Philosophy of Mind: Marxism, Materialism, and Dialectical Monism
Release Date: 06/29/2026
Democratic Socialist Electoral Victories and the Implications for American Politics
Red Menace
Alyson and Breht reflect on recent Democratic Socialist electoral victories, the ongoing contradiction between the progressive left and the corporate center within the Democratic Party, the principled and strategic approach to this development that Marxists should take, the implications for the near future of american politics, what it all means for the broader socialist left in this country, proletarian internationalism, the anti-imperialist red line, and much more. Learn more and support the show at Check out for more political educational resources
info_outline
Philosophy of Mind: Marxism, Materialism, and Dialectical Monism
Red Menace
In this episode, Breht O'Shea and Alyson Escalante join forces for a deep philosophical conversation on Marxism, consciousness, and the mind-body problem. Using as a starting point, they explore why the nature of subjective experience remains such a profound challenge for crude or reductionist forms of materialism -- and why this question matters for Marxists. Alyson begins by carefully summarizing Miéville’s original essay and its challenge to conventional Marxist materialism. From there, Breht lays out several major positions in the philosophy of mind, including dualism, physicalism,...
info_outline
Alyson and Breht Answer Your Questions
Red Menace
Alyson and Breht spend three hours answering your questions about politics, theory, socialist stragey and much more! Watch the video version on Youtube ----------------------------------------------------------------- Follow, Subscribe, & Learn more about Rev Left Radio
info_outline
The Worldwide Family of Militant Women
Red Menace
In this episode, Breht and Alyson sit down with to discuss her new memoir, . Eisen reflects on her political formation across the upheavals of the 1960s through the early 1980s, her encounters with Black liberation and anti-imperialist struggle, and the forgotten history of militant women who built relationships of solidarity across borders. Together they explore internationalism, revolutionary commitment, movement fragmentation, and what younger generations can still learn from an era when women fought empire not from the margins, but from the heart of the struggle. The result is a rich...
info_outline
The Iran War: A Dialectical and Historical Materialist Analysis
Red Menace
Alyson and Breht apply dialectical and historical materialist analysis to the current war of aggression in Iran. Together they break down the Marxist methodology into its three main parts - dialectics, materialism, and history - and showcase how they apply to the US and Israeli war on Iran, before bringing them back together into a coherent whole. Then they compare and contrast dialectical and historical materialism as a mode of analysis to other forms of analysis: from academic modes like liberal internationalism and Realism to common popular modes like conspiracy theories and moralism. ...
info_outline
Iran Under Attack
Red Menace
On this YT livestream (3/1/26) Alyson and Breht discuss the illegal war of aggression launched by the US and Israel against Iran. Throughout the discussion they take live questions from the chat. ---------------------------------------------------- Support Rev Left and get access to bonus episodes: Make a one-time donation to Rev Left at Follow, Subscribe, & Learn more about Rev Left Radio
info_outline
Guillotines for the Epstein Class
Red Menace
Alyson and Breht discuss a range of current events, including Cuba, the Epstein Files, Iran and much more. Make a donation to Socialist Night School via Venmo @OmahaNightSchool Outro Song: "to each their dot" by Haley Heynderickx & Max Garcia Conover
info_outline
Minneapolis on Fire
Red Menace
Breht discusses recent events in Minneapolis... --------------------------------------------------------------------- Outro Music: Haley Heynderickx & Max García Conover - Song For Alicia
info_outline
Jesus Christ Beyond Belief: A Mystical Reading of the Gospels
Red Menace
In this Christmas special, Alyson and Breht reinterpret Jesus through Jewish mysticism, Christian contemplative traditions, and Buddhist conceptions of Enlightenment, offering an understanding of his teachings and words as attempts to articulate the ineffable and non-dual, rather than metaphysical propositions to be believed. Drawing heavily on the Gospels, the Gospel of Thomas, the Christian concept of Agape, and early Christian scholarship, they explore the possibility of a Christianity beyond fear, hell, and conceptual belief -- one rooted in a radical transformation of consciousness, a...
info_outline
(Teaser) The Anti-Human Nihilism of the Techno-Oligarchs
Red Menace
This is a small snippet from a much larger patreon exclusive episode, which you can sign up for (and support the show in the process) here:
info_outlineIn this episode, Breht O'Shea and Alyson Escalante join forces for a deep philosophical conversation on Marxism, consciousness, and the mind-body problem. Using China Miéville’s essay on consciousness and materialism as a starting point, they explore why the nature of subjective experience remains such a profound challenge for crude or reductionist forms of materialism -- and why this question matters for Marxists.
Alyson begins by carefully summarizing Miéville’s original essay and its challenge to conventional Marxist materialism. From there, Breht lays out several major positions in the philosophy of mind, including dualism, physicalism, idealism, panpsychism, neutral monism, emergentism, eliminativism, and epiphenomenalism. Together, they then work through two responses to Miéville’s essay, clarifying the arguments, tensions, and stakes of the debate.
In the second half, Breht argues for a different approach: a dialectical monism informed by dependent origination. Rather than reducing consciousness to matter, escaping into idealism, or treating mind and matter as separate substances, this view understands reality as a single, dynamic, relational process in which consciousness, embodiment, nature, society, and practice arise interdependently.
The conversation closes by bringing Buddhist philosophy and phenomenology into dialogue with Marxism, exploring emptiness, experience, nonduality, and the limits of conceptual thought. What emerges is not a rejection of materialism, but a call to deepen it -- beyond reductionism, beyond dualism, and toward a more dialectical understanding of consciousness & reality.
Find Fluss and Frim's response (Their Materialism and Ours) to Mieville HERE
Find Pineda's response (Naturalized Dialectics) to Mieville HERE
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Follow, Subscribe, & Learn more about Rev Left Radio https://revleftradio.com/