In an imperial world in which a few powers divide the globals spoils among them, Europe is faced with huge challenges. Those who do not have a place at the table find themselves on the menu. In this episode I think about the fundamental challenges of autonomy, sustainability and democracy. Europeans will have to decide whether they are willing to fight for their autonomy or whether they are happy to see the continent of the former colonisers finally turn into a colony itself.Support the show
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48:23
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48:23
[57] Europa 2050 — die Herausforderungen
Europa findet sich in einer neuen Welt, in der große Imperien alles untereinander aufteilen: Wer keinen Platz am Tisch hat, ist auf der Speisekarte. Aber wie können europäische Demokratien überleben? In dieser Folge denke ich über drei fundamentale Säulen nach: Autonomie, Nachhaltigkeit und Demokratie. Die Herausforderungen sind enorm und die Europäer:innen werden sich entscheiden müssen, ob sie bereit sind, sich für ihre Autonomie einsetzen, oder ob der Kontinent der Kolonisatoren jetzt endlich zur Kolonie anderer Mächte wird.Support the show
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39:58
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39:58
[56] Stuart Gillespie — Food Fight: How Corporate Profit Overwhelmed Farming
The current regime of agriculture leads to a paradoxical situation: not only does this system destroy more in terms of natural resources than it creates in terms of food, it also leads to hundreds of millions of people being overfed while simultaneously being undernourished. There are now more obese children in the world than undernourished ones, and the effects on their physical and mental health are severe. But how did we get here? Stuart’s changing point lies at the end of the Second World War, when the international food market was ordered anew and the production of calories became top priority. What comes afterwards is almost too familiar: the rise of industrially produced agricultural products which locks farmers into a product palette from particular seeds to fertilisers, pesticides and other products to the rise of highly processed foods, which are designed to exploit our evolutionary craving for sugar, fat, and salt. The result of these developments have brought global food production to a crisis point. But what has to be done to change this destructive system?Support the show
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1:03:24
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1:03:24
[55] Philippe Sands — Impunity: International Justice in an Age of Lawlessness
Few people have shaped the public perception and debate about with as much eloquence and precision as Philippe Sands, who combines a distinguished career as a human rights lawyer with writing a series of books on themes such as justice, memory, and personal and family history. During the discussion series MQ Gespräche a the Museumsquartier in Vienna I spoke to Philippe about his new book 38 Londes Street, Nazi War Criminals and the Pinochet dictatorship, and about the arch of history that spans form 1930s Lemberg to London in 2025. In the second part of our conversation, we touch more contemporary developments about international law and lawlessness, the delicate question of when a mass killing must be considered genocide and whether it matters, and the importance of pragmatism in the pursuit of justice.The MQ Gespräche is a series of public discussions in which I invite prominent intellectuals to reflect about current questions. Allow me to say thank you to the Bruno Kreisky Forum, the IWM in Vienna, and the Museumsquartier, wonderful partners in this project.Support the show
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1:24:52
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1:24:52
[54] Sarah Newman — Did We Learn Culture from Animals?
Sarah Newman is a zooarcheologist, specialising in animal remains and what they tell about the interaction between humans and animals in the distant past. Her research projects took her to investigate the impact of humans on the landscape and on natural systems among the ancient Mayans and the inhabitants of ancient Jordan. Working on ancient beaver dams and early wooden buildings in which humans had clearly reused tree trunks felled by beavers, she had a fascinating idea: what if early humans got inspiration from special animal skills such as felling trees, damming water, building with wood, and even creating art? What if the division between culture and nature that seemed essential for centuries simply melts away if we allow the idea that there was collaboration and even co-creation between humans and animals, as animal culture and skills were acquired and combined by early humanity?Support the show
The BlomCast looks at turning points in history, which have always fascinated me. My name is Philipp Blom, I am a historian and broadcaster and author of many books about the Enlightenment, the story of modernity and climate history. The climate catastrophe places us at the greatest historical turning point hin human history. What, if anything, can we learn from moments in the past in which a model of life seemed to change, or had to change, in which whole societies were transformed?If you want to support my work:https://buymeacoffee.com/blomcasthttps://www.buzzsprout.com/2104173/supporthttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOowcMCQ_oJtdJeZu3oK6og/joinhttps://www.patreon.com/user?u=75561076&utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink