The Story of Nowhere
By Daniel McCarthy
The Story of NowhereFeb 26, 2023
38. Man, Tool, and Telos, Pt. 2: End of Man, End of Machine
This roundtable discussion dives even deeper into the debate over cybernetics, technocracy, and transhumanism, exploring the philosophical themes which lay beneath these issues, and ultimately asks what man's relationship with his creations ought to be.
For Show Notes, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/mantooltelos2
To access The Nowhere Library, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/library
37. Man, Tool, and Telos, Pt. 1: The Technological Society
For Show Notes, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/mantooltelos1
To access The Nowhere Library, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/library
36. A Window in Dallas - Interlude: A JFK Reading List
This episode introduces some key reading materials concerning the subject of the JFK assassination.
For Show Notes, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/jfkbooks
To access The Nowhere Library, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/library
35. A Window in Dallas - Introduction: Peering into the State of Nature
This episode marks the beginning of an exploration of the American Deep State and the perpetual war waged within it.
For comprehensive Show Notes, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/jfkintro
To access The Nowhere Library, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/library
34. Baptized in Blood: A Birth Story
There is a baby in this episode! Danny is joined by his wife Alice to discuss the natural home birth of their daughter.
For Show Notes, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/birthstory
To access The Nowhere Library, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/library
33. Back of the House: A Deep State Rant
This episode touches on a seemingly odd, yet relatable and easily understood, analog for the Deep State.
For Show Notes, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/kitchen
To access The Nowhere Library, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/library
23. On the Spectrum: Knowing Your Lefts and Rights
In this episode, the unthinkable is done: the terms of the Political Spectrum are actually defined (maybe).
For comprehensive Show Notes, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/spectrum
0. Introduction to The Story of Nowhere Podcast
Welcome to The Story of Nowhere Podcast! This episode introduces the show, outlining its purpose and scope, and also provides some background on your host.
For the Show Notes, visit https://storyofnowhere.com/zero/
32. The Great Beyond: Amillennial Eschatology
This episode follows up on the apocalyptical Halloween special, and covers the Amillennial branch of Christian End Times studies.
For Show Notes, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/amillennial
To access The Nowhere Library, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/library
31. The Crystal Ship is Sinking: An Interview with Jim Morrison
In this episode, a round table panel reviews a 1970 interview with legendary Doors front-man, Jim Morrison. Morrison outlines his worldview and sketches out some ideas for where America may be headed, and our panel deconstructs his projections with the benefit of fifty years of hindsight.
For Show Notes, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/morrison
To access The Nowhere Library, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/library
30. Is Property Proper? w/ Jay Clark
This episode features special guest Jay Clark, and a lively discussion on the legitimacy of one of the most fundamental notions underlying all political thought: Property.
For Show Notes, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/property1
To access The Nowhere Library, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/library
For a copy of Jay Clark's book, Nobottom Road, please send an email to storyofnowhere@mail.com with "Jay's Book" in the subject line
[BONUS] A Big and Exciting Announcement!
Announcement of the beta-launch of The Nowhere Library, a new publishing project committed to reprinting and preserving old and "at risk" material!
For Show Notes, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/announcement
To access The Nowhere Library, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/library
29. The Halloween of Halloweens: The Reaping of the World
This special Halloween episode dives into the Apocalyptic End Times beliefs of Christian Fundamentalists!
For Show Notes, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/halloween2022
28. After the Empire: A Political Potpourri
In this episode, a small panel discusses gardening and permaculture, environmentalism and fossil fuels, and the rise of "Post-Libertarianism" and the shift to the Right Wing among certain segments of the "Liberty Community."
For Show Notes, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/potpourri/
27. Beyond the Velvet Ropes, Part 2: In Sum
Kevin Cole joins the show to summarize the first seven hearings of the January 6th Committee.
For Kevin's work, please visit https://www.unityofthepolis.com/
For Show Notes, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/velvetropes2/
26. Vernacular Appropriation: The Principles of NewSpeak
Words change over time. Sometimes words which were originally meant to speak truth to power are captured by the powerful and used against the powerless. This episode briefly touches on this phenomenon of "vernacular appropriation" by looking at the terms "Deep State," "Patriot," and "Woke." It also includes the reading of the appendix to George Orwell's 1984, "The Principles of NewSpeak."
