Human Nature Odyssey

Human Nature Odyssey: a podcast about humanity, civilization, and the fate of the world. You are living the latest chapter in a 10,000 year story. Join storyteller Alex Leff on a search for better ways to understand and more clearly experience the incredible, terrifying, and ridiculous world we live in. The first stop on our quest through a landscape of ideas and stories is the 1992 novel Ishmael by Daniel Quinn about a telepathic gorilla with great hope for humanity.

13 - The King Is Dead, Now What? The 250-Year Struggle for Democracy (Part 2) 06/26/2025

13 - The King Is Dead, Now What? The 250-Year Struggle for Democracy (Part 2) 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 forces would ignite a global struggle for power. In this episode, we trace the ongoing clash between these ideologies, imagining them as bickering gods, each vying for control of the human realm. From the Russian Revolution and the collapse of monarchies after World War I to the rise of fascism, the global conflict of World War II, the Cold War standoff between the U.S. and Soviet Union, and the global youth protests of 1968, we explore how these powerful ideas collided, evolved, and continue to shape the struggle for power, equality, and freedom. If you’d like to support Human Nature Odyssey, please subscribe wherever you enjoy your podcasts, leave us a review, and visit humannatureodyssey.com. Join us on and get exclusive access to audio extras, writings, and notes. Articles Narewska, Elli. “Tsar Nicholas II Abdicates.” The Guardian, March 3, 2017. Hoffmann, David L. "The October Revolution in Russia" Ohio State University Origins, 2017 “The Paris Riots of 1968, Part 1.” CBC Radio, April 24, 2018. Keats, Jonathon. “Design of Dissent.” Forbes, October 28, 2019. Baker, Peter. “CIA Helped Arrest Mandela.” Time, February 2023. Statista. 2022. “Second World War: Share of Total Population Loss.” BBC Bitesize. “The Vietnam War: Casualty Statistics.” U.S. National Archives. “Vietnam War Casualty Statistics.” ECPAT International. “How Many Vietnamese Died in the Vietnam War.” Horner, Sam. “The Birth of the Soviet Union and the Death of the Russian Revolution.” JSTOR Daily, 2021. YouTube “Days That Shook The World: Russia's Two Revolutions of 1917” Epic History. Mar 8, 2022 Films Jojo Rabbit. 2019. Directed by Taika Waititi. Music: Celestial Soda Pop By: Ray Lynch From the album: Deep Breakfast Courtesy Ray Lynch Productions © Ⓟ 1984/BMI All rights reserved. /episode/index/show/a209e7d1-3aad-4c73-a173-b84a891831ad/id/37138060

12 - The King Is Dead, Now What? The 250-Year Struggle for Democracy (Part 1) 05/22/2025

12 - The King Is Dead, Now What? The 250-Year Struggle for Democracy (Part 1) 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 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. Join us on and get exclusive access to audio extras, writings, and notes. 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 [] 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 2. iTunes: 3. Spotify: /episode/index/show/a209e7d1-3aad-4c73-a173-b84a891831ad/id/36627930

Astrophysics for a New Stone Age with Tom Murphy 12/19/2024

11 - Capitalism & Monopoly: Why The Best Board Games Make The Worst Reality 11/26/2024

11 - Capitalism & Monopoly: Why The Best Board Games Make The Worst Reality 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 level. As horrible as the side effects of these things are, enough people are having so much fun playing. And not just those winning. Sure, winning is awesome. But don’t count out how much fun it is to be down just enough to think if you keep trying you can get back in it. Your competitiveness takes over and you can’t put the game down. And then for even more people, they have no choice in the matter, they have to play, even though there’s no hope for winning, they’re just trying to survive and stay in the game. At this point, most of the world has been roped into this game of conquering, exploitation, and finance. We’re so convinced this is just normal life, most people don’t even think they’re playing a game. But unlike most board games, it doesn't come with an instruction manual. That is… until now. In this episode, we use sociologist Immanuel Wallerstein’s seminal text, World-Systems Analysis, as our instruction manual to the game of colonization and exploitation. We explore how dominant countries rise and fall, the dance between capitalism and the state, and the unexpected truth about what real power looks like. Join us for a deep dive into empires, markets, mafias, and everyone’s favorite Monopoly piece: the thimble. Macro-economics has never been this entertaining and fun for the whole family. If you’d like to support Human Nature Odyssey, please subscribe wherever you enjoy your podcasts, leave us a review, and visit humannatureodyssey.com. Join us on and get exclusive access to audio extras, writings, and notes. CREDITS Additional Writer ... Weslie Lechner Voice Acting ... Patrick Boylan and Weslie Lechner CITATIONS World-Systems Analysis: An Introduction [book] by Immanuel Wallerstein (2004) The Emergence of France [article] by Gabriel Fournier and John Frederick Drinkwater (2024) The secret history of Monopoly: the capitalist board game's leftwing origins [article] by Mary Pilon (2015) 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 2. iTunes: 3. Spotify: /episode/index/show/a209e7d1-3aad-4c73-a173-b84a891831ad/id/34148995

10 - Against Leviathan: An Anarchist Fairytale of the Origin of Civilization 10/24/2024

10 - Against Leviathan: An Anarchist Fairytale of the Origin of Civilization 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 rulers couldn’t control. We trace the rise of the first Lugals, the original kings of Mesopotamia, from Urukagina of Lagash, whose reforms sowed the seeds of his downfall, to Sargon of Akkad, who conquered all of Sumer only to become part of the Leviathan’s vast machinery. Together, we’ll explore how power and control first took root in the world's earliest cities—and how those ancient systems still shape our world today. This is a spooky episode. The hair on the back of your neck might stand up. But we can stay seated and relax. It is just a story after all. A fairytale, as Fredy would call it. If you’d like to support Human Nature Odyssey, please subscribe wherever you enjoy your podcasts, leave us a review, and visit humannatureodyssey.com. Join us on and get exclusive access to audio extras, writings, and notes. CITATIONS Against His-Story, Against Leviathan [book] by Fredy Perlman (1983) [article] by (2009) Assyrian and Babylonian Chronicles [book] by Albert Kirk Grayson (1975) circa 2300 BC from Louvre Museum 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 2. iTunes: 3. Spotify: Additional Credits Vanhan ajan sota, taistelu, miekkailu / Ancient, old time battle, combat, horses snorting and galloping, men shouting and barking, fencing, swords clanging, mix by YleArkisto -- https://freesound.org/s/258207/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 /episode/index/show/a209e7d1-3aad-4c73-a173-b84a891831ad/id/33586797