The End Of The World With Michael And Stu podcast

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65: Across the Great Divide 54:40

۴ روز پیش54:40

پخش در آینده

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پسندیدن

دوست داشته شد

54:40

This week we are discussing psychics, specifically psychic medium John Edward of Crossing Over with John Edward . This program which ran from 2001 to 2004 purported to connect living people to their dead relatives by means of Edward's psychic mediumship. We go over a brief history of psychics from ancient times to the present before digging into Edward's methods and claims; does he really offer a genuine line of communication between the living and the dead, or is he merely a mediocre practitioner of cold reading who is taking advantage of grieving people in order to acquire wealth and fame? We also get into the century old antagonism between mediums and stage magicians. We open the program by noting the recent passing of Pope Francis I by revisiting a tweet from an old friend, the legendary poster Louise Mensch. Episodes of Crossing Over on Archive.org John Edward's appearance on Larry King Live John Oliver's takedown of psychics from 2019 Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

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64: A Cyclops Walks Across the Sky 1:07:10

11 روز پیش1:07:10

1:07:10

This week we are discussing two recent albums by mainstays of 2000s era indie rock that deal directly and obliquely with climate change, namely Mount Eerie's 2024 release Night Palace and Dirty Projectors/David Longstreth/s t a r g a z e's 2025 record Song of the Earth . We talk a bit about the history of both artists and why it might be that they are turning to considering the question of climate at this perilous moment in our world's history. We also get into topics like Romanticism and Modernism, the role of ambition and fame in undertaking a music career, and the question of didacticism in art. The episode opens with a conversation about Bernie Sanders' recent rally in Los Angeles (at which Dirty Projectors performed) and what future progressive leadership in the United States might have as the second Trump era dawns. Links to the music discussed in this episode can be found below: Mount Eerie/the Microphones the Glow pt. 2 by the Microphones A Crow Looked at Me by Mount Eerie the Microphones in 2020 by the Microphones Night Palace by Mount Eerie Dirty Projectors Slaves' Graves & Ballads by Dirty Projectors The Getty Address by Dirty Projectors Bitte Orca by Dirty Projectors Song of the Earth by David Longstreth/Dirty Projectors/s t a r g a z e New Yorker profile of David Longstreth Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

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63: Take My Advice You'd Be Better Off Dead 55:07

18 روز پیش55:07

55:07

This week we are looking at Train to Busan , a 2016 film directed by Yeon Sang-ho. It's a zombie apocalypse movie set on a train moving from the South Korean capital of Seoul to the southern city of Busan. We get into the film's historical overtones, as well as the family drama that plays out amid this unfolding horror show. We open the episode with a discussion of the economic turmoil unleashed by the announcement of Donald Trump's tariff regime. Does the fact that the tariff rates seem to have been (possibly) calculated by a large language model bode well for our future or ill? It's hard to say! This episode contains spoilers for Train to Busan . Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

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62: A Dry Voice Comes from a Stingy Heart 58:19

25 روز پیش58:19

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This week we're are discussing Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson's recent book Abundance . This text offers a new vision of the future for the Democratic Party to center as it attempts to claw back power, ignoring for the most part the larger societal issues of wealth inequality in favor of focusing on regulatory changes that could be made to spearhead a new era of American growth and innovation. Suffice it to say, we have a few issues with the book's focus, while also finding within its pages some things to admire as well. We draw on reviews by Matt Bruenig and Malcolm Harris to support some of our own critiques, as well as invoking the sharp analysis brought by the Ones and Tooze Podcast . We open the episode talking about what Michael has learned about a possible recession as he journeys across the country from Los Angeles to Brooklyn; what are the indicators that he is seeing? We also touch on the possibility of that most dreaded of all economic conditions maybe returning to menace us anew: STAGFLATION. Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

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61: One Step from the Great Beyond 1:05:34

۵ weeks پیش1:05:34

1:05:34

We're talking about the rise and fall of Julius Caesar and the end of the Roman Republic this week, following up on our previous episode. We've got anecdotes about Caesar weeping before statues, his run in with pirates, his war against Vercingetorix in Gaul; all your favorite Caesar stories are here! Plus we also muse a bit on Caesar's death; why did he not take more precautions? Was it a case of suicide by senator? We get into the details, while also touching on the lives of his friends and rivals Pompey, Crassus, and Brutus along the way. We open the episode by discussing the recent mistaken-group-text-invite story from The Atlantic about the Trump administration's plan for attacking the Houthis. Who among us hasn't mistakenly invited a reporter into a private Signal group? We also go over Stu's recently published essay, " Cybernetics and the Evolution of Philosophy ," which came out this week at Do Not Research . Stu closes out the episode by reading some passages from his book Communicatingroups that relate directly to Caesar's assassination. Here is Jeffrey Goldberg's story in The Atlantic about the mistaken group chat invite. Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

