As socialists, what should we think about conspiracy theories? Should the myriad secret diabolical acts perpetrated by the elites lead us to be more open minded toward the ravings of the open-minded so-called "lunatic fringe," Or does it even matter whether the theories are true?

Comments on the Society of the Spectacle https://files.libcom.org/files/Comments%20on%20the%20Society%20of%20the%20Spectacle.pdf

Conspiracy Theory Is Dead https://jacobin.com/2023/05/conspiracy-theory-is-dead

Conspiracies: Left vs Right https://theramparts.substack.com/p/conspiracies-the-left-vs-right

Understanding and Addressing the Rise of Conspiracy Theories in the 21st Century https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ssqu.70050?af=R

What do socialists say about conspiracy theories? https://socialistalternative.info/2024/08/16/what-do-socialists-say-about-conspiracy-theories/

Conspiracy-Theory Socialism https://fee.org/articles/conspiracy-theory-socialism/

How the Left Lost Its Mind https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/07/liberal-fever-swamps/530736/

Why Is Conspiratorial Thinking More Popular on the Right? https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/social-justice-pacifists/202110/why-is-conspiratorial-thinking-more-popular-the-right

What Conspiracy Theories on the Left and Right Have in Common https://www.vice.com/en/article/what-conspiracy-theories-on-the-left-and-right-have-in-common/

How the Left Fools Themselves Into Thinking the Right Are Conspiracy Theorists https://www.realclearscience.com/blog/2020/07/23/how_the_left_fools_themselves_into_thinking_the_right_are_conspiracy_theorists.html

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This week's bonus episode is the second and last part of our close read close read of a 2021 article from Current Affairs titled What Is Fascism—And Why the Definition Matters by Abel Sterling. We found some merit in this article and decided it would form the basis of a good discussion.

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This week, the boys got together to finish the discussion about what appears to be a massive shift in the way the global system is ordered. Will it be better? Likely not. Will it present opportunities for rupture? Hopefully.

Why Is There No Antiwar Movement in the US?

https://jacobin.com/2026/03/iran-us-antiwar-movement-trump

Welcome to a Multidimensional Economic Disaster

https://archive.ph/gEEBj

The decline of the West and the rise of ‘the Rest’ will lead to a new world order

https://www.chathamhouse.org/publications/the-world-today/2025-09/decline-west-and-rise-rest-will-lead-new-world-order

Join the Regrettable Century Patreon

Visit the Regrettable Century Merch Shop

Join the Regrettable Century Patreon

Visit the Regrettable Century Merch Shop

This week, the boys got together to talk about what appears to be a massive shift in the way the global system is ordered. Will it be better? Likely not. Will it present opportunities for rupture? Hopefully.

Why Is There No Antiwar Movement in the US?

https://jacobin.com/2026/03/iran-us-antiwar-movement-trump

Welcome to a Multidimensional Economic Disaster

https://archive.ph/gEEBj

The decline of the West and the rise of ‘the Rest’ will lead to a new world order

https://www.chathamhouse.org/publications/the-world-today/2025-09/decline-west-and-rise-rest-will-lead-new-world-order

This Is the Way a World Order Ends

https://archive.ph/9bEI6

Join the Regrettable Century Patreon

Visit the Regrettable Century Merch Shop

This week's bonus episode is a close read of an article from Current Affairs titled What Is Fascism—And Why the Definition Matters by Abel Sterling. We found some merit in this article and decided it would form the basis of a good discussion. Stay tuned for part two.

Join the Regrettable Century Patreon

Visit the Regrettable Century Merch Shop

In part VI the boys discuss theories of "decadence" as viewed by the Aufheben collective.

We focus on their early contributions to Marxist theory, critique of the state, and their eventual decline.

Note: Within days of recording this, the Iran war broke out, but this was recorded a few days before that started.

Key Topics Discussed:

The Roots of Aufheben: How the collective emerged within the landscape of radical Marxist theory.

Critique of Luxemburgism: Why Aufheben rejected theories of automatic economic collapse in favor of a more nuanced understanding of class struggle.

The Decay of Theory: Analyzing the shifts in the collective’s perspective that signaled a move away from their original radical foundations.

Theoretical Implications: How these debates on the "highest stage" of capitalism and the "rentier state" remain relevant in today's shifting global landscape.

https://www.patreon.com/c/varnvlog/posts