For Show Notes, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/appropriation
25. Beyond the Velvet Ropes, Pt. 1: Building a Case
Kevin Cole joins the show to kick-off a series investigating the events of January 6, 2021.
For Kevin's work, please visit https://www.unityofthepolis.com/
For Show Notes, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/velvetropes1/
24. An Excess of Moderation
This follow-up to Episode 23 delves into three documents which exemplify the radical means and ends of so-called "Moderate" American political thought over the past century.
For comprehensive Show Notes, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/moderation
22. What is(n't) Aristotle? Discussing "On Interpretation"
Listen in to a (casual) seminar discussion on Aristotle's "On Interpretation," the second part of his legendary "Organon," in which the philosopher introduces formal logic to the world.
For Show Notes, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/oninterpretation
21. In the News: Grand Theft World Roundtable
This episode is taken from a segment of the Grand Theft World Podcast, recorded on January 30, 2022.
For the full episode of the Grand Theft World Podcast, please visit https://grandtheftworld.com/2022/01/31/grand-theft-world-podcast-065-spotify-seppuku
For Show Notes, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/gtw
20. The Domesday Device
The twentieth episode of The Story of Nowhere Podcast analyzes the critical impact that cybernetic theory - defined as the study of communication and control in the animal and the machine - is having on our increasingly technological society. A ruling class's ability to control its subjects is largely determined by its ability to catalog its subjects and the resources they harvest, and mass-communication technologies such as the internet make such cataloging - and therefore control - more possible now than ever before.
For comprehensive Show Notes, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/domesday
[BONUS] "The Road to Hell, Episode 1: 'Planet of the Apes'"
Enjoy this preview of a brand-new Utopia/Dystopia film review podcast featuring The Story of Nowhere Podcast host, Daniel McCarthy, and musician, podcaster, and pop-culture aficionado, Nicky P. In "The Road to Hell," Episode 1, the duo discuss the 1968 classic, "Planet of the Apes."
For the entirety of "The Road to Hell," Episode 1, and for all future episodes, please visit https://roadtohellfilmreviews.com
Also, for more on The Story of Nowhere Project, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com
19. Chasing the Tale of Utopia w/ Owen Hunt
In this edition of The Story of Nowhere Podcast, in preparation for episode 20, we reflect on what has been covered on the show so far. In keeping with the spirit of review, an interview featuring myself and Owen Hunt of Bootsy GreenCast is included, in which the purpose of The Story of Nowhere Project is discussed. We also touch on research methods, the impact of technology on society, and much more!
For Owen's work, please visit https://altmediaunited.com/bootsy-greencast/
For the Show Notes, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/
18. For an Earthly Sabbath: The Enlightenment and its Follies w/ Scott Hambrick
Scott Hambrick of OnlineGreatBooks.com joins in this episode to discuss the impact of the Age of Enlightenment through a critical lens. Using Francis Bacon's document "The Great Instauration" (1620) as a spring-board, we attempt to answer the questions, "What was the Enlightenment?" "Did it work?" and "Was it good?" In this episode we shake the foundations of Modernity.
For Scott's work, please visit https://onlinegreatbooks.com and https://scotthambrick.com
For Show Notes, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/sabbath
17. Myth, Empire, & Utopia: The Rise and Rule of Britannia, Pt. 3 - Progress: A Confession of Faith
As a conclusion to the series on the origins of the British Empire, this episode summarizes the history of global Britannia from the 17th century to the 20th. Though it was originally built, in part, upon a Medieval Golden Age Myth, as the Empire expanded it became animated more and more by the promise of a future scientific Utopia.
For comprehensive Show Notes, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/britannia3
16. Myth, Empire, & Utopia: The Rise and Rule of Britannia, Pt. 2 - Empire & Utopia: Britain Unlimited
In Part 2 of "Myth, Empire, and Utopia: The Rise and Rule of Britannia," the pseudo-historical Golden Age Myth which was used to justify the creation of an expansive British Empire is looked at in detail. This study displays the importance of manufactured "court" history and Utopian rhetoric in modern imperial statecraft.