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60: We're Together Dead and Lonely 1:02:18

۶ weeks پیش1:02:18

1:02:18

This week we're discussing the run up to the final collapse of the Roman Republic, charting such characters as Scipio Aemelianus, the Gracchi Brothers, Gaius Marius, and Sulla and attempting to map them and their historical circumstances onto some of the events of recent American history. While the analogies are imperfect, there are enough similarities for the comparison to be...troubling. We use the book The Storm before the Storm by illustrious podcaster Mike Duncan as our guide in relating this story, a book the author himself has remarked has only become more timely and prescient now that we have entered the second Trump era. Is Trump the Marius of our moment? Was Biden a failed Sulla? To find out you must listen! We open the episode with a discussion of Senator Chuck Schumer and some of his...missteps of late in leading the opposition to that aforementioned second Trump presidency. Order Mike Duncan's The Storm before the Storm NBC News on the Backlash to Schumer The Hill on Schumer's positioning of the Democrats Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

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59: A Man of Wealth and Taste 1:10:03

۷ weeks پیش1:10:03

1:10:03

This week we are diving into the weird world of Robert Francis Kennedy, Jr., the newly confirmed Secretary of Health and Human Services in the second Trump administration. We go over his history of environmental activism and chart how this morphed into a profoundly conspiracist worldview that, with him now in control of the levers of power in the American health sector, has the potential to do enormous harm to the well-being of the citizens of this country and indeed the citizens of the world. We honestly had too much material for this episode, and even having gone a bit longer than we normally do, we still left out much that could have been discussed, but we focus in on his vaccine skepticism, his opposition to drinking water fluoridation, as well as his specific criticisms of Dr. Fauci and the governmental response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The sources for our research can be found below. We also discuss some of the wackier incidents involving...animals. We open the episode discussing the recent protests outside Tesla dealerships as well as the efforts to crush free speech being carried out by the Trump administration. We didn't mention it in the episode, but next week we will be diving into the crisis of the late Roman Republic. The New York Times on RFK Jr.'s history of vaccine skepticism Think Global Health on the origins of RFK Jr.'s anti-vaccine activism Claremont Review of Books review of RFK Jr.'s book on Anthony Fauci CBS News on RFK Jr.'s anti-fluoridation stance Protect Our Care on why RFK Jr. is the worst imaginable HHS Secretary The Cut on RFK Jr. initiating yet another examination of autism and vaccines Stat News on RFK Jr.'s nieces attempts to discuss covid with him NPR on the infamous Central Park Bear incident The AP on the time RFK Jr. drove home with a severed whale head on his roof Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

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58: Where Strangers are as Family and Loneliness Can't Hide 59:56

۸ weeks پیش59:56

59:56

This week we are discussing Todd Haynes's film Safe (1995). We get into how the movie explores the creeping sense of meaning being sapped out of suburban life in the late 1980s, focusing on the ways this parallels dilemmas that are manifesting in our contemporary moment. We also go over the film's consideration of "environmental illness" and how this notion of being poisoned by the world in which one lives brings with it attendant psychological challenges. This is one of the best pictures we've covered, but the episode should be legible even if you haven't seen the movie yet, as the plot of the film is really secondary to the beautiful way in which it was made. We open the episode briefly touching on the latest US-Ukraine oval office debacle while also considering the about-to-be-instituted tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico. This episode contains spoilers for Safe . Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

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57: A Stronger Loving World to Die In 58:46

۹ weeks پیش58:46

58:46

This week we are tackling one of Stu's all-time favorite comics, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons's Watchmen . We go through the main characters and discuss the apocalyptic ramifications of this extremely well-wrought tale of a society on the edge of destruction. We also tease out the implications of costumed vigilantism suggested by Moore's text, considering how it is these figures which have such a large place in popular culture have no purchase at all in reality. Would a Watchmen -esque scheme to unite the world work in our current reality, or have things like Covid-19 and climate change proven the folly of this premise in our extremely jaded, partisan, too-online world? We also cover the rise in flu cases across the country and how recent actions by the CDC are not helping with this issue at all. This episode contains spoilers for the graphic novel Watchmen . Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

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56: As Parasites Might in your Blood 53:57

