Bhaskar Sunkara: Socialism and Communism | Lex Fridman Podcast #349

ℹ️ EPISODE INFO

Released

December 22, 2022

Duration

3h 42m

Channel

Lex Fridman Podcast

Watch on YouTube

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📝 EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Bhaskar Sunkara is a democratic socialist, political writer, founding editor of Jacobin, president of The Nation, and author of The Socialist Manifesto. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:

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EPISODE LINKS: Bhaskar's Twitter: https://twitter.com/sunraysunray Jacobin: https://jacobin.com Jacobin's Twitter: https://twitter.com/jacobin The Nation: https://thenation.com The Socialist Manifesto (book): https://amzn.to/3hKpt2p PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ Full episodes playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4 Clips playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOeciFP3CBCIEElOJeitOr41 OUTLINE: 0:00 - Introduction 3:41 - Socialism 22:11 - Communism 48:48 - Class struggle 59:50 - Quality of life 1:07:46 - Unions 1:20:14 - Corruption 1:33:32 - Freedom of speech 1:41:55 - War 1:49:41 - Karl Marx 2:03:20 - Socialist vision 2:08:45 - AI and socialism 2:13:43 - Socialist policies 2:39:02 - Billionaires 2:45:01 - Bernie Sanders 2:55:27 - AOC 3:07:28 - 2024 presidential election 3:12:22 - China 3:21:23 - Jacobin 3:28:53 - The Socialist Manifesto 3:36:12 - Advice for young people 3:39:45 - Meaning of life SOCIAL:

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🎤 SPEAKERS

• Lex Fridman

  host

• Bhaskar Sunkara

  guest

🧾 EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Lex Fridman Podcast, featuring Lex Fridman and Bhaskar Sunkara, Bhaskar Sunkara: Socialism and Communism | Lex Fridman Podcast #349 explores bhaskar Sunkara Defends Democratic Socialism Without Authoritarian or Woke Dogma Lex Fridman and Bhaskar Sunkara explore what democratic socialism means today, distinguishing it sharply from 20th‑century authoritarian communism while defending markets, democracy, and civil liberties. Sunkara argues socialism is about guaranteeing basic needs, expanding democracy into the workplace, and reducing extreme inequality of wealth and power—without abolishing markets or free speech. They examine historical experiences from the USSR, China, and Scandinavia, debating why some socialist projects failed, why social democracy partly succeeded, and how corruption, incentives, and human nature fit into any system. The conversation closes with practical priorities like universal healthcare and shorter work weeks, internal critiques of the contemporary left, and Sunkara’s vision of a more egalitarian but still democratic and conflict-filled future.

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