Richard Wolff: Marxism and Communism | Lex Fridman Podcast #295

ℹ️ EPISODE INFO

Released

June 17, 2022

Duration

2h 53m

Channel

Lex Fridman Podcast

Watch on YouTube

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📝 EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Richard Wolff is a Marxist philosopher and economist. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:

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EPISODE LINKS: Richard's Twitter: https://twitter.com/profwolff Richard's Website: https://www.rdwolff.com Contending Economic Theories (book): https://amzn.to/3HykPwT Understanding Marxism (book): https://amzn.to/39qpm8b Understanding Socialism (book): https://amzn.to/3Og9XG3 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 1:52 - Marxism 10:21 - Communism 45:27 - Human nature 57:43 - Economics 1:04:34 - Capitalism 1:36:58 - Governments and corporations 1:47:53 - Stalinism 2:01:52 - Nazis 2:08:48 - Socialism vs Marxism 2:16:28 - Bernie Sanders and AOC 2:33:29 - Cultural Marxism 2:40:28 - Darkest moments 2:45:58 - Advice for young people 2:48:17 - Mortality 2:52:08 - Meaning of life SOCIAL:

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🎤 SPEAKERS

• Richard Wolff

  guest

• Lex Fridman

  host

• Narrator

  other

🧾 EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Lex Fridman Podcast, featuring Richard Wolff and Lex Fridman, Richard Wolff: Marxism and Communism | Lex Fridman Podcast #295 explores richard Wolff and Lex Fridman Debate Capitalism, Marxism, and Alternatives Lex Fridman interviews Marxist economist Richard Wolff about what Marxism actually is, separating Marx’s critique of capitalism from the 20th‑century regimes that claimed his legacy. Wolff defines exploitation as one class appropriating the surplus created by another and argues that both Soviet communism and Western capitalism preserved exploitative workplace structures, merely changing who holds power. They trace the historical evolution of Marxism, including the Russian and Chinese revolutions, social democracy, and today’s democratic socialism, while examining concepts like class struggle, central planning, markets, and human nature. Wolff advocates democratizing workplaces through worker cooperatives as the next stage beyond capitalism, and contends that current crises—inequality, political polarization, ecological destruction—show capitalism is historically exhausted but not yet replaced.

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