10 weeks پیش53:57

53:57

This week we are discussing all things CANADA! Specifically, why does President Trump claim it is a "great contender" to become the 51st state? What is it about the US's northern neighbor that is so attractive to the would-be empire builder president? How is this issue playing out in Canada itself? Would a military conquest of Canada result in a brutal insurgency that might destroy the United States itself? All these questions and more are tackled in this episode. We also discuss the recent USA vs Canada Four Nations hockey match and its attendant, immediate fights, as well as the breaking news of a plane crash in Toronto. Articles mentioned in the episode: The New York Times on Trump's Desire for Canada Aisha Ahmad on what a Canadian Insurgency might look like Financial Times on Whether Trump is Serious about annexing Canada The CBC on the potential electoral fallout of Trump's tariff threats Politico on what Trump "really wants" from Canada Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

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55: The Ocean at your Door 56:25

11 weeks پیش56:25

56:25

This week we are joined by comedian, actress and writer Maggie Crane to discuss Bo Burnham's divisive comedy special Inside from 2021. We get into some of the critiques of the special, while also noting the things about it which we really like. Is Inside "our King Lear " or are we still waiting for the definitive covid-era great work to emerge? If you are in Los Angeles, catch Maggie's half hour standup set at the Lyric Hyperion on March 19, 2025. This episode contains spoilers for Bo Burnham's Inside . Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

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54: The Birds of Leaving Call to Us 1:03:04

12 weeks پیش1:03:04

1:03:04

This week we're talking about the first season of the hit Apple TV+ show Severance . We examine the ways the show functions as a reflection of our current, corporation-dominated world, exploring questions of work/life balance as well as the potential abuses inherent in a severance-like procedure. We also ask the all important question: what if severance could go even further? Is the severance procedure merely the first step in a Frankensteinian process moving humanity ever closer to the dreaded singularity? We open the episode with a discussion of recent article by Seymour Hersh regarding the first Trump administration's initial response to the Covid-19 outbreak in late 2019. This episode contains spoilers for Severance Season 1. Link to Seymour Hersh's piece on Substack: Trump's First Covid Mistake Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

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53: If I Could Turn Back Time 47:34

13 weeks پیش47:34

47:34

This week we are devoting a full episode to news, recapping the first week of Donald Trump's second term as president. We discuss the myriad executive orders the president has issued, ranging from his pardons, to his crackdown at the border, to his taking the United States out of the World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Agreement. What are the long term implications of these moves, and is there a light at the end of the tunnel? Is there a tunnel? Are we just now in a cave at the center of the earth? In order to find out, you must listen. Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

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52: A Duel of Personalities 49:29

14 weeks پیش49:29

49:29

This week we are discussing Coralie Fargeat's 2024 film The Substance , a movie that imagines what it might be like if you could recapture your youth. We get into the implications of the film for our culture, particularly as it relates to aging and finding meaning in an increasingly youth-centric, substance-less world. Making references to Oscar Wilde and Mary Shelley, we also take a look at some of the spiritual antecedents to this brilliant (if horrifying) concept-driven picture. We open up with a somewhat extended conversation about the second inauguration of Donald J. Trump as president. How have our predictions been panning out so far? Is the new tech oligarchy really as bad as we feared? To find out...you must listen. This episode contains spoilers for The Substance . Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

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51: Tryin' to Run from the Destruction 49:33

15 weeks پیش49:33

49:33

This week we are discussing the "Y2K computer bug," the great potential apocalypse of the turn of the millennium that...did not live up to the hype. But rather than being another "when prophecy fails" situation, the reason this apocalypse was averted was because of concerted and organized work across many different areas. Programmers worked for years in advance to remediate the code of software used in applications from air traffic control to power grids and beyond. The Y2K problem therefore stands as one of the (few) genuine threats to our society that was successfully identified and fixed before it was able to cause real harm. We then spend a bit of time talking about Y2K , the recent nostalgic horror film from A24. In he first part of the episode we consider the catastrophic fires that have ravaged Los Angeles during the opening weeks of 2025, with Michael offering some first hand experience from LA. We connect this back to some apocalyptic fiction we have covered in previous episodes, in particular Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower . Links about the LA Fires and the attendant controversies: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/california-wildfires-los-angeles-fire-chief-budget-cuts/ https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/12/who-is-kristin-crowley-la-fire-chief Links to articles mentioned about the Y2K problem: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/31/insider/y2k-crisis.html?smid=tw-share https://www.npr.org/2024/12/28/nx-s1-5116271/y2k-year-2000-preparations https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/dec/31/millennium-bug-face-fears-y2k-it-systems Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

The End of the World with Michael and Stu

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Episode 35: Monkey See Monkey Doom 55:04