For comprehensive Show Notes, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/britannia2
15. Myth, Empire, & Utopia: The Rise and Rule of Britannia, Pt. 1 - Myth & Empire: Britain's First 2,700 Years
This episode begins a series of shows on the origins of history's largest empire, that of Great Britain. The historical, ideological, and mythical context in which the Empire was formed is discussed in detail in this episode, setting the stage for the next episode, in which there will be a thorough dissection of the bizarre and generally-unknown Utopian legend which was offered as a legal justification for the creation of the Empire itself.
For comprehensive Show Notes, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/britannia1
[BONUS] Peace & Liberty in the Midwest (or Wherever You Happen to Be)
In this episode, I reflect on my time at the annual Midwest Peace & Liberty Fest, and the value I derived from it.
Please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/peaceandliberty/, and check out the official Midwest Peace & Liberty Fest website at https://mplfest.org/!
14. Britons on the Big Screen
British history has been brought to the big screen time and time again. In this episode, we look at a selection of films which summarize the approximate period of time between the Norman Conquest in 1066 and the birth of the British Empire near the end of the 16th century.
For a list of the movies discussed, please see the Show Notes at https://storyofnowhere.com/bigscreenbritons/.
13. "Agrarian Justice": A Liberal Alternative to Socialism?
For those who bother to read history, Thomas Paine is something of an enigma. Was he a "Liberal" in the modern Libertarian sense, or was he some sort of proto-Marx who was just born too early? In this episode, his virtually forgotten work "Agrarian Justice" is examined, and the question of whether Thomas Paine was a true Enlightenment Liberal or a proto-Socialist is answered at last!
For comprehensive Show Notes, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/agrarianjustice/.
12. The Realm of Isocrates, Pt. 2: Is Our History of Educational Philosophy Mostly Wrong? The Return of the Auctors (w/ Kevin Cole)
In this continuation of "The Realm of Isocrates," Kevin Cole and I explore the ripple effect Isocrates's educational philosophy had on subsequent history, through the lens of an article critiquing the mainstream view of the development of educational theory. Most scholars concerned with the history of educational theory have over-looked the influence of Isocrates, instead tending to credit Plato and Aristotle with the creation of education as we understand it today. However, as is shown in this episode, these claims are tenuous at best. This discussion spans two thousand years of European history, highlighting critical moments in the evolution of educational theory, revealing the fact that the credit - or blame - for our traditional methods of schooling lies not with Socrates, Plato, or Aristotle, but with Isocrates.
For Kevin's work, please visit https://www.unityofthepolis.com/
For comprehensive Show Notes, please visit https://www.storyofnowhere.com/isocrates2/
11. History is Written By...
While we might like to think of history as an objective accounting of past events, the truth is far more complicated. History is - and has been - written and analyzed through different "lenses." In this episode, we look at just a few of these lenses, and hone in on a particularly controversial one.
For the Show Notes, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/historiography/
[BONUS] Socratic Statehood: A Discussion on "The Republic" Books II & III
This supplemental continuation of Episode 10 of The Story of Nowhere Podcast is a recording of a Great Books Club meeting hosted by Daniel and Alice, featuring Mike from Mexico and Ludger from Germany. The group discusses the attributes of Socrates's simple society juxtaposed to his grand metropolitan Utopia. In the course of this conversation, we touch on the natures of justice, community, war, and empire, among other things.
For Show Notes, pleave visit https://storyofnowhere.com/socraticstatehood/.
10. The Lost Utopia of Socrates
Everybody knows about the authoritarian city-state described in Plato's masterwork, "The Republic." What may not be so widely known is the fact that, before he outlined this metropolis, the philosopher set down his personal ideal for a city... and it was hardly anything like the more famous Utopia to follow. He describes a society stripped down to its essentials; a society free from war and politics. In such a city, none of the social engineering describes later in "The Republic" is necessary, as its citizens act in accord with human nature. In this episode, I talk about this forgotten Utopia, and share some thoughts on the differences between it and its more notorious counterpart.
