Épisodes

  • Elitists Neocons Neolibs, Globalists and Narcissists, oh my. What are they, who are they, and why should I care?
    Nov 5 2025

    Elitists, Neoconservatives, Neoliberals, and Globalists are all political ideologies that hold distinct beliefs and values. Knowing the differences is essential to starting a thoughtful discussion.

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    8 min
  • Antisemitism, Anti-Zionism, and Anti-Capitalism: Untangling Modern Prejudice
    Nov 5 2025

    Donald Harvey Marks examines various contemporary and historical issues through the lens of social, political, and moral critique. One of his writings on Substack and on his personal blog www.DHMarks.blogspsot.com scrutinizes the history of antisemitism at UCLA, distinguishing between legitimate criticism of Israeli policy and anti-Zionism that devolves into antisemitic tropes, and notes that modern antisemitism often originates from liberal or leftist political spheres. Another of his writings conducts an ethical and rhetorical analysis of conservative figure Charlie Kirk's controversial statements regarding LGBTQ+ and especially transgender individuals, comparing his language to that used by some conservative Muslim clerics, and concluding that while his speech is highly problematic and can lead to harm, it does not justify violence against him. Two related pieces argue that the pro-Palestinian–antisemitic alliance is often rationalized through a leftist anti-capitalist ideology, which falsely casts Israel as a capitalist-colonial oppressor. A final writing analyzes the historical context of Shylock from Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice to understand the centuries-old stereotype of the Jewish moneylender and the theme of revenge against antisemitic persecution.

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    8 min
  • The Twilight Before the Storm: book review
    Nov 5 2025

    My book review of The Twilight Before the Storm: From the Fractured 1930s to Today's Crisis Culture. The next decade promises to be the most critical period in the transition from today’s capitalism toward a yet-to-be defined alternative system. Viktor Shvets, global strategist, asks: Will it be capitalism or communism, feudalism or despotism? The fusion of the disruptive Information Age and deep Financialization (aggravated by generational change and climate) is destabilizing every aspect of our lives—from the role and functioning of labor and capital to political systems, from the private sphere to morality, from education to entertainment.

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    15 min
  • Neuroimaging and neuro-freedom
    Nov 5 2025

    How neuroimaging techniques, like functional MRI, can be used to interpret thoughts.

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    17 min
  • Financial Meltdown_ The Calm Before Chao
    Oct 4 2025

    Donald Harvey Marks asks: Are we really in a Financial meltdown? It sure seems like it to me, an educated non-economist. And at this very moment, I believe we are in what can best be called a “false lull” or deceptive calm before a major financial setback, either a recession or possibly a full depression. The full economic consequences of current policies — especially tariffs, debt expansion, and monetary tightening/loosening swings — are still building like storm clouds. It is IMO not an "if," but a "when and how bad." Most people knowledgeable in this area seem to think that there are fundamental structural weaknesses accumulating under the surface. Collapse may not happen tomorrow, but the conditions are ripening. What are the causes? See his related articles on Spotify, and on his personal blog www.DHMarks.blogspot.com

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    6 min
  • Finding meaning in uncertainty - Psalm 18
    Oct 4 2025


    Donald Harvey Marks asks: With all the uncertainty and turmoil in our lives, many have wondered whether there is meaning to the world, and whether, as Einstein said, God Truly Does Play Dice With The Universe. In many ways, Einstein and his findings of Relativity can help us answer this important question. What are the causes? See my related articles on Spotify, and on my personal blog www.DHMarks.blogspot.com

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    9 min
  • Antisemitism, Anti-Zionism, and Anti-Capitalism: Untangling Modern Prejudice
    Oct 4 2025

    Donald Harvey Marks examines various contemporary and historical issues through the lens of social, political, and moral critique. One of his writings on Substack and on his personal blog www.DHMarks.blogspsot.com scrutinizes the history of antisemitism at UCLA, distinguishing between legitimate criticism of Israeli policy and anti-Zionism that devolves into antisemitic tropes, and notes that modern antisemitism often originates from liberal or leftist political spheres. Another of his writings conducts an ethical and rhetorical analysis of conservative figure Charlie Kirk's controversial statements regarding LGBTQ+ and especially transgender individuals, comparing his language to that used by some conservative Muslim clerics, and concluding that while his speech is highly problematic and can lead to harm, it does not justify violence against him. Two related pieces argue that the pro-Palestinian–antisemitic alliance is often rationalized through a leftist anti-capitalist ideology, which falsely casts Israel as a capitalist-colonial oppressor. A final writing analyzes the historical context of Shylock from Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice to understand the centuries-old stereotype of the Jewish moneylender and the theme of revenge against antisemitic persecution. What are the causes? See his related articles on Spotify, and on his personal blog www.DHMarks.blogspot.com

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    8 min
  • The curious case of deepfakes
    Mar 14 2023

    Short discussion of what are deepfakes, how are they made, what dangers to they pose to our freedom? Full text and references at https://bit.ly/3GZJdXh

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    11 min