30 weeks پیش55:04

55:04

This week we are covering the 1995 Wolfgang Petersen blockbuster Outbreak. Having lived through a pandemic of our own, can we glean new wisdom by revisiting this terrifying tale of an even-deadlier-than-Ebola virus set loose on a small Northern California town? Perhaps not, but it is still fun to examine the politics of this essentially liberal post-Cold War picture, where the real enemy is the US military itself and compare them to the politics of today, where scientists and agents of the federal government are venerated by liberals. We also go into detail about Stu's "near miss" with the New York City Ebola scare of 2014, and discuss whether this film is not, in fact, to blame for Michael's lifelong hypochondria. We open the episode talking about the devastating effects of the recent hurricane Helene, following up on an earlier conversation we had about the utter lack of seriousness with which climate change and its attendant disasters is treated in contemporary political discourse. This episode contains spoilers for Outbreak . Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

The End of the World with Michael and Stu

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Episode 34: This is the End Beautiful Friend 49:34

31 weeks پیش49:34

49:34

This week we're talking about James Cameron's 1984 masterpiece The Terminator . How relevant is this movie to our current fears about a potential future AI dystopia? How was such a tight, well-written film executed on such a comparatively small budget? How moving is the love story between Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese? The answer to these questions and so much more can be found in this episode. We also open the conversation with a brief chat about the recent pager/walkie talkie attacks in Lebanon, worrying about this new escalation in the Middle East as consumer electronics are weaponized and the region slips dangerously closer to an even bleaker state of total war. This episode contains spoilers for The Terminator . Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

The End of the World with Michael and Stu

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Episode 33: The End of the World with Donald and Kamala 53:34

32 weeks پیش53:34

53:34

This week we are discussing the highs and lows of the September 10, 2024 Presidential Debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. We get into where they stand on the issues, the depths to which the immigration debate has now plunged, and the utterly short shrift given to the question of climate change and the environment. Off the top, we also cover the second foiled assassination plot to target Donald Trump, wondering what the implications of this event might be for the election and for future conspiracy theorizing. This episode contains spoilers for the 2024 Presidential Debate. Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

The End of the World with Michael and Stu

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Episode 32: Rainbows Have Nothing to Hide 59:01

33 weeks پیش59:01

59:01

This week we are discussing Karen Tei Yamashita's novel Through the Arc of the Rainforest , a magical realist look at the realities of corporate exploitation in the developing world. By turns comedic and tragic, the book weaves together the lives of a number of characters in the manner of a Brazilian novela (akin to an American soap opera). It's a great, underappreciated book, and we really enjoyed discussing it, and hopefully our conversation can spur some new readers to give it a look. This episode contains spoilers for the plot of Through the Arc of the Rainforest , but you should really listen anyway, because the pure delight of the book can be found in its style, not only in its plot. Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

The End of the World with Michael and Stu

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Episode 31: Into the Great Wide Open 53:57

34 weeks پیش53:57

53:57

We're turning back the clock to 2009 to discuss an epochal turning point in our society, namely, the Balloon Boy incident. While perhaps not as "earth shattering" as some of the other topics we've covered, we make the argument that this incident does mark an important turning point in the nature of media, in that it was one the last "crises" to occur before the 24-hour news networks were subsumed by the all powerful, crushing rise of social media. We recap the incident, look a little bit at the family involved, and also consider the ways mass media events have been transformed in the 2010s and 2020s. This episode contains spoilers for the Balloon Boy Incident (he wasn't in the balloon). Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

The End of the World with Michael and Stu

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Episode 30: We're Not Going Back? 55:02

35 weeks پیش55:02

55:02

This week we're covering the recently concluded DNC, noting the ways in which, despite the theme of "not going back," in many ways it feels as if the Democratic party has, in fact, gone back to previous eras of its strength, the Obama Era, the Clinton Era, and so forth. What does this nostalgic reversion bode for the potentially world ending phenomenon looming just over the horizon? We also cover an anti-apocalyptic instance of nostalgia at the top of the episode, namely the looming Oasis reunion, touching on what our culture's obsession with times past means, and on how excited we are that the brothers Gallagher have at long last reconciled. This episode contains spoilers for the 2024 Democratic National Convention. Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

The End of the World with Michael and Stu

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Episode 29: It's Getting Hot in Here 59:56

36 weeks پیش59:56

59:56

This episode is about the 79 CE eruption of Mount Vesuvius which buried and preserved the Roman city of Pompeii as an example of a real world apocalyptic event. We go over the mechanics of what happened, relying on the account of Pliny the Younger. We also discuss what the most recent science has to say about the events as they unfolded before pivoting to a brief discussion of Paul W.S. Anderson's 2014 film, Pompeii , comparing it to a more successful disaster film, James Cameron's Titanic . Also, you get to hear both hosts discuss their experiences of visiting Pompeii, and the profound impact seeing the site in person has have on one's appreciation for the ancient world. This episode contains spoilers for Pompeii (the place), Pompeii (the film), and Titanic . Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

