Varn Vlog

Abandon all hope ye who subscribe here. Varn Vlog is the pod of C. Derick Varn. We combine the conversation on philosophy, political economy, art, history, culture, anthropology, and geopolitics from a left-wing and culturally informed perspective. We approach the world from a historical lens with an eye for hard truths and structural analysis.

Podcasting since 2021 • 393 episodes

Varn Vlog

Latest Episodes

The Left-Wing Deadbeat with Nurse John

A lot of people can quote the right theory, wear the right shirt, and post the right meme. Then the moment arrives when you have to sit down with a coworker, ask what they need, and move them toward collective action and suddenly they vanish. W...

May 04, 2026 • Season 2 • Episode 71 • 1:17:03

The K-Shaped Decade with Matt Borka

“Why does life feel poorer when the economy looks rich?” That question drives our talk with Hungarian-born creator and entrepreneur Matt Borka, who has lived and worked across the West, Eastern Europe, and Asia and who tracks real-world conditi...

April 27, 2026 • Season 2 • Episode 70 • 1:38:11

From Dawn To Decadence, Part 6: Aufheben's Decay

In Part 6 of our series "From Dawn to Decadence," we examine the intellectual trajectory and eventual "decay" of the Aufheben collective. This episode explores the group's early contributions to Marxist theory, their critique of the state, and ...

April 20, 2026 • Season 2 • Episode 69 • 1:33:46

German Romanticism and Idealism Beyond Nostalgia And Reaction

Romanticism gets treated like a synonym for nostalgia, and German Idealism gets shrunk to a few brand-name thinkers. We push back on both habits by talking with Christopher Satoor, a York University doctoral candidate and founder of the Young I...

April 13, 2026 • Season 2 • Episode 68 • 1:38:37

Diving Into the Wreckage: The French Left Remains Unbowed

Join hosts as they dive deep into the complexities of modern French politics with guest Henry Wallace. This episode explores the concept of the "new municipalism" and the strategic efforts of the La France Insoumise (France Unbowed) mo...

April 10, 2026 • Season 2 • Episode 67 • 1:18:59

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Fan Mail

If you wish to understand Bataille in the Post Structuralist context, refer to Rosalind Krauss’ definitive analysis of Bataille, Documents and Surrealist photography, The Optical Unconscious (MIT Press).

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