For Show Notes, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/lostutopia/
9. The Realm of Isocrates, Pt. 1: The Rhetorical Creation of Unity (w/ Kevin Cole)
Isocrates is one of the forgotten figures in Western Philosophy. Though he has been overshadowed by the likes of Plato and Aristotle, his use of the written word forever altered political realities in the ancient world, and influenced what would become the Liberal Arts Education System. In his work, he also advocated for Hellenic unity which foreshadowed the rhetorical creation of "Europe" as an abstract entity. In this episode, Kevin Cole and I discuss the role of Isocrates in setting the stage for the so-called "Western Tradition," despite the fact that his name is unknown to most. We also address Marshall McLuhan's idea that "the medium is the message," and how it applies to Isocrates's novel style of packaging and selling rhetoric.
For Kevin's work, please visit https://www.unityofthepolis.com/
For comprehensive Show Notes, please visit https://www.storyofnowhere.com/isocrates1/
8. Navigating Dystopia w/ Stefan Verstappen
The Story of Nowhere Podcast is all about the varying forms and permutations of Utopianism, and how and why Utopias don't work. But what can be done when such a system actually does collapse? What can you do if you find yourself in such a scenario? In this episode, Stefan Verstappen goes over some strategies to survive and thrive when society finally goes the day of the Dodo. He also touches on what preparatory steps can be taken right now, so that if and when disaster does strike, you can be confident and competent enough to save yourself, your family, and even your community.
For Stefan's work, please visit https://www.chinastrategies.com/
For comprehensive Show Notes, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/verstappen/
7. The Constitution of the Invisible Government
"Propaganda," the 1928 book by Edward L. Bernays, is, in many respects, a manual on how the modern world really works. Bernays describes how, through continuous psychological projects, the masses are manipulated to fall in line and, in his words, "regiment" themselves to the benefit of (again, in his words) an "invisible government." He argues that this regimentation of the common mind facilitates the smooth operation of society, wherein "our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of." The study of propaganda is paramount to the understanding of Utopianism - the pursuit of the ideal society. And there is nowhere better to begin the oh-so necessary study of propaganda than with Edward L. Bernays's famous book.
For comprehensive Show Notes, please visit http://storyofnowhere.com/invisiblegovernment/
6. A Critical Look at Thinking
This episode offers some reflections on the now-finished "Brief History of Critical Thinking" Series, including a short but eclectic list of critical thinking skills pulled from the past which can be applied everyday. Then a rant ensues, regarding something called "conceptual vernacular." Don't miss it!
For comprehensive Show Notes, please visit http://storyofnowhere.com/lookatthinking/
[BONUS] In Pursuit of Utopia #5: Committee of Public Safety
The French Revolution - the event that thrust Europe out of the Middle Ages and into the 19th century - is the quintessential example of a Utopian experiment. I this show, the Revolution is broken down, from its idealistic beginnings all the way to its gory climax.
For Brett's work, visit https://schoolsucksproject.com
For Daniel's work, visit https://storyofnowhere.com
Originally published November 17, 2019, at https://schoolsucksproject.com/bonus-in-pursuit-of-utopia-episode-5-committee-of-public-safety/
5. A Brief History of Critical Thinking, Pt. 5: Uniting the Polis w/ Kevin Cole
This episode features an in-depth presentation on the co-optation of the classical American ideal of independent education and critical thinking, by those who wished to push a universal, neo-Medieval system in order to artificially create homogeneous federal and global polities. This presentation which acts as the grand finale of the "Brief History of Critical Thinking" series is delivered by forensic historian and independent researcher Kevin Cole.
For Kevin's work, please visit https://unityofthepolis.com
For comprehensive Show Notes, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/historyofthinking5
[BONUS] In Pursuit of Utopia #4: Common Sense
Was the American Revolution a Utopian project? Or was it, in fact, the least Utopian political movement of all? The early Republic certainly afforded its citizens a great deal of political freedom, though it simultaneously suppressed the political freedoms of its non-citizen residents. Also, despite the theoretical constraints its Constitution put on governmental growth, the United States has grown into perhaps the largest and most globally-present power on the face of the Earth. In this show, the motivations and consequences of its creation are discussed.