The End of the World with Michael and Stu

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Episode 28: I Don't Want to Miss a Thing 1:00:37

37 weeks پیش1:00:37

1:00:37

We're journeying back to 1998 to consider one of the greatest of all cinematic masterpieces, Michael Bay's Armageddon . Along the way we point out a few of the more...improbable...scientific elements of the film, while also noting the remarkable way such an apocalyptic event was depicted in the less politically charged environment of its era. This is a lighter episode, as there is not much of, shall we say, substance, in this film, but your hosts still heroically tease out the latent Freudian themes lingering just beneath the surface of this subtle depiction of world saving heroism. We also, for some reason, roast Rob Thomas. This episode contains spoilers for Armageddon . Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

The End of the World with Michael and Stu

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Episode 27: I'll Never be your Beast of Burden 1:02:18

38 weeks پیش1:02:18

1:02:18

This week we're discussing Bertrand Bonello's 2023 film The Beast . Starring the brilliant Léa Seydoux and George MacKay, the movie is set in a not too distant future where AI rules human society and has deemed our petty, combustible emotions the enemy of productivity. Therefore, in order to advance in society, individuals must undergo a psycho-surgical procedure whereby they can be "purified" of their excessive emotionality by means of the excision of their inherited, generational traumas. Reflecting on Henry James's novella The Beast in the Jungle , from which it takes its title, the picture explores multiple eras, concentrating specifically of the sense of foreboding and doom that is so central to that classic early twentieth century tale. This material leads us into a conversation about automation and the alienating aspects of modernity and indeed post-modernity, and how technological progress on the current trajectory may have been an enormous mistake. We also discuss recent anti-migrant riots in the United Kingdom as well as the ominous financial downturn that may have just commenced. This episode contains spoilers for The Beast and The Beast in the Jungle . Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

The End of the World with Michael and Stu

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Episode 26: It's Easier to Imagine the End of the World than the End of Capitalism 56:00

39 weeks پیش56:00

56:00

This week we discuss the Democrats' strategy of calling their electoral opponents "weird" before plunging into a consideration of Alfonso Cuarón's 2006 dystopian masterpiece, Children of Men , paying particular attention to the analysis of Mark Fisher, as found in his landmark 2009 book, Capitalist Realism . Is this film, as Fisher suggests, an metaphor for the wasting effect of neoliberalism upon creativity? Is it a religious allegory? Can we somehow connect the "weirdness" of JD Vance's natalist views back to the themes of the film? In order to find out, you must listen! This episode contains spoilers for Children of Men and for Capitalist Realism , if books of theory can be "spoiled" (they cannot). Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

The End of the World with Michael and Stu

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Episode 25: What You Thought Would Be Your Future 58:50

40 weeks پیش58:50

58:50

This week we are discussing Omar El Akkad's 2017 novel American War , which imagines a civil war in a future America driven by conflict over the continued use of fossil fuels. Charting the lives of the Chestnut family, the book paints a grim picture of the consequences of civil strife, reversing the polarity of past interventions by showing what it might look like if foreign empires began interfering in internal America conflicts in the way that America has so frequently interfered in the affairs of others. We also continue our coverage of recent developments in the 2024 presidential race, tracking the extent to which we are, or are not, headed towards our own apocalypse. This episode contains spoilers for American War . Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

The End of the World with Michael and Stu

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Episode 24: The 2012 Phenomenon and the Current Looming Catastrophe 54:53

41 weeks پیش54:53

54:53

This week we spend the first twenty minutes of the show discussing the ramifications of the attempted assassination of former President Trump before diving into a consideration of the apocalyptic 2012 Phenomenon, with special attention paid to the 2009 blockbuster, Roland Emmerich's 2012. At the episode's conclusion we adroitly knit the two halves of the conversation together by thinking about apocalypticism and messianism, and how the hoped for Utopia to be ushered in in the wake of a disaster never materializes in the way that adherents might have hoped. This episode contains spoilers for the film 2012 as well as for the year 2012. Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

The End of the World with Michael and Stu

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Episode 23: Do the Collapse 59:57

42 weeks پیش59:57

59:57

We follow up on the state of contemporary politics as covered in our last episode before turning back the clock to discuss one of the genuinely apocalyptic periods of the past, namely the Late Bronze Age Collapse. Does the sudden dissolution of several ancient Mediterranean societies have anything to teach us about our current situation? Who were the Sea Peoples, and are they coming back? Should we still live in fear of their return? How does this relate to the Trojan War of Ancient Greek literature? We talk about contemporary scholarly consensus on what caused the Late Bronze Age Collapse, paying specific attention to Eric H. Cline's book, 1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed . This episode contains spoilers for the Late Bronze Age Collapse. Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

