About this episode
The episode discusses the implications of authoritarian regimes lacking ideology and the resulting moral failures, featuring a conversation with political theorist John Ambrosio.
When an authoritarian regime offers no ideology, no story, no reason to believe, it plants the seeds of its own destruction. Minneapolis and Iran show this story. In this recent WhoWhatWhy podcast, I talk with political theorist John Ambrosio , about the moral failure that’s becoming to impossible to ignore. Every authoritarian regime in history has understood something that Donald Trump apparently does not: People need a reason to go along. Not necessarily a good reason, or even a true one. But something they can tell themselves — some story, some larger purpose, some ideological cover that lets them live with their own compliance without having to examine it too closely. Trump has thrown that playbook out entirely. No story, no veil, no pretense of a larger purpose. Get full access to Talk Cocktail Podcast at jeffschechtman.substack.com/subscribe
People in this episode
Host: Jeff Schechtman
Guest: John Ambrosio
Topics covered
- authoritarianism
- political theory
- ideology
- compliance
- moral failure
Keywords
- authoritarian regime
- ideology
- political compliance
- moral failure
- Donald Trump
Mentioned in this episode
Places: Minneapolis, Iran
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