12 - The King Is Dead, Now What? The 250-Year Struggle for Democracy (Part 1)
Release Date: 05/22/2025
13 - The King Is Dead, Now What? The 250-Year Struggle for Democracy (Part 2)
Human Nature Odyssey
In the The King Is Dead, Now What? we're exploring the history of the left / right political spectrum and the 250 year struggle for democracy. In Part 1 we started telling the story that began with the French Revolution of 1789, when those in favor of monarchy sat on the right wing of the national assembly room and those in favor of revolution sat on the left wing. In the wake of the 1848 revolutions, the struggle between left and right gave rise to three major political ideologies—conservatism, liberalism, and radicalism—each offering a distinct vision for society. These competing...
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12 - The King Is Dead, Now What? The 250-Year Struggle for Democracy (Part 1)
Human Nature Odyssey
How many people are happy with the way society is headed? There seems to be a general consensus - maybe the one thing we all agree on - that things are not right. But our different opinions on what’s wrong and what directions could be better too often fall on either side of a left vs right political spectrum. Where did we get this idea of a left wing and a right wing anyway? How is it in a world of such diversity of languages and traditions and religions there’s just two freakin’ wings? What are we, a bird? Well, it all started… during the French Revolution. And if we want...
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Astrophysics for a New Stone Age with Tom Murphy
Human Nature Odyssey
What will happen to our scientific knowledge if civilization collapses? Will astrophysics survive a future stone age? In this episode, we rest from our journey to talk with astrophysicist Tom Murphy, who’s been on an odyssey of his own—moving from academia to a growing concern about the collapse of civilization, to an ever expanding appreciation of the cosmos. Together we’ll gaze at the grandeur of the stars and marvel at the complexity of one of our oldest cousins: the amoeba. If you’re seeking a moment to marvel at the interconnectedness of life on Earth and the universe its...
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11 - Capitalism & Monopoly: Why The Best Board Games Make The Worst Reality
Human Nature Odyssey
Looking for a game to play over the holidays? Why not try the real world global economy? Too late, you’re already playing it! Have you ever noticed how the most popular board games just so happen to reflect core components of our civilization? Settlers of Catan involves the extraction of raw materials. Risk is the imperialism and war between nations. Monopoly demonstrates the pitfalls of capitalism. Now in the real world, I rarely celebrate resource extraction, imperialism, or capitalism. But the board game versions are so much fun. Maybe that’s why we’re all playing it at a global...
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10 - Against Leviathan: An Anarchist Fairytale of the Origin of Civilization
Human Nature Odyssey
Gather around the campfire for a ghost story about the most destructive monster in history: civilization itself. In this episode, we delve into the countercultural writings of Fredy Perlman, whose strange 1983 book “Against His-Story, Against-Leviathan”—riddled with grammatical errors and misspellings—blends myth and history to explore the nature of power, subjugation, and the struggle between the rulers and the ruled. Our journey takes us back to ancient Sumer, where egalitarian hunter-gatherer communities transformed into peasants and slaves bound by a mysterious force even the...
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9 - Out of Society and Into the Wild: The Legend of Christopher McCandless
Human Nature Odyssey
In the spring of 1992, twenty-four-year-old Christopher McCandless left society behind, hitchhiking 3,000 miles into the Alaskan wilderness. Two years earlier, Chris had donated his entire life savings to Oxfam, burned his social security card, and headed west seeking life on his own terms - without telling a soul, particularly his parents. In this episode, we delve into Into the Wild's larger cultural implications, exploring the conflict between self and society, community and solitude. Philosophers like Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, and John Locke will weigh in. As well as George...
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Can We Escape Modern Civilization? A Conversation with the Hosts of Crazy Town
Human Nature Odyssey
Is it possible to escape industrialism, capitalism, imperialism or are we trapped? Crazy Town podcast hosts Jason Bradford, Rob Dietz, and Asher Miller join us for a wide-ranging discussion of big topics like modern civilization’s converging crises, the concept of 'red pilling', and the 1993 Bill Murray classic film Groundhog Day. With equal parts humor and in-depth analysis, Asher, Rob, and Jason safeguard their sanity while probing crazy-making topics like climate change, overshoot, runaway capitalism, and why we’re all deluding ourselves. In addition to hosting the...
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Death in the Regenerative Garden: Rethinking Food, Farming, and the Cycle of Life
Human Nature Odyssey
What death is required for life to grow? In our culture’s resistance to death we seem to have caused so much of it. And what if humans aren't inherently a destructive force on the planet? How might we actually be another symbiotic part of our ecosystems? Jake Marquez and Maren Morgan are the hosts of , a podcast exploring the complex intersection between myth, civilization, climate change. Mandy Magill is a regenerative agriculture educator and cofounder of the . In this episode we’re sharing exerpts from both these conversations to explore our culture’s aversion to death, how food...
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Worldbuilding and Experience Design for Society with Abraham Burickson
Human Nature Odyssey
Civilization is an interactive immersive experience. Worldbuilding isn't just for sci-fi and fantasy, but how we can change our society. Abraham Burickson, co-founder of Odyssey Works—an organization dedicated to crafting personalized, immersive experiences—has long been captivated by the transformative power of design. Whether in the structure of a building or the verses of a poem, he explores how these creations shape our perceptions and interactions with the world. In his latest book, Abraham encourages us to envision societal change as a collective act of worldbuilding. Join us...
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8 - A Conversation with Rennie MacKay Quinn (wife of author Daniel Quinn)
Human Nature Odyssey
In this very special episode, author Daniel Quinn’s wife Rennie Mackay Quinn joins us for her first ever interview: sharing untold stories, new insights, and reflections on her life and journey with her beloved late husband & Daniel Quinn.
info_outlineHow many people are happy with the way society is headed? There seems to be a general consensus - maybe the one thing we all agree on - that things are not right.
But our different opinions on what’s wrong and what directions could be better too often fall on either side of a left vs right political spectrum.
Where did we get this idea of a left wing and a right wing anyway? How is it in a world of such diversity of languages and traditions and religions there’s just two freakin’ wings? What are we, a bird?
Well, it all started… during the French Revolution. And if we want to expand our map and chart a better direction, that’s where our story needs to begin.
In this episode, we journey back to the French Revolution, where revolutionaries and monarchists first split into left and right wings—and the world has never been the same. Out of the chaos emerged ideals of liberty, the terror in the streets, and a fierce battle of ideas that spread across Europe, sparking revolutions from Sicily to Poland. The 1848 uprisings shook monarchies to their core, as liberals, conservatives, and radicals fought over society’s future. Most of the revolutions were crushed—but none left the world unchanged.
Join us for a deep dive into political ideologies, French accents, guillotines, and the struggle for democracy.
If you’d like to support Human Nature Odyssey, please subscribe wherever you enjoy your podcasts, leave us a review, and visit humannatureodyssey.com.
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CITATIONS
Websites and Articles
Britannica. France: Peasant Insurgencies.
Yale University Library. French Revolution Political Cartoons: The Guillotine.
Fine Dining Lovers. 2022. “Dining with King Louis XVI.”
Chastain, James. The Two Sicilies. Ohio University.
Statista. 2024. Global Elections in 2024.
Hincks, Joseph. 2024. “More Voters Than Ever Will Vote in 2024.” TIME.
Reuters. 2024. “What Are the Key Issues in Mozambique’s 2024 Elections?”
World History Encyclopedia. French Republican Calendar.
Britannica. Reign of Terror.
Prothero, Stephen. 2016. “Culture War Is an American Tradition.” Los Angeles Times, February 14.
Chastain, James. The European Revolutions of 1848 and 1989: A Comparative Analysis.
Tocqueville, Alexis de. “Speech to the French Chamber of Deputies, January 29, 1848.” Speeches USA.
Books
Arasse, Daniel. 1987. The Guillotine and the Terror.
Bussiek, Dagmar. 2002. Mit Gott für König und Vaterland: Die Neue Preußische Zeitung (Kreuzzeitung) 1848–1892. Münster: LIT Verlag, p. 18.
Clark, Christopher. 2023. Revolutionary Spring: Europe Aflame and the Fight for a New World.
Kirchner, Emil J. 1988. Liberal Parties in Western Europe.
Marx, Karl, and Friedrich Engels. 1848. The Communist Manifesto.
Terwecoren, Edouard. 1870. Collection de Précis historiques. J. Vandereydt, p. 31.
Podcasts and YouTube
The Rest Is History. 2023. “The Year of Revolutions: 1848.” Podcast audio, April 30, 2023.
Duncan, Mike. Revolutions podcast season 7
Green, John. Crash Course: European History #26. YouTube playlist.
Additional Music
Track: Symphony no. 41 in C 'Jupiter', K. 551 - I. Allegro vivace
Music provided by Classical Music Copyright Free [https://tinyurl.com/visit-cmcf]
Music: Celestial Soda Pop
By: Ray Lynch
From the album: Deep Breakfast
Courtesy Ray Lynch Productions © Ⓟ 1984/BMI
All rights reserved.
1. Amazon: Celestial Soda Pop
https://amazon.com/music/player/albums/B000QQXURI
2. iTunes:
https://music.apple.com/us/album/celestial-soda-pop/3242445?i=3242425
3. Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/track/2THDVIVytLuGX7S7UghuC1?si=20ea63807bba401f