The End of the World with Michael and Stu

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Episode 22: The End of the World with Donald and Joe 56:37

43 weeks پیش56:37

56:37

Election fever has gripped the United States and we are here to break it down, specifically the June 27, 2024 debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. We discuss the debate itself briefly, but focus mostly on the aftermath, and what it bodes for the future of our republic. Topics covered include Donald Trump's (potentially disastrous) Project 2025, what (if anything) to expect from a second term for Joe Biden, and some historical precedents for...societies in decline. The pod also explores Michael and Stu's dark history of watching election related events together. This episode contains spoilers for the first 2024 presidential debate. Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

The End of the World with Michael and Stu

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Episode 21: Watching for Pigs on the Wing 1:06:30

44 weeks پیش1:06:30

1:06:30

This week we're getting back into post-apocalyptic literature by considering a novel by legendary Canadian writer Margaret Atwood, namely 2003's Oryx and Crake . Set in a world...surprisingly similar to our own, where bioengineering has become the dominate mode of technological progress, the book tracks three main characters, Jimmy (aka Snowman) and the titular Oryx and Crake and the roles the play in bringing about the end of humanity and the dawn of a new, post-human era. An amazingly prescient book, we chart some of the ways in which the reality the novel fears has, in a sense, begun to come into being, and what this might bode for our collective future. This episode contains spoilers for Oryx and Crake . Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

The End of the World with Michael and Stu

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Episode 50: Strewn with Time's Dead Flowers 52:49

16 weeks پیش52:49

52:49

This week we're discussing Robert Eggers' 2024 adaptation of FW Murnau's classic Nosferatu . Is it a poignant and disturbing meditation on the idea of forbidden love, recasting a classic story for our troubled times, or is it merely an empty reboot of well-loved IP for our empty and soulless era? The hosts are somewhat divided on the answer to this all-important question! We also consider the original film, as well as Werner Herzog's 1979 adaptation starring Klaus Kinski and Bruno Ganz. We open the episode discussing the recent terror attack in New Orleans as well as the detonation of a cyber truck in front of Trump's Las Vegas Hotel and what these events augur for our conspiracy obsessed moment. This episode contains spoilers for all versions of Nosferatu as well as Bram Stoker's novel, Dracula . Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

The End of the World with Michael and Stu

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Episode 49: A World in White Gets Underway 49:26

17 weeks پیش49:26

49:26

It's our 2024 recap episode in which we go over all things apocalypse from the year we are concluding. Topics discussed include: the return of Trump, the continued disintegration of the Democratic party, the rise of a new oligarchy, the continued impotence of the media in the face of horrors at home and abroad, and the potential for AI to immiserate creative people the world over. It's a very optimistic episode! We close out our look back by looking forward, attempting to divine what the best possible outcomes for 2025 might look like. This episode contains spoilers for the year 2024. Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

The End of the World with Michael and Stu

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Episode 48: Five Golden Rings 49:44

18 weeks پیش49:44

49:44

It's Christmastime and in celebration we are covering a brilliant Christmas movie, namely The 12 Disasters of Christmas . This film is...a disaster. A Christian allegory mixed with a Mayan Apocalypse 2012 tale that is somehow also based on the popular Christmas carol, The 12 Days of Christmas ...it is...very, very bad. But our conversation about it? That is good...very, very good. We also discuss Donald Trump's "imperialist turn" as expressed in his recently stated desire to purchase Greenland, reacquire the Panama Canal (by force if necessary?!), and annex Canada as the 51st state. It's going to be a wonderful next four years! This episode contains spoilers for The 12 Disasters of Christmas , easily the worst movie we have covered...so far. Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

The End of the World with Michael and Stu

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Episode 47: There's a Madman Living in Waco 1:04:37

19 weeks پیش1:04:37

1:04:37

This week we're covering the siege of the Branch Davidian compound by federal authorities in 1993, paying particular attention to the group's leader, the enigmatical rock musician turned would-be messiah, David Koresh. We go through the history of the Branch Davidians, tracing their roots back to the "Great Disappointment" of William Miller and the history of schismatic Adventism before diving into the history of Koresh's sect. Towards the end of the episode Michael gives his account of his 2018 visit to the site of the Mount Carmel compound and his meeting with one of the surviving members of the Branch Davidians. We open the episode up by discussing the recent drone sightings in and around Northern New Jersey. Michael thinks they are up to something, while, as usual, Stu is "skeptical" that this means anything ominous. Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

The End of the World with Michael and Stu

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Episode 46: Shadow on the Things You Know 54:56

20 weeks پیش54:56

54:56

This week we are discussing avian flu and the possibility that it might be the next pandemic ahead of us, just over the horizon. We get into the history of influenza outbreaks originating in domesticated animals, such as, most famously, the so-called "Spanish flu" of 1918 in order to calibrate how potentially worrying such an outbreak could be should it arise, particularly in the post-COVID political context in which we now live. We also discuss the recent assassination of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson (we mistakenly call him Brian Johnson in the episode, apologies), the sudden fall of the Assad regime in Syria, as well as a worrying new disease which has recently emerged in Congo. Reuters story on the Congo mystery illness: https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/who-sends-experts-help-congo-diagnose-mystery-disease-2024-12-06/ ABC News story on early human cases of avian flu: https://www.abc15.com/news/state/arizona-sees-first-case-of-human-bird-flu-in-pinal-county-health-officials-report#google_vignette LA Times story on another early human case: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-12-07/possible-h5n1-case-in-marin-co-child-source-of-infection-unknown Scientific American story about the dangers of this influenza strain: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bird-flu-virus-is-one-mutation-away-from-adapting-to-human-cells/ NPR story on raw milk and bird flu: https://www.npr.org/2024/12/06/nx-s1-5220272/testing-usda-bird-flu-raw-milk-california Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

The End of the World with Michael and Stu

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Episode 45: It's a Godawful Small Affair 53:53

21 weeks پیش53:53

53:53

This week we are covering the 2005 Spielberg/Cruise film War of the Worlds . Made in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, the film attempts to make some kind of connection between the H.G. Wells's classic story of alien invasion and the events that had so recently shaken the foundations of America...and it fails to do so, at least in a manner that we found at all convincing or philosophically interesting. But fear not! In this episode you also get to hear the "legendary" story of Stu's IRL encounter with Mr. Spielberg, as well as how Michael once saw Dave Matthews open for Barack Obama. We also get into a bit of the history of the story, briefly discussing Wells's novel as well as Orson Welles's famous 1938 radio adaptation, which allegedly set off a panic across the United States. What is it about this tale that causes it to return in moments of cultural uncertainty? We open the episode with a brief conversation about the news of Joe Biden's pardoning of his son Hunter. Would we have done the same? To find out, you must listen. This episode contains spoilers for War of the Worlds . Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

The End of the World with Michael and Stu

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Episode 44: Turn and Face the Strain 49:01

22 weeks پیش49:01

49:01

This week we are covering the COP29 climate conference which took place over the last two weeks in Baku, Azerbaijan. Have they solved the issue? Was this climate conference in actuality a "meet up" for lobbyists in the fossil fuel industry? What is the connection between climate change and social justice, and is this connection one of the reasons the conference has been largely ignored in the American media, particularly in the wake of Trump's 2024 reelection? We answer all of these questions and more! Additionally the episode opens with a brief discussion of...some news...regarding the subject of our last episode, Cormac McCarthy. And we also get into the details that have been revealed about Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy's Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE...and fear not, the details are..."great." Links to stories cited in the episode: From Democracy Now! : https://www.democracynow.org/2024/11/18/cop29_azerbaijan https://www.democracynow.org/2024/11/22/protest_cop29_deal https://www.democracynow.org/2024/11/22/cop29_deal Greta Thunberg's statement: https://x.com/GretaThunberg/status/1860042876081893802 From The Guardian : https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/nov/23/cop29-agrees-13tn-climate-finance-deal-but-campaigners-brand-it-a-betrayal Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

The End of the World with Michael and Stu

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Episode 43: Our Shadows Taller Than Our Souls 53:10

23 weeks پیش53:10

53:10

This week we are discussing Cormac McCarthy's 2006 novel The Road . A bleak but simultaneously uplifting depiction of a journey through a world in which nature has been totally destroyed, the story offers glimmers of hope in spite of its incredibly grim setting. Themes of childhood, memory, dreaming, and perseverance even in the face of seemingly inevitable death mark this book, which is considered by many to be among the finest novels of the twenty-first century. We also open up the conversation with some thoughts on recent presidential cabinet appointments, which are, as you might imagine...going just great! This episode contains spoilers for The Road . Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

The End of the World with Michael and Stu

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Episode 42: Project for a New American Violence 46:25

24 weeks پیش46:25

46:25

This week we are talking about 2013's The Purge , a low budget high concept home invasion thriller directed by James DeMonaco. We discuss the Aristotelian overtones of the notion that an annual night of violence might allow for a cathartic experience that would help society to be more peaceful the rest of the time, while also exploring a few historical examples of "purge-like" behavior, including witch trials, the sacrificial practices of ancient Carthage, and the English countryside tradition of the skimmington. This episode contains spoilers for 2013's The Purge . Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

The End of the World with Michael and Stu

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Episode 41: The End of America with Michael and Stu 47:59

