Gerhard Wolmarans - If It’s Not 200 Years Old, I'm not Interested

About this episode

Gerhard Wolmarans discusses historical patterns of societal change and the implications for contemporary politics.

The news cycle says crisis; history says pattern. We sit down with political philosopher and lecturer Gerhard Wolmarans to test whether our moment is truly exceptional or simply another liminal passage where the old order fades and the new hasn’t yet taken shape. From Rome to Mali, the Glorious to the French Revolution, Gerhard traces how change arrives—sometimes as a flood, sometimes as a slow thaw—and why the health of politics often decides whether societies reform or fracture. We dig int...

People in this episode

Host: Gavin

Guest: Gerhard Wolmarans

Topics covered

• political philosophy
• historical patterns
• societal change
• politics and reform
• exceptionalism

Keywords

• political philosophy
• historical patterns
• societal change
• politics
• reform
• exceptionalism
• Glorious Revolution
• French Revolution

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Rome, Mali

More episodes of Straight, No Chaser

• Monthly Round Up 8: Capital Controls Come For Bitcoin · May 15, 2026 · 1h 16m
• Jabu Jakes - Bitcoin Works Because Nobody Owns It · May 6, 2026 · 1h 14m
• Nick Darlington: A Freelancer Turns Bitcoin Into Everyday Money · April 29, 2026 · 1h 7m
• Monthly Round Up 8: When Data Becomes Oil Who Owns You · April 18, 2026 · 1h 13m
• David Ansara: The only problem with Orania, is that there aren't more of them. · March 29, 2026 · 1h 1m
• Monthly Round Up 7: It's Tamagochi For Grown-Ups · March 14, 2026 · 1h 29m