public sphere? What is the relationship between statues of racist Americans and structural racism in America today? Ethan schools Max on structuralism in order to make it all make sense. This wraps up a yearlong journey for this particular topic — we are excited for you to hear this conversation, which has overcome many technical obstacles to reach your ears! Send us your thoughts at literallyeverythingpod@gmail.com

1h 59m
01/13/2021

Episode 13: May Contain Putsch-Like Substance

Ethan and Max literally make a podcast about people literally storming the US Capitol Building instead of going to therapy. The triumphant return of Literally Everything is overshadowed by troubling events in Washington D.C. Continuing a debate we have had in private over the past four interminable years, we discuss how the "events" of January 6th put the alarming dynamics of the Trump movement in sharp relief. But what should we call these events, and how alarmed should we be? What is at stake, indeed, in debating terminology? "Coup," "Putsch," "White Supremacist Terror," and yes, even the F-word (you know which one we mean) make appearances. Listen up, and send us your thoughts at literallyeverythingpod@gmail.com. IG: @literally_everything_podcast Twitter: @lit_every_pod

1h 18m
09/03/2020

Episode 12: Idol Talk pt. 1

Literally Everything is back with a two-part discussion of iconoclasm: the destruction of statues. The topic is in the news today, with monuments around the country and indeed the globe coming down, either toppled by protestors or removed quietly by local governments. But this phenomenon has deep roots in our history, which is what we discuss in part 1. We look at Jewish and Christian attitudes towards icons, the relationship between images and texts, and try to excavate the mysterious significance that public monuments hold, both for iconoclastic revolutionaries and the defenders of "preserving history." Music by George Floyd

1h 3m
05/17/2020

Episode 11: Epistemological Contagion

Ethan and Max discuss the CoVid-19 crisis "as an epistemological event." Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that deals with knowledge — what do we know to be true? What criteria do we use to decide what is a fact? How do we organize our knowledge? We all have intuitive answers to these questions, but they have been put under tremendous pressure by the amount of often conflicting yet critically important information we are receiving about the pandemic. Our conversation touches on everything from telephoto lenses, to data visualization, Westworld, and the question of free will. And, of course, the Scientific Revolution. Send any comments to literallyeverythingpod@gmail.com.

1h 44m
04/08/2020

Episode 10: Eschatological Fixation

Max and Ethan discuss the history of apocalyptic thought, from its roots in post-exilic Hebrew literature, to its central place in early Christian thought, and finally its secularized modern form. To what extent is our understanding of contemporary crises shaped by religious ideas from thousands of years ago. We use climate change as an example, because we recorded this in February! Not a single mention of COVID 19 in the entire episode. Oops! Send any feedback to literallyeverythingpod@gmail.com

1h 18m
02/07/2020

Episode 9: Our Favorite Topic

It's a supersized episode this week! First, Max and Ethan debrief after watching their hometown teams go head-to-head in the Big Game, the Literally Everything Bowl. Ethan's Chiefs won, but it's okay because Max is already over it — so over it, in fact, that he doesn't even bring up how problematic the Tomahawk Chop is. Then, we have a long conversation about antisemitism: is there any way to synthesize everything from right-wing message boards, to street-level altercations in Brooklyn, to criticism of Israel? Maybe! Is the answer the typical centrist pablum that "both sides are bad?" Probably not! Join us on this journey, draw your own conclusions, and send any screeds to literallyeverythingpod@gmail.com.

1h 44m
01/20/2020

Episode 8: Canon Fodder

We're back! Max and Ethan discuss criticism of the literary canon. Is it worth it to read great books? Should we expand the canon to include authors who are not white men? Unsurprisingly, we think that the answer to both questions is yes. But there's much more to it than that! Give it a listen, and make sure to send any feedback to literallyeverythingpod@gmail.com.
10/21/2019

Episode 7: Just the Tip

A deep dive on circumcision! We talk about the various contexts that intersect on this highly sensitive issue — much more sensitive than other issues, to hear some people talk about it. From public health to religious freedom, we cover, or uncover (depending on your preference) it all. Most of all, we try to understand: why is it that European liberals, crunchy antivax-types, and online alt-rightists all agree that male circumcision is such a serious problem? Karin Neutel's article on the subject is discussed at length: https://tif.ssrc.org/2018/04/23/not-in-the-body/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/lit_every_pod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/literally_everything_podcast/

1h 7m

5

out of 5

12 Ratings

Amazing

09/28/2019

dos faces

My fav podcast! Listen
Highly Recommend

08/07/2019

anonymous'anonymous

They seamlessly transition between heavy and light content, historical and contemporary contexts. Will make you smarter at parties

Politics and Culture — History and Literature — With Max and Ethan

Creator

Max Staley and Ethan Pack
Years Active

2019 - 2021
Episodes

15
Rating

Explicit
Copyright

© Your copyright notice here
Show Website

Literally Everything