24 weeks پیش47:59

47:59

It's our election recap episode where we take accountability for our...mistaken belief that Harris would pull out a tight election, when, obviously...that did not happen. We discuss what went wrong for the Harris campaign, while analyzing what this outcome might bode for elections moving forward. Are we destined to just sink deeper and deeper into our algorithmically determined information bubbles, or can this defeat be the spark that inspires dramatic change in the way Democrats approach national politics? Here is a link to the Jacobin article by Daniel Bessner and Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins which we reference in the episode: https://jacobin.com/2024/04/liberals-fascism-rhetoric-democrats-election This episode contains spoilers for the 2024 US Presidential Election. Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

The End of the World with Michael and Stu

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Episode 40: There is No Turning Back 47:00

25 weeks پیش47:00

47:00

It's our election day special where we go out on a limb and predict who we think will triumph in the 2024 US presidential election. Is the seeming late swing to Harris real, and if it is real, will it be enough? Has Kill Tony doomed the Trump campaign with his offensive "comedy"? Has Ann Selzer, with whom we were all VERY familiar before this past weekend, done it again? Why is Tucker Carlson all of the sudden attempting to rebrand himself as the new Pat Robertson? Can Stu differentiate between J. Geils Band and Bachman-Turner Overdrive, or has election fever destroyed his once extensive knowledge of 70s classic rock at last? The answers to these questions, plus both of our predictions on the election outcome, all lie within the confines of this, our latest episode. This episode does not contain any spoilers...or does it? Time will tell! Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

The End of the World with Michael and Stu

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Episode 39: Hurry Up Please It's Time 49:07

26 weeks پیش49:07

49:07

We're back on our election beat, in this episode gaming out potential outcomes of the November 5th US presidential elections. What would happen if Trump wins the popular vote but loses the electoral college? What if Harris wins in a landslide? What if the electoral college comes out in a tie? We go through all of these scenarios and also look at some recent comments made by the candidates in order to imagine what might be heading our way next week as this contest finally winds to a close. Are we headed for what TS Eliot might call "The Wasteland" or is a new, dare we call it, Atlantean era about to be born? Regardless, I think we can all agree...the sooner we get there, the better? Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

The End of the World with Michael and Stu

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Episode 38: They've All Come to Look for America 47:12

27 weeks پیش47:12

47:12

This week we are diving back into politics, looking at the platforms of both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, paying particular attention to where each candidate stands on apocalypse-adjacent issues like climate change and military weaponry. The results of our investigation may surprise you! This episode is the first in a series we'll be doing as the 2024 US Presidential election draws ever nearer. We're always hearing that this election is "the most important election of our lifetimes" but maybe, at least as regards potentially world-shaking catastrophes, this time it's true? We also spend the last portion of the episode looking at the efforts of Elon Musk to sway the election in Trump's favor, and wonder whether this might not be the beginning of a dangerous new trend in oligarchically managed democracy in the USA. Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

The End of the World with Michael and Stu

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Episode 37: Hail Atlantis! Part Two 51:02

28 weeks پیش51:02

51:02

In the second and final episode of our series on Atlantis we get into the modern vision of the mythical lost land, touching on such singular figures as Ignatius Donnelly, Madame Blavatsky, and Edgar Cayce. What was it about this ancient story from a minor Platonic dialogue that was so appealing to psychics, cranks, and charlatans of every variety, and why does it continue to inspire people to hunt for its submarine ruins to this very day? We also touch on the phenomenon of Mayanism as well as, what else, Ancient Aliens. This episode contains spoilers for Atlantis: The Antediluvian World . Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

The End of the World with Michael and Stu

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Episode 36: Hail Atlantis! Part One 47:43

29 weeks پیش47:43

47:43

At long last we are covering one of the greatest apocalyptic narratives of them all! That's right, it's the Atlantis episode! And for a subject so massive, so important, we had to make it a two parter. In this first episode we will cover Plato's vision of Atlantis as presented in his dialogues Timaeus and Critias . We also give a bit of background on the concept of "eschatology," the study of the end of the world, while situating Plato's narrative in its historical and religious context. Was Atlantis based on a real historical incident? Did Solon learn of Atlantis from long-suppressed Egyptian records passed down to his descendant Plato? Was Atlantis real, or merely another one of Plato's carefully crafted lies? This episode contains spoilers for Plato's Timaeus and Critias. Be sure to check in next week for the MODERN vision of Atlantis and all of the horrors THAT entails! Send us a text https://www.instagram.com/theendoftheworldwms/ https://youtube.com/@TheEndoftheWorldwMS?si=xmj-2e0s58JdN8-B https://linktr.ee/endoftheworldwithmichaelandstu…

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