For Brett's work, visit https://schoolsucksproject.com
For Daniel's work, visit https://storyofnowhere.com
Originally published on October 16, 2019, at https://schoolsucksproject.com/bonus-in-pursuit-of-utopia-episode-4-common-sense/
4. A Brief History of Critical Thinking, Pt. 4: Agora Underground
Though it is typically associated with its spectacular art, the Renaissance which followed the Middle Ages also gave rise to a new philosophy. Many at the time thought that underlying all of the world's religious traditions was a thread of universal - "divine" - truth. Perhaps more importantly, there arose an idea that the physical world was bound together by some sort of rational "force" - a force which could be understood, if only man paid close attention to the subtle behavior of nature. Of course, such a concept is easy to take for granted now, as it is the bedrock of our modern, materialistic, scientific worldview.
Critical thought was revolutionized in the 17th and 18th centuries, as daring thinkers experimented with old materials to create new technologies, and even went so far as to create new types of political organization. This is the story of science and its early social implications. This is the story of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment.
For comprehensive Show Notes, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/historyofthinking4
[BONUS] In Pursuit of Utopia #3: Noble Lies
The Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, fundamentally changed how people think about society. Some even thought that society itself could be remade into something based not on fealty to God and the king, but on the virtues of liberty, reason, and property. In this episode, the philosophy of the Enlightenment is discussed, in preparation for a deeper look at two very influential Utopian experiments of the era: The American Republic and the French Revolution.
For Brett's work, visit https://schoolsucksproject.com
For Daniel's work, visit https://storyofnowhere.com
Originally published on August 22, 2019, at https://schoolsucksproject.com/bonus-in-pursuit-of-utopia-episode-3-noble-lies/
3. A Brief History of Critical Thinking, Pt. 3: Light in the Dark
Though the Middle Ages are often characterized as "Dark Ages," there was actually quite a bit of very serious critical thinking going on at the time. In this third instalment of the "Brief History of Critical Thinking" series, we will examine some of the important developments in human reason that occurred in the Medieval Millennium, and find that - arguably - the seeds of the Scientific Revolution may have actually been planted by a Catholic bishop.
For comprehensive Show Notes, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/historyofthinking3
[BONUS] In Pursuit of Utopia #2: Illumination
In the early 1600's, two very different images of Utopia were designed for the newly-discovered Americas. In this show, these two ideals - one religious and one scientific - are explored, as is the very mysterious (and perhaps misunderstood?) Bavarian Illuminati of the late 18th century.
For Brett's work, visit https://schoolsucksproject.com
For Daniel's work, visit https://storyofnowhere.com
Originally published on July 21, 2019, at https://schoolsucksproject.com/bonus-in-pursuit-of-utopia-episode-2-illumination/
2. A Brief History of Critical Thinking, Pt. 2: The Life Examined
This is the second instalment of "A Brief History of Critical Thinking." In this show, we discuss the three great Greek philosophers, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Specifically, we dive into Aristotle's system of Deductive, or "Formal," Logic. From there, we set the stage for the Middle Ages, as Greek culture and philosophy seeped into Rome and hence cemented itself into what would become the foundation of Euro-Christian thought.
For comprehensive Show Notes, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/historyofthinking2
[BONUS] In Pursuit of Utopia #1: From the Top Down
The first show featuring Daniel McCarthy of https://storyofnowhere.com and Brett Veinotte of https://schoolsucksproject.com. The subject of Utopianism is discussed, as is the importance of the study of myth.
Originally released June 13, 2019 at https://schoolsucksproject.com/bonus-the-pursuit-of-utopia-episode-one-from-the-top-down/.
1. A Brief History of Critical Thinking, Pt. 1: Shamans, Seers, and Sacred Geometry
This is the first episode in the series, "A Brief History of Critical Thinking," a survey of how logic and reason have developed over the span of a few millennia. In this episode, we look at the primeval origins of critical thinking, and see how rationality was venerated in early civilizations.
For comprehensive Show Notes, please visit https://storyofnowhere.com/historyofthinking1
"The Story of Nowhere" Audiobook (Full)
The complete "The Story of Nowhere" book, read by the author.